_AND GOD SAID UNTO JACOB, ARISE, GO UP TO BETHEL, AND DWELL THERE: AND MAKE THERE AN ALTAR UNTO GOD, THAT APPEARED UNTO THEE WHEN THOU FLEDDEST FROM THE FACE OF ESAU THY BROTHER._ God said unto Jacob, Arise, ... This command was given as seasonably in point of time, as tenderly in respect of langua... [ Continue Reading ]
_THEN JACOB SAID UNTO HIS HOUSEHOLD, AND TO ALL THAT WERE WITH HIM, PUT AWAY THE STRANGE GODS THAT ARE AMONG YOU, AND BE CLEAN, AND CHANGE YOUR GARMENTS:_ Then Jacob said unto his household ... Put away the strange gods - Hebrew, gods of the stranger-of foreign nations (cf. Joshua 24:20; Joshua 24:... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND LET US ARISE, AND GO UP TO BETHEL; AND I WILL MAKE THERE AN ALTAR UNTO GOD, WHO ANSWERED ME IN THE DAY OF MY DISTRESS, AND WAS WITH ME IN THE WAY WHICH I WENT._ No JFB commentary on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND THEY GAVE UNTO JACOB ALL THE STRANGE GODS WHICH WERE IN THEIR HAND, AND ALL THEIR EARRINGS WHICH WERE IN THEIR EARS; AND JACOB HID THEM UNDER THE OAK WHICH WAS BY SHECHEM._ They gave ... all the strange gods ... and ... earrings - strange gods-the Teraphim (cf. Genesis 31:30; Genesis 31:34) as... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND THEY JOURNEYED: AND THE TERROR OF GOD WAS UPON THE CITIES THAT WERE ROUND ABOUT THEM, AND THEY DID NOT PURSUE AFTER THE SONS OF JACOB._ The terror of God was upon the cities. There was every reason to apprehend that a storm of indignation would burst from all quarters upon Jacob's family, and... [ Continue Reading ]
_SO JACOB CAME TO LUZ, WHICH IS IN THE LAND OF CANAAN, THAT IS, BETHEL, HE AND ALL THE PEOPLE THAT WERE WITH HIM._ So Jacob came to Luz ... that is, Beth-el. It is probable that this place was unoccupied ground when Jacob first went to it. (See the note at Genesis 28:11.) The name of Beth-el, which... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND HE BUILT THERE AN ALTAR, AND CALLED THE PLACE ELBETHEL: BECAUSE THERE GOD APPEARED UNTO HIM, WHEN HE FLED FROM THE FACE OF HIS BROTHER._ El-Beth-el - i:e., the God of Beth-el.... [ Continue Reading ]
_BUT DEBORAH REBEKAH'S NURSE DIED, AND SHE WAS BURIED BENEATH BETHEL UNDER AN OAK: AND THE NAME OF IT WAS CALLED ALLONBACHUTH._ Deborah, Rebekah's nurse died. This event seems to have taken place before the solemnities were commenced. Deborah - i:e., a bee. The nurse in an Eastern family was an imp... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND GOD APPEARED UNTO JACOB AGAIN, WHEN HE CAME OUT OF PADAN-ARAM, AND BLESSED HIM._ God appeared unto Jacob again. God was pleased to make a new appearance to him after the solemn rites of devotion were over. By this manifestation of His presence, God testified His acceptance of Jacob's sacrifice... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND THEY JOURNEYED FROM BETHEL; AND THERE WAS BUT A LITTLE WAY TO COME TO EPHRATH: AND RACHEL TRAVAILED, AND SHE HAD HARD LABOUR._ They journeyed from Beth-el. There can be no doubt that much enjoyment was experienced at Beth-el; and that in the religious observances solemnized, as well as in the... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND IT CAME TO PASS, WHEN SHE WAS IN HARD LABOUR, THAT THE MIDWIFE SAID UNTO HER, FEAR NOT; THOU SHALT HAVE THIS SON ALSO._ No JFB commentary on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND IT CAME TO PASS, AS HER SOUL WAS IN DEPARTING, (FOR SHE DIED) THAT SHE CALLED HIS NAME BENONI: BUT HIS FATHER CALLED HIM BENJAMIN._ Ben-oni - i:e., son of my sorrow. The dying mother gave this name to her child, significant of her circumstances; but Jacob changed it into Benjamin. This is thou... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND RACHEL DIED, AND WAS BURIED IN THE WAY TO EPHRATH, WHICH IS BETHLEHEM._ Ephrath, which is Beth-lehem - the one the old Canaanite name, denoting 'fruitful'; the other the later Hebrew one, signifying 'house of bread.' Sometimes these names are combined, Beth-lehem-Ephratah. It is about four Eng... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND JACOB SET A PILLAR UPON HER GRAVE: THAT IS THE PILLAR OF RACHEL'S GRAVE UNTO THIS DAY._ Set a pillar upon her grave ... unto this day. The spot still marked out as the grave of Rachel exactly agrees with the Scripture record, being about a mile from Beth-lehem. Anciently it was marked by a pil... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND ISRAEL JOURNEYED, AND SPREAD HIS TENT BEYOND THE TOWER OF EDAR._ Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar. This was not, as has been strangely alleged, the tower Edar, on one of the gates of Jerusalem, which had not an existence for centuries after Jacob's time; but х_ MI... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND IT CAME TO PASS, WHEN ISRAEL DWELT IN THAT LAND, THAT REUBEN WENT AND LAY WITH BILHAH HIS FATHER'S CONCUBINE: AND ISRAEL HEARD IT. NOW THE SONS OF JACOB WERE TWELVE:_ Reuben ... lay with Bilhah ... and Israel heard it. Jonathan in his Targum says, that Reuben only overthrew the bed of Bilhah,... [ Continue Reading ]
_THE SONS OF LEAH; REUBEN, JACOB'S FIRSTBORN, AND SIMEON, AND LEVI, AND JUDAH, AND ISSACHAR, AND ZEBULUN:_ Sons of Jacob ... born ... in Padan-aram. It is a common practice of the sacred historian to say of a company or body of men that which, though true of the majority, may not be applicable to e... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND JACOB CAME UNTO ISAAC HIS FATHER UNTO MAMRE, UNTO THE CITY OF ARBAH, WHICH IS HEBRON, WHERE ABRAHAM AND ISAAC SOJOURNED._ Jacob came unto ... Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron. (See the note at Genesis 23:2.) At the time of Jacob's flight, Isaac was resident in Beer-sheba; but as... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND THE DAYS OF ISAAC WERE AN HUNDRED AND FOURSCORE YEARS._ The days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years. This recovery from mortal sickness, and his attainment to a protracted age, though accompanied with many privations, is here distinctly attested.... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND ISAAC GAVE UP THE GHOST, AND DIED, AND WAS GATHERED UNTO HIS PEOPLE, BEING OLD AND FULL OF DAYS: AND HIS SONS ESAU AND JACOB BURIED HIM._ Isaac gave up the ghost. The death of this venerable patriarch is here recorded by anticipation, because it did not take place until fifteen years after Jos... [ Continue Reading ]