.1 $ *l COLLECTION OF PURITAN AND ENGLISH THEOLOGICAL LITERATURE LIBRARY OF THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY jCS — " PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013 http://archive.org/details/cuponfiOOpatr COMMENTARY UPON THE FirftBookof MOSES CALLED- c "- ' '/ c ''''"' vM GENESIS. B Y The Riohc Reverend Father in GOD, '& 5" YMO N, Lord Bifhop of B L X - tEije Cljita €0tttoit CouTrtctJ LONDON; Printed for Rh C!;iiiB{H, at the Rofe and Crown in St. rastFs Uurcb-Ttrd, MDCCIV. •y * OCT 6 }r^ ^ THE PREFACE. HAVING been perfwaded to put together fame fcattered Notes , which I long ago made upon fe* veral Places of Holy Scripture^ I beoan the laji Tear to conftder fome Texts in the Book ^GENESIS. Where I foon found there would be a neceffuy of ma- kjng an entire Comment ary, upon a good part of it : And therefore J refolded to go through the whole, in the fame manner as I had done the three fir Jl Chapters. After / had ftufj.d the better half of my JTorl^, I was informed that Monfieur TCIcrk had pnblifud a Critical Commentary upon A the TBe Preface. the fame Bofi\: But whether 1 have concurred in «»y thing ** h^or conned himJZ ot came np0n me in thg gfjd r£ J ^ .»hcb »/« under flood that a very UarneJ F^', and Mother had put into thePefd^Zt Konsnpm aU the Ftve BooKJ '/%££ But by communicating fome of\r 'p™™' each other, me fomd there Jmld u**» fin that etther of us p0uld , "'£ Deflgn ; but g0 on, in our fe^ral ll Z make the Scriptures better underfiooT L aU >'? f F"fo»< •■ ^r all helpi are )lttL enough tn this Age , M feem *0 tl ™* t::, betng igmram &f l -* 4-t h which rre are fo particularly indeed by Mofes as by no other Author, J by all the Z i t1 ,7' °r h™ hen K»own Jto be Ja:t ^ the World. For to htm r»e ole the Kn^dTof of Man^nd; the Inventers of Arts the ol / rL- IfltMtdn °fL*™ 5 the Fountain of Kdgious Rttes; Yea, of all the ancient M ^logy, and *b*b n' ^ „#"&% means The Preface. means of propagating that Sen ft of God and of Religion, which Mankind brought into the World with them , and how it came ta be cor- rupted. There have been thofe who have tal^en the li- berty to fay^That it is impojpble to give any tole- rable Account of the Creation of the World, in Six Days ; of the Situation of Paradifc, the Fall of our frfi Parent s, by th: feduSlion of a Serpent, &>c. But, Ihope^ I have made it appear, there is no ground for fuch prefumptuotts Words : But very good reafon to believe every thing that Mo- ks hath reLted,without for falling the YiterriSence, and betaking our felves toy I do not hgow what, hllegov'icaMnterpretations.Particularlyyl find the Truth of what I have noted coucerningF&radxfe, very much confirmed by a Learned and Jnditi* cus Dijcourfe of Monf. Huetius ; which I did not meet withal, till I had made an end of theft Commentaries: But then took^a review of what I bad written, avd found caufe to correB what I had noted out of Mr '.Carver, concerning the Spring tf Tigris and Euphrates. / might alfobave given a clearer Account of the Deluge, // I had obferved forne things j which are come to my notice fitue thefe fapers went to the Prefs : Bnt} 1 hipe, I A 2 h The P a e f a c e. have fa id enough to evince that it is not fa incre* dtble, as fome have pretended. For, having wade the largefiConceJpons concerning the heigbtb of the hfgheji Mountains, which ^according to the old 0- pinion* I have allowed may be thirty Miles highy Gen. VII 19. (whereas if infiead of thirty ,J had f aid not above three perpendicular, I had had the beji of the Modern Phtlofopbcrs to defend we} it appears there might be Water enough to cover the loftieSi of them ; as Mofcs hath rela- ted. Whofe account of the Families by whom the Earth was peopled after the Flood, is fo furpri* fingly agreeable to all the Records that remain in any Language,ofthe fever al Nations of the Earthy that it carries with it an uucontrouljble Evi- dence of his Sincerity and truth, as well as of his admirable Univerfal Knowledge. For as there is no Writer that hath given us an Account of fa many Nations ^and fo remote as he hath done : So he hath not fatvsfied himfelf with naming them > but acquainted us with their Original ; and told ns at what time, and from what place, and on what ouafion they were difperfed into far dijiant Countries. And this with juch brevity, that he hath informed us of more in one Chapter \than we can find in the great Volumes of all other Authors : Having The Prefa c e. Hiving fljown us from whom all tbofe People de- fended, who are J pre ad over the Face of the Larth, front the Cafpian and Perfun Sea, to Hercules bis tillars (as the Annents fpeal^) that is, all the World over. In fhorty whatfoever is tnofi ancient in tbofe Countries, "which are, fnrtheji from all Commerce with bis own, is clearly explained by Mofes .* whofe Writings therefore cannot but be highly 'va- lued by all tbofe who will apply their Minds feri- oufly to the Jhidy of them. Fcr if they^ who now have no regard tobim* would but compare what he hath written on the fore-named SnbjeEi, with what they find in thoje Heathen Writers, whom they have in the great efl veneration, they would be forced to coxfefs him to be a Man of wonder- ful TJnderflanding 5 avd could vet reafonably doubt he had an exa£} kpowledye of the Truth of tktfe things, whtraf be wrote. To this pnrpofe* I rt member y the t& Rochari fpeal^s, who hath given the we die A Light to the Tenth of Cenefis , wherein tbtfethiros delivered. And truly, it is fume wouder\ That they who fo much cry up the Egyptian laetrnsng, fbonldnot eafily grant (nnlefs they will he an s bat only tbofe whom W hat Mofes The Preface. Mofes mufi needs be qualified^ even without the help of Divine Revelation (which he cert ah ly had J to write both of their Original, and of all thofe who were related to them > being bred up in their Country , nay, in their Court till he was XL Tears old\ and well verfed in all the Wifdontfhat was to be found among them, A&s VII. 22. Whith V/ijdom of theirs, I doubt noi9 was much augmented by Abraham'/ //w/zg among them,[as 1 have obferved upon XIII 2.) but efpecially by JofcphV long Government of that Country for the fpaee of LX X X Tears : Who was indued with fuch an incomparable Spirit ^that the wifefl Men among them learnt of him ; for he taught their Senators Wifdom3 Ffalm CV. 22. And, in li\e manner % Mofes lived XL Tears more among the Midia- nites, where, it appears by Jethro, there wanted not terfons of great Knowledge. And from thence he might eafily be injiruSled in all that the A- rabians knew : Who were no mean People (it ap- pears by the Story of Job and his three Friends^ And Elihu, who is Jnppofed by fame to have wrote that admirable Bool{) and were near Neighbours to the mofi famous Nations of the Eaftern Countries ; From whom^ it is evident by this Hijiory, all Learnings Art s^ and Sciences originaty came. The Preface. / could add a great deal more to this purpofe ; but the Reader , / hopey will find enough to fa- tisfe him in the Commentary it/elf, Andthcre- fore I /hall only make this one Kequeji to him, That he would tahg his Bible and read every Verfe intirely along with this Commentary •' For I have not fet down every Word of the text , for fear of fwelling this Worl\ unto too great a Bulk* April 10. 1694. \ 1 1 1 Chapter I. A COMMENTARY UPON THE Firft Book oiMtfes, CALLED GENESIS. THat MOSES wrote this and the Four fol- lowing Books hath been fo conftantly be- lieved, both by Jews, Christians, and Hea- thens, that none, I think, denied it, till Aben Ezra (a Jewifh Doftor, who lived not much above five hundred Years ago) raifed fome Doubts about it, irt his Notes upon the Firfi of Deuteronomy, out of XII Paffages in thefe Books themfelves: Which he pretended could not be his, but the Words of a later Author. But when 1 meet with thofe places, I (hall make it appear, that all fuch Exceptions are very frivolous, and ought not to fhake our belief of this Truth, That thefe Five Books were penned by MOSES and no Body el fe. The firft is called GENESIS, becaufe it con- tains the Hiftory of the Creation of the World, with B \v h 2 A COMMENTARY Chapter which it begins $ and the Genealogy of the Patri- I. archs, down to the Death of Jojeph, where it ends. L/^WJ It comprehends an Hiftory of Two thoufand three hundred and fixty nine Years, or thereabouts: The truth of all which it was not difficult for Mofes to know, becaufe it came down to his time, through but a very few Hands. For from Adam to Noah, there was one Man (Alethufelali) who lived fo long as to fee them both. And io \t was from Noah to Abraham: Shem convcrfed with both! As Ifaac did with Abraham and Jojeph : From whom thefe things might eafily be conveyed to Mofes, by Amram 5 who lived long enough with Jofeph In (hort, Mofes might have been confuted, if he had written any thing but the Truth, by learned Men of other Na- tions, who fprang from the fame Root, and had the like means o£ being acquainted with the great things here reported by Tradition from their Fore- fathers: Who lived fo long in the beginning of the World, that they more certainly tranfmitted Things to their Pofterity. Befides, it is not reafonable to think, they had not the ufe of Writing as we ha?e 5 whereby they conveyed the knowledge of Times foregoing, to thofe that came after. Verfe 1. Verfe 1. In the beginning."] The World is not eternal, but had a beginning, as all Philofophers ac- knowledged before Ariftotle. So he himfelf informs us, L. J. de Casio, cap, 2. (fpeaking of the ancient Opinions concerning the Original of the World) TivGjULiVQV f/Av Zv 3,7mv1i$ eT) (pctnVy they all J aid it had a beginning : But fome thought it might have no End $ others judged it to be corruptiMe. God created.~] He who is Eternal gave a Being to this great Fabrick of Heaven and Earth, out of No- thing, upon GENESIS. 5 thing. It is obferved by Eufebius (in the beginning Chapter of his Book De Prapar. Evang. p. 21, & 25. Edit. I. Pari/.) That neither the ancient Hijiorians, nor the L^VNJ Philofophcrs, do fo much as mention God. tlSi pivfi lviuut\&., no, not fo far as to name him, when thty write of the beginning of the World. But this Di- vine Law-giver, defigning to hang the whole Frame of his Polity, upon Piety towards God, and to mike the Creator of all, the Founder of his Laws, begins with him. Not after the manner of the £- gyplians and Phoenicians, who beftowed this adora- ble Name, upon a great Multitude: But puts in the Front of his Work, the Name of the fole Caufe of all Things : the Maker of whatfoever is feen or un- feen. As if he hid told the Hebrew Nation; That he who gave them the Law contained in thefe Books, was the King an i Law giver of the whole World : Which was, like a great City, governed by him. Whom therefore he would have them look upon, not only as the Enafter of their Laws $ but ofthofe alfo whkh all Nature obeys. See L. VII. De Prapar. Evang. c. 9, 10 & L. XII. c. \6. The Heaven and the Earth."] The Hebrew Particle Eth, put before both Heaven and Earth, fignifies as much as with, if Maimonides underftood it aright} and makes the Sence to be this : He created the Hea- vens, with all things in the Heavens, and the Earth with all things in the Earth 5 as his Words are in More Ae- vochim, P. II. cap. 30. Certain it is thefe two words, Heaven and Earth, comprehend the whole vifible World. Some would have the AngeU compre- hended in the word Heaven 5 particularly Epiphaniuf% Hasrel. LXV.n.45. d/Ltct HggLv£ ^ yf k, "A-tfctei Ix-A^n- rav. But others of the Fathers are ot a diffe.ent B 2 Opi- A COMMENTA RY Opinion, as Petavins there obferves. It is a pretty Conceit of Theophilns Antiochcntts, L.lf. ad Autolychnr,?^ That the Heavens are mentioned before the Earthy to ihow that God's Works are not like ours : For he begins at the top, we at the bottom: That is, he firft made the firfi Stars and all beyond them, (To. I take the word Heaven here to fignifie) for they had a beginning, as well as this lower World, though they do not feem to be comprehended in the fix days IVorkj which relates only to this Planetary World, as I may call it, which hath the SV/*for- its Center. And thus Philo underftood the firft word Berefchith, in the beginning, to refpeft the order wherein things were create^. God began his Creation with the Heaven^ as-tfre moft noble Body, and ihen proceeded to the Earth y. an account of which follows. Verfe 2. Ver. 2. And the Earth was without form, Sec] Some conneft this Verfe with the foregoing, by tranflating the firft Verfe in this manner, When God firfi created, or began to create, the Heaven and the Earth, the Earth was without form, &c. That is, at firft he only created a rude Matter of thofe things, which after- wards were fafliioned as we now fee them. Without form.') A confufed, indigefted heap, with- out any order or fhape. And vo/d.'] Having no Beafts, nor Trees, nor Herbs,- nor any thing elfe, wherewith we now behold it adorned. So thefe two words, Tohu Vabohu, are ufed in Scrip- ture, where we meet with them ( which is not of- j ten) for confufion and emptinefs, XXXIV. lfaiah n. IV. Jer.23. Being a defcription of that which (he An- cients called the CHAOS (of which the Barbart- T*j had aNotionr no lefs than the Greeks) whereirv the upon GENESIS 5 Seed* and Principles of all things were blended Chapter rher. This is called, in the ■' Language, by I. hnirwus, irfvTLv (di'Z'\ the fir 't of fbe Gods: I : -all things fprang out of this -0 which wasindeed the hr(t of the Works of God, who, as M»fej (her in the fequel, produced this beautiful World out this CHAOS. / darknefs was upon the face of the deep."] No- thing was to be feen, for want of Light : Which lay buried, as all things elfe did, in that great Abyfs, or vaft confuted heap of Matter before-mentioned. So the Hebrew word Tehom fignifies (which we tratif- late deep J tumult and turbid confufion : The firft Mat- ter being very heterogeneous, as they (peak, i. e, of various forts and kinds, hudled together without di- (tinftion. And the Spirit of God moved."] Men have been ex- treamly fanfiful in the Expofition of thefe plain Words: Some underftanding by the Spirit of God, the Sun, which gives Spirit and Life ro all things up- on Earth; others the Air, or the Wind: When as yet there was no Sun in the Firmament, nor any Wind that could (tir, without the Power of the Air to excite it. This therefore we are to und be here meant ^ The Infinite Wifdom, and I of God, which made a vehement ( 1 mighty Fermentation (by raifingr. Wind) upo,ithe Face of t'. . s ; Th fluid Matter before-mentioned, of it one from the other. Waters.'] That which Mofes before * called 1 Deep, he now calls the Waters : Which plainly that fome Parts of the confi; light 3 as other Parts were and heavy. The i vy g A COMMENTARY Chapter vy naturally funk, which he calls the Earth } and the I. lighter Parrs got above them, which he calls the Wa- L^^VVJ ters: For it is clearly intimated the Waters were up- permoft. The Word we here tranflate moved, fignifies lite- rally brooded upon the Waters, as an Hen doth upon her Eggs. So the ancient and modern Interpreters have obferved : And Morimts, who oppofes it, hath faid nothing to make us doubt of this Sence of the Phrafe. From whence fome have, not unhappily, conje&ured, the Ancients took their Notion of a tt^QcVjiyovcv dlv, a fir(t laid Egg, out of which all things were formed, That is, the CHAOS Tout of which all the old Philofophers, before Ariftotle, thought the World was produced) confifting ot Earth and Water, of thicker and thinner Parts, as an Egg doth of Ttf/^and White. Now the Spirit of God thus moved upon the Wa- ters, that by its incubation (as we may call it) it might not only feparate, as I faid, thofe Parts which were jumbled together 5 but give a vivifick Virtue to them, to produce what was contained in them. The Souls and Spirits, that is, of all living Crea- tures, were produced by the Spirit of God, as Por- phyry faith Nitmenius underftood it. For his Opini- on, he tells us, was, That all things ame out of the Water StOTw'to wli, being Divinely infpired : For which he quoted thefe words of the Prophets, as he called Mofes. See Porphyry, mp / tS N^p *Avrpks9 on thofe words of Homer : Which gives us to underftand, that the Spirits of all living Creatures fwhich we call their Aftive Forms) did upon GENESIS. 7 did not drift out of Matter, for that is fhipid; butChai ur proceeded from this other Principle, the Powerful 1. Spirit of ( iod, which moved upon the Face or the l/"V\J Waters, by £ vital Energy, (as St. Chryfoftont f| fo that they wei\ n > lpngei (landing Water *//»£, having c/^fc^J ti>x SWa/up, a certain living Power in them. From whence we ma} ga- ther, that the Spirits of" living Creaturesafe diftindt things f orii Matter} which ol it felf cannot move at all, and much lefs produce a Principle of Mo- tion. And thus indeed all the Ancient Philosophers ap- prehended this Matter: And fome of them havemoft lively exprefled it. For Lacrtius in the Life of Ana- xagoras tells us5 that he taught among other things, Ylxvlx ywyLCLla. w o/£«' tint N£s i?\Sa)V c/jurd SiiK0^nr,^i9 all things were hudled together : And then the Mind came and fct them in order. And Thales before him (asT)r//p informs us, L.I. de Nat. Deor.) Aquam dixit, ejffe initium rerum : Deitm ant em earn went em qu<£ ex aqn'l cunUa fingeret^ faid, Water was the beginning of things : And God that Mind who formed all things out of the li ater. By the Spirit of God fome of the ancient Jews have tmdetftood the Spirit of the Mejfiah, fas Hachjpan obferves in his Cabala Judaica, n. LXV1. out of Baal Hatturim, the Hicrufalcm Targum, &C.) which ex- plains the EvangeliftSt. John, who in the beginning of his Gofpel fays, all things were made by the Eter- nal AOrOS or WORD of God, (the fame with theN£$ of the ancient Philofophers) vvhofe Almighty Spirit agitated the vaft confufed Mafs of Matter, and put it into Form. Ver. 8 A COMMENT ART Chapter Ver. 3. AndGodfaid-1 Thefe words are taken I. notice of by Longinus, -mzX #4»$, as a truly lofty ex- L/"WJ preflion 5 wherein appears the Wifdom of Mofes^ Verfe 3. vvho reprefents God like himfelf, commanding things into Being by his 'Word 5 that is, by his Will: For • wherefoever we read thefe words in the Hiftory of the Creation, He/aid, the meaning mud be underftood to be He willed, as Maiwonides interprets ir, More Nev. P. I. cap. 65. This Ju/lin Martyr demonftrates Orpheus had learnt out of Mofes his Books, when ' he fwears by the Heaven, the Work of the Great and Wife God, and by the Word of the Father, which hefpak? at firft, when he eftablifh'd all the World by his Counfels, So his words are in Xla^.iv 699 a.) calls dm ouitw iij dvf>\iov, becaufe it was not yet collected in- to a Body, as it is now in the Sun. Ochers think it to have been a dimmer fort of Light from the Sun, not yet perfectly formed. Abarbinel (upon the XL o\ Fxodus) takes this to be the SCHECHINAH, the molt excellent of all created things, called, in Holv Scripture, the Glory of the Lord 5 which God, faith he, fealed up in his Treafures, after the Lumi- naries were created, to ferve him upon fpecial Oc- cafions, (for inftance, to lead the Ifraelitcs in the Wildernefs, by a cloudy Pillar of FireJ when he would make himfelf appear extraordinarily Prefent. And becauie of the Perfection of thk Light he fanfies it is that Mofes fays in the next Verfe, That God/aw the Light ("repeating the word Light) that it mis good : Whereas in all the reft of the Six Days Work, he only fays, He/in? it was good, without naming a- gain the thing he had made. But it fcems to me mod rational by this Light, to underftand, thofe Particles of Matter, which we call Fire, (whofe two Properties, every one knows, are Light and Heat) which the Almighty Spirit that formed all things, produced as the great Inftrument, for the Preparation and Digeftion of the reft of the Mattery which was ftillmore vigoroudy moved and agitated, from the top to the bottom, by this reft- C lefs io A COMMENTARY Chapter lefs Element, till the purer and more (billing Parrs I. of it, being feparated from the groffer, and united lW*%J in a Body fit to retain them, became Light. Verfe 4. Ver. 4. And God faw the Light, that it was good.'] He was pleafed in this Work of his, as agreeable to his Defign. Which for the prefent was (we may conceive) to influence the upper Parts of the CHA- OS, and to be the Inftrument of Pvarefa&ion, Sepa- ration, and all the reft of the Operations, which were neceflary to mold.it into fuch Creatures, as were afterwards made out of it. And God divided the Light from the Darknefs7\ Ap- pointed that they (hould conftantly fucceed one ano- ther 5 as we fee they do now, that this Light is em- bodied in the Sun 5 and as they did then, by the cir- cular Motion of this firft Light of Fire, round a- bout the CHAOS, in the fpace of Twenty-four Hours ^ which made it Day to thofe Parts where it (hined $ and Night, where it did not. It is remark- able how Mofes afcribes every thing to God, the Former of all things 5 who by making this Light move round about the Chaos, ftill more prepared, and ex- alted the remaining indigefted Parts of Matter, for their feveral ufes. Yerfe 5 Ver. 5. And God called the light, day } and the darh- nefs he called Night,'] He fetled them (fthat is) in fuch a conftant Courfe, that it gave them thefe di- ftinft Names. And the Evening and the Morning were the fir ft Day7\ In the Hebrew Language, Evening and Morning ilgni- fie a whole Day $ which the Morion of this Light made, if we conceive it to have been formed about Noon, and to have gone round the fore-mentioned Heap of Matter in Twenty-four Hours. How upon GENESIS. ,, How long all things continued in mere Confufi* Chapter on, after the CHAOS was created, before this I. Light was extracted out of it, we aae not told. It l/V^vJ might be (for any thing that is here revealed) a great while \ and all that time the mighty Spirit was making fuch Motions in it, as prepared, difpofed, and ripened every Part of it, for fuch Productions as were to appear fucceflively in fuch fpaces of time, as are here, and afterward mentioned by Mofcs ; who informs us, That after things were fo digefted, and made ready (by long Fermentations perhaps) to be wrought into Form, God produced every day, for fix days together, fome Creature or other, till all was finifhed , of which Light was the very firft. This Ma'wionicles hath very happily illuftrated, in his More Nevochiw, P. II. c. 30. where he obferving that all things were created at once, and then were af- terwards feparated one from another fucceflively $ he fays, their wife Men refemble this proceeding to that of a Husbandman, who fows feveral Seeds in the Earth at the fame moment 5 fome of which are to come up after one day, others after two, and others not till three days be paft 5 though the whole fowing was in one and the fame moment. Thus God made all things at the firft, which did not ap- pear together ^ but, in the fpace of fix Days, were formed and put in order one after another: Light being the Work of the firft Day. Ver. 6. And God /aid. Let there he a firmamentT^ Verfe 6. The next thing that God commanded to come forth of the Chaos , was the Air^ particularly, that Region next to us, wherein the Fowls fly, as it is expounded after- • wards, verfe zo. The Hebrew word Rachia properly fignifies a Body expanded, or fpread forth, (as may be C 2 feea 13 A COMME START Chapter feen "in FW. XXXIX. $.Ifai. XL. 19. Jer.X.9. where I. ic can have no other meaning) but is by the LXX. tranilated s-gp^ct^t, and from thence by us, Firma- ment 5 becaufe the Air, though vaftly extended and fluid, yet continues firm and (table in its place. In the midfl of the Waters, and let it divide the Wa- ters from the Waters'] This Region of the Air, ma^ nijfeftly parts the Waters above it in the Clouds, from thofe below it, here upon Earth $ the one of which Waters bear a good proportion, and are in fome mea- fure equal unto the other 5 for there are vaft Treafures of Water in the Clouds,* from whence the Waters here below, in Springs and Rivers are fupplied. This appeared afterwards in the Deluge, which was partly m-ide by continued Rains for many days. The great Objection againft this Expofition is, That now there were no Clouds, neither had it, after this, rained on the Earth, Gen. II. 6. But itmuft be confidered, That neither were the Waters below, as yet gathered into one place r And therefore Mofes here fpeaks of the Air% as a Body intended to be ftretched between the Waters above and beneath, when they Chould be formed. That the Clouds above are called Waters in the Scripture-Language, is plain enough from Pfalm CIV. 3. Jer.X. 13. and other places. Verfe 7. Ver. 7. And God made the firmament, and di- vided, &c.*] What his Divine Will ordered, his Power effe&ed 5 by that Light which row led about the CHAOS, and that Beat which was excited within it 5 whereby fuch Exhalations were raifed, as made the Firmament. That is, the thicker Parts of them made this Region of the Air^ which is the low- er firmament^ verfe 20. And the thinner Parts of them upon GENESIS 13 them made the /Etber9 or higher Firmament^ where- Chapter in the Sun and the Planets are fcated, verfi 14, 15. I. Ver. 8. And God called the firwan/eni Heaven r\ **'~s/'^i Made it fo different from the reft of the Mais, cal- Verie ^. led Earth, that it had the Name of Heavem^ to di- fiinguilhit from the o-her. So all above the Earth is called, as appears by the following part of the Chapter, in the Verfes DOW mentioned And that's the very import ot the word Scbamaimy which, in the Arabic!^ Language, (as EiLben Ezra obferves) fignihes height h or altitude. And the Evening and the Morning were the fecond Day.