Genesis — Chapter 31

in al former dangers, accompanyed the night before with armies of Angels , indued alfo with al ver- tues,and namely with perfect charitie ( which expelleth feare ] was for al this fo vehemently affraid. S. Auguftin anfwereth, chat he neither diftrufted in God, nor did amie vnlawful thing : but did his owne endeauour wifely and confidently, left by prefuming or defpayring he should rather haue tempted God then trufted in him. The caufes of his teare were in refpect of himfcelfe andhis brother, For confidering Gods former promifes, benefits , & protections , were not tobe pre- fumed as abfolute fignes of his perpetualloue , but conditional, if himfelfe per- feuered fincerely in Gods feruice ; and feeing The inf man knoweth nos vuhesher he be vvershie of lowe or of hasred, he might doubt, left by his twentie yeares conuer- fation among Infidels in Mefopotamia , he had contracted fome finnes, for which God might fuffer him to fal into calamitie and afflidion, And though he was in deed ftil more and more vertuous, and confequently in Gods more favour and protection; yea fo much the more, by how much lefie he prefumed of his owne good ftateand merites: yet by the vehement apprehending of his brothers incli- Nation to reuenge, the greatnes of the occafion by procuring the firft- birth. right and his fathers bleiling from him, the newes of his fpeedie comming towards him with foure hundred men, the natural fituation of the place , where Efau might eafily enuiron him, and (ashehumbly thought) his owne vnworthines, he was pofleffed with natural feare ( fuchas happeneth to conftant men ) and was fore afflited for the tender care of his familie. Bur refle@ing vpon Gods good- nes, he prudently difpofed of his people and flocks, and befought God to proted him and his. by prayer qualified with requifite conditions, te wit, with humilitie, not asking for his owe but for Abraham and Ifeacs fake, and for Gods owne pro- mife, acknowledging himfelfe to be leffeshen Gods mercies towards him, with gra- titude recounting great benefitsreceiucd, faiyng, Wish my faffe 1 paffed over this lordan,and now with swo troupes [ doe returme, with contidence in that God hath faigd he (4)The chan ging of his name heere promifed, is preformed

And he tooke al his fubftance , and flocks, and whatfoeuer he had gotten in Mefopotamia , and went forward to Ifaac his father into the land of Chanaan. 19. Atthat time Laban was one to {heare his fheep , and Rachel {tole the”’ idols of her father. 20. when he was gone as wel himfelfe as al things that were his right, & hauing paffed the riuer was marching on to Mount Galaad , 22. it was told Laban the third day that Iacob fled. 23. Who, taking his bre- thren vnto him, purfued him feauen dayes : and he ouertook him in the Mount Galaad, 24. And he {aw in his {leep God faying vnto him: Take hced thou fpeake not roughly anic thing againft Jacob, 25. And Iacob had now pitched his tent inthe mountaine : and when he with his brethren had ouertaken him, he pitched his tent in the fame Mount f Galaad. 26.And he {aid to lacob: Why dideft thou fo,that vnwitting to me thou wouldeft carie away my daughters as captiues with the fword?

heer rightly tranflated idols:which in other places fignifie h other things, As The ftatua which Miciol putin Dauids bed, coucring the head therof with a hairie goates skione , to deceiue Saules feriants who fought Dauids death , is called eraphim > and may there be tranflated a ftatua , image, or fimilicude, but not an idel, Againe , Ovee the Prophet fo rtel- ling the lamentable ftate of the Lfraelites, fayth, they thal belong without King, Prince , Sacrifice , Altar , Ephod, and feraphim , which laft woidin the Prote- tants Englith Bibles remaineth yntranflated. Where if they had tranflated images (as here they doe ) it would prouc , that fome images pertaine to true religion, the want wherof is lamented among other principal things, Thefeidols Rachel ftole from her father, to withdraw him from idolatrie,as S. Bafil ( in li, Proueb. ) S. Gregorie Nazianzen ‘orat.de Pafchate ) and Theo- doret/ q. 89. in Gen, ) expound it. And inthis, faith Theodoret, fhe was aright foure of the Catholike Church, which deprineth idolacers of their idols. It is probable alio by her bafe vfing of them, that the held them not for Gods , when the put them vnder the camels litter, and fate vpon them. Finally, that fhe refer- ed them , and did not caft them away , nor burne, nor burie them, argueth thar they were perhaps of precious mettal,or other matter , which fhe might turne to profit: and that lawrully in part of recompence, that fhe and her fifter hadno other dowrie,but rather were fold to lacob. Who alfo had futtred much iniurie ar their fathers hands, CHAP, XXXII, Angels meet 1acob by the way. 3. He fendeth meffengers and guifts to pacific his brother Efan. 24. Wreflling wiih an Av gel ts not ouercome , im fine the Angel benummeth his shigh be called Ifracl. A COB alfo went on his iourney that he had be- gun : and the Angels of God mer him, 2, Whom when he had feen , he faid : Thefe are the Camps of God , and he called the name of that place } Mahanaim , that is, Camps. :. And he fent alfo 48S mefiengers betore him to Efau his brother mto the of Seir , intothe countrie of Edom: 4. and he commanded them, faving : Thus fpeake ye vnto my Lord Eiau ; This faith thy brother Pz lacob; N Z ‘ » blefeth him , and fortelleth that he shat Images of falfe} Gods are idols. Some images are neither re- ligious nor fu- perfticious. Some arere~ ligious, Rachel tooke away her fa~ ithers Idols for his. geod, She kept them In recompence of wrongs, : -.. 98 GENESIS, Iacob. lacob : I haue feiourned , and haue been with Laban vntl this prefent day. 5.1 haue oxen, & afles, & fheep, & men feruants: & woman fer- uants : & now I fend alegacie tomy Lord, that I may find grace in thy fight.6.And the meffengers returned to lacob,faying:We came to Efau thy brother, & behold Be commeth with {peed to meet thee with foure undred men. 7, Iacob ” feared exceedingly: and being fore affraid diuided the people that was with him , the flockes alfo and the fheep, and the oxen, and the camels, into two troups , 8. faying : If Efau come to one troup , and ftrike it , the other troup that remaineth thal be faued. g. ‘And Iacob {aid : O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Iaac ; O Lord that dideft fay to me: Re. turne into thy land , and into the place of thy natiuitie, and I wil doe thee good; 10, I am inferiour to al thy mercies , and thy truth that thou haft fulfilled to thy feruant. With my ftaffe I pafled ouer this Iordan: and now with two troupes I doe returne, 1:, Deliuer me from the hand of my brother Efau , becaufe I am: fore affraid of him: left perhaps he come, and ftrike the mother with the chil- dren, 12. Thou dideft {ay that thou wouldeft doe good tome, and dilate my feed as the {and of the fea , which for multitude cannot be numbred. 13, And when he had flept there that night , he fe. parated of thofe things which he had , guifts to his brother Efau , 14. fhe goats two hundred , he goats twentie > ewes two hundred , and rammes twentie > 15. thirtie milch camels with their colts » fourtie kine , and twentie buls ,; twentie the afles , and their foles ten. 16. And he fent by the hands of his fer- uants euerie flock by ixfelfe , and he faid’ to his feruants : Goe before me , and let there be a {pace between flock and flock.

