Jacob and Esau meet: Jacob goeth to Salem, where he raiseth an altar.
Iacob seing Eau come with a great troupe of men, feareth harme, but is most curteously entertained by him. 10. He hardly perswadeth Esau to take giftes, 13. and to returne home. 17. So Iacob coming by Socoth to Salem, there byeth a field, pitcheth his tents, and erecteth an Altar.
1And Jacob lifting up his eyes, saw Esau coming, and with him four hundred men: and he divided the children of Lia and of Rachel, and of the two handmaids.Ma alzando i suoi occhi Giacobbe vide Esaù, che veniva, e con lui quattrocento uomini: e divise i figli di Lia, e di Rachele, e delle sue schiave.AND Iacob lifting vp his eyes, saw Esau coming, and with him foure hundred men: and he diuided the children of Lia and of Rachel, and of the two handmaides:Elevans autem Jacob oculos suos, vidit venientem Esau, et cum eo quadringentos viros: divisitque filios Liæ et Rachel, ambarumque famularum: 2And he put both the handmaids and their children foremost: and Lia and her children in the second place: and Rachel and Joseph last.E l'una, e l'altra schiava, e i loro figliuoli li pose in primo luogo. Lia, e i figliuoli di lei nel secondo luogo: e Rachele, e Giuseppe da ultimo.and he put both the handmaids & their children foremost: and Lia, and her children in the second place: and Rachel, and Ioseph last.et posuit utramque ancillam, et liberos earum, in principio: Liam vero, et filios ejus, in secundo loco: Rachel autem et Joseph novissimos. 3And he went forward and bowed down with his face to the ground seven times, until his brother came near.Ed egli andando innanzi s'inchinò fino a terra sette volte, prima che si approssimasse il suo fratello.And himselfe going foreward adored prostrate to the grownd seuen times, vntil his brother came nere.Et ipse progrediens adoravit pronus in terram septies, donec appropinquaret frater ejus. 4Then Esau ran to meet his brother, and embraced him: and clasping him fast about the neck, and kissing him, wept.Corse allora Esaù incontro al suo fratello, e lo abbracciò: e stringendogli il collo, e baciandolo pianse.Esau therfore running to mete his brother, embraced him: and clasping him fast about the necke, and kissing him wept.Currens itaque Esau obviam fratri suo, amplexatus est eum: stringensque collum ejus, et osculans flevit. 5And lifting up his eyes, he saw the women and their children, and said: What mean these? And do they belong to thee? He answered: They are the children which God hath given to me, thy servant.E alzati gli occhi, vide le donne, e i loro bambini, e disse: Chi son questi? son eglino tuoi? Rispose: Sono i figliuoli, che Dio ha donati a me tuo servo.And casting vp his eyes, he saw the wemen and their litle ones, and said: What meane these? And do they perteyne to thee? He answered: They are the litle ones which God hath geuen to me thy seruant.Levatisque oculis, vidit mulieres et parvulos earum, et ait: Quid sibi volunt isti ? et si ad te pertinent ? Respondit: Parvuli sunt quos donavit mihi Deus servo tuo.
6Then the handmaids and their children came near and bowed themselves.E appressandosi le schiave, e i loro figliuoli s'inchinarono profondamente.And the handmaides and their children coming nere, bowed themselues.Et appropinquantes ancillæ et filii earum, incurvati sunt. 7Lia also, with her children, came near and bowed down in like manner; and last of all, Joseph and Rachel bowed down.Si appressò anche Lia co' suoi figliuoli: e dopo che si furono nella stessa guisa inchinati, Giuseppe, e Rachele fecero ultimi profondo inchino.Lia also with her children came nere: and when they had adored in like maner, last Ioseph and Rachel adored.Accessit quoque Lia cum pueris suis: et cum similiter adorassent, extremi Joseph et Rachel adoraverunt. 8And Esau said: What are the droves that I met? He answered: That I might find favour before my lord.E disse Esaù: Che significano le squadre, che io già incontrai? Rispose: Bramai di trovar grazia nel cospetto del signor mio.And Esau said: What are the troupes that I did mete? He answered: That I might find grace before my lord.Dixitque Esau: Quænam sunt istæ turmæ quas obviam habui ? Respondit: Ut invenirem gratiam coram domino meo. 9But he said: I have plenty, my brother, keep what is thine for thyself.Ma quegli disse: Ho del bene di là da molto, fratel mio: tieni il tuo per te.But he said: I haue plentie, my brother, be thy things to thy selfe.At ille ait: Habeo plurima, frater mi, sint tua tibi. 10And Jacob said: Do not so I beseech thee, but if I have found favour in thy eyes, receive a little present at my