~] This was the Work of another whole Day. Concerning which it is commonly noted, That it is nor faid ofthis, as of all the Works of the other five Days, Godfaw that it was good. What the reafon of this (hould be, is enquired by all Interpreters 5 and the moft folid Account that I can find of it, is this 5 That the Waters mentioned upon this Day, were not yet feparated and diftinguifhed from the Earth : And therefore in the next Day's Work, when he did ga- ther the Waters together, verfe io. and when he com- manded the Earth Cwhich was become dry) to bring forth, verfe 12. thefe words, God faw that it was good, are twice repeated. Which made Picherellus and Ger.Vojfivs, think the two next Verfes (9, 10.) belonged to the fecond Days Work ^ and that the firft words of the ninth Verfe (hould be thus tranflated, And God had faid, Let the Waters under the Hea- ven, Sec. And fo the words in the end of the tenth Verfe, Godfaw that it was good, relate to the fecond Day. L.2.de Orig. IdoloL c. 67, Ver. i4 A COMMENT ART Chapter Ver. 9. And God /aid, Let the Waters under the I. Heaven] All the Waters which continued mixed \j/*\TSJ with the Earth, and covered the Surface of it. Verfe 9. Be gathered together, Scc^) Colle&ed into one Bo- dy by themfelves. And let the dry Land appear."] Diftinft and feparate from the Waters. There being fuch large Portions of Matter drawn out of the CHAOS, as made the Body of Fire and Air before-mentioned, there remained in a great Bo- dy, only Water and Earth 5 but they fo jumbled to- gether, that they could not be diftinguifhed. It was the Work therefore of the third Day, to make a Separation between them ^ by comparing together all the Particles which make the Earth, which before was Mud and Dirt 3 and then, by railing it above the Waters which covered its Superficies, (as the Pfal- miji alfo defcribes this Work, Pfalm CIV. 6.) and, laflly, by making fuch Caverns in it, as were fufficient to receive the Waters into them. Now this we may conceive to have been done by fuch Particles of Fire as were left in the Bowels of the Earth : Whereby fuch Nitro-ftilphureous Vapours were kindled, as made an Earth-quake , which both lifted up the Earth, and alfo made Receptacles for the Waters to run into 5 as the Pfalmifl (other wife I (hould not ven- ture to mention this) feems in the fore- mentioned place to illuftrate it, Pfalm CIV. 7, where he fays, At thy rebuke they (i.e. the Waters) fled 3 at the voice of thy thunder they hajied away. And fo God himfelf fpeaks, Job XXX VIII. 10. I brake up for i t (i.e. for the Sea) my decreed place, and fet bars, and doors. Hiftories alfo tell us, of Mountains that have been, in feveral Ages, lifted up by Earth-quakes 5 nay, Iflands upon GENESIS. Iiiands in the midft of the Sea : Which confirms thisCha] Gbnjefture, That poffibly the Waters were, at the I. firft, feparated by this means ^ and fo feparated, that L^V"NJ they fhould not return to cover the Earth. For the Word, in the beginning of th\slrerfe, which we tran- slate gathered, comes from Kav, which fignifies a Square, a Rifle, or 'perpendicular Line : And there! i denotes they were moft exa&ly collected, and fo poi- fed in Such juft Proportions, that they {hould not a- gain overflow the dry Land. This Work of God ( whereby the Waters were fent down into their proper Channels, and the Earth made dry, and fitted for the Habitation of fuch Crea- tures, as were afterwards created) is obferved by Strabo in his Geography, as an Aft of Divine Provi- dence, L. XVII. Becaufe, fays he, the Water covered the Earth, and Man is not (vv^^ju ££ov, a Creature that can live in the Water, God made cJ£,o%£$ d* rjf jj} -TsMaV }L &o%&9 &c. many Cavities and Recepta- cles in the Earth for the Watery and raifed the Earth above it, that it might be fit for Man's Habitation. Ver. IO. And called the dry Land, Sec."] This is yerfe lQi fufficiently explained, by what hath been faid upon Vcrfe 5, & 8. only this may be added, That the word Eretz>, Earth, in Arabic^, Signifies any thing that is low and funk beneath, oppofite to Schamaim, Heavens, which in that Language, as I noted before, Signifies high and lifted up, Ver. ii. And God faid, Let the Earth bring forth \^xk II grafs, the Herb yielding, &c] Or, rather, it (hould be tranflated, and the Herb yielding, Sec. though the copula be omitted, which is ufual in Scripture : Parti- cularly in Habak. HI. I*, the Sun, Moon, i. e. the Sun and Moon. M %6 A COMMENTARY Chapter Mofes having (bown haw the firft Matter, (ver. 2. I. and then the Elements of things, as we call them(z;er. U'VSj 3,6,9, 10.) were produced, he proceeds to the Pro- duction of more compounded Bodies. And here an account is given of all forts of Vegetables^ which are ranged under three Heads 5 Grajs, which comes up every Year without fowing^ Herbs, bearing a Seed, which comprehends (as Abarbinel here notes) all fort of Corn, and whatfoever is fown^ and Trees, which alfo bear Fruit. There are feveral kinds of all thefe ^ which fome have cad into Eighteen, others into Six and thirty Chffes; none of which could at the firft fpring out of the Earth, of it felf, by the power of external and internal Heat, and of the Water mixed with it, (no, not fo much as one fingle Pile of Grafs) without the Almighty Power and Wifdom of God} who brought together thofe Parts of Mat- ter, which were fitted to produce them 5 and then formed every one of them, and determined their feve- ral Species } and alfo provided for their continuance, by bringing forth Seed to propagate their Species to the end of all things. And here it is very remarka- ble, how God hath fecured the Seeds of all Plants, with lingular Care : Some of them being defended by a double, nay, a treble inclofure. Verfe 12. Ver. 12. And the Earth brought forth Grafs, and the Herb, Sec] Thefe things did not grow up out of Seed, by fuch a long procefs, as is now required to bring them to Maturity 5 but they fprung up in their Perfection, in the fpace of a Day, with their Seeds in them, compleatiy formed, to produce the like throughout all Generations. Thus Mofes gives a plain Account of the firfl: Produ&ion of rhings, ac- cording to the natural Method : For fuppofing they had upon GENESIS. 17 had a Beginning, the Herb and the Tree muft natural- Chapter ly be before the Seed they bear: As the Hen is be- I. fore the Egg (lie lays. And to make a Queftion, L/"VNJ which was fir ft (as fome of the Philolophers did) is very frivolous , becaufe that Power which alone could produce the Seeds of all things., could as eafi- ly mike the things themfelves, with a power to pro pagate their Kind, by Seed. It is therefore moft judicioufly noted by Abarbi- nel, a learned jfe»?, That the Production of Plants in the beginning, differed from their Production ever fince in thefe two things : F/rfl, That they have fprung ever fince out of Seed, either fown by us, or falling from the Plants themfelves ^ but at the be- ginning were brought out of the Earth, with their Seed in them, to propagate them ever after. And, Se- condly, They need now, as they have done fince the firft Creation, the influence of the Sun, to make them fprout : But then they came forth by the Power of God, before there was any Sun, which was not form- ed till the next Day. Of this laft Theophilm Antio- chenus, long before Abarbinel took notice, L. II. ad Autolycnm, where he fays, God produced things in this orders forefeeing the Vanity of Philofophers^ who, faying nothing of him, made all things to be produced by the Sun, *&ro -PjS follow, out of the Elements. Porphyry himfelf alfo (£. II. -m$jL ^re- tfs) could obferve out of Theophraftus, That the Earth brought forth Trees and Herbs before Beafts, Sivfrgg. fjuh $> $$, tat^j 'Qla-jdv iviSuxji fi y^ Sec. Which Eufebius remembers in his Prapar. Evang. L. I. c. 9. p. 28. Ver. 14. Let there be Lights.'] This is a different Verfe 24. word from what we had, verfe 3. fignifying, as Paw D lus 1 8 A COMMENTARY Chapter I us Fagius obferves, that which is made out of Light ,* I. Uminom Bodies, whereby Light is communicated to W^r\j us : The Hebrew Particle, Mem, before a word, be- ing ufed to exprefs the Inftrument of an Adtton : And fo now we are to conceive, that the Light pro- duced at firft, having for three Days circulated about the Eanh, and that near unto it, to further the Pro- duction of the things before-mentioned, was on this fourth Day diftributed into feveral Luminaries, at a great diftance from the Earth. So it follows $ In the firmament of 'Heaven , in the upper Region, which we call the JEther, or Sky* where the Sun and the Pla- nets are placed. To divide the Day from the Night."] By a conti- nued circular Motion, finifhed in four and twenty Hours; in one part of which, by the prefence of the Sun, the Day is made ^ and in the other part, by the Sun's abfence,. Night is made, in a conftant fuc- cefiion. And let them be for Signs and for Seafons^] That is, for Signs of the Times or Seafons 5 as Ger. Vojjius ex- pounds it, by the Figure of %v hi hjoTv. And by Times are meant,: the Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter : And, by confequence, the Seafons for Ploughing, Sowing, Planting, Pruning, Reaping, Vintage, Sailing, &c. L. de Scientiis MathemaK c% g<8. And for Days, andTears7\ By a fpeedy fvrift Mo- tion round, \n twenty fourUouxs to make Days$ and by a flower, longer Motion to make Years 5 and a grateful variety of Seafons in the feveral Parts of the Earth, which by this annual Motion are all vifited with the Sun's Beams. Ver, upon GENES! S. i9 Ver. 15. And let them be for Light, fkc.~] i.e. Let Chapter them there continue to give confront Light and I. Warmth to the Earth : And fo they do immova- L/'V^sJ bly. Vcrfc *5. Ver. \6. And God made two great Lights'] ItisVerfe 16. obfervable, that nothing is faid to have been created, fince the firft Matter, out of which all things were made OX formed. And the two great Lights, or Lu- minaries, Inlightners, (as the word fignifies) are me Sun, which inlightens us by Day 5 and the Moon, which inlightens us by Night. The Moon indeed i:, not (o great as the reft of the Planets, ("for it is the leaft of all, except Mercury.*) but it affords the great- eft Light to us ^ by reflecting the Beams of the Sun to us, in its abfence } and thereby very much abating the difconlblate Darknefs of the Night. He made the Stars alfoT] That is, the reft of the Planets, and their Attendants. Ver. 1 7. And Godfet them in the firmament of He a- Verfe 17 ven, &cj By the repetition of this fo often, Mofes intended to fix in the Peoples Mind this Notion ^ That though the heavenly Bodies be very Glorious, yet they were but Creatures, made by God, and fet or appointed by his Order, to rve us Light: And therefore he alone is to 1 'orfhipped, not they. It is commonly taken notice .*, that there is no mention of the Creation of Angels, in all this Hifto ry$ nor was there any need of it. For the anci- ent Idolatry confifting in the Worfhip of the Sun, Moon, and Stars, (as appears from the very Names of the molt ancient Idols in the Old Tcftjment^ fiK.h as Moloch, Afttaroth, and the like,) which they believed to be Eternal Beings : The great Defign of Mofes D x was 20 A COMMENTARY Chapter was to confute this Opinion, by reprefenting them? I. (over and over) as the Work of the Eternal God $, L/"V\J which (truck at the very Root of Idolatry. The wor- (hip of Angels was a later Invention. Verfe 18. ^er. ^' And to rule over the day, and over the Night 7\ Some have fanfied, that the ancient Idolatry fprung from this word Rule : Men looking upon thefe glorious Lights, as having a Dominion over them. Whence the Sun was called Baalt that is, Lord,or Go- vernor, by the Eajiem People 5 and Moloch, that is, King, by the Egyptians. But one word fure was not the ground of fo foul an Error y when the Scope of Mofes was to (how that thefe things were made by an higher Being, and made not to rule over Men, but over the Day and the Night ; which the Sun makes when it rifes and fets, by the order and ap* pointment of God. And God faw that it was good."] He was pleafed with this Work, asfuitable to the ends for which he intended it. The firft Light was good (ver. 4 J for the purpofe to which it ferved -y which was, by its heat, to agitate, rarifie, and feparate the Matter of the CHAOS, for the making of Air, and gather- ing together the Waters, and drying the Earth, and producing Grafs, Herbs, and Trees; which made it necefTary it (hould continue fame Days near to the Earth, that it might powerfully penetrate into the Matter it was to digeft : But, if it fhould have con- tinued longer fa near to the Earth, it would not have been good for it 5 becaufe it would have burnt up- all the Plants, that the Earth had brought forth 5 and, by its too fcorching heat, have hindred the Pro- du&ion of thofe living Creatures, which were rea- dy on the next Day to be made * or, at leaft, made the upon GENESIS. rr the Earth unfit for their Habitation. For the Air, Chapter which: all living things, even tithes themfelves, I. need, fnay, the Plants alfo* which have Veflels for \S~sT\J conveying Air to all their Parts,) would have been fo very hot, that it would have afforded no refrefh- menttothem: Therefore it was good that it fhould be advanced into the Firmament of the Heaven, and there embodied in thofe Luminaries, which, be- ing removed further from us, give fuch a moderate heat as is neceifary for the preservation of us, and of all things living that dwell upon the Earth. Ver. 19. And the Evening, &o] Thus the fourth Verfe 19. Day concluded. Ver. 20. And God /aid, Let the Waters, &c] Now Verfe God proceeded to form the lower fort of Animals^ or living Creatures, viz* The Fiji), and the Fowl 5 which are in many refpefts inferior to Beafts* And the Fifhes are called moving (\xv the Hebrew, creep- ing) Creatures 5 becaufe their Bellies touch the Wa- ter, as creeping things do the Earth. Both Fifhes and Fowls were made out of the Waters 5 that is, out of fuch Matter as was mixed with the Waters, which contained in them many things befides fimple Wa- ter 5 for the Sea and Rivers are ftill very richly fur- nifhed with various Compounds, for the nourifhment of an innumerable multitude of Fifhes. The great congruity that there is between Fifh and Fowl in: many particulars, will not let us doubt they had the fame Original : For they are both oviparous, which makes them more fruitful than the Beafts of the Earth 5 neither of them have any Teats $ they both direfl\ (and, as I may hy,fteer) their Courfe by their Tail, &c. See Ger. Vojfi^, de Orig. & L'rogr. Idolol. L. III. c. 78. Bring tt A COMMENTARY Chapter Bring forth abundantly, ~\ That is, various forts of I. both kinds $ there being many hundred kinds of .L/^VNJ Fijhes, and Birds, or Fowls ^ many of the latter of which live in the Water, (which (hows their Origi- nal co have been from thence,) and others of them live both in the Air and Water. The Formation of theieCieatures is, in every part of them, very won- derful, efpecially in thole parts whereby they are fitted to fvim, and to fly. Which demonftrate a moil wife Agent, by whofe infinite Power they were fo contrived, as to be able alfo to propagate their Rind. Verfe 21. Ver. 21. And God created great Whales."] The vaft- nefsof thefe Creatures, perhaps, made Mofes again ufe the word Create, ("which he had not done hnce the beginning of the Chapter,) not becaufe they were made as the CHAOS was, out of Nothing ^ but becaufe it required a greater Power to make out of the precedent Matter, moving things of fo huge a Bulk, and of fuch great Agility, than to make any other thing hitherto formed. The Hebrew word Tanim, which we tranflate Whales , comprehends feveral forts of great Fifties, as Bochartm obferves in his Hierozoic. P. I. L. I. c. 7. where he ihows the prodigious bignefs of fome of them. But he ftiould have added, that this word alfo fignifies Crocodiles, which, he himfelf (hows, are •fet forth in Job XLI. as the moft aftonilhing Work of God. For Job Ludolphn, I think, hath demon- ftrated, that nothing but the Crocodile can be meant by this word Tanim, in Ezek XXIX. 3. and XXXII, 2. and fome other places. Vid. L. I. Comment, in Hifior. Mthhp. Cap. XI. tt.S6. < \ And upon GENESIS. tf} And God faw that it xc. js good.] Was pleafed with Chapter the Stru&ure of thefc ie/eral Creatures : Of the I. Bitdi, who were f> niihed with Wings to fly in the U^V^O Air 5 and of the Fijbss^ vyhofe Tins ferve them to (wim in the Watery and of Water-fowl, vvhofe Feet are formed fo, as to ferve for the fame ufe ; and fome ot them (fuch as dive under Water) co- vered fo thick with Feathers, and thofe fo fmooth and flippery, (as the Learned and Pious Mr. Ray hath obferved) that the Bodies are thereby de- fended from the cold of the Watery which cannot penetrate or moiften them. SzzW ifdom of God in the Creation, P. I p. 135. Ver. 22. And God bleffed them, &c."] His bleffing Verfe 23 them, was giving them a Power to multiply and in- creafe, till they had filled the Water with Fifb, and the Air with Fowl. Which required a particular Care ot Divine Providence, as Abarbinel obferves 5. becaufe they do not bring forth young ones per- fectly formed, as the Beafts do,- but lay their Eggs in which they are formed, when they are out of their Bodies. This, faith he, is a wonderful thing, That when the Womb, as we may call it, is fepa- rate from the Genitor, a living Creature like it felf fhould be produced. Which is the reafon, he fan- fies, that a Bleffing is here pronounced upon them, and not on the Beafts, that were made the next Day. The ancient Fathers are wont to obferve, That the firjr Bleffing vras given to the Waters, as a Type of Baptifm. Theophilus ad Autolyc. L. II. and Tertullian de Baptifmo. cap. 3. And let Fowl multiply in the Earth!] There, for the moft part, they have their Habitation and their Food y though fome live upon the Water, Ven s4 A COMMENTARY Chapter Ver. 23. Seeverfe 19. I. Ver. 24. And God faid, Let the Earth bring forth."] \S*sT\J Thus by a gradual Proceis, the Divine Power pro- Ver(e 2 3. duced Creatures ftill more Noble: The Matter be- Verfe 24. Jng more digefted and prepared in five Days time, than it was at firft. I do not know whether there beany weight in the Note of Abarbinel, who obferves that Mofes here ufes a new word, which we tran- slate bring forth 5 to (how the difference between Plants and Animals. The former of which fpring out of the Earth indeed, but continue fix'd in it, and perilh if they be feparated from it: Whereas Ani- mals, though made out of the Earth, and living up- on it, have a feparate exiftence, and do not dill ad- here to it. After hk kind.~\ Three forts of living Creatures are immediately mentioned, which were formed out of fuch Matter, as the Earth afforded, (not fimple Earth, we muft undefftand, no more than before fimple Water, for it was impregnated with many other Principles 5) the firft of which, Behemah, which we tranflate Cat fie, always fignifies the Flocks and Herds of tame Beads, when it is diftinguifhed from Chaja, which we tranflate in the end of the Verfe, Beafis of the Earth, that is, wild Beads : Between which two, he mentions a third kind of living Crea- tures on the Earth, which he calls Rentefi, creeping things 5 becaufe whatever Feet they have, they are fo Ihort and fmall, that they feem to the naked Eye to have none at all $ but to crawl on their Bellies up- on the Ground. Of all thefe three kinds, there are various forts wherewith God hath replenifhed the Earth: And of every kind, fome vaflly great, and others very little 3 as Abarbinel notes even among Reptiles, upon GENESIS. 2$ Reptile /, there being Serpents of a prodigious length, Chapter and other creeping things far fmaller than Ants. I. Ver. 25. And God wade, 6cc] The Earth did iV\^sJ not bring them forth by Virtue of the Influence of Verfe 25. Heaven, upon prepared Matter : Bin God framed them out of the Matter fo prepared, and produced them in their full perfe&ion, after their feveral kinds. And God faro it was good7\ Was pleafed with the great variety of thefe Creatures, and their compleat Strufture, fitting them for their feveral ufes. Ver. 26. Let us make Man7\ God not only re- Verfe 26, ferved Man for the lad of his Works 5 but doth, as it were, advife and confult about his Production. Not to fignihe any Deliberation within himfelf, or any Dif- ficulty in the Work 5 but to reprefent to us the Dig- nity of Man, and that he was made (as Abarbinel glofles) with admirable Wifdom, and great Pru- dence. To the fame purpofe S. Chryfoflom here fpeaks. And fee Greg. Nyjfen, de Opificio Hominis, cap. 3. and Orat. I. on thefe words: With Greg, tfazianzen. Orat. XLIIl p. 699. who obferves that God brought him into this World, as into a noble Palace, ready furnilhed with all manner of things. Which is the No- tion alfoof Methodius: SeeEpiphanius, Hur- nilm foolifhly expounded thefe words, as hpiphanius informs us, in the fore-named Hwef. p. 62. E- dit. Parif. And Mofes Gerundenfis ftill more foolifh- ly imagines God ipake to the Earth, that it (hould bring forth Man, as it had done other Creatures. But Maimomdes^ who magnifies that Saying of their Matters, (That God doth nothing without his Coun- cil,J is forced to acknowledge, (More Nevoch. P. If. cap. 6.) That it is not to be underftood, as if he askt their Advice, or was affifted by their Judgment, but only that he ufed them as Instruments in the pro- ducing of every thing, Which is dire&ly contrary to the very words, which are not in the form of a Command, but of a Confutation before Execution. Others therefore think God fpeaks after the manner of Rings 5 who advife with their Council, but do things themfelves: And are wont to fpeak in the Plu- upon GENESIS, if Plural Number, when they declare their Pleafurc. Chapter But I take this to be a Cuftom much later than the I. Days of Mofes 5 when they fpake as the Ring of E- l^\^NJ gypt doth to Jofeph, Gen. XLI. 41, 44. 1 am Pharaoh ^ and fee I have fet thee (not ive have fet thee) over the Land of Fgypt. In which Stile the Ring of Per- fa writes long after this, Ezra VI. 8. / Darius make a decree. All thefe poor fhifts are a plain Confeffion, that they found it very hard (as the Socinians do at this day) to give any account of this way of fpeaking, without granting a Plurality of Perfons in the God- head. And therefore Menajfeh Ben Ifrael in his Con- ciliator, mentions one of their Doctors, who, in Be- refchith Rabba, fays, That when Mofes by God's Di- rection was about to write thefe words, Let m make Man, he cryed out, 0 Lord of the World, why wilt thou give Men occafion to err, about thy moft fimple Unity ? To which he received this Anfwer, Write as I bid thee } and if any Man love to err, / 4 ; ' Th^ fame Story is told by Jofeph Albo. V that their Doftors have been long puzz manner of Speech, which unavoidably fu their Thoughts, more than One Perfon in tl ty : Which till they believe, they are at a k>] to fay about it. In our Image, after our likenefs.'] Two words ((o n think) to exprefs the fame thing : Wi h this diffe- rence only, as Abarbinel explains it, That the laft words, after our lihgnefs, give us to understand, that Man was not created properly and perfe&ly in the Image of God 5 but in a refemblance of him. 1 he doth not fay, in our lil^nefs (fays that Author,) as he had faid in our Image, but after our likem E x Where *8 A COMMENTARY Chapter where the Caph of Similitude (as they call it) abates I. fomething of the Sence of what follows ^ and makes L^V^SJ it fignifie only an approach to the Divine Likenefs, in TJndcrftanding^ freedom of Choice^ Spirituality, Im- mortality^ Sec. Thus TertuUian explains it, Habent it- las ntique line as Dei, qua immortalk anima, qua libe- ra & fui arbitrii, qua prafcia pier urn que, qua rati on a- lis, capax inteUeUus & fcienti and 'Opuoi'v- fjut, Likenefs 5 becaufe, though God faid,2/er/ei6.Le* us make Man in our Image, and after our Likenefs, yet here he is faid to have made him only in his own Image ^ and not, for the prefent, after his Likenefs. For that, faith he, {Lib. IV. contra Celfutti) is refer- ved to the other World 5 when, as St. John fays, I Epifi. III. 2. Q/ULcioi cum£ imjuutd'cL, we /hall belike him. But this feems too curious. No doubt God made Man juft as he defigned, in fuch a compleat refem- blance of himfelf, that there is no Creature like to Man, no more than God hath any equal to himfelf: As fome of the Hebrew Do&ors explain this Matter. And therefore Mofes repeats it again, In the Image of God created he him: To imprint upon the Minds of Men, a Senfe of the great Dignity of Humane Na- ture 5 which was foully debafed by worfbippingany Creature. Male 5o ^ COMMENTARY Chapter Male and Female created he them7\ WzvcttAtWowan I. the fame Day he made Man 5 as he did both Sexes L/*V"NJ of all other living Creatures, and as he made Herbs and Plants with Seed in them to propagate their Species, on the fame Day they were produced. It is plain by this alfo, That Woman as well as Man was made in the Image of God. And it feems to be per- tinently obferved by Abarbinel, That Mofes here again ufes the word Create, (and that three times) to denote the Original of Humane Souls 5 which are not made out of pre-exiftent Matter, as our Bodies are 5 but by the Power of God, when they had no Being at all. Verfe 28. Ver. 28. And God bleffed them, &c] The former part of this Bleffing, be fruitful and multiply, God had beftowed before (verfe 22.J upon other Crea- tures: Unto which he adds two things here, replenijh the Earth and fubdue it. He gives them the whole Earth for their Pofleffion, with a Power to fubdue it: That is, to make it fit for their Habitation, by bring- ing under, or driving away wild Beafts. For, Se- condly, he gives them the Dominion (unto which he defigned them in their Creation) over all Oiher Creatures 5 whether in the Water, Air, or Earth. And he fpeaksto them in the Plural Number; which is a demonftration, that Man and Woman were both created, and received bis Bleffing, on the fame Day. Verfe 29. Ver. 29. Behold, I have given you, tec.