ioy, and fongs , and timbrels , and cithernes 228. Thou haft not fuffred me to kiffle my fonnes and daughters : thou haft done fooliihly : now alfo indeed 29. my hand is able to requite thee euil : but the God of your father faid vnto me yefterday : Take heed thou fpeake not any thing againft Tacob roughly. 30. Suppofe thou diddcit detire to goe to thy freinds, and hadeft a longing to thy fathers houfe , why dideft thou fteale my Gods ? 31. Iacob aniwered : In that I departed vnwitting to thee, I fea- red left thou wouldeft take away thy daughters by force. 32. Bur whereas thou charge{t me with thett ; with whom focuer thou {hale . find thy Gods, let him be flaine before our brethren: fearch what- foeuer of thy things thou fhalt find with me, andtake away. Saying this , he knew not that Rachel had ftollen the idols. 3;. Laban ther- tore hauing gone into thetent of lacob , and of Lia, and of both the handmaids , found them nor, And when he was entred into Rachels tent , 34. ihe in hait hid the idols vnder the camels litter , and fat ther- vpon : and when he had fought al the tent ,and found nothing , 35- fhe faid : Let not my Lord be angrie that I cannot rife vp betore thee, becaufe according to the euitome of women it is now chanced to me. So his caretulnes in feeking was deluded. 36. And Jacob being (f) angric faid in chiding manner : For what fault of myne, and for what oftence of my part haftthou fo chatfed after me, 37. and fear- ched al my houihold-ituffe > What haft thou found of al rhe fubltance of thy houfe 3 lay it heer betcre my brethren , and thy brethren , and let them iudge between me and thee. 38: Haue !} therefore been with thee twentic yeares? thyewes and coats were not barren , the wethers of thy flock I did not eate : 3g. neyther that which the } beaft had caught did I fhew vo thee , ]_ made good al the damage : P what- ~ ny (f) Tacob in this inft xpo- ftulation was angrie and fin- nednot,Pfal 4, 96 GENESIS. lacob, whatfoeuer perifned by theft thou dideft exact it of me : 40. day and night wasI parched with heat , and with froft, & fleep did fly from myne eyes. 41. And in this fort haue I ferued thee in thy houfe twentie yeares , fourteen for thy daughters , and fix for thy flocks ; thou haft changed alfo my wages ten times, 42, Vnles the God of my father Abraham , and the feare of Ifaac had holpen me , perad- uenture now thou haddeft fent me away naked : God beheld my affliGion and the labour of my hands , and rebuked thee yefterday,

are mine : what can ] doeto my daughters , and nephews ? 44. Come therefore , let vs enter in league; that it may be for a teftimonie between me and thee. 45. Iacob therfore tooke a {tone , and erected it for atitle : 46. and he faid to his brethren:Bring hither ftones, Who gathering them together made a heap , and they did eate vpon it : 47. Which Laban called The witneffe-heap : and Iacob called The hillock of teftimonie, either of them according to the proprietie of his language. 48. And Laban faid : This heap fhal be a witnes between me and thee this day , and therefore the name therof was callad Galaad , that is, The witneffe-heap. 49. Our Lord behold and iudge between vs when we fhal be departed one from the other , 50. if thou fhalt affi@ my daughters , and if thou bring in other wiues ouer them ; none is, witnes of our talke but God , who is prefent and beholdeth, 51. And he faid againe to Iacob : Behold this heap , and the ftone which I haue erected between me and thee , §2. {hal be a witnes : this heap, I fay, and the ftone , be they fora teftimonie , if either I fhal paffe beyond it going towards thee , or thou {halt paffe beyond it , thin- king harme to me, $3. The God of Abraham , and the God of Nachor iudge between vs , the God of their father. lacob therefore {ware by the feare of his father Ifaac: 54. and.after he had offred victimes in the mountaine » he called his brethren to eate bread, Who when they had caten, lodged there. 55. but Laban arifing in the night , kiffed his fonnes , and daughters , and bleffed them: and returned vnto his place, AN N O- 19. Ofee. 35 q, Reg. Tacob. GENESIS. ANNOTATIONS. CHAP XXXII