hands: for I have seen thy face, as if I should have seen the countenance of God: be gracious to me,E Giacobbe disse: Non far così, ti prego: ma se ho trovato grazia negli occhi tuoi, accetta il piccol dono dalle mie mani: imperocché io ho veduto la tua faccia, come se io vedessi il volto di Dio: siimi propizio,And Iacob said: Do not so I besech thee, but if I haue found grace in thin eyes, take a litle present at my hands: for so haue I seene thy face, as if I should haue seene the countenance of God: be gracious to me,Dixitque Jacob: Noli ita, obsecro: sed si inveni gratiam in oculis tuis, accipe munusculum de manibus meis. Sic enim vidi faciem tuam, quasi viderim vultum Dei: esto mihi propitius, 11And take the blessing which I have brought thee, and which God hath given me, who giveth all things. He took it with much ado at his brother’s earnest pressing him,E accetta la benedizione, che io ti ho recato, e la quale fu donata a me da Dio, il quale dà tutte le cose. E accettandola a mala pena sforzato dal fratello,and take the blessing, which I haue brought thee, and which God hath geuen me, who geueth al thinges. Scarse at his brothers great instance, taking it,et suscipe benedictionem quam attuli tibi, et quam donavit mihi Deus tribuens omnia. Vix fratre compellente, suscipiens, 12And said: Let us go on together, and I will accompany thee in thy journey.Disse quegli: Andiamo di conserva, e io ti sarò compagno nel viaggio.he said: Let vs march on together, and I wil accompanie thee in thy iourney.ait: Gradiamur simul, eroque socius itineris tui.
13And Jacob said: My lord, thou knowest that I have with me tender children, and sheep, and kine with young: which if I should cause to be overdriven, in one day all the flocks will die.Ma disse Giacobbe: Tu vedi, signor mio, che io ho meco de' teneri bambini, e pecore, e vacche pregne: e se gli affaticherò più del dovere a camminare, morranno in un dì tutti i greggi.And Iacob said: My lord thou knowest that I haue with me litle ones, and sheepe, and kine with young: which if I cause to ouerlaboure themselues in going, in one day al the flockes wil die.Dixitque Jacob: Nosti, domine mi, quod parvulos habeam teneros, et oves, et boves fœtas mecum: quas si plus in ambulando fecero laborare, morientur una die cuncti greges. 14May it please my lord to go before his servant: and I will follow softly after him, as I shall see my children to be able, until I come to my lord in Seir.Vada il signor mio davanti al suo servo: e io seguirò bel bello le sue pedate, conforme vedrò, che possano fare i miei bambini, fino a tanto ch'io giunga presso al signor mio a Seir.It may please my lord to goe before his seruant: and I wil folow softly after him, as I shal see my litle ones to be able, vntil I come to my lord in Seir.Præcedat dominus meus ante servum suum: et ego sequar paulatim vestigia ejus, sicut videro parvulos meos posse, donec veniam ad dominum meum in Seir. 15Esau answered: I beseech thee, that some of the people, at least, who are with me, may stay to accompany thee in the way. And he said: There is no necessity: I want nothing else but only to find favour, my lord, in thy sight.Rispose Esaù: Ti prego di lasciar, che almeno restino della gente, che è con me, alcuni, che ti accompagnino nel viaggio. Non è necessario, disse quegli: di questo solo ho bisogno, di trovar grazia nel cospetto tuo, mio signore.Esau answered: I besech thee, that of my people at the leastwise, which is with me, there may remaine some to accompanie thee in the way. It is not needful, said he, this only I haue nede of, that I may finde grace (my lord) in thy sight.Respondit Esau: Oro te, ut de populo qui mecum est, saltem socri remaneant viæ tuæ. Non est, inquit, necesse: hoc uno tantum indigeo, ut inveniam gratiam in conspectu tuo, domine mi. 16So Esau returned that day, the way that he came, to Seir.Tornò adunque in quel giorno Esaù per la strada, per cui era venuto in Seir.Esau therfore returned that day the same way, that he came into Seir.Reversus est itaque illo die Esau itinere quo venerat in Seir. 17And Jacob came to Socoth: where having built a house, and pitched tents, he called the name of the place Socoth, that is, Tents.E Giacobbe giunse a Socoth: dove fabbricata avendo una casa, e piantate le tende, diede a quel luogo il nome di Socoth, vale a dire Padiglioni.And Iacob cometh into Socoth: where hauing built a house, and pitched his tents, he called the name of that place Socoth, that is, Tabernacles.Et Jacob venit in Socoth: ubi ædificata domo et fixis tentoriis appellavit nomen loci illius Socoth, id est, Tabernacula.