*] Here he affigns them their Food 5 and makes no mention at all of Beafts, but only of Plants and Fruits of the Earth. For Beafts being made by pairs, in their fe- veral Species, f we may well fuppofe) as Man and Woman were, and not being yet multiplied 5 the killing of Beafts, Birds, and Fifties, would have been the upon G E.N E S I S. ft the Deftrufrion of the kind : Whereas there were Chapter Plants innumerable, and great variety of Fruit for I. their Suflenance. And therefore here being no grant L^V"NJ made to them of Animals for their Food, though no prohibition neither, it is very probable they abftained from eating Flefh, till after the Hood, (when God exprelly gave them every living thing for Meat, as much as the Herbs, IX. 2.) unlets it were upon fome fpecial occafions : As, perhaps, when they facrificed living Creatures 5 which they did in procefs of time, (IV. 4 ) though not at the firft. Ver. 30. And to every Beaft, Sec.} Here he gives to Verfe 3c, theBeafts, and Fowl, and Creeping things, all Herbs for their Food, but faith nothing of Fruit 5 from which we cannot well think the Birds would abftain: And therefore they are included in the Phrafe, of every green Herb. Ver. 31. Very good.~\ From thefe words Epipha- Verfe 31* nius confutes the Manichees, H ha- ving focompleatly finilhed it, that there remained no more to be done. An Emblem of the Reft that we (hall have, when we have done our Work faithfully, and left none undone, as Origens words are, L. VI. contra Celfum. Verfe 3. Ver. 3. And God blejed the /event h Day, and/anUi- fiedit."] As God fan&ified Jeremiah in after- times from upon GENESIS. 33 from his Mother's Womb, (Jcr. I. 5.) by ordaining Chapter himtobea Prophet.* Sohe now determined and ap- II. pointed the Seventh Day, fromthe very beginning of L/WI the World, to be obkrved in Memory of 'rs Creation. And this letting it apart, and confecrating it to that Holy Ufe, was bisblejjing it, or recommending ir to be oblerved,asa Day ot bleiiing and praiiirg him, in all his Works of wonder : And (I know not why 1 fhould not add) of his beftowing Blef lings upon all his pious Worlivppers. There is no mention, indeed, made oSAdamS, or Abel\ See. obferving this Day ; which hath inclined many to conclude thefe words to have been written by way of anticipation : This D4y being let apart in after-times by the Law of Mfifes for C 1 l's Service 5 but, in their Opinion, not till then. To which I can- not agree } becaufe it feems to mc far more reasona- ble to think, That God took Care to peferve the Memory of the Creation in the Minds ok Mankind ^ and the Worlhip of Him, the One Only God, by whom it was created .* Which could not be done by anv means more etfettually, than by fetting apart thin day for that purpofe. Which if he had not ap- pointed, yet Men being made Religious Creatures, I cannot but think they would have agreed upon fome fet time for the Exercife of their Religion, as wellasfome fet place (though that be not men- tioned neither) where to meet for Divine Service .- And what time more proper, wherein to Honour their Creator,, with their Sacrifices, Praifec, and Thanksgivings, than this Day? Which Philo well ftiles y&x£(TfiAi yivitnzv, the birth- djy of the World : Which was fo much obferved all the Wo: Id over, (though they forgot the reafonj that the Seventh F Day, 34. A COMMENTARY Chapter Day, he obferves, may be truly called 'EofnJ FarJW If. /tt@L,, theVniverfal Fefiival, kept by all People. Jo- fephus fpeaks to the fame purpofe, and there is a great deal more faid by Arifiobnlus a ?eripatetickt Philo- sopher, out of Hejiod, Homer, and others, in Eufebi- us his Pr£par. Evang. L. XIII. c. 12. concerning the Sacrednefs of the Seventh Day. Which though Mr. &W as a proper time for that Sacred Hymn ^ which himfelf (L. III. de ufu partfam) fays, we fbould all fingto the Creator of all 5 7/ ire our f elves fir ft lytc and then tell others 5 oT@L /£*** <£Ji t^o cnpizv, See. /^n? wonderful he is in U ifdom9 how great in Power, and how rich in Goodncfs. Bccaufe that in it he had rcjled from all hk WorhJ\ This is the reafon why this Day was diftinguifhed from the other Six 5 That a remembrance of God's refting from all his Works on this Day, might be pre- ferved $ by Mens laying afide their other Employ- ments fo long as to praife him Solemnly, by whom this great World was made. Which God created, and Made.'] Or, as the Hebrew phrafe is, created to make, i. e. refted from all the Six Day's Work. For he created fomething at the firft,out of which to makfitW the reft, in fix Days fpace 5 and now he ceafeth from all. Ver. 4. Thcfe arc the generations, Sec.} That is, this Verfe 4. is a faithful Account of the Original of the World. Which Mofes here repeats, more deeply to imprint on the PeoplesMinds, that the World was not a God, bntf/;e Worl^ofGod: Which they were to acknow- ledge every Seventh Day. In the Day.'] i. e. At that time (fo Day often fig- nifies^) when the LORD God made the Earth and the Heavens. It is obferved by Tertnllian, That exindc Domimis qui retro Dens tantum, 8cc. from hencefor- ward (verfe 7, 8, 9, 15, &c.) he is called L o a D, •who hitherto was called only God : Of which he F 2 en- 36' A COMMENT 4 RY. Chapter endeavours to give a reafon, L. adv. Hermog. cap. 3. II. The Hebrew Do&ors obferve, that Jehovah Elohim l/'WJ Lord God ) joyned together, is the full and per- feS Name of God : And therefore fitly referved till this place, when the Works of God were perfected, and not before. Verfe 5. Ver. 5. And every Plant in the Fields before it was in the Earth, &c.] That is, before there was any Seed to produce chem, God made them tofpringup, with their Seed in rhem } as was faid before, in the firfi: Chapter. And Mofes here mentions thefe alone, becaufe they were rhe firrt Productions out of the Earth 5 without whkh there had been no Food tor living Creatures. For the LORD God had not caufed it to rain on the Earth , and there was not a Man to till the Ground."] Here are two Reafons to confirm, that Plants were not produced, in the way they are now .• For there had been no fhowers of Rain 5 nor was there any Man to prepare the Earth to receive the Seed, ("if there had been anyj both which areneceffary in the ordinary Method of Divine Providence, ever fince the World was made. From hence fome colledt there was no Pr&adamites, (People before Adam,') for then Mofes could not have faid, there was no Man to till the Earth. Verfe 6. Ver.6. But there went up a Mift9kc.~\ Many think this will beft cohere with what went before, b)' tran- f!atirgit> nor did there ("taking the Particle tf? tot, from the fore going Verfe, as is ufualj a Miji go tip from the Earth. See Drufius, Levit. X. 6. and Hot- linger in Hexapl. Parif p. 89. But I fee no necef- fity of this ^ and think it mc^e likely there did fa up a Fapurov Steam out of the Earth, when it cane v* reek* upon G E N E S r S. 37 reeking out otche Waters, (as was (aid upon Verfe 9. Chapter of the 1. Chap.} to mo:(len the Superficies of it 5 be- II. fore any Clouds were raifed, by the Power of the l/Y\J Sun, to give Rain. Ver. 7. Out of the Diift of the Ground.'] Not dry, Verfe 7. but moift Duft,as the LXX. hiv.it, t aQ$% mmn 3 Shto ;*;. From whence rh - Apoftlecalls him %*&$* jrtsxnr, 1 Corinth. XV. 47. vvliich teaches us this Duft was mitft with Water : Vox fo ^ fignifies 5 limits, as the Vulgar Latin hath it. Wh.^h agrees with the Hebrew jatzar, formed 5 which is tiled concerning Potters, who make their Veflels of Clay, not of d y Earth. Diodorus Si cuius feems to have had fome Notion of this, w hen he faith Man was made out of the Sli we or Mud of Nik. Upon which Original of Man's Body, the ancient Fathers make many Pious Reflections : But none better or fhorter than that of Nazianzens, who fays, it is to teach us, ufovuv l7mi%'J>(A/iScL hxT qZkovx, Six t yy>v av^W^iJut^x^ that when we are apt to be lifted up becaufe we are made after God's Image, the thoughts of the Dirt out of which we were taken, may humble and lay us low. AndGod breathed into hisNoflrils the breath of life.'] This being faid of no other Creature, leads us to con- ceive not only that the Soul of Man is a diftinft thing, of a different Original from his Bodv , but that a more excellent Spirit was put into him by God (as appears by its Operations ) than into other Ani- mals. For though the fimp;e Speech of infpirwg him with the breath of Life Would n >t pio-ethis yet Slcfes fpeaking in the Plural Number, that God breathed into him Nifchmath chajim, the Breath or Spirit of Lifes, it plainly denotes not only that Spirit which makes 38 A COMMENTARY. Chapter makes Man breathe and move $ but thinks alfo reafon II. and difcourfe. WV\J yi;;^ he became a living Soul'] This is the imme- diate refalt of the Union of the Soul with the Bo- dy. Which Eufebius thus explains, L. VII. Prspar. Evang. cap. io. Mofes having laid the Foundations of Religion before- mentioned, viz. The Knowledge of God, and of the Creation of the World, proceeds to another Point of Doctrine moil neceffary to be underftood 5 which is the Knowledge of a Man's felf } to which he leads him by (bowing the diffe- rence between his Soul and his Body : His Soul be- ing an Intelligent Subftance, made after the Image of God , his Body, only an Earthly Coveringof the Soul. To which Afo/e/adds a third, <&vo!w ^om r ivamxZul 7iva,, %, crujuet'srludu) ^uax/mv, &c. A certain Vital Breath, whereby the other two are united and linked together by a powerful Bond, or ftrong Tie. His Soul, it is manifeft, did not come out of the Earth, or any power of Matter 5 but from the Power of God, who infufed it into him by his Divine In- fpiration. And this was the Original of Eves Soul alfo, though it be not mentioned : For if her Soul had been made out of Adam, as her Body was, he would have faid not only, She is Bone of my Bone, but Soul of my Soul $ which would have mightily ftrengthned the Bond of Marriage, and exceedingly heightned Conjugal Affedion. Verfe 8. Ver. 8. And the LO RD Ood planted."] Or, had planted 5 for it doth not feem to be a new thing. A Garden."] A moft pleafant part of the Earth. Eaftwards."] Or, as others tranilate it, before, in ■the beginning, viz. On the Third Day, when he made all upon GENESIS. 39 all Vegetables. And it cannot be denied that /.v/7<- Chapter kedem may (Ignifie time, as well as place : Bur as the 11. greateft part of Interpreters, Ancient and Modern, L/^v^NJ take it here to lignifie place $ fo Mofes himfelf ufes it in the following part of this Book, III. 24. XI. 2. XII. 8. XIII. 11. In EdcnT] A Country (as mod underfhnd it) fo cdled, perhaps from its Pleafurc : Tbm SlapQ&p 9*77, ^izv-fic, cLi magna fluminaefficiebant^ made four famous and great Rivers. For all Divifions from the main Stream are called the Heads of a Watery as Sir W \ Raleigh ob- ferves out of Vlpianus. And it is indifferent whe- ther the Water come out of a Fountain, or out of a River, or a Lake.- For that part of the River (Tup- pofej where the Branch forfakes the main Stream., is called the Head of that Branch 5 which becomes a new Riyer. In like manner may Euphrates and Ti- gris be called the Heads of that River which they made at their meeting : As where they part again, the beginnings (as the LXX. tranflate the word) of the other two Rivers, Pifon and Gihon, are properly called the Heads of them. ¥erfe 11. Ver. 11. The name of the firft is Pifon,. or Phi/on."] This is that Branch which runs Wefterly $ and being nearefl: to the place where Mofes wrote, on the other fide of Jordan, is firft mentioned by him. It is a long time fince both this River and Gihon have loft thefe Names: The Greek, and Roman Writers cal- ling them (till, after their parting, by the Names they had before they met, Euphrates and Tigris. But there was a remainder of the Name of Pifon > prefer- ved in the Eaflerly River called Pafittgris, which is the fame with Oroatis, as Salmafius obferves in his Exerc, upon GENESIS. 45 Exerc. VlimanA In Solin. p. 701, 702. And is called Chapter ("as Mr. Carver notes) by Xenophon (imply Phyfcus 3 II. in which the Nime of Phifon is plainly enough re- L^v^NJ tained. Which continued till the time of Alexander the Great ; For. £t fortius, as he further notes, com- monly calls Tigris it fclf, by the Name of Pha/is^nd fays it was fo called by the Inhabitants thereabouts. Which, in all probability, was at firft ihe Name of this other River Phifon $ but loft by the many alte- rations which were made, for a long time, in the courfeof it, as Pliny tells us. For he fays, the Or- cheni, and other neighbouring Nations, made great and deep Cuts or Canals to carry the Water ot Eu- phrates (meaning this River) into their Fields 5 and fo it loft its courfe, and run through Tigris and the Marfhesinto the Sea. Strabo faith the fame, that from thefe Sicl^vyoy, as he calls them, deep Trenches which carried the Water of Euphrates into Tigris^ came the Name ofPafitigris 3 that is, Tifon mixed with Tigris. See Salmafius in the fore-named Ex- ercitations, pag. 703. where he (hows this River was not perfectly reftored to its Courfe till the times of Alexander the Great. That kit, which compajfeth the whole Land of Ha- vilah.'] By finding where this Country was, we cer- tainly find the River Phifon; Now Mofes makes mention of two Havila/fs 5 one defcended from Cuft, Gen. X. 7. and the other from Joel an, vcr. 29. The latter of thefe cannot be here meant, for hisPofK- rity were planted Eafiward^ but the former, who were a more Weflern People, in that part of Arabia Fcelix which bordered upon this Stream,. For the ljhmaelites (who inhabited Arabia Defcrta) are de- fcribed by Mofes 3 XXV. 1 8, as bounded by Shur to- wards- 46 A COMMENT 4RY. Chapter wards Egypt, and by Havilah in the way to Affyria. II. And Saul found Havilah in after-times in the very L/*V\J fame fituation, i Sam. XV. 7. And {till, much later, Straho mentions the XacAo7a?oi f which are certainly the Pofterity o(Chavilah') among the People of Ara- bia. See Bochart's Phaleg. L. IV. c. it. Where there is Gold."] Nothing is more famous than the Gold of Arabia : Where Diodorus Siculus fays it is digged up in great Lumps, as big as a Chef- nut, L. II. p. 93. Edit. H Steph. Verfe 12. ^er* I2* An^l the Gold of that Land is good."] i.e. Is excellent : For the fore-named Author fays, it isof fuch a flaming Colour, that it adds much to the Luftre of precious Stones, that are fetin it. There is Bdellium.'] The Hebrew word being Be* dolach, fome have thought Bdellium to come from thence, which is an Aromatic^ Gum. Others think Bedolach to be Chryfial, otheis Amber 5 but bochart rather thinks it (ignifies Pearl: Which he proves fin his Hierozoic. P. II. L. V. c. 25.) from the Country it felf here mentioned, viz. Havilah, which he looks upon as that Part of Arabia, which lies upon the Perfian Gulph : Where, zxCatipha, there is a great Pearl-fijhing. The Manna alfo wherewith the Ifrae- lites were fed in the Wildernefs, is defcribed Numb. XL 7. to be round like Coriander-Seed, and of the Colour of Bedolach. Now in his former Defcripti- on Mofes fays it was white, Exod. XVI. 14. which agrees to Pearls, as alfo doth roundnefs, but not to the fweet Gum called Bdellium: Of which fee Sal- mafim in his Exerc. Plin. p. 1 1 50. And the Onyx Stone"] This Country alfo was fa- mous for precious Stones 5 as appears by the Report which Nearchus (Alexanders Admiral J made of the Weflem up™ O E N F, S I S. 47 IVefiem Coaftof the Perjian Gulph, in Si ?•..■/■». /. XVf. Chapter But Draitn'nis (L. \\ De I e\lhn Sacerd. i Jebr cap. i3.) {I. thinks Sciakdm (hould rather be tranflated the S*r- u^WJ do tjfx. Which foever it be, Arabia was famotis both for theO/zprand Sardonyx, as S aim a fins obferves out of P/i/sr/, 7/>./>. 562, 563. Ver. 13. The name of the fecond River hQihon^ Verfe 13. There are no footftep* of this Name remaining that • can find 5 but we are directed, by the Country it is Laid to cornpais, to take it to be the Eaflern Stream that aroie from the parting of Euphrates and Tigris ; as Pi fan I (aid was the /I ejiem. Con/pa ffcth, or rurtrrelh along by the whole I and of /Ethiopia.-] Or ChJ/j: Who was feated more Eaflward than his Sons, Havilah, Seba, and the reft, (menti- oned Gen. X. 6, 7.) upon the Borders of this River. For when People firft began to fpread themfelves, they kept as near to great Rivers as they could 5 for the better communion one with another, and affording mutual Succour and Afliftance. It is pro- bable that he gave Name to the Country of Sufi an a 3 which the Greeks called Kiosm, and is now called by the Perfians Chuzejian, i.e. The Province off////. And when hisPofterity multiplied, they went more IVejlward toward ffie Arabian Sea* From whence his Brother Mitzraim pa (Ted into Egypt. Our Tran- slators follow the LXX. in rendring the Hebrew NameG//&, by /Ethiopia : Not meaning that in Afri- ca, but this in Afia. For the Ancients frequently mention a double /Ethiopia, as many haveoblerved : particularly Job Ludolphits, who herein juftifies the LXX. in great part, L. II. Comment, in Hiflor. Jmt Cap. III. ». 16. er- 48 A COMUE NtARY Chapter Ver. 14. Tie name the third *r fS^/c^e/.] Whic(i If. River eing Called by Daniel, X. 4. the great River \ cannot be, as many have fanfied, Nahar-malca: For that was but a Cut, made by Trajan to waft his Ar- my out of Euphrates into Tigris, (as Amwian. Mar* cellinus tells ih,) and therefore Hiddekel, isTigris it felf. Which, as Pliny fays, was called Diglito, in thofe Parts where its Courfe was (low 5 and where it began to be rapid, it took the Name of Tigris. And fo the Arabians call this River Deglat, and Degela, from the Hebrew word Hiddekel. Which Salmajius derives from Hadda, or Chadda, (harp pointed 5 and Kal, fwift ^ becaufe of its very quick and hafty Mo- tion .• And thence the Greeks he obferves derive the Name of Tigris, Scri ^ Q%JTh1&>, Exerc. inSolin.p. 6y? tS iS'aj'aTfc (pSop£ Slzjuiv&iv^ (L. De In cam. Verbi,) he {hould not only die, but remain in the Corruption of Death 5 as we {hould all have done, had not the Second Adam obtained for us an happy Refurre&ion. I need not add, That Difeafes, Sickneffes, and Pains, the fore-runners of Death, are included in this Threatning. Verfe 18. Ver. 18. And the LORD Godfaid.'] Or, had /aid, as it is by fome tranflated ; the better to (how that the foregoing Precept was given to both. And to fay in this place, is as much as to refolve and de- cree: As Melantthon well explains it, in one of his Epiftles, Dicere, hoc loco fignifie at -, mirandafapientia, fancire, & nobis hoc decretum tradere ^ to fay, here fignifies to eftablifh with wonderful Wifdom, and to deliver this Decree to us. L. I. Epift. 126. Where he again repeats it, The LORD faidy that is, by his wife Counfel and immutable Decree, he eflablifhed this Order. It is not good that the Man /hould be alone.'] Uncom- fortable to want Society, and unfit there (hould not be an increafe of Mankind. Concerning which Pla- to hath left thefe wonderful Words, L. VI. De Legi- bus : This is the Encouragement to Marriage, not on- ly that humane Race may be perpetuated ^ but a Man may, woudbis ^ctlSuv ae* n£ ©&<£ \jamp{7a$ dv& cwnf *p»n GENESIS. 53 rlvrj '&zog3i%bv'XJi leave Children* Children behind him Chapter when he if gone, toferve God in his jl cad. H« / will m*k§ him an help.'] For all the Neceffities ^/^V^O and Ules oi Life. Meet for him ] In whofe Company he fhall take Delight 5 fo the Hebrew Phrafe, as before him, imports } taingas much as, anfwerable to him, every way fit- ted tor him ^ not only in likenefs of Body, but of Mind, Diipofition, and Affettion : Which laid the Foundation of perpetual Familiarity and Friendfhip. Or, as the Author of Cether Schem Tobh, mention'd by Hackjpan, interprets it, She fl) all always be ready toob- ferveandfervehim. For to {land before any one, in the Hebrew Language, fignifies to do what is defired. See more on verfe 25. Ver. 19. And out of the Ground the LORD GodVtxk 1 9. formed^ Or, had formed^ I. 20. 25. Every Be aft of the Field , &c] The Ground here muft be understood to comprehend the Water alfo$ out of which the Fowl were made. And brought thent unto ADAM7] It is common- ly thought that this Name of Adamy given to the firft Man, fignifies as much as red Earth. But Job Ludolphus hath made it tar more probable, that it imports Elegant , or Beautiful. See his Hijior. JEthiop. L. I. cap. 15. n. 17, 18. and his Commentaries upon that Chapter, N. 107. How the Beafts and Birds were brought to him, we are not told : But, it is likely, by the Miniftry of Angels $ who were perpetual Atten- dants upon the SCHECHINAHj or Divine Ma- )efty> To fee what he would call them7\ To exercife and improve his Underftanding. And 54 A COMMENTARY Chapter And whatever Adam called, See/] God approved of II. it. KS\f^J. Ver. 20. And Adam gave Names, Stc/] Or, though Verfe 20. Adam gave Names, to all Creatures 5 yet among them all, when they were brought before him, there was nor a fit Companion found for him. It doth not •iollow from his giving Names, that he knew the Na- ture of all thole Creatures : For the Names of them in Scripture (which they who are of this Opinion generally fuppofe were the Names given by Adam) are taken from their Voice, their Colour, their Mag- nitude, or fome fuch External Difference, and net from their Nature. Therefore this impofing Names upon them, denotes rather his Dominion, than his Knowledge. The Anonymous Author of the Chron. Excerpt a before Job. Antiochenus Malala fays, Th?t Adam impofed Names upon all Creatures, \^\ai *X\Sv- nv 088, by the Commandment of God, to 5° ouurd. but his own Name and his Wife's were told him by an Angel of the Lord. Verfe 21. Ver. 21. And the LORD God caufed a deep jleep, Sec .3 Whereby he was made lefs fenfible of the Pain, which otherwife he would have felt in the opening his Side \ if his Mind had not been wholly intent upon fomething elfe. As it was in this Sleep , which was accompanied with znEcflafie, (fothe LXX translate this Word, and it is agreeable to what we read Job IV. 13 J wherein was reprefented to his Mind, both what was done to him, and the Myftery of it 5 as appears by z>er/e 23,24. Vid. Epiphan.H Medic. Centur. V. cap. 1. It is fie here to be ob- ferved, That God did not form Eve out of the Ground, as he had done Adam \ but out of his Side : That he might breed the greater Love between him and her, as the Parrs of the fame Whole. Whereby he alfo effectually recommended Marriage to all Man- kind, as founded in Nature ^ and as the re-union of Man and Woman. It is likewife obfervable, That there is no mention here of his breathing a Soul into her, as into him: For Mofes only explains what was peculiar to Eve, ("which was her being made out of his Side,) the reft is fuppofed in thofe Words, verfe 19 I will make him an help meet for him 5 which the vulgar Latin rightly tranflates //>///>&X(&J £ £ cb»§%viic*)v dz%Y\S*v £^7oaA@* ctdlY^JiaL^ envious, a ha- ter of thofe that are good, and from the beginning a wily underminer of Mens Salvation. Now this following immediately after the relati- on of the formation of Eve, hath made fome fanfie, that our firft Parents fell the very fame day they were made. And thus much, I think, muft be fup- pofed, That they did not continue very long in their happy ftate: For, if they had perfifted ftedfaftly in their Duty, for a confiderable time 5 they would have acquired fuch an habit of well-doing, as would not have been fo eafily loft. But that they conti- nued longer than a Day, there are many Circum- ftances to induce us to believe. For it required fome time for Adam to be acquainted with all other Crea- tures, and to iqipofe Names upon them : And there being upon GENESIS. 59 being none of them a meet help for him, he flept Chapter fome time, till Eve bad taken her Beginning out of I i I . him. Whom, when hefaw, he received, and own'J l/^VNJ her for his Wife 5 and no doubt made more Reflexi- ons upon God's Wifdom, Power, and Goodnefs, than are fet down in this Sacred Story. They both alfo received a Command from God, not to eat of one Tree in the Garden: Into which, when they were brought, we cannot but think they walk'd about it, and took fuch a view of it, as to be convinced, by the bountiful Provifion God had made for them, they had no reafon to complain of the fmall Reftraint he laid upon them. All which could not be per- formed fo fpeedily as fome have imagined $ for though God can do what hepleafes in an inftant, yet Man cannot ; and God himfelf did not in one Day create the World. And, befides, that fome time was neceffary for tranfa&ing all thefe things ^ it is not likely the Devil would immediately fet upon Evey as foon as the Command was laid upon them; but rather let it be a little forgotten. And if the time be obferved when he affaulted her, it will much con- firm this Opinion, which was in the abfence of her Husband 5 for that we cannot eafily believe to have been upon the fame Day they were created. The extraordinary Kindnefs they had one for the other, will fcarce allow us to think it poffible, they (hould be fo foon feparated. It is plain alfo, God fanSified thefeventh Day before their fall : Which it is highly probable they fpent in admiring and praifing the Al- mighty Goodnefs. Ver. I. Now the Serpent!] Or, that Serpent (as fome Verfe T think it fhould be tranflated) which the Tempter made ufe of, as his Inftrument to deceive. i 2 ir 6o A COMMENTARY Chapter Was more fubtilT] The whole Species of Serpents III. is noted by Arijiotle (L.I. Hiftor. Animal c. i.) to be L/^V'NJ fjLoLhjLfct %Jn€u?tf§u) extremely infididus: But this was extraordinary wily. What fort it was, is not here exprefTed : But all agree there is now none like it 5 the Curfe of God having degraded it. St. Bafil in his Book of Paradife, (p. 627. J faith it was not a 'frightful Creature, as it is now, dThd wzjowhs % v/jut- p©*, but mild and gentle: Not crawling and wind- ing about, in a terrible manner, upon the Ground, a'M5 6-fyiAos *Gri -TrhSuv /&&*. k, but lofty, and going upright upon its Feet. Several of the Jews have been of this Opinion 5 ana ur famous Mr. Mede in- clines to it, Dijconrfe XXXVIII. p. 291, &c But I take the conjeflure of another very learned Perfon, now a Bifliop of our Church, to be far more proba- ble: Which I (hall endeavour to ftrengthen. There were (and Hill are in the Eaftem and Southern Parts of the World,) Serpents having Wings, and (hi- ning very brightly, like to Fire, So we read, IfaL XIV. 29. of a flying fiery Serpent. Which fiery Ser- pents are called Seraphims, in Numb. XXI. 6, 8. and termed fiery, not merely with refpeft to their Ve- nom, which made fore Inflammations in the Bodies of thofe who were bitten by them 5 but becaufe they appeared Alining like Fire, when they flew in the Air. Whence Seraphim is the Name alfo of the higheft fort of Angels, (called the Angels of the Prefence,') Jfai. VI. 2,6. Who appeared, I fuppofe, in fome fuch form with flaming Wings. For otherwife, I cannot think Serpents would have been honoured as Sacred things in fo many Countries, as we find they anciently were 3 unlefsthey had been the Symbols of Angels — upon GENESIS. 