of Isaac' appeared to him in a dream, and assured him, that he would preserve and protect him in his journey, and bring him safe back into Canaan again ; that he would make him happy in a numerous pro geny, and in time multiply them exccedingly, and give them the land for an inheritance which he had promised to Abraham; and moreover, that in him, i. e. in his seed, all the families of the earth should be blessed. Thus at this time GoD expressly promised to him, that particular blessing of Abraham, with the covenanted mercies belonging to it, which Isaac had before given him reason to hope for. Jacob was surprised at this extraordinary vision, and took the stones upon which he had laid his head, and reared them up into a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it, and made a vow, that if the GoD who thus appeared to him should bless and preserve him, protect him in his journey, aud bring him back in safety, then the LORD should be his GOD," and that he would worship him in the place where he had now erected the pillar; and that he would dedicate to his service the tenth of all the substance he should have. Jacob pursued his journey, and came to Haran in Mesopotamia, where he found Laban and his relations, by whom he was received and welcomed with great joy." But as he was not the only son of his father, nor the elder son; nor the heir of his father's substance; so he did not pretend to expect a wife, in so pompous a way Gen. xxviii. 13. Ver. 21. See above p. 224, 225. * Gen. xxix. as his father had formerly done. Laban had two daughters, Leah and Rachel: Jacob fancied the younger, and proposed to his uncle Laban, that he would stay with him seven years as his servant to take care of his flocks, if he would give him Rachel to wife. To this proposal Laban agreed, but at the end of the seven years deceived him, and married him not to Rachel but to Leah. Jacob expressing some dissatisfaction at it, Laban told him, that he could not break through the custom of their country, by marrying his younger daughter before his elder; but that if he desired it, he would give him Rachel too, and he should serve him seven years more for her, after he had married her. To this Jacob agreed, and when the week was over for the celebration of Leah's nuptials, he married Rachel, and continued with Laban, and kept his flocks for seven years more. At the expiration of these seven years, Jacob had a family of twelve children; he had six sons and a daughter by Leah; two sons by Zilpah, Leah's maid; a son by Rachel and two sons by Bilhah, Rachel's maid. He now began to think it time to get into a way of making some provision for them; and therefore desired Laban to dismiss him, and to let him return to his father with his wives and children. Laban had found by experience, that his substance prospered under Jacob's • Chap. xxiv. Gen. xxix. 32, 33, 34, 35. xxx. 17, 19, 21. 1 Gen. xxx. 9, 12. • Ver. 4, 7. t Ver. 25, 26. ; care, and was loth to part with him; and therefore agreed with him to stay upon such terms," that Jacob in a few years grew rich under him, and was master of very considerable flocks of his own. Laban by degrees grew uneasy at seeing him increase so fast; so that Jacob perceived that his countenanee was not towards him as before; that he was not so much in his favour as he used to be, and hereupon resolves to leave him. There is a very obvious remark to be made upon Jacob's bargain with Laban, when he agreed to stay with him, and upon his behaviour consequent upon it. He bargained with Laban to serve him, upon condition that he might take for wages all the speckled and spotted cattle, and this with an air of integrity, to prevent mistakes about his hire; so shall my righteousness, says he, answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face. Jacob seemed desirous to make a clear and express bargain, about which they might have no disputes. If they had agreed for a particular number of cattle every year, there might have been room for cavil and suspicion. If any of the flock had by accident been lost, they might have differed, whether Jacob's or Laban's were the lost cattle; but to prevent all possible ́disputes, let me, says Jacob, have all the speckled and spotted cattle, and then whenever you shall have a mind to look into my stock, my integrity will at first sight come before your face, or be conspicuous; for you Gen, xxx. 28-43. * Ver. 31, 32, 33. will immediately see whether I have any cattle besides what belong to me. Yet we find, that after all this seeming fairness, Jacob very artfully over-reached Laban, by using means to have the best cattle always bring forth such as he was to take; and he so ordered it, as to get away all the best of the cattle, so that the feebler only were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's." This artifice may seem to argue that he was a man of very little honesty: but to this it may be answered: 1. Though Aristotle and Pliny, and several other writers, who are commonly cited by the remarkers upon this fact, and who all lived many ages later than Jacob, have been of opinion, that impressions made upon the imagination of the dam at the time of conception, may have a great effect upon the form, shape and colour of the young; and though it may hence be inferred, that such a method as Jacob took might possibly produce the effect, which it had upon Laban's cattle; yet I cannot think that Jacob himself knew any thing of it. Men had not thus early inquired far into the powers of nature; philosophy was as yet very low and vulgar; and observations of this sort were not thought of, or sought after. Religion and the worship of GoD was in these days the wisdom of the world; and simplicity of manners and integrity of life were more studied, than curious and philosophical enquiries. If study and philosophy had helped men to these arts, how came Laban and his sons to know so very little? They surely must have apprehended, that Jacob might by art variegate the Gen. xxx. 42. cattle as he pleased, and would not have made so weak a bargain with him; but they certainly had no notion that any such thing could be done; nor had Jacob any thought of it, when he bargained with Laban. He chose the speckled cattle only to put an. end to all cavils about his wages; not doubting but God would so order it, that he should have enough, and being determined to be contented with what Gon's providence should think fit to give him. It will here be asked, how came Jacob to make use of the pilled rods, if he did not think this an artful way to cause the cattle to bring forth ring-streaked, speckled and spotted young ones? To this I answer, 2. We read, that the angel of GoD spake unto him about this matter." GoD saw the injustice of La Here seems to be a defect of two or three verses in our present copies of the Bible. Jacob tells his wives (Gen. xxxi. 11.) that the angel of the LORD had spoken to him in a dream, upon Laban's ill usage; but we have no ac count of any angel's speaking to him in Chap. xxxi, before his using the pilled rods, in any of our copies: but the Samaritan version gives us very great reason to think that there was originally a full account of this matter. After ver. 36, of Chap. xxxi. the Samaritan version inserts as follows: And the angel of the LORD called unto Jacob in a dream, and said, Jacob; and he answered, here am I. And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, behold the rams leaping upon the cattle ring-streaked, speckled, and grisled; for I have seen all that Laban hath done to thee. I am the GoD of Bethel, to whom thou anointedst a pillar there, and to whom thou vowedst a vow there; but do thou arise VOL. II. |