18And he passed over to Salem, a city of the Sichemites, which is in the land of Chanaan, after he returned from Mesopotamia of Syria: and he dwelt by the town.E dopo il suo ritorno dalla Mesopotamia di Siria passò a Salem città de' Sichimiti, che è nella terra di Chanaan: e abitò presso alla città.And he passed into Salem a citie of the Sichimites, which is in the land of Chanaan, after he returned from Mesopotamia of Siria: and he dwelt beside the towne.Transivitque in Salem urbem Sichimorum, quæ est in terra Chanaan, postquam reversus est de Mesopotamia Syriæ: et habitavit juxta oppidum. 19And he bought that part of the field, in which he pitched his tents, of the children of Hemor, the father of Sichem, for a hundred lambs.E comprò quella parte di campo, dove avea piantate le tende, da' figliuoli di Hemor padre di Sichem per cento agnelle.And he bought that part of the field, wherin he had pitched his tents, of the children of Hemor, the father fo Sichem for an hundred lambes.Emitque partem agri, in qua fixerat tabernacula, a filiis Hemor patris Sichem centum agnis. 20And raising an altar there, he invoked upon it the most mighty God of Israel.E ivi alzato un altare, dinanzi ad esso invocò il fortissimo Dio d'Israele.And erecting an altar there, on it he called vpon the most mightie God of Israel.Et erecto ibi altari, invocavit super illud fortissimum Deum Israël.
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Year of the World 2265.
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Menochius
Forward, before his family; like a good father, exposing himself to the greatest danger. (Menochius)
Seven times, to testify his great humility and respect for his brother. How, then, can any one find fault with Catholics, if they bow down before the cross thrice on Good Friday, to testify their great veneration for their expiring Lord?
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Haydock
Favour. Esau had already heard from the servants. But he asks again, meaning to excuse himself from receiving them. (Haydock)
Calmet
This civil and unexpected behaviour, filled the breast of Jacob with such gratitude and love, that he made use of an hyperbole, I have seen, etc. ...of God. Chaldean, "of a prince," Syriac, "of an angel," Elohim. See 2 Kings 19:27; Esther 15:16. (Calmet)
Menochius
A little present. Hebrew monee, or mincha, calculated to shew the subjection of the giver. (Menochius)
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Calmet
Young, boves foetus, giving milk, having calved lately, Seputagint. (Bochart.) (Calmet)
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St. Augustine
In Seir; not immediately, but as soon as it might be convenient. This time perhaps never arrived. (St. Augustine, q. 106.)
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Calmet
The town of Salem, which was the first town of Chanaan that he came near since his return. It was afterwards called Sichem, and Sichar, John 4:5, and Naplosa. Salim, mentioned John 3:23, was probably more to the east. Some translate, "He came quite sound to the city of Sichem;" where, Demetrius says, he dwelt ten years, Eusebius, praep. 9:21, having stopped at Socoth six months. (Calmet)
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Lambs. Hebrew, Kossite, or Kesita, a word which occurs also, Josue 26:32[xxiv. 32?], and Job 42:11; and may signify lambs, or a species of money, marked perhaps with their figure. It may also denote pearls, coral, a vessel, or purse of good money. St. Stephen, Acts 7:19[16?], mentions the price of money. But he probably speaks of the bargain made by Abraham with Ephron, son of Heth, for which some have substituted Hemor, the son of Sichem. Kista in the Chaldean means a vessel or measure; and we learn from Herodotus 3:130, that the Persians were accustomed to keep their money in this manner. In the Chaldean, Syriac, and Arabic languages, there are words derived from the same root as Kesita, which mean purity, perfection; and thus what Jacob gave was good current money; (Calmet) or such things as were received among merchants.
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Iacob seing Gods hand in this change of his brothers mind, not of flaterie, but sincerly acknowledged his benignitie, as Gods countenance towards him.
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St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 5.33.3
… but even after he had received the blessing, he himself going forth [from his home], served his uncle Laban the Syrian for twenty years; and not only was he not made lord of his brother, but he did himself bow down before his brother Esau, upon his return from Mesopotamia to his father, and offered many gifts to him.