61 Angels. The Devil therefore, I conceive, made ufe Chapter of fome fuch Serpent, (but of a more furpa fling III. brightnefs, than any now extant,) that he might re- L/*V~\J femble one of the molt illuftrious Angels, who ap- peared fometimes in the like (hape. Which moved Eve the more readily to hearken unto the Voice of the Serpent 5 taking it to be one of the heavenly Seraphims, which (he had feen fometime, in fuch a fplendid form, attend upon the Divine Glory, or Ma- jefty : For the Angels always made a part of the SeHECHINAH. And thus, one would think, Tertullian underftood this matter, when he faid in this Book De Prafcript. Hi- phanius may be added, who mentions fome Hereticks C who might have fome Truth among them) that (aid, the Woman li fined to the Serpent, j£ frreiSif ok 14S 0«8, and believed him, or was perfuaded by him, as the Son of God, Hwef. XXXVII. n. 25. And, one would think, Rabbi Bechai had this Notion in his Mind, when he faid (upon the 14th Verfe of this Chapter,} this is the Secret (ox My fiery ) o£ the Holy Language, that a Serpent is called SARAPH, as an Angel is called SARAPH. For which he quotes the fore-named place, Numb. XXI. 6. and then adds, The Scripture calls Serpents Seraphim, becaufe they were ga A COMMENTARY Chapter wereToledoth hanacaffj hakadmoni, the offfpring of HI. this old Serpent : Underji and this, (fo he concludes, {S*\f\J as our Saviour fpeaks in another Cafe, whofo readeth^ let him under (land,} as a Matter of great concernment. Which can have no other meaning, I think, but this } That the Devil ( whom St. 'John alfo calls the old Serpent, i? eve/. XI L 9.) in this Se< pent here fpoken of, counterfeited a glorious Seraphim^ and thereby feduced £s>e to give Credit to him. However this be, it is moft reasonable to fup- pofe, it was fome beautiful Creature, whom Eve thought an Angel, who wifh'd them well,difcourfed with her: For (he was not fo fimple as to think that Beafts could fpeak 5 much lefs, that they knew more of God's Mind than her felf. Nor doth it feem at all credible to me, that fhe (hould have been other- ways deceived, but by fome Creature which appea- red fo glorioufly, that (he took it for an heavenly Mi- nifies who, (he thought, came to explain to them the meaning of the Divine Command. Tea, hath Godfaid."] T(his doth not look like the beginning of a Difcourfe, but the conclusion : As the Jews themfelves have obferved. And, it is not im- probable, that the Tempter, before he fpake thefe words, reprefented himfelf as one of the heavenly Court} whocame,or was fent, to congratulate the hap- pinefs that God had beftowed upon them in Paradife; Which was fo great, that he could not eafily believe he had denied them any of the Fruit of the Garden. He defired therefore to be fatisfied from her own Mouth, of the Truth of what he pretended to have heard $ or to know how they underftood the Com- mand of God. For fo thefe words may be transi- ted, Is it true indeed^ hath God J aid, Ye /hall not eat "f upon GENESIS. 6% of every Tree, 6cc. Which is a very ancient Inter- Chapter pretation, and more probable than theirs, who would HI. have the Hebrew Particles, aph kj% fignifie as rauch L/"VSJ as ut ut : Although God hath [did, ye jh all not cat, not- rvithjlandingye jhall not die. So they iuppofe he was going to add, but before he had ipoken the latter F>art of the Sentence, Eve interrupted him faying, Vt may eat of the Fruit of the Free of the Garden* This had been too grofs, flatly to contradict what God had faid : Whereas the beginning of the Verfe tells us, he went moxzfubtily to work. Ver. 2. And the Woman faid unto the Serpent, We Verfe 2. may eat of the Fruit of the Frees of the Garden.-] She feems to have underftood him, as if he thought God had forbid them to eat of any Fruit in the Garden. And indeed the foregoing Queftion is ambiguous } like thofe Oracles of his which made him be called Aofias, (oblique or crooked J by the ancient Hea- then $ becaufe they had two meanings. She truly therefore reports the Sence of God's Prohibition, in this and the following Verfe. Though there are thofe who think, (he pronounced thefe word*, We may eat of the Fruit, &c with fome admiration, that they (hould be retrained from one Fruit, when God had moft liberally granted them all the reft. The reafon of which (he did not know, and (howed her defire perhaps to underftand it. Ver. 3. But of the Fruit of the Tree, which k in the Verb 5- midjiofthe Garden, God hath faid, ye fhall not eat of it, nor touch it, lefi ye die \] Some fanfie the Woman here began to prevaricate in two things : Firtt, In faving they might not touch it : Secondly, In faving only there was danger, if they meddled with it, and not an absolute threatning. Of which the Devil. the *4 A COMMENTARY Chapter they think, took advantage ; and immediately af- IH. fured her, there was no danger at all. This laft \S~sf\J they ground upon the Hebrew Particle pen, which we tranilate left, and exprefles a doubting. But I do not think either of thefeObfervationsare folid : For that Particle doth not always imply a Doubt, as we may learn from the Second Pfalm, the laft Verfe, and many other places : And the touching of the Fruit, fignifies the plucking it off from the Tree, in order to eat it : Which was exprefly forbidden. Verfe 4. Ver. 4. Te ft all not furely die7\ You are under a miftake : Death will not be the certain Confequence of your eating this Fruit. For God is too Good to inflifl: fuch an heavy Punifhment, for fo fmall a Fault. Verfe 5, Ver. y. For God, &c."] The Particle ki, which we tranilate for, fignifies here as much as but, (as Abarbi- nel and others obferve,) juft as in Pfalm CXV. 1. So the meaning is, you fhall be in no danger, but quite contrary, be great gainers by tafting of this Fruit : As God himfelf knows, who only keeps you in Awe by his Threatning, but will not be fo fevere as to execute it 5 when he fees you much improved, not impaired by eating it. Then your Eyes foa/2 be opened^] For you will im- mediately difcover abundance of things, whereof you are now ignorant. And ye ftull be as Gods7\ Like unto us, the An- gels of God : Who are frequently called Elohim, i. e. Gods, in Scripture. Thus Maimonides underftands it. More Nevoch. Pars I. c. 2. and Onkelos, who tranflates it Princes, meaning Angels, who are called 9A/r£a}9 Principalities and Powers^ &c. K norrnng npott GENESIS 65 Knowing Good and BvilJ] i.e. All manner of Chapter things. Or, as fonie of the Hebrews underftand it, III. know what h fit for you to do, without any Advice or In- WX'V"*-' jirutlion, and without any Reflriftion ; being JubjcH to none, but enjoy freely what yon pleafe. For to know is fometimes as much as to enjoy, in the Scripture- Lan- guage : So that according to this Interpretation, he promiles them likenefs to God himfelf 5 who is abfo- lutely free, and fubjecl to none. Butin this Suggeftion the Devil proved, what out Saviour fays of him, That he was a Lyar from the begin- ning : For there are no lefs than four Lyes (as fome reckon them) in thefe two I rcrfes. Which makes it feem ftrange that Eve fhould give Credit to thefe Sug- geftions, which were very foolifh : It beingincredi- ble that God fhould envy them any thing, who had given them their Beings, and innumerable Bleffings. I can give no account of it, but this : that when we are fearching after the Reafon of things (as (he, I fuppofe, was of this Prohibition ) and cannot find it 5 if one be fuggefted to us, which never came into our Mind before, though in it felf unlikely, we are rea- dy to catch at it, and to bepleafed with it. For when the Mind is weary with enquiring, it is fatisfied with a falfe Reafon, rather than have none. The Promife alfo of Knowledge was very tempting ; efpecially of fuch Knowledge as he gave her hope would raife and advance her, to a more noble Condition. And it is likely (he thought an heavenly Minilter (as (he took him to be J might underftand God's meaning better than her felf. Ver. 6. And when the Woman j aw the Tret was Verfe 6 good, &c] This Verfe gives a further account of that which feems very ftrange, the Difobedienceof our K firft A COMMENT ART fir A Parents. She look'd fo long upon the forbid- den Fruit, till (he not only had an Appetite to it, as excellent Food, but was taken with its beautiful Co- lour j and wasalfo ftrongly pcffeffed, by the perfua- fion of the old Serpent, that her Mind would be no lefs pleafed than her Palate, by an increafe in Know- ledge and Wifdom. Thefe are powerful Tempta- tions, (expreffed in thefe woYds, good for Food, pie a- fant to the Eyes, a?id to be defired to make one wife,) and fhe could fee no Evil in the thing it felf 5 it be- ing the mere Pleafure of God, of which (he did not apprehend the Reafon, that made the eating of it a Crime. This Fruit alfo was planted, not in an ob- fcure place, but in the ntidfi of the Garden, (Verfe 3, j> near to the Tree of Life .* Which made it the more inviting 5 by its being always in her Eye, as well as very beautiful 5 and raifed, perhaps, the greater won- der in her, that God (hould forbid a thing, which he had made fo eminent for its Beauty. Hereupon (he yielded, and (as it followsj took, of the Fruit thereof and did eat. And gave unto her Husband with her. ~] Who re- turned to her, it is likely, as (he was eating the Fruit 3 and was foon perfuaded to bear her company 5 for it immediately follows, and he did eat. It is a queftion whether he debated the Matter with her, till he was fatisfied with the Arguments that moved her to eat ^ or, his great Affe&ion to her drew him in, to do as fhe dkl ; Without any other Confideration, perhaps, than this ; That he chofe ra- ther to die, than out-live one, whom he loved mod paffionately. To this laft, the Apoftle's words feem to incline, 1 Tint. II. 14* Adam was not deceived 1 Though they do not neccflarily fignifie, it muft be- con- upon GENESIS. 6j confefled, That he was not feduced by the Tempter's Chapter Arguments, but only that Eve was firfr. feduced, IH. and then help d co feduce him. So that he might be L/*V\J wrought upon, both by thofe Arguments, and by his Affe&ion alio to his Wife : But could have been de- ved by neither, had he not been firft guilty of a great iv^y^ix and pzSujuuz, ("as St. Chryfojiom Calls it) .ilefnefs and non-attention, arifing from floth and negligence. The Kefle&ion which GYcgtfr. Nazicnzen makes upon her gazing upon the beautiful Fruit, is this ^ &Juy*> uav tk; iu%Pjtz$ &$ r.tJi£;iurHq^\iit'jotj^vi Sec. Orat. XLVUI./>. 700. D. Ver. 7. And the Eyes of them Both were opened^] Not VerCe - in the Senfe the Serpent promifed, but a very much different: For they foon faw their Folly, and made fad Refledions upon what they had done. And they knew for feltj that they were naked ~\ A cold (hivering feized on them $ and they perceived alfo that they were ftript of their intelle&ual Orna- ments, (as Athanafius expounds it, contra Gcntcs, p. 4.) and blufh'd alfo at their Bodily Nakednefs, of which they were not before at all alhamed. And they fewed Fig- leaves together.'] Or, twifted the young Twigs of the Fig-tree, with the Leaves on them : Which are very broadin the £*/?er« Countries Pliny reckons this among the Trees that have the iargeft Leaves, L. XVI. cap. 24, and cap. 76. where he faith, it hath folium maximum, nmbroftifimumque, the greateft and moft fhady Leaf of all other. And made the mf elves Aprons 7] A Covering, which they girt about them. Ver. 8. And they heard the Voice of the L 0 R D Verfe 8, walking in the Garden."] The Sound of the Majefiatick. Prefence, or the Glory of the LORD , approaching K 2 nearer 6% A COMMENTARY Chapter nearer arrd nearer unto the place where they were. For III. the walking may be referred to Voice, as well as to the L/"V^ Lord: Signifying that the Sound, as I faid (for fo Voice \s often ufed in Scripture) of the Divine Ma- jeji/s approach, came ft ill nearer, and made a louder Noile, to terrifie them. For thus the word walk is applied to the Voice, (i* e. Sound J of the Trumpet at the giving of the Law, when Mofes fays of it, (Exod. XIX. i9/)ptrn ^h^ it walked or increafed, and grew Jlronger,. Juft fo, I conceive, the Sound which the Motion of the SCHECHINAH made,, did. at this time. And that, In the cool of the Day^] When the Wind began to rife, (foit is in the Hebrew, in the wind of the Day,) that is, towards the Evening, asmoftunderftandiu For then there was wont to bea gentle breath of Wind ; as Ariftotle obferves of his Country, %!&$** %p> *et£^t £&hluu iw&v, the Weft Wind was wont to blow towards theclofe of the Day. Which being a foft and gentle Gale, the Sound they heard was the more aftoniftiing, which Teemed to threaten a dread* ful Storm. Onkelos thu¶phrafes the firfl: words, they heard the Voice of the WO R D of the LORD: That is, of theSon of God 5- who appeared in very glorious Clouds $ or rather, in flaming Fire, of fuch an amaz- ing BrightnefSj that they were not able to endure the fight of it. For foit follows.* Adam andhisWife hid tkemfelves from the prefence of theLORDGod, &c.]' It's plain by this there was the appearance of an extraordinary Pfefence .* Which affrighted them, and made them run among the Trees of theQarden, i.e. into the Thickets, or the clofeft places they could find there . I upon GENESIS. 69 I cannot but think the SCHECH IN A H, or Chapter Divine \\ajefly, appeared quite otherwife than for- HI. merly .• That is, not in fomild a Luftreas when they ^-v^>' were firft acquainted with him 5 but in a more terri- ble burning Light, as if it would coniume them. For fo we read in after-times, that the fame Lord who appeared unto Mofes in aflame of Fire out of the midft of a Bu(h,(isxW. III. 2.) came down in a more dreadful manner, at the giving of the Law, from Mount Sinai. When the Mountain was altogether on a fmoak, (Exod. XIX. 18.) becaufe the LORD de- fended upon it in Fire : And that Fire fo great, that it flamed unto the midft of Heaven, (Deut. IV. 1 1.) with darknefs, clouds, andthit\ darknefs . Ver. 9. And the LO RD God called unto Adam.~\Verfe 0. As he did to Mofes out of the Bufti, Exod. III. 4. and to Ifrael out of the mid ft of the Fire, Deut. IV. 12. And faid unto him."] With a Majeftick Voice, a- gainft which he could not (top his Ears. Where art thou?] Why dolt thou run into Co- verts, like the wild Beafts ? Such Queftions do not argue Ignorance in him that asks them 5 but are in- tended to awaken the Guilty to a confeffion of their Grimes. As appears from IV. 10. Where is Abel thy Brother ? Of whom Cain ftubbornly refufingto give an account, the Lord faid immediately, i fto fhow h needed not to be informed,^) the Voice of thy Bro- ther s Blood crieth unto me, from the Ground. Ver. 10. And he. faid \ I heard thy Voice, and I wasy^k ic afraid, becaufe I was naked, See] The very Sound of the approach of thy Prefence, fo affrighted me, be- caufe I found I had loft my Innocency, that I hid my felf from thee. This was a foolifh. and vain attempt $ but ;o A COMMENT 4RY. Chapter but as Guilt makes Men fearful, fo that bereaves thein IIF. of all Confederation. U^VNJ Ver. 1 1 . And he faid, Who told thee that thou waft Verfe n* n*bed>? I Diverted of thoie noble Endowments, which I befrowed on thee. Haft thou eaten, &c] TranfgreiTed my Command- ment ? Verfe I 2. Ver. 1 2- Aid the Man faid, The Woman whom thon gaveft, &o] I confefs my Guilt ,• into which I was drawn by her, whom thou gaveft me for an help. Thus we are apt to excufe and palliate our Faults ^ by laying that Load upon others, with which we ought to charge our felves. Verfe 13. Ver. 1 3. And the LORD God [aid unto the W** man, &c] What moved thee to violate my Com- mand } Andfijefatd, The Serpent beguiled me7\ My Weak- nefs was deceived, by theCunningof the Devil. Thus (he alfo threw the blame upon another. But God, no doubt, convinced them both, of the greatnefsof their Guilt, and the miferable Condition into which they were fain by their Tranfgreffion ^ before he ended this Difcourfe with them. Which fhows the Infinite Mercy of the Creator of all, who would not abandon them $ but fought after them, to fave them, when they had loft themfelves. "Verfe 14. Ver. 14. And the LORD J aid unto the Serpent, Thou art curfed, &T. j It is obferved by Tertnllian, That though God inflicted Punifhmentson Adam and Eve, vet he did not curfc them, as he did the Serpent, ut refkitutionh candltatos, they (landing fair for a Refti- tuticn to his Favour, L. II. adv. Marcion, c. 25. And Tmay add, God did not begin with them; butfirft uencesthe Serpent, before he proceeds to Judgment upon upon GENESIS. 71 upon them : Which denotes that he (the old Ser- Chapter pent) was the great O. fender, being the firft Mover III, to Sin ^ which made his Crime more grievous than L/~\~\S theirs. Now, to be Citrfcd, is to be deprived of what was before enjoyed, and doomed to a miicrable wretch- rd Condition of life : The particulars of" which fol- low. The only Difficulty is, Why the Serpent (lite- rally fo called) fhould becurfed, as it manifeOly is, (though the Devil alfo, I (hall (how is intended ) being but an Inftrument which the Evil Spirit ufed and had neither Will to Sin, nor yet under(hn::i or Knowledge of what the Devil did ? It is com monly anfwered, That this is no more than the Ciirfe which God inflifted upon the Earth, (which was no! capable of Sinning) for Adams fake, vcrfe 1 7. But ftill the Reafon of that Curfe is required 5 which is evident enough .• Man himfelf being punilhed by I Curfe upon the Earth : Which did not yield its Fruit fo plentifully and fo eafily, as it had done before his Trinfgreffion. And the Reafon of this Curfe upon the Serpent, may be the better difcerned by another Inftance which we find Exad. XXI. 28. where an Ox which gored a Manor a Woman, that they died, is ordered to be ftoned, and his Flejh not to be eaten. This Cure was to {how the great value God kt upon Man's Life: Which he fecured alfo by this Punifh- mem; which moved all Owners to look well to their Beafts that might indanger it. Even lb was the Serpent condemned, in Mercy to Adam irn) his Wife, ("whom, it is manifeft by what follows, God intended to reftoreinto his Favour,) that thev might be e- mindful of the foulnefs of their Gilt, and eye", to Repentances by feeing a noble Creature, (who 7i A COMMENT ART Chapter was but the Inftrumentofit,) fo extreamly debafed HI, into a moft vile Condition. ^r^S~**~> Upon thy Belly fhah thou go."] This (hows the Serpent was a more nobie Creature before this Faft .• But changed after it, from a flying Seraph (^as the word is Numb. XXI. 6.) into a foul creeping Serpent 5 not moving aloft in the Air, but crawling upon the Earth, and licking the Duft. So it follows. And dufi fialt thou eat, all the days of thy life. ] There is no viler Food than this .• Which doth not fignifie the Serpent fhould feed upon nothing elfe.- But that creeping on the Ground it cannot but lick up much Dutt together with its Food, whatfoever that be. All this is literally the Curfe of the Serpent : But as the Devil lay hidden under the Covert of the Ser- pent, though he be not named } fo his Curfe is in- tended in this Curfe of the Serpent, though it be not feparately mentioned. As appears by the following Verfe, which hath a peculiar refpeft to the Devil, under the Name of the Serpent. And the Devils Curfe in general was this $ to be thruft down further than before, from his ancient Heavenly Habitation 5 and condemned to live in the lower fmoaky Regi- on of the Air : Where he hath loft all relifh of Ce- leftial Enjoyments, and pleafes himfelfonly in his vile Endeavours to make Mankind as wicked as him- fclf. Verfe 15* Ver. 15. I will put enmity between thee and the Wo- man, and between thy Seed and her Seed."] An irre- concilable Feud, throughout all Generations. Which is true of the Serpent, literally under ftood, between whom and Mankind there is fuch an Antiparhy, that i it difcovers it felf both in the natural and fenfitivt Faculties upon GENESIS. 73 Faculties of them both : Their Humours being; Poi- Chapter fon to each other ^ and Man being aftonifhed at the II! fight of a Serpent more than any other Creature r$ L^V^vJ and the Serpent in like manner at the light of a Man, efpecially (if Naturalifts fay true) of a naked Man Thus Mr. Mede.DifcoHrfeXXXIX. p. 295. But this is far more true and certain of the Spiritual Serpent, the Devil, and his Angels, (who joyned with him in his Apofta(te,J and the Woman and her Seed, in whom thefe words are more literally fulfilled. For Maimonidts juftly admires, that the Seed of the Wo* man (hould be only mention'd, and not of Adam, (^without whom floe could have no Seed 5 which therefore muft be hk Seed, J and that it (hould be faid of her Seed, not of /w", that it bruifed the Serpenc's Head. MoreNevochiw, P. II. cap. 30. This, faith he, is one of the Pajfages in Scripture which is moft won- derful, and not to be underflood, according to the Letter ; but contains greatWifdom in it. In which Words he wrote more Truth than he was aware 5 but was not able to unfold this hidden Wifdom, as we Chriftians, blcfled be God, are able to do. For this Seed here fpokenof is Chrift, as both the Targun/s (that afcri- bed to Jonathan, and that called the Hierufalem) ex- pound it 5 and as we are taught to underftand it, by God's Words to Abraham, when he renewed this Promife / In thy Seed (that is Chrift, faith the Apo- ftle) fljall all Nations be bleffed, Gen. XXII. 18. Gal. III. 8, 16. For he vanquished the Devil, who had now vanquifhed Mankind. So it here follows. Itjhallbruife thy Head."] i. e. That SEED of the Woman (hall defpoil thee of thy Power, (meaning the Devil,) and abolifh thy Tyranny. For in the Head of the Serpent (to which there is here an allu- L fion) 74 A COMMENTARY. Chapter (ion) lies his ftrength : As Epaminondas reprefented HI. to the Ihcbans, when he exhorted them to fet upon a Band of Lacedemonians^ by fhowing them the Head of a vafl Snake, which he had crufhed, 01 xa$z>Jjjq t§ StazIz cnuf1^j,>\a>;.') faying, Lool^ye, the Body can do no hurt, now the Head is gone /Meaning, That if they routed the Lacedemonians, the reft of the Confede- rates would fignifie nothing. Polyen. L. II. Strateg. And therefore Mr.Mede hath rightly interpreted the Serpent's Head, to fignifie the Devils Soveraignty, (DifcovrfeXXV.p i43. and XXXIX. p. 298 J and that Soveraignty, is the Power of Death : Which Headfhip of the Devil, the Seed of the Woman ("that is Chrift the Lord) hath broken in pieces, and at laft will utterly deftroy, 1 Cor. XV. 25, 26. There is a notable Example of this Enmity, in the ftruggle between Chrift and the Devil for the Empire, in Rev. XII. 7, 8. where Chrift deftroyed the Sove- raignty of the Serpent in the Roman Empire fo ef- fectually 5 that there was no more place fonndy for the Dragon and his Angels, in Heaven 5 i.e. The Devil utterly loft his Soveraignty in that State 3 as Mr. Med'e interprets it. And thou /halt bruife his Heel.'] This Vi&ory over the Devil was not to be gotten without Blood : For the Devil did all that he was able to deftroy this Seed. But that was impoffible to be done 5 he could only aflault his lower part, (called here the Heel,) viz. His Body orFlefh : Which, by his Inftruments, he perfecuted> defpitefully ufed, and at laft crucified. By which very means (fo admirable was the Wif- dom andGoodnefs of God) the Seed of the Woman conquered the Devil as the Apoftle (hows, Heb. II. 14, 1 5. For itmuft be here noted, That Chrift was pro- upon G E N K S I S. N ;«; properly and literally the Seed vf the Woman, andChapter not at allot "the Man : Being horn, without him, JH a pure Virgin. The tender Mercy of Cod alio mult L^Sr\J here be acknowledged 5 which gave QCr firft Paren hope of a recover y, as foon as they were fain : By making them this mod gracious Promife. Whic though here ibmething obfcurely delivered, grew clearer and clearer, in every Age, till Chrift came. It cannot be denied likewife, but that by Seed, may beunderftood ^collectively) all the Faithful, who by the Power of the Lord, vanquifh all the Pov, of their Spiritual Enemy. (SeeL*^ 10. 19.) Yet lb, that we mn ft confefs, there wis one limine fit Seed here primarily intended, by whom they overcome. Un- to whom another Seed is not here oppofed in tl laft part of the Verfi, (as in the former part,) but the Serpent himfelf: Which pointsat a (ingle Corn- bate (fas I may call it) between, this promifed Seed and the Devil. But if we will take in the other Sencealfo, underftand by Seed, Chrift with all his Members, then the brnifmg their Heel fignifies, fas Mr. Mede expounds it,) the Devil's deceit and guik in aflaulting us unawares: As they do who come behind others, when they do not obferve them, and catch •hold of their Heel. For that this is an Emblem ol guile and deceitful dealing, appears from the Story of Efau and Jacob 5 the latter of whom had his Name from catching his Brother by the Heel at his Birth, which Efau took for an indication of his beguiling him, as he did two times. See Difcourfe XXXVII. f. 184. It is fit, I think, here to note further, (what the learned Mr. Alix, hath obferved.) That God in this Promife did a particular Kindnefs to our Father L a Adam- A COMMENTARY. Adam. Who having been feduced by his Wife to eat the forbidden Fruit, it might have eccafioned a Breach between them , had not God taken Care to prevent it, by making this gracious Promife of a Redeemer, to depend upon this Union with his Wife „• Froh^ whom, he allures them, one fliould defcend^ that (Tlould repair their Lofles. The time likewife when this Promife was made is remarkable : Which was, before God had reje&ed Cam and preferred Seth to him $ and long before any reftri&ion made to Noah's Family, or Sem\ (who derived from him,) that all the World might look upon the MB SSI AH asacommon Benefit to all the Sons of Adam. Yerfe i& Ver. \6. Vnto the Woman he fatd^ Next to the Serpent, the Woman receives her Sentence, fas Mr. Mede well notes,) becauie (he was more in the fault than Adam : Reing guilty, as his words are (Difcourfe XXXVIII. p. 287.) both of her own per- gonal Sin, and of her Husband's alfo. Whence it is that he* who had only finned himfelf, and not caufed others to fin, had his Judgment laft of all. This fhould be a little more considered than it is, by all thofe, who not only do Evil themfelves, but draw others into the fame Guilt. J wtt greatly multiply thy forrow and conception^ i. e. Thy forrow in thy Conception .• Which in- cludes all the time of Womens going with Child $ when they frequently naufeate all their Food ^ or have troublefome Longings 5 and endure many a- fcher things which are very grievous to them 5 efpe- cially when they are in danger to mifcarry of their Burden, upon GENESIS. yy In forrow /halt thou bring forth Children.] Brute Chapter Creatures are obferved to bring forth their Young;, III. with far lefs pain, and difficulty, and danger, than L/"V\J Women commonly have in their Labour. Who, after they are delivered of their Children, are ftill in dan- ger, by many Accidents : Efpecially when that Hays behind which fhould follow the Birth, (as ir iome- times doth from various Caules, noted by Bartholin** , in his Hiftor. Anotom. & Medic. Cent. V. Hift. XXXII. n. 3,) which occaiions fore Torments, and puts their Lives in thegreateft fyazard. And thy defire foall be to thy Husband."] That is, it (hall be fubjedt to him 5 as the Vulgar Latin and Aben Ezra expound this Phrafe : Which is fo ufed, IV. 7. And he /hall rule over thee.] Have Power to con- troll thy Defire. This looks like putting her more under the Will of her Husband, than was intended in her firft formation : Becaufe (he had not given a due regard to him ; but eaten the forbidden Fruit, without flaying to confult him a'nd ask his Advice. Ver. 1.7. And unto Adam he faid, Becaufe thou haft Verfe 17, hearkned to the voice of thy Wife, 8ttT) Been fo weak, as to mind her more than me. Car fed full the Ground be.] It fhall not bring forth fo plentifully, nor fo eafiiy as it did. For thy fake.] Becaufe of thy Sin 5 which (hail be punifhed partly by its barrennefs. In forrow /I) alt thou eat of it.] It fhall coft thee a great deal of Labour and Toil, before thou reapeft the Fruits of it. All the days of thy life. ~] Every part of the Year, (hall bring along with it new wearifom Labours. Ver, y% A COMMENT A Rt Chapter Ver. 18. Thorns and Thiftles, Sec] It (hall coft thee III. abundance of Pains to root up the Thorns, Thirties, L/*V\J and unprofitable Weeds $ which (hall come up in (lead Verfe 1 8- 0f better Plants. And thou jhalt eat the Herl of the Field."] Be con- tent with fuch things as the common Field produces 5 inftead of the delicious Fruits of Paradife. Here the Rabbins cry out Mcnfura pro menfura, behold the Juftice of God, who ferved Man in his kind. He was not farisfied with the choice Fruits of the Gar- den in which God put him ,• and therefore he took them from him, and fent him to eat the ordinary Food of Beads 5 and that not without hard Labour. Maimon. More Nevoch. P. I. cap. 1. » Verfe 19. Ver. 19. In thefweat of thy face, &C.] Some con- clude from hence, that the Earth brought forth, be- fore the Fall, without any Pains to cultivate it. And indeed there needed none; all things being pro- duced at the firft, by the Divine Power, in full Per- fection. But what Labour would have been necef- fary in time, if Man had continued Innocent, we do not know : only thefe words fignifie, that lefs Toil would have ferved than Men muft now take for their Suftenance. % Some of the Jews reckon up Nine Purii(hments be- (ides Death, which God infli&ed upon Adam; and as many upon Eve. See Pirke Eliefer^ cap. XIV. and Vorjlins upon him. Till thou return to the Ground.] h e. Till thou dieft, and mouldrefl: into Duft. For out of it thouwafi taken.] From whence thou waft taken, as it is explained, verfe 23. which (bows the Particle ki is not always to be tranflated for $ but fotnetime 2t?fc^e, oxrvhom^ as IV. 25. God hath given upon GENESIS. given me another Seed in/lead of Abel, U1.1 >5 whom Chapter Cain flew. III. The reft of this Vtffi needs no Explication. l«^V~vj Ver. 20. Called her nkmtEvci] Some think fhe vvas^L'ri " called 7//t/^ before, and now he changed her Name intofi^c; In belief that God would make her the Mother of all Mankind $ and of the promifed Seed particularly ^ by whom fas D. Chytr£us addsj he hoped to be railed from the Dead, to immortal Life. Mother of all living.'] Of all Men that (hould live hereafter, or of him that (hould give Life to Mankind. So Havah may be interpreted, viva or vivificatrix: Becaufe fhe was the Mother of all Mankind, or be- came Mankind, now fentenced to death, were by her Seed, to be made alive. Ver. 2 1 . Unto Adam and hk Wife, did the LORD Verfe 2 1 God make coats of skjns, Sic] The firft Cloaths of Mankind were of the Leaves of Trees, which they made themfelves; being ready at hand, woven by- Divine Art. The next were of the Skins ofBeafls ^ which were much warmer, and better able to defend them from the injury of the Cold and Weather : And thefe were made by God's Direction. Who having made a mod gracious Covenant with our firft Pa- rents, (verfe 15.) it feems not unreasonable to fup- pofe, that healfo (ignified to them, they (hould, for the confirmation of it, offer to him Sacrifices .• By the Blood of which, Covenants were ratified in after- times, from this Example. For it is not likely, that the Beafts, of whofe Skins thefe Coats were made, died ofthemfelves 5 or, that they were killed mere- ly for this ufe, or for their food. And therefore what is fo probable, as that, by God's Order, they were 80 A COMMENTARY Chapter were (lain for a Sacrifice to him, (the better tp re- Ilf. prefent to them their Guilt, and that the promifed t^V*\J Seed fhould vanquifh the Devil, and redeem them, by (bedding his BloodJ and that of the Skins of thole Beafts God directed Coats to be made, to cloath them ? But whether, by dreffing them and making Leather of them 5 or, only by drying them, and let- ting the Hair (till continue on them, we cannot tell. Certain it is, that this was a very ancient fort of Cloathing 5 as we learn not only from Profane Au- thors, but from the Sacred .• Particularly, Heb. XL 37. The Jemfb Do&ors have carried this Matter fo far, as to fay, That Adam being a Prieft, thefe were his Prieftly Garments. The Skin indeed of the Burnt- Offering under the Law, is given to the Prieft, Lev. VII. 8. buc not to make him Cloaths: And Eve, if this were true, mull have been a Prieft alfo 5 for (he had a Coat made of Skins, no lefs than Adam. Who, they fanfie, left this Coat to his Pofterity 5 fo that Noah, Abraham, and all the reft of the Patriarchs (as Abel they faid didj facrificed in the very fame Coat 5 till Aaron was made High-Prieft, and had fpe- cial Garments appointed him by God. Among which, one being called by this very Name of njro (Exod. XXVIII J it gave ground to this idle Con- ceit. VerTe 22. Ver. 22. Behold the Man is become, &c] Man, in this place, includes Woman: And thefe words are ge- nerally thought to be fpoken Sarcaftically $ to reprove their great Folly, in thinking to encreafe their Know- ledge, whether God would or no. Like one ofus.~] Thefe words plainly infinuate a Plurality of Perfons in the Godhead ^ and all other Explications of them, feem to be forced and unna- $ tural : ^GENESIS Si tural: That of Mr. Calvins being as disagreeable to Chapter the Hebrew Phrafe, as that of Socinus to the Excellen- III. cy ot the Divine Nature. This, I think, is well pro- L/"V"NJ ved by Theodorick. Hac kj pan, Difput. IV. Dc Locut. Sacris, n. 15, KC. >:d now, left he put forth his Hand, Sec."] Thisfeen:s an abrupt kind of Speech 5 fomething being kept back: As, let us turn him our, (or fome fuch like- words, ) left he take alfo of the free of Life, and live for ever. Which many of the ancient Fathers look upon as a merciful Difpenfation 3 that Man might not be perpetuated in a State of Sin. So Iraneus, I . til cap. 37. and Greg. Nazianzen. Or at, XXXVIII. p. 619. God thus ordered, r;\va jjm dtizvxlcv S tc hj.- yjv, }tj yx<{f) ^Xzifo^inz r\ ti{ACC£Jlz, Sec. That Sin might not be Immortal \ and the Punifldment might be a Kindnefs. Which he repeats, Orat. XLII. p. 681. So Epiphanies alfo, HQia.v \jzro@i- QMfjJ^ov, but fuggefted to them by a Divine Intimati- on, L. I. Demotiflr. Evang. Cap. 10. Of which Plato one would think had fome Notion * when he forbids his Law-maker (in his Epmomis) to make any altera- tion in the Rites of Sacrificing, becaufe, & Swuamv&Sk- voLf rv\ Svrrcy ra- ther than their own : Out of the great Love they bare to their Children. Thus Nimrod called Nineveh after the Name of his Son Ninus. Which the Pfal- mifi upon GENESIS. ntift notes as a piece of the Vanity of Mankind, to call their Lands fthat is, the Hoitfes where they dvv dr, as R. Solomon Jarchi interprets it) h their oivn Names, to be a lafting Monument of them and of their Family. Enoch.'] There were an ancient People called by Pliny, Heniochi 5 by Mela, Eniochi 5 and by Lit can, Enochii: Some of which lived fo far Eajlward, that Sir IV. Raleigh fanfies they might be the Pofterity of this Enoch. Ver. 18. And unto Enoch was bom Irad, Scc.j It is Verf^ 18, remarkable, that though Mofes gives us fome account of the Defendants of Cairn* $ yet he faith not a word of the Years that they lived, and carries their Ge- nealogy but a litale way. Whereas he deduces the Genealogy of Sdh down to the Flood, and fo to his own time, &c. And alio relates particularly , (Chap. V.) to what Age the Life of his principal Pofterity was prolonged. It feems, he look'd upon Cains Pvace, as fuch a Fveprobate Generation, that he would not number them in the Book of the Livings as St. Cyril fpeaks. Ver. 19. Lamcch tool^nnto him two Wives.'] By a^efrc fmill tranfpofition of Letters, Lamcch being the fame with Malech, which fignifies a King $ fome of the Jews fanfie him to have been a great Man : For none but fuch, they fay, had two Wives in thofe ancient Times .- Though they hold it was lawful ("as ScUlcv (hows, L. V. De Jure N. & G. cap. 6.) for any B^dy that could maintain them, to have had more. But it is more likely that Lantech was the firft, that ad- ventured to tranfgrefs the Original Inftitution: Which was obferved even by the Cainites till this time. When, perhaps, his earneft delire of feeing that io4 A COMMENTARY Chapter that blejfed Seed which was promifed to Eve, might IV. induce him to take more Wives than one: Hoping, U^VNJ by multiplying his Pofterity, fome or other of them might prove fo happy as to produce that Seed. And this he might poffibly perfuade himfelf was the more likely ^ becaufethe Right that was in Cam the Firft- born, he might now conclude was revived in him- felf .• Who being the Seventh from Cam, had fome reafon to imagine the Curfe laid upon him, of being pumfhed.fevenfold, i.e. for jeven Generations, was now expired 5 and his Pofterity reftored to the Right of fulfilling the Promife. Verfie 20. Ver 20. He was the FatherT] The Hebrews call him the Father of any thing 5 who was the firft In- venter of it } or, a mo ft excellent Matter in that Art. Such was Jabal in the Art of making Tents, folding Flocks, and all other parts of Paftorage. Which though begun by Abel, was not by him brought to Perfe&ion; Or, if it were, Jabal was the firft in the Family of Cam, that was Eminent in the follow- ing Inventions, Of fuch as dwell in Tents.~\ Taught Men to pitch Tents 5 which were movable Houfes, that might ea- fily be carried from place to place, when there was occafion to remove for new Pafture. Under this is comprehended all that belongs to the Care of Cattel, in their breeding, feeding, and preferving, as appears by whatfollows. And of fitch as have CatteL'] In the Hebrew the words are, andofCattel. Where the copulative Van, which we tranflate and, (ignifies as much as with: And fo the words are to be here tranflated, fuch as dwelt m Tents, with CatteL Thus Bochartus obferves it is ufed, 1 Sam. XIV. 18. The Ark^ of God was at that upon GENESIS. jo^ that t//;;c, irith the Children ofljrac! 3 as we, with the Cba| Ancients, truly tranllate it. And io it fhould be translated, Exod. I. 5. All the Souls that came out 0/'C/"V~v. Jacob's Loins were feventy Souls, tvithjofeph. For Jo- feph is not to be added ("as we fecm to underftand it) unto the Seventy 5 but made up that Number, as appears from GY//. XL- VI. 27. So that the Setup this whole Verfe feems robe, That though Men feci Cattel before in good Pa (hi res 5 yet Jabel was the iirft that, by the Invention of Tents, made the more Defart Countries ferviceable to them : Where, when they had eaten up all the Grafs in one place, they might in a little time take up their Tents, and fix them in another. To this purpofe R. Solon/on Jarchi. And in thefe Tents, it's likely, he taught them to de- fend their Cattel, as well as themfelves, from Heat and Cold, and all other Dangers to which they were expofed in thofe Defart Places. Ver. 2, 1 . Father of fitch as handle the Harp and Or- Verfe 2 it gan.~\ Thefirft Inventer of Mufical Inftruments, and that taught Men to play upon them. What Onnor is, (which we tranflate Harp^tez in Bochartu* his Canaan, L. II. cap. 7. p. 808. 1 believe the firft word includes in it all Stringed, the latter all Wind Mufical Inftruments. It is poffible that Apollo, or Linus, or Orpheus ("for there are all thefe various Opinions) might be the Inventer of the Harp among the Greeks: But it was their Vanity that made them fanfie fuch Inftruments had their Original, in their Country. Ver. 22. Tubal-Cain.'] The Arabians ftill call a Plate Verfe 2: of Iron or Brafs, by the Name of Tubal, fas Bochartus obferves out of Avicenna, and others, L. III. Phaleg. cap. 12.) who as it follows in the Text, was P io6 A COM MEN TART Chapter An InftruUer of every Artificer in Br afs and Iron, 7] \ y# f. e. Found the Arc of melting Metajs, an(J making ^-v^-» all forts of Weapons, Arms, and other Iflftruments of Iron and Brafs. Many think that Vulcan is the fame with Tubal-Cain, (their Names being not un- like,) particularly Gerh. Vojjius, De Or/g. Idolol. L. I. cap. 1 6. His Sifters Name was Naamah."] Whom Vojjius, (lb. cap. 17.) takes to have been the Heathen Miner- va, or Venus. Her Name fignifies Beautiful, or Fair, one of zfweet Afpeft : And the Arabians fay, (lie in- vented Colours and Painting, as Jabal did Mufick. See Elm acinus, p. 8. Verfe 25. ^er' 23- Afod Lamech faid unto his Wives y &c Hear my Voice, ye Wives of Lamech, hearken unto my Speech.] Something had preceded thefe Words, which was the occafion of them .- But it is hard to find what it was. Jacobus Capellus indeed (in his Hiftoria Sacra & Exotica) hath a Conceit that La* mech was now in a vapouring Humour, being puffed up with the glory of his Son's Inventions ^ to whofe Mufickznd other Arts, he endeavoured to add Poetry : Which he exprefled in the following Words, that feem to him a Thrafonical Hymn, wherein he brags what Feats he would do. For fo he reads the Words, (with Ehen Ezra) not I have Jlain, but 7 will kjll a Man with one blow of my Fift, &c. But I can fee no warrant, for this Tranflation, without a Violence to the Hebrew Text, and therefore we muftfeekfor another Interpretation. J have Jlain a Man to my wounding, 8cc.^ Thefe words would have a plain Expofition, ("which other- wife are difficult J » we could give Credit to the Hebrew Tradition 3 which St. Hierom fays feveral Chrifti- upon GENESIS. 107 Chriftians followed : That Lantech being informed Chapter by a certain Youth,ashewasaHunting.,that there was IV. a wild Beaft lay lurking in a fecret place., went thi* -^v*^-/ ther } and unawares killed Cain, who lay hid there : And then, in a Rage at what he had done, fell upon the Youth that had occafion'd this Mithke, and beat him to Death. But, as there is no certainty of this ^ fo it doth not agree with the next Verfe : Which Teems tofuppofe Cainto be now alive. Therefore I nd. cle £)/>//, following Onkelos, reads the Words by \ray of Interrogation 5 Have I flam a Man ? Or, fo much as a Boy ? that you (hould be affraid of my Life ? It feems the ufcof Weapons being found out by one of his Sons, and grown common 5 his Wives appre- hended that force Body or other might make ufe of them to ilay him. But he bids them comfort them- felves, for he was not guilty of flaying any Body himfelf^ and therefore might reafonably hope, no Body would hurt him. And then the Meaning of the ntyxVerfe is eafie. Ver. 24, If Cain fl^ all be avenged feven fold, fr«/yVerfe 24, Lantech feventy and feven fold.~] If God hath guarded Cain fo ftrongly, who was a Murderer, as to threaten great and long Punifliments to thofe that (lay him ^ he will punilh them far more, and purfue them with a longer Vengeance, who (hall flay me, being aguilt- lefsPerfon. There are divers other Interpretations, which I (hall not mention ; becaufe this is mod pertinent to the preceding Difcourfe. Ver. 25. Bare a Son."] The Jews think he was born Verfe 25 a Year after ^ie/was killed. And called his Name Seth.'] Mothers anciently gave Names to their Children, as well as the Fathers. P 2 And A COMMENTARY. And Eve gave this Son, the Name of Seth 5 becaufe (he look'd upon him as appointed (fo the word fig- nifies) by God, to be what Cain, (he thought, (hould have been 3 till God reje&ed his Sacrifice, and he flew Abel. In whofe room (he believed God had fubftituted this Son, to be the Seed from whom the Redeemer of the World {hould come. The Arabians fay, ("particularly Elmacinus, p. 7.) Th^t Seth was the Inventer of Letters and Writing, (as Jubal was of Mufick, and Tubal-Cain of Arms,) which fo much furpaffed all other Inventions, that fome fas Cedrenus tells us J called him, a God $ i. e* the highefl: Benefa&or to Mankind. Which, if it were true, we might think that thence his Children were called the Sons of God, VI. 1. But it is mod likely this miftake arofe from Symmachus hisTranfla- tion of the 1 aft Words of the next Verfe, which, if we may believe Suidas, was thus, Then began Seth to be called by the Name of God. For which there is no Foundation either there, or any where elfe in Scrip- ture. For though it be faid that Mofes was made a Cod to Pharaoh, yet he is never (imply called a God, as Jacobus Capellus well obferves. Nor is any King, or Prince called by that Name particularly, in Scripture, though in general it fays of them all, That they are, Gods. Yerfe 26. Ver. 26. To him alfo was born a Son."] When he was aa Hundred and five Years old, as we read, V. 6. And he called hk Name, Enos.~] Signifying the weak and miferable Condition of Mankind } which &e feemed, by giving him this Name, to deplore. Then upon GENESIS, Then began Men to call upon the Name of t: ■ Chapl LORD.~] This doth not import that Men did nut jV. call upon the LO R D (which includes all his Wor- '*S\"\J (hipand Service J before this time : But ti.at now fas Jac. Capcllus conceives) they were awakened, by the Confideration of their Infirmity before- menti- oned, to be more ferious and frequent in Religi- ous Offices; Or, rather, (as others underitand it,) they began to hold more Publick Aifemblies. For Families being now multiplied, to which Religion was before confined, they joyned together and met in larger Societies and Communion, for the folemn Worfhip of God by Sacrifices, and other Religious Services. Vox, to rail upon God, comprehends, as I laid, all Religion : Which confifts in acknowledging him to be the Lord of all ; in lauding all his Glorious Perfe&ions ; giving him Thanks for his Benefits, and befeeching the Continuance of them. But it being fcarce credible, that Publick Affem- blies were not held long before this, (it being pro- bable that even when Cain and Abel facrificed, their Families joyned together to worfhip God,) it hath. moved fume Men of Note, (fuch.asBerfrnpaiad Hack: fpan,) to follow our Marginal Tranilation \ then be- gan Men (i.e. the Children of Sethi) to call them- felves by the Name of the LORD: That is, the Ser- vants or WorQiippers of the Lord § in diftinction from the Cajnttes, and fuch prophane Perfons, as had iorfaken him. And indeed a great number of the Jerviff) Wri- ters, with whom Mr. Sclc/en joyns,in his De Dils Syris, Prolegom. 3. would have the Words expounded thus. to (ignifie that Apoftafic 5 thin wds there Prvphanathn, hy invoking the Name, of the L 0 R D. For the word hoct rro A COMMBl^TARr Chapter bochal, which we here tranflate began, fignifying pro- IV. phaned, in Lev. XIX. 12. (Thou fialt not prophane the L/-VV) Name of the LORD thy God J they take Mofes his meaning to be, That the ntofi Holy Name which belongs to the Creator and Pojfejfor of Heaven and Earth aloney was now impionjly given unto Creatures : Particularly to the Sun. And thus the Arabick Interpreter, in Er* penius his Edition, Then began Men to apoflatizefrom the WorfUp of God. But a great Number of very Learned Men have oppofed themfelves to this Inter- pretation ^ and with much Judgment/ Mofes being here fpeakingof the Pious Family of Scth, and not of Impious Cains : And the word hoc hal (as Hakspan obfervesj with the Prepofition le following in the next word, being conftantly ufed in the Senfe of Be- ginnings, not of ProphanationAnd therefore they con- tent themfelves with our Marginal Tranflation .• Or, elfe think that God was now firft called upon by the Name of Jehovah :Or, that Liturgies, as we call them, or Publick Forms of Wor (hip were now appointed, at fet Hours : Or, fome other confiderable Improve- ments made in Religious Offices. For the Arabian Chriftians reprefent this Enos as an excellent Gover- nor.-Who, while he lived, preferved his Family in good order, and when he died, called them all toge- ther 5 and gave them a Charge to keep God's Com- mandments, and not to aflbciate themfelves with the Children of Cain. So Elmacinus. CHAP. upon GENESIS. CHAP. V. Vcr. i/ | ^Hkk the Dool^ of the Generations of A- Verfe i. I, dam.~] 7. e. Here follows a Catalogue of the Pofterity of Adam. So the word Book Signi- fies, Matth. I. i. An Account of thofe from whom Chrift the Second Adamcamz; as here, an Account of thofe who came from the Firji Adam. Yet not of all, but of the principal Perfons, by whom in a Right Line, the Succeffion was continued down to Noah,&c. As for the Collateral Lines, which, no doubt, were very many, by the other Sons and Daughters which the Perfons here mentioned begot, they are omitted .• Becaufe no more than I have faid, was pertinent to Mofes his purpofe. In the Day that God created Man.~] This is repeated again, only to imprint on their Minds, that Adam was not produced, like other Men, by Generation, but by Creation. In the likenefs of God created he him.'] This alfo is again mentioned }to remember Men how highly God had honoured them, and how (hamefully they had re- quited him. Ver. a. Male and Female created he them, Scc.^ Of Verfe 2. different Sexes, to bejoyned together in Holy Marri- age .• As Mofes had (hown, Chap. If. 22, 23, &c. Called their Name Adam .H The common Name to both Sexes 5 like Homo in Latin, 6cc. Ver. ii2 A COMME NTARY Chapter Ver. y. And Adam lived an hundred and thirty V. Tears."] This doth not afliire us he had no Children L/"V%J but£W«and Abel till now : But only acquaints us with his Age, when :cth was born. And begat a Son in his oven likenefs, after his image 7] Not fo perfect as him E when he was created $ but with thofe Imperfections which impaired him, after hehadearen the forbidden Fruit : That ft, inclined to Sin, and iubjeft to Death. For his own Likenefs and Image, wherein chis Son was begotten, feems to be oppofed to the iJ^enefi and Image ofGod, wherein Adamwas made, I 16. which, though not quite loft, was lamentably defaced. Maimonides will have this to refer to Seth's Wif- dom and Goodnefs; he proving truly aManliketo his Father Adam : Whereas the reft before him proved rather Beafts. More Nevochim, Par. I. c. 7. Called his Name Seth.] He intends to give here an Account of thofe defcended from Seth alone, not of his Pofterity by Cain, (who are only briefly men- tioned in the foregoing Chapter, verfes 17, 18.J be- caufe in Seth the Pofterity of Adam were preferved, when all the Children of Cain perithed in the De- luge. Verfe 4. Ver. 4. And he begat, Sons and Daughters^] After the Birth of Seth he begot more Children, fas he had done, it's probable, many before) whofe Names are not here recorded : Becaufe Mofes fets down only that Race of Men, from whom Noah and Abraham, ("the Father of the Faithful,) and the Mefjlah were derived. Verfe 5, Ver. 5. Lived nine hundred and fifty Tears!] It is not reafonable to take ameafure of the length of the Lives of the Patriarchs, by the fliortnefs of ours. For, ^GENESIS. 113 For, as Jofepbw well obferves, (L. I. A///'^. c*/>. 4. Chapter and ouc of him. Fttfebius, L. IX. Pr L. VII. cap, 48. Nay, in Q^ Time? fi4 * COMMENT ART Chapter Times nearer to us, there are Inftances of this kind, V. as the Lord Bacon obferves in his Hift. Vit£ & Mor- L/^fSJ lis ; and Bartholin, in his Hiftor. Anatom.Rarioruw^ Cent. V. Hi ff.z8. But nothing is more remarkable than that which Gajfendus reports in the Life of NicoL Peircskjus, L. V. That he received a Letter from Aleppo, no lon- ger ago than the Year 1636. of a Man then in Per- fia, known to feveral Perfons worthy to be believed, who was Four hundred Years old : Idque ipfis omnhib ejje exploratum^ atque induhium : And the Perfons that wrote this, were fully affured of the undoubted Truth of it. Such Inftances indeed are rare \ and there is one that thinks Men did not generally live to fuch a great Age in the old World. For Mahnonides is of Opi- nion, That none attained to fo many Years as are here mentioned 5 but only the particular Perfons ex- prefly named by Mofes : All the reft of Mankind, in thofeDays, living only the ordinary term, which Man did in after-times. Or, in other words, this ex- traordinary length of Days, was the Priviledge on- ly of thefe fingular Individuals; either from their accurate way of Living and Diet, or God's fpecial Favour in Reward of their eminent Vertue and Pie- ty, More Nevoch. Pars II. cap. 47. But Nachmamdes (another great JewijIdDodtov) oppofes this with much Reafon 5 For that their eminent Vertue was not the Caufe they only had this Priviledge, appears by Enochs the moft holy Man of them all, who did not live to the Age of Four hundred Years. And as there is no ground to believe thefe were the only Perfons who lived exaftly Temperate in all things: So it is manifeft Mofes doth not defign to give us an Ac- count upon G E N E S I 115 count of thofe that lived longed, but of thofe fromCha- whom Noah defcended, and it is incredible that V. they alone fhould be very long lived, and no Body L/'VSJ elfe, though defcended from the fame Parents. Ver. 6. And Scth lived an hundred and jive Tears , y>rr€ £ and begat Enos.] We mil ft not think he lived fo long, before he begat any Children 5 No mere than that Adam had none til! he was an Hundred and thirty Years old, when he begat Scth, (verfe 3. J for we know he had Cain and Abel, and, in all likelihood, many others before. Therefore to explain this and other things that follow, verfe 18. and 28. which feem more ftrange (fox J arc d is faid to have lived an Hundred fixty two Years, before he begat Enoch 5 and Lantech an Hundred eighty two Years before he begat Noah,) we muft confider, as was noted, verfe 4. that Mofes fets down only thofe Perfons by whom the Line of Noah was drawn from Seth, and Abraham's Line from Noah, by thdr true Anceftors 5 whether they were the Eldeft of the Family or no. Scth it's likely had many other Children before Enos • born, as Noah, we may be confident had before he begat Sew, Ham, and Japhet : Which was not till he was Five hundred Years old, verfe 32. As Lamech alfo had feveral before Noah was born : Though ; fes doth not mention them 5 becaufe he was here concerned only to inform us, who was the Father of Noah. Begat Enos.'] The Arabian Chnftians, as I obferved before, fiV. 2 6. J make him to hive bten a Man of lingular Goodnefs. Ver. 9. Begat Ca/nan.'] The f /riters repre- Verfe fent him to have been like to his Father $ and fay, he gave his Children a Charge not to mingle with the Q. 2 Seed n6 A COMMENTARY Chapter Seed of Cain. So Elmacinus. Yet there is but little V. difference between his Name, and that of Cains $ no L/"W? more than between Trad and Jared, and fame other of Sems Pofterity and Cam's. Which may teach us, fays Jac. Capellus, (in his Hifior. Sacra d> Exotica,} Ne fat ale nefcio quod omen nominibus propriis effinga- mus 5 that we (hould not fanfie there is, we do not know what, fatal Omen in Proper Names. The Wickednefs of 'judos- lfcariot did not make the other Judas,- called by that Name, to think the worfe of it. And therefore Jared feared not to call his Son Enoch, by the very Name of Cain s eldeft Son, IV.17. And Methufelah alfo gave his Son Lantech, the Name of one of Cains Grand-children, IV. 18. Verfe 12. Ver. 12. Begat MahalaleeL~] This Name imports as much as a Praifer of God : Which Cainan impofed upon this Son of his. (as Jacobus Capellus fanfiesj becaufehe was born after he had lived ten Weeks of Years, (i.e. when he was Seventy Years old) in the beginning of the Sabbatick^ Year : Which was the Eighth Jubilee from the Creation. For, as there were Sacrifices, and a diftin&ionof clean Beads and unclean-^ fo he con- ceives there might be a diftribution of Years by &- vens or Weeks, fas they fpake in after-times,J from the very beginning of the World. But there is no certainty of this : Nor of what the fore-named Ara- bian Writers fay of this Mahalaleel, that he made his Children fwear, by the Blood of Abel, (To Patri- cides,) not to come down from the Mountainous Country where they dwelt, to converfe with the Children of Cain. He is mentioned alfo by the Mahometans, zsHottin- ger obferves in his Hifior. Orient, p. 20. Ver, upon GENESIS. 117 Ver. 15. Begat Jared.'] The fame Arabian Writers Chapter make him alfo a ftridHy Pious Man, and an excellent V. Governor: But fay, That in his Days fome of Sitb'% Ly^v^vj Pofterity, (about an hundred in r.umber,J notwith- Verfe 15. (landing all his Perfuafions to the contrary, would go down and converfe with the Children of Cain ; by whom they were corrupted. And thence they fanfie he was called Jared, ("which fignifies defcend- Ing \) eicher becaufe they went down from the Ho- ly Mountain, as they call it, where Seth's Pofterity dwelt $ or Piety, in his time, began very much to decline. See Hottingers Smegma Orient. LA. cap. 8. p. 235, &c. Ver. 18. Begat Enocb.~\ Whom the Arabians call Verfe 18, Edrk i and reprefent him as a very learned Man, as well as a Prophet: And efpecially skilled in Agrono- my. See Hottinger, Hi/lor. Orient. L. I. c. 3. and Smegma Orient, p. 240. The Greeks anciently had the fame Notion of him, as appears by a Difcourfe of Eupolemus, which Eufebhts quotes out of Alexand. Polyh/Jlor. L. IX. Pr£par. Evang. c^ 17. where he fays Enoch was the firft who taught the knowlege of the Stars, and that he himfelf was taught, Si "ArfiAw &tS, by the Angels of 'God ^ and was the fame Perfon whom the Greeks call Atlas. Certain it is his Story was not altogether unknown to the ancient Greeks , as appears in what they fay of 'Awa«/>$, or Kawaao;, which is the fame with Enoch, whofe Name in Hebrew is Chanoch. For Stephanus in his Book De Urbibus fays, that this Annacm lived above Three hundred Years, and the Oracle told the People, that when he died they (hould all perifh \ as they did in the Flood of Deucalion : In which he confounds theHiftory of Enochmd Me- thiifelah, as Bochart well obferves, L.ll. Phale^.c.i^. Ver *tftj A CO MM EN TART Chapter Ver. 21. Begat Methufelah.~) Enoch being a Pro V. phet, (as we learn from St. Jade,*) and forefeeing the .L/"VNJ Deftruclion that was coming upon the Earth by a Verfe ^1. Deluge, immediately after the Death of this Son of his, gave him this Name of Methufela, which im- ports as much. For the firft part of it, Metlm, evi- dently carries in it the Name of Death} being as much as, he dies : And fela fignifies, the fending forth of Vy ater, in JobV. 10. And therefore Methufela, is as much, as when he is dead, flail enfue an en/ijjlon or inundation of Waters, to the deftru&ion of the whole Earth. V\ hich ingenious Conjefture of Bochartus, in his Phaleg, L. II. c. 13. is far more probable than any other Account of his Name. Verfe 2 2. Ver. 22. Enoch walked with God after he begat Me- thufelah.'] Of all the reft Mofes only fays, they li- ved after they begat thofe Sons here mentioned 5 but of this Man, that he walked with God: i. e. Was not only fincerely Obedient to God, (as we fuppofe his Fore-fathers to have been,) but of an extraordinary Santtity, beyond the rate of other Holy Men 5 and held on alfo in a long courfe of fuch fingular Piety, notwithftanding the wickednefs of the Age, where- in he lived. And the very fame Chara&er being gi- -ven of Noah, VI. 9. it may incline us to believe, That as Noah was a Preacher of Right eoufnefs ^ fo Enoch, being a Prophet, was not only Exemplary in his Life, but alfo feverely reproved the Wickednefs of that Age, by his Word. Verfe 24*1 Ver, 24. And Enoch walked with God.~] Perfevered in that Courfe before-mentioned, to the end of his Days. And was not.']' He doth not fay, that he died, (as he doth of the reft in this Chapter, both before and after J upon GENESIS. 119 after,) but that he was not, any longer among Men Chapter in this World. For, V. \ultool{ him.~\ Tranflated him to another place. L/^V^vJ Which plainly fignifies the different manner of his . ing this World 5 in fo much that the Apoftle faith, he did not fee death, Heb. XI. 5. Which con- futes the Conceit of /IbenEzra, and R. Solomon, and others, who would have this word tool^to fignifie, that he was fnatcht away by an untimely death. Contra- ry to the Opinion of their other better Authors, parti- cularly Menachem ; who in his Commentary on this v faith 5 that God tookjrom Enoch In bodily Cloaihs, and gave him Spiritual Raiment. But whither he was tranilated we are not told. The Author of thchodkoiEtclefaJiicHf, Chap.XLiV. (according to the Vulgar Transition ,) faith into Paradife. And upon this Supposition,* the Mthibphl^ Interpreter hath added thefe words co the Text : God tranflated him into Paradife, as I udolplus ob- ferves, L. III. Comment ar. in Mthicp. Hi(i. Cap. V. n. 40. And accordingly we find in the Calendar of that Church, aFeftival upon jf//i) XXV. call cen* fion 0/Enoch into • (for they were not fc foo- lifh as to underftand by Paradife a place upon Earth, but a Heavenly Manfion,) unto which he was ad- vanced, S\ cLxscp d?zTY,; nK&LioaiV) (as EufebtHs fpeaks,, L. VII. Prepar. Evang< cap, 8.) becaufe ofhis confum- mate Vertue. And it is no unreafonable C01 v, That God was gracioufly pleafed to take him unto I at this time, to fupport and Comfort Mankind ill State of Mortality, (, the Father of A d!, being dead not above fifty ifeven Years before. the hope of abetter Lite, in the other World. I whi !20 A COMMENTARY Chapter which reafon it is not improbable, that he was tran- V. dated in forne fuch vifible manner, as Elijah afterward \ty^Vm\J was, by a glorious Appearance of the SCHECH I- N AH, from whence fome heavenly Minifters were fent to carry him up above. Verle 25. Ver. 25. Begat Lamech "] The fame Name with one of Caws Pofterity, IV. 18. But, as he was of ano- ther Race, fo he was the Grand-child and the Fa- ther of the befl: Men in thofe Days, viz. Enoch and Noah. Verfe 27. Ver. 27. All the days of Methufelah, &c/] What was wanting in the Days of his Father, God, in fome fort, made up in his Age: Which was extended to the longeft term of all other Men. He died in the very Year of the Deluge, according to the import of his Name. See Verfe 21. Verfe 29. Ver. 29. He called his Name Noah.] Which fig- nifies Reft, or Refrefiment 5 which proceeds from Reft and Quiet. Becaufe, fays he, This fame ft all comfort us, concerning our worh^and toil of our Hands.*] He expe&ed, fome think, that he (hould be the bleffed Seed, promifed III. 15. Or, that it {hould fpring immediately from him. But the laft words, toil of our hands ■, feem to import fome inferiourConfolation, which he expe&ed from No- ah: And the Hebrew Interpreters generally expound it thus } He (hall make our Labour in tilling the Earthy more eafte and left toilfome tons. Which agrees to what follows. Becaufe of the Ground which the LO R D hath curfedJ] There was a general Curfe upon it, for the Sin of Adam^ and a particular upon fome part of it, for the Sin of Cain : Now God, he foretells, would take them both off in great meafure 5 and blefs upon G E N E S I S. 121 blefs the Earth to the Pofterity of this fame Man : Chapter Who perfefted the Art of Husbandry, and found out V. fitter Inftruments for plowing the Earth, than had l/^v^VJ been known before. When Men being chiefly em- ployed in digging and throwing up the Earth with their own Hands, their labour was more difficult : Which now is much abated, becaufe the pains lie more upon Dcafls than upon Men. And indeed Noah is called, IX. 20. Ifch haadamah, a Man of the Ground (which we tranflate an Husbandman) one that im- proved Agriculture, as other famous Men had done Patforage, and found out other Arts, IV. 20, &c. In the fame place alfo (IX. 20.) we read that Noah planted a Vineyard : With refpett to which, if he was the firft Inventer of making Wine, he might well be faid here, to comfort them concerning their work, and toil of their hands : Wine chearing the Heart, and re- viving the Spirits of Men, that are fpent with Labour. But if the laft Words of this Verfe be expounded of the LORD's Curfing the Ground, by fending Flood upon it, as Enoch had foretold } then Noab is here called their Comforter, with : "fpeft to his being the Reftorer of the World, after it had been difpeo- pled by that Inundation. And fo Jacobus Cappefius, not unreafonably interprets them to have relation to both Curfes, a maleditlione, quam Terra infixit, & in- flifturus eft Deus. He (hall give Men reft from the Curfe whicn God hath inflifted, and intends further to inflift upon the Earth. Hi ft. Sacra & Exot. ad A.M. 1055. Ver. 32. And Noah was Five hundred Tears old."] Verfe 32, Set Verfe 6. where I have faid enough to (hew, it is not reafonable to think he had no Children till this Age of his Life. R And A COMMENT ART And Noah begat Shew, Ham, and Japhet."] Here ends the Line oiAdam, before the Flood. For though thefe Three were married, it appears (VII. 13.) before the Flood came $ yet they either had no Children, or they did not live: For they carried none with them into the Ark. It doth not follow that Shem was the Eldeft of thefe Three, becaufe he is here, and every where elfe in this Book, mentioned firft: For I (hall (how plainly in its due place that Japhet was the Eldeft. (X. 21.) ScalU ger indeed would have this a fettled Rule, that, Hunc Ordinem Filii in Scriptura habent, quern illk natura de- dit. That Children are placed in Scripture, accord- ing to the Order which Nature hath given them. But it is apparent from many Inftances, that the Scripture hath regard to their Dignity otherways, and not to the Order of their Birth, As Abraham is mentioned be- fore Nahor and Haran, merito excelientig^ with refpeft to his Excellence (as St.Ahftjn fpeaks) to which God raifed him, though he was not the Eldeft Son of Te- rah, Gen. XL 28. Thus Jacob is mentioned before Efan, Mai. L 1. and Ifaac before Ifimael, 1 Chron. I. 28. Thus Shems Eminence in other refpe&s, placed him before Japhet, to whom he was inferiour in the order of Nature : As appears even from their Genea- logy both in Gen.X. and 1 Chron. L where Shem's Po- fterity are placed below thofe of both his other Bro- thers. CHAP, upon GENESIS. 123 Chapter VI. CHAP. VI. Ver. l.\XTHcn Men began to Multiply.*) To en- Verfe 1 VV creafe exceeding faft $ for they were multiplied before, but noc fo as to fill the Earth. Or the Word Men may be limited to the Children of Cain, (fee Verfe 2 ) who now began to be very nu- merous. And Daughters were born to thent.~] In great num- bers: For Daughters no doubt they had before ^ but now fo many more Daughters than Sons, that they had not Matches for all ; No, though we (hould fup- pofe they followed the ftepsof Lantech, (IV. 19.) and took more Wives than one. Ver. 2. The Sons of God."] There are two famous Verfe 2, Interpretations of thefe Words, (befides that of fome of the Ancients, who took them for Angels.) Some underftand by the Sons of God, the great Men, No- bles, Rulers, and Judges, whether they were of the Family of Seth or of Cain: And fo indeed the word Elohim fignifies in many places, Exod. XXI. 6. XXII. 28, &c. and the ancient Gree\ Verfion, which Philo and St. Atijlin ufed, perhaps meant no more, where thefe words are tranflated, el Zyy&ui 7S 0c5, The An- gels of God, his great Minifters in this World 5 who in after-times were miftaken for Angels in Heaven. Thefe great Perfons were taken with the Beauty of the Daughters of Men, i e. of the meaner fort, (tor fo fometimes Men fignifies, PjaL XLIX. 2, &V.) and took^ by Force and Violence, as many as (hey plea- fed 5 being fo potent as to be able to do any thing R * with 124 A COMMENT A KT Chapter with impunity. For they that (hould have given a VI. good Example, and punifhed Vice, were the great L/"V*NJ Promoters of it. But rhere are other ancient Interpreters, and moft of ihe latter, who by the Sons of God underftand the Pofterity of Seth% who were the Wor(hipp€rs of the true God. IV.Vlt. They jaw the Daughters of Men."] Converfed with the Daughters of Cain. So Tbo. Aquinas himfelf in- terprets it. Pars I. «g. 51. Art. 3. ad 6. That they were Fair.'] Being exceedingly taken with their Beauty. And they took^ them Wives."] Made Matches with them, and perhaps took more than one apiece. Of all that they chofeJ] Whomfoever they liked, (fo the word chafe is ufed in many places, Pfal. XXV. 12, &c.*) without regard to any thing elfe but their Beauty. Some of the Hebrews by Daughters under- ftand Virgins, which they diftinguifn from Nafir,?, Wives or married Women 5 whom they alfo took and abufed as they pleafed. But there is no evidence of this. The plain Sence is, that they who had hi- therto kept themfelves (unlefs it were fome few, fee Verfei1).) unmingled with the Pofterity of Cain, ac- cording to a Solemn Charge which their godly Fore- fathers had given them, were now joined to them in Marriage, and made one People with them. Which was the greater Crime, if we can give any credit to what an Arabic\ Writer faith, mentioned firft by Mr. Selden'm his Book de Dih Syrk, Cap. 5. Prolegom. & de Jure N. & G. L. V. Cap. B.f. 57&O that the Chil- dren of Seth had fworn by the Blood of Abel, they would never leave the mountainous Country which they inhabited, to go down into the Valley where the Children upon GENESIS. 125 Children of Cain lived. The fame Author {viz. Pa- Chaprer tricides with Elmacinm alio) fays, that they were VI. inveigled to break this Oath, by the Beauty of Naa- U^V^wJ mah before-mentioned, IV. 22. and the Mufick of her Brother Jubal For the Cainites fpent their time in Feafling, Mufick, Dancing, and Sports : Which al- lured the Children of Seth to come down and marry with them. Whereby all manner of Impurity, Impi- ety, Idolatry, Rapine and Violence, filled the whole Earth, and that with Impunity, as Eufebius obferves, J . VII. Pr vifit Men for their Wickednefs : Which had ra- ther encreafed, than been leflened, by his forbearing them One hundred and twenty Years .• which no.v we muft fuppofe, drew near to an end, Verjt 1 3 The obfervarion of fome of the Hebrew Doftors perhaps is too curious, which is this : That the Name of Jehovah, which we tranflate Lord, is u- fe*lj;'crfe %. where the firft mention is made of this matter ^ for it betokens the ckmtncy of the Divine Majefty^ till the One hundred and twenty Years were out, and then Mofes ufes the Word Elohim, which is a Name of Judgment $ the time of which was come. For all Flefl, i. e. all Men, had corrupted his way upon Earth.~] Wholly departed from the Rule of Rjghte- oufneis} or had made their way of Life abominable throughout the whole World. Ver. 13. The end ofallflefo is come before vie7\ I Verfe 13. am determined to make an end of, i.e. to deftroy all Mankind fhortly, So it follows. I will deftroy them with the Earth?^ i. e. With all the Beafts and the Fruits of the Earth. Or, from the Earth, as it is in the Margin. Ver. 14. Make thee an ArkJ\ This Vefiel was not in Verfe 14 the form of one of our Ships, or Boats .- for it was not made fharp forward to cut the Waves, but broad S like 130 A COMMENTARY Chapter like a Cheft 5 and therefore had a flat bottom, with a VI. Cover or a Roof. We do not find it had any Rud- U'V^SJ der, being (leered by Angels. Of Gopher wood.] There are various Opinions about Gopher, which fome take for Cedar, others for Pine, &c. but our learned Nic. Fuller in his Mifcel- tanies hath obferved, that it is nothing elfe but that which the Greeks call Ku-to£/ut not on- C\J^S^ ly the Chinks were filled with it ^ but the whole Body of the Ark feems to have been all over daub- ed with it. Within'] To give a wholfome Scent, fome think, among fo many Beads. And without^] To make the Ark more glib and flip- pery, tofwim in the Water more eafily. Ver. ij. And this tithe fajhi 'on , &c/] There are V^rfe 15. thofe who take thefe for Geometrical Cubits 5 every one of which contains Six of the common. But there is no need of fuch .• For taking them for com- mon Cubits, containing each only one Foot and an half, it is demonftrable there might be room enough in the Ark, for all forts of Beads and Birds, wiih Noah's Family, and their neceflary provifion. See Verfe 20. r , Ver. 16. AWindow (Isalt thou tnakcto the Ark~] ToVerle ldi let in the Light into the feveral Apartments : For which, (hould we conceive, that one great Window might be fo contrived as to be fufficient ^ I do not fee how that would exclude many little ones, here and there, for greater convenience. And in a Cubit fiall thou finifi it above.'] That is, fi- nifb the Ark } which had a Cover it is plain from VIII. 1 5. and was made fhelving, that the Rain might Aide oft. And the Door of the Ark fialt thou fet in the fide thereof^] But on what fide, or whereabouts on the fide, is not certain. It is probable on one of the long fides, and in the middle of it. Patricides calls it the Eajiern fide. s 2 nth A COMME NT ART TViih lower, fecond, and third Stories, Sec"] That Arabian Author, and Pirke Eliefer (cap. 25.) place Noah and his Family in the uppermoft Story 5 the Birds in the middle 5 and the Beafts in the loweft. Buc they forget to leave a place for their Provifion .- And therefore they make a better diftribution who think the Beafts were beftowed m the lower Story,and that the third ferved for the Birds, with AWjandhis* Family :.. Thefecond between both, being left for the Stores that were to be laid in of Meat and Drink for them all. The creeping things, fome think, might well live in the fpace between the lower Story, and the bottom of the Ark. Verfc 17. Ver. 17. And behold, I, even I, do bring a Flood of Waters, &c] /. e. They (hall unavoidably be all fwept away 5 for I my felf will bring a Deluge upon themrNotan ordinary Flood, but one of which T will appear to be the Author. All Nations, it plainly ap- pears, by fuch Records as remain, had heard iomething of this Flood. Lucian in his DeaSyriattWs a long (lo- ry of it, out of the Archives of Hierapolis very like to this of Mofes, only he puts the Name of Deuca- lion inftead of Noah. Plutarch mentions the Dove fent out of the Ark. And lb doth Abydenus^ men- tioned by Eufebins, (X.1X. Pr£par. Evang. cap. 12.) fpeakof Birdsin general^ which being fent out, re- turned again to the Ship, finding no place to reft in but there only. Jofephus mentions a great many more, not only Berofus thtChald£an,but Hieronymus /Egypt ius who wrote the Ancient Phoenician Hifiory, Mnafeas, Nz- cholaus Dam afcenus, with many others. St.Cyril alfo.L.I. againft Julian, quotes a paflage out of Alexander Po~ lyhijlar^ wherein is part of the Story -y only he calls Noah by the Name of Xifitthros, (as Abydenns calls him npm GENESIS. 133 him Seifitbrvs) iff the Dialect of the A]fyri.ins, as fomeChapter conje&ure. And now it appears that the Americans VI have had a Tradition of it, (as credible Authors, L^\"-\J Acoflar Htrrtra% and others inrorm us, ) which faidi The whole Race of Mankind was deltr'oyed by the Deluge, except fome few that efcaped. They are the words or Augujiin Ccrata, concerning the Vcruvi- in Tradition. And Lupus Qomara faith the fame from thofe of Mexico. And if we can believe Mart* Xlar- tinins his Hiftory of China, there is the like among the People of that Country. Ver. 18. And with thee I will cftablifl) ?;jy Coven ant 7\ Verfe 1 3. I will make good the Fromife i have made to thee, to preferve thee and all that are with thee in the Ark. For fo the word Covenant is fometimes ufed : And it is reafonable to think God made him fuch a Promife 5 which is plainly enough implied in verfe 8. Or, other- wife, we muft underftand this of the Covenant about the promifed Seed, III. 15. Which he faith he will e- ftablifh with him 5 and confequently preferve him from perifhing. Thou, thy Sons, and thy Sons Wives with thee. ~]Th\S Paflage (hows the Ark was not an hundred Years in building, as fome have imagined : For none of thefe Sons were born an hundred Years before the Flood } and we muft allow fome Years for their growth, till they were fit to take Wives. Compare V. 32. with VII. 6. And, if wTeobferve how Sen/, though he had a Wife before the Flood, yet had noChildren, (Tor Arphaxad his firft Child was not born till two Years aiterthe ^lood, XL 10 J it will incline us to think, that Noah received the Command for building the Ark, not long before the Flood came. Ver. Verfe 19. A COMMENTARY. Ver. 19. Two of every fort.'] u e. Of unclean Beafts, as it is explained, VII. 2. They fh all be Male and Female.^ To prefer ve the Species. Lucian in his Book of the Syrian Goddefs, where he defcribes the Flood, faith, all Creatures went into the Ark, &4 £<£>5*«, by pairs. Verfe 20. Ver. 20. Of howls after their kjnd, Sccf) In fuch NurrUrs as is direfted afterward, VII. 3. Which feetns to fome to be fo very great, there being ma- ny forts of living Creatures, that they could not pot fibly be crowded into the Ark 3 together with Food fufficient for them. But fuch Perfons never diftinft- lyconfidered fuch things asthefe./v'r/?, That all thofe which could live in the Water, are excepted : And fo can feveral Creatures befides Fifties. Secondly \ That of the Species of Beafts, including alfo Serpents, there are not certainly known ^nd defcribed above an hun- dred and fifty, (as Mr. Ray hath obferved,) and the Number of Birds above five hundred. Thirdly, That that there are but a few Species of very vaft Creatures, fuch as Elephants, Horfes, &c. And Fourthly, That Birds are generally of fo fmalla bulk, that they take up but little room. And, Fifthly, That if we fuppofe creeping Infe&s ought to be included, they take up Jefs, though very numerous. And, Laftty, That lefs Provifion would ferve them all, when they were (hut up clofe, and did not fpend themfelves by Motion ^ and befides, were in a continual confufed Agitation, which palTd their Appetites. From all which, and many more Gonfiderations, it is eafie to demonftrate there was more than room enough, for all forts of Creatures that God commanded to be brought into the Ark .• And for their Food, during the time they ftayed in it. Two upon GENESIS. 135 Two of every fort /ball come uniotbeey Sec] In the Chapter foregoing Verfe he had faid, Two of > rtjbalt thou VI. bring into the srl{. Whi( h he npoffible ; L/"WS for by what means fhoui ill together? Therefore here it is explained i I e \s}tbejfJbaU come unto thee 3 bv Can God w! trie them and moved them to it. It \e) is commonly ceflfured for . .■ ;, 1 1 ' rf^- vern every Species o r itnr r But (Terting afHe c H -r -ly pttfidii Creature < n- oongfutty in a . thatC I, by Irvof his Angels, broi m to the \ her agrecabit u> the Holy Scriptures, •« I ' r Divine Majefty, as employing t* ii en ceinallAf- fairs here below. Ver. 2 1 . Tdk$ unto thee of all Food i hat is eaten, &c] Verfe 2 1 . Either by Man or Beaft Food fi ; very Crea- ture. Among which, though there be many that feed on Flefh $ yet other Food, as feveral Hiliories teftifie, will go down with them, when they are ac- cuftornd to it. See Philoftratus, L. V. c 15. izetzes Chi I. V. Hiji. 9. Snlpit. Severns, De Monacho Thcbaid. Dial. I. c. 7. Ver. 12. Thus did AW;, according to alf that G Some ima- gine, That they confidered the Nature of Beafts, and by common Reafon determined that ravenous Crea- tures were unfit for Sacrifice: But it is more likely that they had Directions from God for this, as thev had for Sacrificing. Which though they be not re- corded, yet I think, are rather to be fuppofed, than imagine 1 upon G E N E S I S. i 37 ►imagine Men were left in fuch Matters to their own Chapter Dilcretion. Abarbincl indeed here fays, That Noah VII. out of his profound W'ifdom d/fcemed clean from unclean ; L/^VNJ And if he had ftop'd here, and not added, That he difcerned the difference from their Natures, he had laid the truth. For, he being a Prophet, may be thought to have had Inftruttionsfrom above about fuch Mat- ters ; though others, who firft were taught to facrifice had them before him. By fevens!} Seven couple, it is moft probable, that they might have fufficient for Sacrifice when they came out of the Ark } and, if need were, for Food if other Provifion did not hold out.- At leaft for Food, after the Flood, when God inlarged their for mer Grant, IX. 3. Ver. 4. For yet feven Days, Sec."] So much time he Verfe if gave him for the difpofinghimfelf,and all things elfe in the Ark. Ver. 5. And Noah did according unto all that fta Verfe 5. LORD commanded him.] He had faid the fame be- fore, VI. 22. withrefpeft to the preparation of the Ark, and provifion of Food *• And now repeats here again with refpeft to his entring into it himfelf, with all other Creatures. For fo it follows, verfe 7, 8,&c. Ver. 6. Noah was fix hundred years old, Sec/] Cur- Verfe 6. rent, as we fpeak, not compleat, as appears by com- paring this with IX. 28, 29. where he is faid to have lived three hundred and fifty Years after the Flood, and in all nine hundred and fifty. Whereas it fhould have been nine hundred fifty one, if he had been full fix hundred Years old when the Flood began. V. 1 o. And it came to pafs after feven Days, Sec] Ver[e 1 0t Ashe had faid, verfe 4. t Ver. 138 A COMMENTARY Chapter Ver. 1 r. In thefecond Month."] Of the Year, and of VII. theyZr hundrcthYear of Noah's Life : /. e. In October; \S~y*s^ for anciently the Year began in September : Which Verie 1 r. was changed, among the Ifraelites, in Memory of their coming out of Egypt, into March, Exod. XII. 2. Ihe feventeenth Day of the Month.'] Which was the beginning of our November. All the Fountains of the great deep were broken up, Sec] Here are two Caufes affigned of the De- luge.- Firji, The breaking up the Fountains of the great Deep; And, Secondly, The opening the Windows of Heaven. By the great Deep is meant, thofe Waters that are contained in vaft quantit!es,within the Bowels of the Earth. Which being prefled upward, by the falling down of the Earth, or fome other Caufe un- known to us, gufhed out violently at feveral parts of the Earth, where they either found or made a vent* For that's meant by breaking up the Fountains of the great Deep : The great holes, or rather gaps that were made in the Earth ^ at which thofe fubterrane- ous Waters burft out. This joined with the continual Rains for forty Days together, might well makefuch a Flood, as is here defcribed. For Rain came down not in ordinary Showers, but in Floods 5 which Mo- calls opening the Windows, or Flood-gates of Hea- ven ; And the LXX tranfhte Cataracts. Which they can beft understand, who have feen thofe Fallings of Waters in the Indies, called Spouts: Where Clouds do not break into Drops, but fall with a terrible Vio- ience, in a Torrent. In (hort, it is evident from this Hifrory, that the Waters did once cover the Earth, (we know not how deep,) fo that nothing of the Earth could be feen, till God feparated them, and . 1 fome into Clouds, and made the reft fall into Chan* upon GENESIS, 139 Channels, which were made for them, and comman- Chapter ded dry Land to appear, Gen. 1. 2,7, 10. Thei \ il. it is no wonder, if thefe Waters were raifed up again, by fome means or other, to cover the Earth as before.* Efpecially when the Waters above the Firmament, came down to join with thofe below, as they did at the beginning. This fome wife Heathens look'd upon as apoffible thing. For Seneca treating of that fatal Day, fas he calls it, L. III. Nat. gueft. c. 27.) when the J pall come, (Tor he fanfied it ftill Future,) qu . how U may come to pals. Whether by the force of the Ocean overflowing the Earth ^ or, by perper Rains without intermiflion :, or, by the fw el ling Rivers, and the opening of new Fountains 5 or, there fhall not be one Caufe alone of fo great a mifchic but all thefe things concur, nno agmme ad txitlum bantam generis, in one Troop to the Deftru&ion of ikind. Which laft Refolution, he thinks, is the Truth, Loth there, and in the laft Chapter of that Book. Where he hath thefe remarkable Words 5 When hath not Nature difpofed Moijture, to attach its all fides, vrhen H pleafes ? In/ wanes funl in abdito lacus, 8ce« c There are huge Lakes which we do not * fee 5 much of the Sea, that lies hidden $ many Ri- 4 vers that Hide in fecret. So that there may be Caufes 1 of a Deluge on all fides, when fome Waters flow 1 in under the Earth 5 others flow round about it, * which being long pent up overwhelm it; and Ri- c vers join with Rivers, Pools with Po \ And ' as our Bodies fome times diflblve intoSweat, fo the c Earth (hall melt, and without the help of other c Caufes, (hall find in it felf, what will drown it, &c. 1 There being on a fudden. every where, op T 2 c and A COMMENT ART. c and fecretly,from above, and from beneath, an E- 1 ruption of Waters. Which words are written as if he had been diretted to make a Commentary upon Mofes. Verfe 12. ^er* l2: And the Ram was upon the Earth forty Days, Scc.3 It continued raining fo long, without; any intermiffion.' Verfe -it* Ver. x3< InthefelffameDay, &C."] In that very Day, when the Rain began, did Noah and his Fami- ly, &c: finifh their going into the Ark, Which could not be done in a Day or two , but required a, good deal of time : And now he had compleated it ^ the very laft Creature being there beftowed. For, it is likely, he put in all other things firft 5 and then went in himfelf, with his Wife, and Children, and? their Wives .• Who were no fooner entred, but the Waters brake in upon the Earth from beneath} and came down pouring from above. Verfe. 16'. Ver. 16. The LOR DJlwt him in.'] Or, fhut the Door after him : Clofed itfo fafr, that the Waters could not enter, though it was not pitched, as the reft of the Ark. How this was done, we need not en- quire. It is likely by an Angelical Power; which, Ifuppofed before, conduced the feveral Creatures into the Ark. Verfe 17. Ver. 17. And the Flood was forty Days upon the. Earth, 8ccJ After forty Days Rain, the Waters were fo high $ that they bare up the Ark, fo that it did not- touch the Earth. Verfe 18. Ver. 18. And the Waters prevailed.'] By more Rain, which fell after the forty Days, the Inundation grew ftrong and mighty, fas the Hebrew word fignifies,) fa ftrong, that the Waters bore down Houfes, and Trees, as fome expound it. And upon GENESIS. 141 And were incrufed greatly."] He faid before, vcrfe Chapter 17. they were irtcreafed, but now, that they were VII. greatly increased. Which muft be by more Pvain Qill fX>V^ tailing on the Earth $ though not in fuch uninterrup- ted Showers, as during the forty Days. And the Arkjccnt upon the face oft he Waters.] Moved from place to place, as the Waves drove it. Ver. 19. And the Waters prevailed exceedingly upon V the Earthf] This is an higher Expreffion than before; fignifying their rifing ftill toa greater pitch by conti- nued Rains. All the high Mountains y that were under the whole Heaven, were covered.'] There were thofe anciently, and they have their Succeffors now, who imagi- ned the Flood was not Univerfal, a>A5 2* <5 0* 7B75 £v$*'j)7rci 9W, but only there, where Men then dwelt 5 as the Author of the Queftions, Ad Ortho- doxos, tells us, j^ 34. But they are confuted by thefc Words, and by other PafTages, which fay all Flelh died. Forthe Truth is, the World was then fully peopled, as it is now, and not only inhabited in fome Parts of it, as may be eafily demonftrated, if Men would but confider, That in thefpace of One thou- [and fix hundred fifty fix Years, when Men lived fo long as they then did, their increafe could not but be fix times more than hath been in the fpace of Five thoufand Years fince Mens Lives are (hortned, as we now fee them. Therefore it is a ftrange Weaknefs to fanfie, that only PaUftine, Syria^ or Mefopotamia, or fome fuch Country, was drowned by the Flood 5 no more of the Earth being then inhabited : For thofe Countries could not have held the fortieth part of the Inhabitants, which were produced be- tween the Creation and the Flood : no, all the Earth was A COMMENTARY. was not more than fufficient to contain them -0 as many have clearly proved. Plato fays, there were in his days, IT*A*/o} Myo^ ancient Traditions, which affirm'd there had been fundry Deftru&ions of Mankind by Floods, as well as other ways .* In which fc^^y n r$ dv^iroov Aet- irto&aui 3*K§L, a fmall parcel of Mankind were left. And particularly he faith concerning Floods, That they were fo great, that only a/MK&i ^tpj^l, fome very little Sparks of Mankind were laved, and thofe upon the tops of Mountains : And the like he faith of Beafts, That WwaTzrj'ra, very few of them were left, to fupportthe life of Mankind. L. III. De-Le- glb. p. 67 7. Edit. Semi. But this appears to have been an imperfeft Tradition, the higher Mountains having been covered with the Waters, as well as the low Countries :, and that all the Earth over. Which need not feem ftrange if we confider what was faid before upon Verfe it. And withal obferve that the ^Diameter of the Earth being [even thoufand Miles, and confequenrly from the Superficies to the Cen- ter, no lefs than Three thoufand five hundred Miles, it is not incredible, fas Sir W. Raleigh difcourfes, L. I. c. 7. §. 6.) that there was Water enough in the great Deep, which being forced up from thence, might overflow the loftielt Mountains: Efpecially, when Water came pouring down alfo from above fo faft, that no Words can exprefs it. For there is no Mountain above thirty Miles high, upright^ which thirty Miles being found in the Depths of the Earth, One hundred and fixteen times} why fhould we think it incredible that the Waters in the Earth (Three thoufand five hundred Miles deep) might be well able to cover the fpace of thirty Miles in heighth ? It would upon GENESIS. ,.& would help Men. unbelief, if they would Jil Chanter conliderthe vaft Inundations, which are made yearly VII in Egypt, only from the Rains ,| in . thio- u~/"U •• And the likeOverflowings yearly in ofrhe great River Orenoque h wh i Flams, at other times inh e j^j twenty Foot under . between May ai her. V.er- 2°- Fj('-'c" f '"' : ''■ «/ fmb. did the W, .- Verie 2c. curA &c.] Mofis doth not here plainly fay That the Waters prevaile,!. above' the highefl: Mouma.ns h though I do not fee, but there might be Water enough \ up> by the fore-mem means, to cover them to high .• And the « fce thus interpreted, The Waters prevailed fifteen C»- upwards after the Mount. \d_ Uther. wife, by the high Hills in the I i . we mufl. understand only fuch fin ' r„[ Countries; and by Mountains in this 0fe long Radges of "Hills (inch as j> I which firetch themfch y hundred* of Mdes, through a great part or trai. Se* ** hundred andjrfty day,,-] to import, That whatfx :sther^ /ft Days. Otherw,!. ^Tr^'r ,norr i monly fuppofe at for not have prevailed . would haveiunk much fon of the Declivity of , ; ^ S44- Chapter VIII. A COMMENTARY were fo far from falling, that fas Mr. Ray hath ob- fervedin his pious and learned DifcourfeoftheD//^- Intioti of the World*) the tops of Mountains were not Verfe n. feen^ tifl the beginning of the tenth Month $ that is, till Two hundred andjeventy Days were pafled. CHAP. VIII. Verfe i. ' Ver. I. \ ND God remembred Noah, Sec. J Took Ji\ Compaflion upon him, and heard his Prayers, which we may well fuppofe he made for himfelf, and for all Creatures that were with him. Thus the word remember is ufed, XIX. 19. XXX. 22. The Hebrew Dottors here again take notice of the word Elohim, fSee VI. 12.) which is the Name for Judges $ and obferve that even God's Juftice was turn- ed to Mercy. Juftice it felf was fatisfied, as Sol. Jar- chi expreffes it. And God made a Wind topafs over the Earth, &C/J Some gather from hence, that during the fall of the Rain, there was no Storm or violent Wind at all 5 but the Rain fell down-right. And confequently the Ark was not driven far from the place where it was built .• It having no Mafts, or Sails, but moving as a Hulk or Body of a Ship, without a Rudder, up- on a calm Sea. Vhilo indeed (in his Book De Abra- hamo) gives a quite different Defcription of the De- luge 5 reprefenting the inceflant Showers, to have been accompanied with dreadful Thunder and Light- ning, Storms and Tempefts. But there is not a word in this Story to countenance it This upon GENESIS. 145 This Wind it is very probable was the North-wind, Chapter which is very drying, and drives away Rain, (Prov. VII. XXV. 13. ) which came, perhaps, out of the L^V^sJ South, as I (aid upon VI. 14. Thus Ovid repre- fents it in the Flood of Deucalion, where he faith Jupiter, Nub/la dkjecHy nimbifque Aquilonc rcmotn, &c. And the Waters ^Jfwaged."] This drying Wind, and the Sun, which now began to (hine, with great pow- er, mule the Waters fall. For, if the Second Month, when the Flood began, was part of our OBober and November 5 then the Flood abated ("after an Hun- dred and fifty Days) in the beginning of May, when the Summer came on apace. Ver. 2. The Fountains alfo of the Deep."] There Verfe 2. was no further irruption or boiling up of the Wa- ter out of the Bowels of the Earth. And the Rain from Heaven was rejlrained.'] So that the Rains ceafed at the end of an Hundred and fifty Days. Ver, 3. And the Waters returned from off the Earth Verfe 3. continually, &c] The Waters rolling to and fro by the Wind, fell by little and little : And after the end of the Hundred and fifty Days began to decreafe. So the Vulgar Latin well tranflates the latter end of this Verfe, were abated^ i.e. began fenfibly to decreafe. Ver. 4. And the Ark refiedin thefeventh Month, &c.] Verfe 4, Of the Year, not of the Flood. Upon the Mountains of Ararat."] i. e. Upon one of the Mountains, as XIX. 29. God overthrew the Cities in which Lot dwelt; i.e. In one of which he dwelt. jf»^g. XII. 7. Jephtah was buried in the Cities ofGi- , V lead; i+6 A COMMENT ART Chapter lead^Je. In one of the Cities. For there was no VII. one Mountain called by this Name of Ararat : But it belonged to a long Ridge of Mountains, like the Alps or Pyrcn&an, which are Names appertaining, not to oie, but to all. And Sir W.Raleigh, I think, truly judges that all the long Ridge of Mountains, which run through Armenia, Mefopotamia, AJfyria, Media, Sufiana,&JZ. i. e. FvomCilicia to Paraponifus, are cal- led by Mojes, Ararat, as by Pliny they are called Tau- rus. And that Author thinks the Ark fettled in fome of the Eafiern Parts of Taurus, becaufe Noah planted himfelf in the Eaft after the Flood, ("and it is likely did not travel far from the place where the Ark refted,) as appears, he thinks, from Gen. XI. 2. where we read his Pofterity, when they began to fpread, went IVeJiivard and built Babel. The common Opi- nion is, That the Ark refted in fome of the Moun- tains of Armenia, as the Vulgar Latin translates tjje word Ararat 5 i. e. faith St.Hierom, upon the higheft part of Taurus. But Epiphanius (who was before him) faith, upon the Gordi&au Mountains 5 and fo Jonathan, and Onkelos, and the Nubknfian Geographer, and many others mentioned by Bochartus : Who is- of this Opinion, as having the moft Authority. Many of which fay, That fome Relicks of the Ark were remaining upon thofe Mountains: Which (as Theo- doret obferves upon Ifa. XIV. 15.J were accounted the higheft in the whole World. V. Pbaleg. L. II. c. 3; and L.lV.c. 38. There were fuch Remainders of this Hiftory among the ancient Scythians, that in their difpute with the£- gyptians about their Antiquity, they argue it partly from hence 5 that if the Earth had ever been drown'd, their Country muft needs be fir ft inhabited agai&3 upon GENESIS. 1 47 again, becaufe it was firft clear'd from the Water } Chapter being the higheft of all other Countries in the World. VII. Thus their Argument runs in Jufliny L. II. cap. i. ^*^v~*~> where he hath given us a brief relation of it, f if we had Trogus, whom he Epitomizes, it's likely we fhould have underftood their Tradition more perfeftly,) in this manner, If all Countries were anciently drown d in the Deep, profe&o editiflnmm quamque partem, we muft needs grant the highefl parts of the Earth, were firft uncovered of the Waters , that ran down from them ; And the fo oner any part was dry, the fooner were Ani- mals there generated, tfow Scythia is fo much raifed above all other Countries, that all the Rivers which rife there, run down into the Moeotis, and fo into the Pontick an J Egyptian Sea, Sec. Ver. 5. And the Waters decreafed continually until Verfe 5. the tenth Month.'] For the Summer's heat mud needs very much dry them up, when there was no Rain. In the tenth Month were the tops of the Mountains feenT) This (hows the Mountain on which the Ark refted was the higheft, at lead in thofe Parts : Becaufe it fettled there above two Months before the tops of other Mountains were feen. And, perhaps, the Ark, by its weight, might fettle there, while the top of that Mountain was covered with Water : Which, it's poffible, might not appear much before the reft. Ver. 6. At the end of forty days."] Forty Days after Verfe 6, the tops of the Mountains appeared, i. e. on the ele- venth Day of the eleventh Month > which was about the end of our July. Ver. 7. He fent forth a Raven."] For the fame End, Verfe 7. no doubt, that the Dove was fent forth : To make difcovery whether the Earth were dry : For if it V 3 were 148 A COMMENTARY Chapter were, the fmell of the dead Carcafes, he knew*,, VII. would allure it to fly far from the Ark : Which it did L/~^/~SJ not, but only hover'd about it, as it follows in the next Words. Went forth to and fro."] In the Hebrew more plain* ly, going forth^ and returning. That is, it often went from the Ark, and as often returned to it For af- ter many flights, finding nothing but Water, it ftill betook it felf unto the Ark : either entring into it,, or fitting upon it ^ till at laft the Waters being dri- ed up, it returned no more. That is, Fifty Days after its firft going forth, Verfe 13. All which time k fpent in going out, and coming back. Bochart indeed approves of the Greek, Verfion 5 which makes the Raven, not to have returned : For which he gives fome fpecious Reafons, (L. II. cap. 12. P. II. Hierc- zoic.) and hath fuch of the Hebrews to countenance him, as R. Eliefer, who faith, (Pirke.cap. 23.) That the Raven found a Car cafe of a Man upon a Mountain, and fo would return no more. But the next words (which in the Greeks and He- brew are both alike) confute this Tranflation. Until the Waters were dried up from the Earth.'] Which make this plain and eafie Sence, in connexion with the foregoing, (as they run in the Hebrew,) that while the Earth continued covered with Wa- ter, tire Raven often flew from the Ark, but find- ing no convenientplace to reft in, returned thither again: Till the Ground was dry. Whereas, accord- ing to the Greel^ we muftfuppofe the Raven to have returned to the Ark, when the Waters were dried, ap from the Ground. Which is very abfurd : For, if it had fome time fat upon a Carcafe floating in the Waters, before they were dried up; or upon the upon GENESIS. 149 top of fome Mountain which already appeared : Chapter what (hould make it return when all the Waters were VII. gone every where, and not rather while they re- L^VSJ mained upon the Ground > Ver. 8. Alfo he fent forth a Dove.'] As a proper Crea- Verfe 8. ture to make further Difcoveries : Being of a ftrong flight, loving to feed upon the Ground, and pickup Seeds ^ and conftantly returning to its reft, from the remoteft places. Thefe two Birds, (the Raven and the Dove,) fome imagine were fent forth upon one and the fame Day, or but a Day between 5 as Bo- chartus conjectures. But this doth not agree with Verfe 10. where it is faid, Noah flayed yet other feven Days, and then fent out the Dove again: Which relates to feven Days preceding , which feem to have pafled between the fending out of the Raven and of the Dove* Ver. 9. The Dove found no reft, fkc.~] For, though Verfe 9* the tops of the Mountains appeared, yet they con- tinued muddy, as fome conceive 3 or, they were fo far off, that the Dove could not eafily reach them. Ver. IO. And he fiaid yet other feven days."] It ap* Verfe 13. pears by this, that on tht feventh Day, iV^Aexpe&ed aBleffing rather than on another Day : It being the Day devoted from the beginning to Religious Ser- vices. Which he having (it is likely) performed, thereupon fent out the Dove upon this Day, as he had done before, with hope of good Tidings. Ver. 11. And, lo, in her Month was an Olive -leaf (or Verfe ] 15 Branch the word fignifies) plnckf ojf.~) Bochart thinks the Dove brought this out oiAffyria, which abounds with Olive-Trees, and lay South of Ararat; the Wind then blowing towards that Country from the North. (See Hierezeic £, *. e. 6* p. a,) where he (bows out ox s5b A COMMET^TARY Chapter of many Authors, that not only Olive-Trees, butfome VII. other alfo, will live and be green under Water. All ^•\r\jthe difficulty is, how the Dove could break off a Branch (as the Vulgar tranllates it) from the Tree. But it is eafily folved, if we allow, as I have faid before, that now it was Summer-time i which brought new Shoots out of the Trees, that were eafily ctopt. 60 he kpevo the Waters were abated^ The tops of Mountains were feen before, verfe 5. but now he un~ derft^od the Waters had left the lower Grounds. Yet not fo left them that the Dove would (lay ^ the Earth it is likely, remaining very chill. Verfe 12. Ver. 12. And he Si aid yet other feven days.'] See Verfe 10. The Obfervation there, being confirm'd by what is repeated here. Returned not again to him any more.'] There want- ing neither Food, nor aNeft wherein to repofe it felf. By which Noah underflood, the Earth was not only dry, and fit to be inhabited : But that it was not quite fpoiled by the Flood, but would afford Food for all Creatures. Verfe 15. Ver. 13. Noah removed the covering of the Arkf\ Some of the Boards on the top. For he could fee further by looking out there, than ff he look'd out at the Door, or the Window, which gave him a pro- fpeft but one way. The face of the Ground torn dry J] Quite freed from Water, but yet fo foft and muddy, that it was not fit to be inhabited : As appears by his (laying (till, al- moft two Months more, before he thought fit to go out. So the following Verfe tells us. Verfe 14. Ver. 14. In the fecond Month, Ike."} If their Months were fuch as ours, twelve of which make Three hun- dred upon GENESIS i^i dred fixty five Days, tfef] Noah Raid in the Ark a Chapter whole Year and ten Days, as appears by comparing VII. this I'trfc with Vil. ii. But it they were Lunar s-/^s^^y Months, which is moft probable, then he was in the Ark juft one of our Years: Going out on the Three hundred and fixty fifth Day alter his entrance into it. Was the Earth dried.'] Perfeftly dried, fo that no moifrure remained 5 and Grafs, it is likely,was iprung up for the Cattle. It need not feem a wonder, that Mofes gives fo pun ft ml and particular an Account of this whole matter, and of all that follows } for he lived within Eight hundred Years of the Flood : And therefore might very well know what had been done within that Period, and eafily tell how the World was peo- pled by the Pofterity of Noah. Which could not but be frefh in memory, when Men lived fo long 5 that not much above three Generations had parted, from the Flood to Mofes. For Stkm* who faw the Flood was contemporary with Abraham^ as he was. with Jacob, whofe great Grand-child was the Fa- ther of Mofes. Ver. \6. Go forth cut of the Arl{T\ Though he faw Verfe 16, the Earth was fit to be inhabited jj yet he waited for God's Order to go out of the Ark, as he had it for his entring into it. Thou and thy Wife, Sccf] I do not think the Obferva- tion of fome of the Jews is abfqrd 5 who by comparing this Verfe with VII. 1 5. make this Col leftion : That while they were in the Ark, the Men did not coha- bit with their Wives 5 it being a time of great Af- fliftion : And therefore they kept afunder in fep> rate Apartments. So R. Elieferin his Pirke, Cap. XX II I. where R. Levitas thus gathers it ; When they went ...CO tf2 * COMMENTARY Chapter into the Ark it is faid, VII. 1 3. Noah and his Sons en- VII. tredi and then Noah's Wife, and his Sons Wives : Be- iys/"\j hold, faith he, here the Men are put together, and the Women together. But when they come out it is here faid, Go forth, thou and thy Wife, and thy Sons, and thy Sons Wives, with thee 3 lo, here they are cou- pled together, as befcre they were feparated. And io we find them again, verfe 18. where it is faid, Noah went forth and his Wife, &C. Verfe 17. Ver. 17. Bring forth evtry living Creature, &C. that they n/ay breed, Sec.'} One would think, by this, that no Creature bred in the Ark, no more than Men: But now are fent forth to breed and multiply in the Earth. Verfe 20. Ver' 2a ^»A Noah built an Altar to the LOR D.} * We never read of any built before this time: Though we may reafonably conclude there was an Altar upon which Cain and Abel offered 3 in the place appointed for Divine Worfhip. Offered Burnt- offerings 7\ He reflores the ancient Rite of Divine Service $ which his Sons and their Pofterity followed. Some think thefe Burnt-Offer- ings had fomething in them of the Nature of a Pro- pitiatory Sacrifice, as well as Eucharifiical, which they certainly were for their Deliverance from the Flood. Their Reafon is taken from what fol- lows. Verfe 21. Ver. 21. The LORD fmelled a fxoeet favour \\ That is, as Munfier under ftands it, he ceafed from his Anger and was appeafed. So the Syriack^zMo, and Jofephvs, L.l.Antiq. c. 4. But it may fignifie no more, but that his Thankfulnefs was as grateful to God, as fweet Odors are to us. And upon GENESIS. 153 And the LORD faid in his hearth] He determi- Chapter ned, or rcfolved in himfelf. The Vulgar underftands VIII. this, as if the Lord fpake comfortably to Noah, wv-^ (which in the Hebrew Phrafe \s,fpcal{ing to ones heart) and (aid, / will not again Ctirfe the Ground any more.'] i. e. Af- ter this manner, with a Deluge. For the in/agination of Alans heart is evil front his youth,'] Such a proclivity there is in Men to evil, that if I fhould fcourge them thus, as often as they deferve, there would be no end of Deluges. But the Words may have a quite different fence, being connected with what went before in this manner } / vo ill not cur fc the Ground any more for Man s fake 5 thd Ik he fo very evilly difpofed, 8cc. Thofe v\ ords, from his Youth, fignify a long radi- cated corruption, as appears from many places, Ifa. XLVH. 12, 15. Jerem. III. 25. E%e^ XXIH. 8,8cc. Sol. Jarchi extends it fo far as to fignifie, from his Mo- thers Womb. Ver. 22. While the Earth remaineth.'] While Men Verfe 22. fhall inhabit the Earth. Seed-time and Harvejl, &C.3 There (hall not be fuch a Year as this laft has been : In which there was neither Sowing nor Reaping 5 nor any diftin&i- ons of Seafons, till the Rain was done. Day and Night floall not ceafeJ] One would think by this Expreffion, that the Day did not much differ from Night 3 while the Heavens were covered with thick Clouds, which fell in difmal Floods of Rain. CHAP. A COMMENT ART CHAP. IX. Verfe I. Ver. I. AND God bleffed Noah and his Sons, &c] jT\ The Divine Majefty appeared now to Noah and his Sons 5 to affaire them of his Favour and Prote&ion 5 and to renew the Blefling beftowed up- on Adam fas after a new CreationJ faying, Inereafe and Multiply. / Verfe 2. Ver. 2. The fear of you, Jkc.*] He feems alfo to confirm to them, the Dominion which God gave to Adam, at firft, over all. Creatures, I. 26. Verfe 3. Ver. 3. Every moving thing that liveth fhall he meat for you, &C.3 Here the firft Grant made to Mankind concerning Food, is enlarged, as St. Bafil obferves, h 'arpoi'm vo[AA?te(#,p7r£v ^TQ^ouimv (rwui^dpn^ The firft Legiflation granted to them the ufe of Fruits 3 but now of all living Creatures^ which they are as free- ly permitted to eat of, as formerly of all the Fruits of the Garden. For God feeing Men to be ape^&k, contumacious, as Greg. A^expreffes it (Tom\.p.i$jf) ^Qn yrxvmv r *$m\avnv atu/iydpyi^H^ conceded to them the enjoyment of all things. This is the general fence of the Jews, and of the Chrijiian Fathers, and of the firft Reformers of Religion. They that would have this only a renewal of fuch an old Charter, are of la- ter (landing 5 and can (hew us no Charter, but are led by fome reafonings of their own, not by the Scrip- ture : Unlefs we will admit fuch a Criticifrn upon Gen. I. 30. as feems to me very forced. And they would have this alfo underftood only of clean Crea- tures : But! do not find any Ground for the diftin- ftion upon GENESIS. 155 ftion of Clean and Unclean Creatures, withrefpect Chapter to Food, but only to Sacrifice, as was laid before. IX. The reafon why God now granted the liberty to .•"V"^-' eat Fleft,;4A4r£/W thinks was, becaufeotherwife there would not have been Food enough for Noah and his Sons: The Fruits of the Earth, which before were a- bundant, being all deftroyed 5 fochat for the prefent there was not Sufficient for their Suftenance. Others think the reafon of it was, becaule the Fruits of the Earth, were not now fo nutritive as they had been, before the Salt-water of the Sea very much fpoiled the Soil. Ver. 4. Butflcfl) with the life thereof, Sec.'] Here is Verfe 4. one Exception to the foregoing large Grant, that the Blood of'Beafts fhould not be eaten: Juft as at the firft, one Fruit in the midft of the Garden was ex- cepted, when all the reft were allowed. The He- brew Do&ors generally underftand this to be a pro- hibition to cut off any Limb of a living Creature, and to eat it while the Life, that is, the Blood was in it : Dum adhttc vivit, & palpitat, fen tremit, as a Modern Interpreter truly reprefents their fence. Which is followed by many Chriftians. See Mercer, Mufculus, efpecially Mr. Selden, L. VII. c. 1. de Jure N. & G. who think, as Maw/omdes doth, that there were fome People in the old World fo fierce and barbarous, that they eat raw Flefh, while it was yet warm from the Bead out of whofe Body it was cut : And he makes this to have been a part of their Ido- latrous Worlhip. (See More NcvochintfiarslW. c.\%.) But, fuppofing this to be true, there were fo few of thefe People, we may well think, (for he himfelf faith, it was the Guftom of the Gentile Kings to do thus) that there needed not to have been a Precept X 2 given A COMMENT ART given to all Mankind, to avoid that, unto which Humane Nature is of it feif averfe. St. Chryfoflom therefore expounds this,of not eating things fir angled : And L. de Dieu of not eating that which dkdofitfelf: For Nephef/j in Scripture fignifies fometime a dead Carcafe. But it is manifeft, it was not unlawful for all People to eat fuch things ^ for God hirnfelf orders the Ifraelites, to give that which died of it felf to a Stranger, or to fell it to an Ali- en, Dent. XIV. 21. And therefore the fimplefl: fence feems to be, that they fhould not eat the Blood of any Creature: Which was a pofitive Precept, like that of not eating of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. And the reafcn of it, perhaps, was, that God intending in after-times to referve the Blood, for the Expiation of Sin, required this early abfti- nence from it, that they might be the better prepared to fubmit to that Law, and underftand the reafon of it: Whichwas, that it was the Life of the Beaft^ which God accepted in ftead of their Life, when they had forfeited it by their Sins. And there is another plain Reafon given of this Prohibition, immediately after it ^ that they might be the more fearful of fhedding the Blood one of another ^ when it was not lawful fo much as to tafte the Blood of a Beaft. Verfe 5. Ver. 5, Andfnr-ely7\ Or rather, for furely., as the LXXa the Vulgar Lalin^ and a great number of learn- ed Men, expound the Particle Van as a Caufd, not as a Copulative in this place. So that the fence is this : Therefore I command you to abftain from the Blood of living Creatures, that you may be the farther off from fhedding the Blood of Men. For that is fo pre- cious in my account, that I will take care he be fe- verely upon GENESIS. 157 ly pnnifhed, by whom it is (bed 5 yea, the very Chapter Beaft (hall dye that kills a Man, So it follows, IX. At the hand of every Beajt will I require it.~] Not as ^~^""*- if Beails were to blame, if they killed a Man 5 ("for they are capable neither of Vice nor VerRieJ) but this was ordained with refpeft to Men, for whole ufe Beafts were created. For, rirji, fuch Owners as were not careful to prevent fuch Mifchiefs were hereby pu- nifhed : And, Secondly, others were admonilhed by their example to be cautious: And, Thirdly, God hereby inftrufted them that Murder was a moft grie- vous Crime, wbofe Punifhment extended even to Beafts. And Lastly, the Lives of Men were hereby much fecured, by the killing fuch Beafts, as mighc otherways have done the like Mifchief hereafter. See Bochart in his Hierozo/c. P. I. L I. c. 40. At the hands of every Mans brother, &C."] And therefore much more will I require it at the Hand of every Man, Whom he calls Brother, to fliow that Murder is the more heinous upon this account 5 be- caufe we are all Brethren, Or the meaning may be, (as fome will have \t) that though he be as nearly re- lated as a Brother, he fhall not go unpunifhed. Ver. 6. Whofo beds Mans bloodr\ He repeats it o- Verfe 6* ver again, to ena& this Law more ftrongly. Or, as the Hebrews underftand it, he fpike before of the punifh- ment he would inflict himfelf upon the Murderer ; and now of the care we (hould take to punifli it. By ManfhaUhk blood be fled") That is, by the Magiftrate or Judges. For God had kept the pu- nifhment of Murder in his own Hand till now 5 as we may gather from the (lory of Cain, whom he ba- nifhed, but fuffered no Body to kill him. But here gives authority to Judges to call every Body to an account , 58 A COMMENTARY Chapter account for it, and put them to death. They rhat IX. would fee more of the Senfe of the Jews about thefe L/"V%J and t'ie foregoing words, may read Mr. Selden de Jure N. & G. L. I. cap. 5. and L. IV. cap. 1. and de Synedrik, L. I. cap. 5. I will only add, That they rightly conclude, that as Courts of Judicature were hereby authorized ; fo what was thus ordained againft Murder, by a parity of Reafon, was to be executed upon other great Of- fenders 5 there being fome things which are no lefs dear to us than Life } as Virginal Chaftity, and Ma- trimonial Fidelity, &c. For in the Image of God made he Man."] Notwith- ftanding the Sin of Man, there remained fo much of the Image of God in him, as intitled him to his pe- culiar proteftion. Verfe 7. Ver. 7. And ye, be y e fruit ful,1k.c.~] You need not doubt therefore of the blefling I now beftowed upon you, (Verfe 1.) for you fee what care I take of the prefervation, as well as the propagation of Mankind. Verfe 9. Ver. 9. I will efiablifi my Covenant with you!] Be- caufe Beafts cannot Covenant, moft underftand by that Word fimply a Promife ^ as Jer. XXXIII. 25. But there is no need of this Explication , the Cove- nant being made dire&ly with Noah, including all o- ther Creatures, who were to have the benefit of it. Verfe io. Ver. 10. From all that go out of the Ark,, to every Bea/i of the Earth."] That is, it (hall extend not only to thofe which now go out of the Ark } but to all their breed in future Ages. Verfe n« Ver. IX* And I will effablijh my Covenant with you^ &C.3 Doubt not of it $ for I tell you again, I will faithfully keep this folemn promife. Any upon GENESIS. i r Any wore he a Flood to defhoy the Earth.] That U, Cha; the whole Earthy tor p inicular Inundations tbtrt IX. have been often. <^^r^> Ver. 12. . \;:d the L 0 R D fa/d, This is the Token Verfe 12, of 'the Covenant, &c] I do not only give you my Word $ but a Token or Sign that I will keep it. Ver. 13. I do fet my Bow in the Clouds, &c.1| Mod Verfe 13 think this doth not iignifie there never had been a Rain- bow before the Flood $ for fince there was both Sun and Clouds, it is likely, they fay, there was a Rain-bow alfo : Only now it was appointed for a Sign, which it was not before. But as this Opinion hath nothing in Scripture to enforce it, fo grounds in Na ture there are none to warrant it j unlefs we will af- ferc this manifefl: untruth, That every difpofition of the Air, or every Cloud is fitly difpofed to produce a Rain-bow. They are the words of that great Di- vine, Dr. Jackson, (Book I. upon the Creed, c. 16.) who adds, That if other Natural Caufes, with their Motions and Difpofitions depend upon the final fas Scripture Philofophy teaches us) they who acknow- ledge the Scripture, have no reafon to think that either the Clouds or the Air had that peculiar difpofition be- fore the Flood, which is required to the production of the Rain-bow : When this wonderful Effeft had no fuch ufe or end, as it hath had ever fince. For it was appointed by God, to be a Witnefs of his Co- venant with the new World 3 a Meflenger to feci Mankind from Deftru&ion by Deluges. Now if it had appeared before the Flood, the fight of it after the Flood would have been but a poor comfort to Noah and his timorous Pofterity: Whofe Fear leaft the like Inundation might happen again, was greater than could be taken away by a common or ufual Sign, l6o A COMMENTARY Chapter Sign. The ancient Poets had a better Philofophy IX. (though they knew not the original of it) when they t/v^vJ feigned Irk to be the Daughter, or (as we would now fpeak) the Mother of Wonderment, (Qav julolv1@o ikyovov) theMeflenger of the great God Jupiter, and his Goddefsjfotffl.* whom Homer ("as he obfervesj repre- fents as fent with a peremptory command to Neptune not to aid the Grecians } by the fwelling we may fup- pofe, of Waters, which much annoyed thzTrojans. My Bow.'] It is called His, not only becaufe he is the Author of all things, which have Natural Cau- fes, as there are of this : But becaufe He appointed it to a fpecial end 5 as a fignification and an aflurance of his Mercy to Mankind. Verfe 14, Ver. 14. When I bring a Cloud over the Earth.~\ i. e. When there are great figns of the Rain, which come out of the Clouds. That the Bow [hall he feen in the Cloudy Not always but at certain times ; often enough to put Men in mind of this promife, and ftir up their belief of it. For it doth as it were fay, I will not drown the Earth again, though the Clouds have thickned as if they threatned it. Common Philofophy teaches us, that the Rain-how is a natural fign there will not be much Rain after it appears $ but that the Clouds begin to difperfe. For it is never made in a thick Cloud, but in a thin : So that if it appear after Showers, which come from thick Clouds, it is a Token that now they grow thin. But the God of Nature chofe this to be a fign, that he would never let them thicken again to fuch a degree to bring a Deluge upon the Earth. And indeed the admira- ble Form or Compofition of this glorious Circle (as the Son of Syrach calls it, Eccluf.XLllh \i.) bent by the Hands upon GENESIS. 161 Handsofthc mofl High, doth naturally exciteone to Chapter look beyond the material and efficient caufe of it, un- IX. to the final (as the fore-named Author fpeaks.) And L/*VNJ now that we have Mofes his Commentary upon it, we may fee in the mixt Colours of the Rain-bow, thefe two things } the Deftruttion of the oldWorld by Water, and the future Consumption of the prefent World' by Fire ^ whofe flaming Brightnefs is predominant in the waterifh Humour. Ver. iy. And 1 will remember my Covenant, Sec."] Verfe 1 .5 . Look upon it as a Token of my Faithfulnefs to my Word. Ver. 1 6. I will lool^upon it, that I may remem-y^rk l6» her, Scc.3 This is fpoken after the manner of Men \ the more to confirm their belief, that God would not go back with his Word. Ver. 17. And Godfaid, This is the Token, &C.3 AsVerfe 17. the Promife is repeated twice, to exprefs its certain- ty, ver. 9, 1 1. So is the Token of it as oft repeated, for the famereafon, ver. 12. and here ver. 17. Ver. 18. And the Sons of Noah, Sec] They are here Verfe 18. again named, with refpeft to what follows : But not in their order, as fhall be proved in its proper place, (X. 21. J *or Japhet was the Eldeft. And Ham is the Father of Canaan."] This Son of Ham is here all alone mentioned, becaufe he was concerned in the following wicked Faft of his Father ; And his Pofterity were thofe wicked People whofe Country God gave to the Ifraelites. Ver. 19. And of them was the whole Earth over- Verfe 1 9. fpread."] By this it appears, that though Noah lived above three hundred years after he came out of the Ark, yet begat no more Children 5 or if he did, none of them lived to have any Pofterity, Y Ver. itfa Chapter XL L/"VNJ Verfe 20. Verfe 21 Verfe A COMMENTARY Ver. 20. Beg*/? //*** made Hannibal, a Child of Canaan, cry out with a* mazementof Soul, Agnofco fatum Carthaginis, I ac- knowledge the Fate of Carthage. Livy, L. XXVII. in fine. Verfe 28. Ver. 28. And Noah lived after the Flood three hun- dred andfifty Tears.'} Which was of great Advan- tage for the certain Propagation of the Knowledge of thofe thingsbeforc related, and of thofe that follow in the next Chapter. For he died not above two and thirty Years before Abraham was born. C H A P. X. Verfe 1. Ver. r. 1VT0 W thefe are the Generations of the Sons l\l of Noah, 8co] As he had often before mentioned the three Sons of Noah, fo now he men- tions them again, being to give an Account of their Children, by whom the Earth was peopled after the Flood. And he reckons them in the fame order he had always done, (VI. 10. VII. 13. IX. 18.) firft Shew, then Ham, and laft of all Japhet. But itisob- fervable, that in the next Verfe he gives an Account firft of the Sons of Japhet : Who was indeed the el- deft. There is great ufe of this Genealogy, as Mai* monides (hows, (Par. III. More Nev. c. 50.) becaufe tlje Do&rine of the Creation of the World, which is the Foundation of the Law, (i. e. of Religion,^ would not have been fo eafily believed ^ if Mofes had not given an Account of the Succeffion of Man- v kind, upon GENESIS. 169 kind, from the iirft Man to the Flood ; and from Chapter the Flood to his own time .* Showing from whom X. all Nations were derived, and how they came to be difperfed. Stem, is named firftof Noah's Sons, becaufethe blefled Seed was to fpring out of his Family : In which the true Religion was preferved : Which was foon loft in the Pofterity of the other two ,• among whom their Names remained in great Honour. For, Ham was the Heathen Jupiter, who was called Hammon in Egypt, which, it will appear, was part of Hams Portion, and is called the Land of Haw, as eve- ry one knows, in many places of the Pfalms. And accordingly the fame Country is called by Plutarch Xnjudx. Japhet alfo feems to have been the fame with Jape- Us, whom the Greeks own to have been their Fa- ther. Nor do they know any Name of greater An- tiquity 5 which made them give it to decrepit Per- fons, (as many, particularly Bochart, have obferved,) and it became a Proverb in that Country, Older than Japerus. Whom their Poets feign to have attempted War againft Jupiter 5 becaufe of the Diflentions which the unlikenefs of their Manners begat between them. Which feems to be nothing but the Story in Chapter IX. of this Book, verfe x2. For Ham, as I Grid., is the Heathen Jupiter. Ver. 2. The Sons of Japhet.'] Were feven 5 the -el- ded of which, Gomer, had three Sons ^ and the fourth Javan, had four ; Whole Names we have in the fol- lowing Verfes. Gomer.~] It's hard, at this diftance, to find what Country was peopled by his Pofterity 5 but Bochar- Z tus 170 A COMMElNtART. Chapter ttts in his Phafeg hath made fuch probable Conje&ures, X. about this and all that follow* from other Scriptures* and from Neighbouring Places, and the Relicks of their Names in ancient Geographers, and fuch like things, that they carry a great appearance of Truth in them. Our famous Camden (in his Account of the firft Inhabitants of Britain) thinks that the Cim- bri and Cimmerii defcended from this Gomei\ who gave them their Name $ and that the old Britain* came from him, becaufe they call themfelves YLnmero, Cjmro^ and Humeri 5 which feems to denote them the Pofterity of Gomer. But this, asalfo the Notion oiLndov. Cappellus in his Chron. Sacra, p. i04.Cwho, if this of Mr. Camdenht not accepted, propounds another, of the Comari and Chomari, a People in Scy- thia (mentioned by Ptolomy) within the Mountain Imaus, near Baclriam,) is confuted by what we read in Ezekieh who makes Gomer to have been a Neigh- bour of Torgantah^ Ezek- XXXVIII. 6> And Torga- mah wzs a Nation that ufaally went to the Marts of 2}re, XXVII. 14. and confequently were not feated in thefurthermoft part of the North $ but, as will appear afterward, not very far from Tyre. And in fome Country thereabouts we mud feek for Gomer: who, it's likely, gave Phrygia its Denomination. For a part 6f it was called Ka7cm^ty>Uwf, by Diodonts and Hefychius, becaufe it look'd as if it were burnt. Such was all the Country about Cayfier, M£ander9. and the City Philadelphia. Now this is the very, fignification of Garner. For in the Hebrew Gamar is to confume $ and fo the Chaldee and Syriack frequent- ly ufe it.* Whence Gumra, or Gnmroha Coal. And Phrygia is of the fame fignification, (for ygiyw in 6m\\$totorrifod which being the Name of part of upon GENESIS. iji of the Country, ior time became the Name of the Chapter whole. X. Magog.'] The fecond Son of Japhet, was in all L/*VNJ likely hood the Father of the Scythians ^ which is the Opinion of Jofephus^ Theodoret, St. Hierow, and o- thers. For all that is faid in Scripture about Magog exa&ly agrees to them^ as Bocharttts hath fhown at large, out of Ezekhl: L. III. Phaleg. c. 13. Madai7\ From him the Country of Media took its Name : Where he and his Children fettled. And it is the farthermoft Country Eaftward, where any of the Pofterity of Japhet inhabited. What is the Name of this Country at prefent, is not eafie to tell ^ the ancient name and limits of Countries fo remote, being quite worn out of memory. But it is no improbable Conjefture of Bochartus, (L. III. c. 14. J That the ancient Sarntate took their Name from this Man, Sear ox Sar-Madai, being mChaldee^ as much as the R dicks of Madai, or the Medes. Dr. -Jack? fony I think, hath well obferved, (Book. I.r. 16. ) rhat Scythia or the North part of Aft 'a- Minor \ and o- cher parts adjacent, were inhabited by the Sons of jfa- phet, before they came into Greece, (where the next Son fettled J or the other parts of Europe. Javan.~] Planted himfel fin Greece ^ under which word is comprehended, not only A/w^and thereP of the Countries thereabout ^ but even Macedonia^ and the Nations neighbouring -to k, towards the Weft : The Sea that wafhes them, being called the Jo- man Sea. And indeed the Hebrew word .P1 taking away the Vowels, may be either read Java** or Ion. From whence the Iones ^ whom Homer calls Jaoness which is -ne ir to Java* j which a Per/tan in Arifto- phanes his Achartienfes pronounces Jaonau j As Gro- Z 2 tins rJ2 A COMMENTARY Chapter tiftf obferves. Annot. in L. I. De V. R. C. Hence Dar X. nhl calls Alexander, who came out of Macedonia, the (^/■W, K-ingofJavan, VIII. 2j. And the CtaWeeParaphrafe- hath here inftead oijavan, Macedonia. See Bochart, L. III. r,*/?. 3. 7»£*/ ;^»J Mc/ferA.] Thefe two are conftandy joyned together by Ezekjelm many places* XXVII. 13. XXXII. 26, &c. Which is a fign thefe two Bro- thers planted themfelves not far from one another, And noConjefture feems fo probable as that of Bo- chartus, who takes ihefe to be the People, whom the Greeks call Mofcki and Tibareni : who are as con- (tantly joyned together in Herodotus, as Mofchech and Tubal are in Ezekjel. And none need wonder that Tubal was changed into Tubar, and then into Tibar : For nothing was more common among the Greeks, than to thange the Letter L into R, asBeAiap for Beli- al, and $i%oip for Phicol, 8cc. The Mofcki inhabited the Mountains called Mofchici, North-eaft of Cappador cia, and all the Mountains fas Bochart thinks J from the River Phajis to the Pontus-Cappadocicus. The J£- bareniwerem the middle between the Trapezuntiizud the Inhabitants of Armenia the lefs. So S/nf/w defcribes them, who was born not far from thefe Countries, and had reafon to know them. Nor is this a new Opinion of Bocharfs, that the Tibareni came from Tubol : For Epiphanius in his Ancorats, mentions a- mongthe Descendants of Japhet, TtSae/m, together with the Chalybes and Mojjynaci: whom our Brough- ton follows. Tiras."] Or, Thiras, the youngefl: of the Sons of Japhet, poffeffed Thrace and Myfia, and the reft of Eu- rope towards the North. For ©e££ is Thiras or Thras by the change of the Letter Samech intoX; .• Which in Hpon GENESIS ,^ in the Greek. Alphabet- (received from the. P/^r/V* Chapter ans) anUers to the LttM Sawe^ of X. the Hchrews wrheTif aci* with an f, Tfrrajra : And a llraciti* Woman is Lulled by the Greeks themfelves 0^'cvja and ©{ito*-: Which comes very near to Ih'irds. And that great lA*n§ofb*rtus fays a greardeal more to confirm this 5 which was the Opinion, he (hows, of many ofthe Ancients, Pialeg* 1. Wl.c. 2. And in late times, at LuJovivus Capcllus, who adds that poffibly Tros and Troes were derived from this Thiras. Ver. 3. /W /Ae Sons cfGomer.~] Now follows aaVcrfc Account ofthofe that defcended from the eldeft Son of Jupbet. AJIj&naz was the eldeft Son of Comer ; whofe Pofterity fettled in Bithynia, (where we find the foot-fteps of his Name, in the Sinus Ajcanivs, and Afcanius Lacus, and Amnis^) and in Troas, 2nd tht ieffer Phrygia: In which is a Country and a City called Aft aria, and A fcania 1 rnfuU. Into which Coun- try the Offspring of AJhkenaz, brought Colonies from Gamer, or the greater Phrygia : And exl them- felves to the Sea. Which being called by the Peo- ple upon the Coaft Afc en az, was pronounced by the Greeks vA|sK§t. Which being an odious Name in their Language, fignifying inhofpitable, they changed it into the contrary, and called it Fxi^oy, the £*- xin Sea. Seemoreinthe fore-named Author, L. III. c. 9. Ludov. Capellns hapned upon the fame Con- jecture. Kiphath, or Diphath, as it is written in 1 Chron. 1.6. whofe Pofterity JoO:;:i^ fh inks, tci have inhibited Taphlagonia : which is a Co rar to Phrygia, upon the Enxine Sea : And there are re- mainders of the Name in feveral places, both ways written, with Reft, or wnhDaleb j zsBochart (hows, L. Ill, i>4 tf COM MEVTAR T Chapter L. HI.c. i o. Mela places the Riphaces in this Country X. as Grotius obferves, Annot. in L. I. de V. R. C. U^VXJ TogarmaL"] His Pofterity, it is manifeft, fettled Northward of Jtid