St Gregory of Nyssa † AD 395 On the Holy Spirit 1
… Thus, it was by such a posture that the patriarch Jacob, in his self-humiliation, seems to have wished to show his inferiority when coming to meet his brother and to appease his wrath; for “he bowed himself to the ground,” says the Scripture, “three times”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom 8
… And that concerning Jacob one may see to have so come to pass; for those blessings which say, “Be lord over thy brother, and let thy father’s sons worship thee,” had no accomplishment in himself (how could they, he being in fear and trembling, and worshipping his brother over and over again?
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St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Duties of the Clergy 1.24
… He was a faithful shepherd of the flock for his master, an attentive son-in-law to his father-in-law; he was active in work, sparing in his meals, conspicuous in making amends, lavish in repaying. Nay, so well did he calm his brother’s anger that he received his favour, though he had feared his enmity.
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St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Duties of the Clergy 1.25
120. Is there greater wisdom than holy Jacob’s, who saw God face to face and won a blessing? Can there be higher justice than his in dividing with his brother what he had acquired, and offering it as a gift?
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St Hippolytus † AD 235 The Refutation of All Heresies 5.11
… This, he says, is he who is according to the likeness of Esau, whose garment—he not being himself present—was blessed; who did not receive, he says, the benediction uttered by him of enfeebled vision. He acquired, however, wealth from a source independent of this, receiving nothing from him whose eyes were dim; and Jacob saw his countenance,
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Pope St Gregory I the Great † AD 604 Register of the Epistles of St. Gregory the Great 4.31
I commend to your Glory my son, your patient, the lord Narses. I know indeed that you hold him as in all respects commended to you; but I beg you to do what you are doing, that, in asking for what I see is being done, I may by my asking have a share in your reward. Furthermore, I have received the blessing
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St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 57.10
… Mesopotamia with his wives and his sons, Jacob pitched his tent before Salem, a city of Shechem which is in the land of Canaan, and that he dwelt there and “bought a parcel of a field where he had spread his tent at the hand of Hamor, the father of Sychem, for an hundred lambs,” and that “he erected there an altar and called there upon the God of Israel.”
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles 16
… On account of famine—such preparations is he making—“with threescore and fifteen souls,” he says, “Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he and our fathers, and were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money from the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem.”
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3. HE HIMSELF GOING FORWARD. In Hebrew it is vehu abar lipnehem, and he himself passed or went forward before them; whence it is clear that Jacob after the first troop of cattle and servants went forward, as a father and leader before the second troop of wives and children, offering himself for them to danger and death.
HE ADORED PROSTRATE UPON THE GROUND, not God, as some wish, but his brother Esau. Jacob therefore adored, that is, he showed reverence, not sacred or divine, but human and civil, to his brother, bowing himself to him upon the ground seven times, at small intervals, until he came to his brother. Learn here that the pride and anger of the powerful and fierce are broken by nothing more than by suppliant submission, namely, It is enough for the magnanimous to have prostrated the lion. The fight has its end when the enemy lies fallen. Ovid. See St. Chrysostom, hom. 58. Thus that holy Bishop, says Sophronius in the Spiritual Meadow, cap. 210, overcame another Bishop who had gravely offended him and his, when "he fell at his feet with all his clergy saying: Forgive us, Lord, we are your servants; for he, being amazed and moved to compunction at such humility of the Bishop, held his feet, saying: You are my lord and father. And that humble one said to his clergy: Did we not conquer through the grace of Christ? And you therefore, when you have an enemy, do thus, and you will be victors." A similar example he has in the last chapter and another in the penultimate chapter. Therefore a soft, gentle and humble response breaks anger, as the Wise Man says. Allegorically St. Cyril in the Glaphyra, lib. V: Jacob is Christ: he first is reconciled with Laban, that is with the Gentiles, then with Esau, that is with the Jews; for when the fullness of the Gentiles has entered, then all Israel will be converted to Christ, and will be saved. Seven times. Why seven times? St. Ambrose answers allegorically, lib. II On Jacob, cap. vi, because he looked upon Christ, "who not only up to seven times, but even seventy times seven times commanded forgiveness to be granted to a brother, Matt. xviii. So that Esau, moved by contemplation of him, would remit to his brother the injury which he thought he had received, and although injured would be reconciled, because for this reason the Lord Jesus was about to assume flesh, and was coming to the earth, that he might bestow upon us multiplied forgiveness of sins."
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28. That I might find favor, as if to say: I have sent these to you as to a most beloved and honored brother in place of a gift, that I might deserve your favor, so that you may be benevolent to me, and forget all past offenses. DO NOT THUS — refuse those things which I offer.
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10. A little gift. In Hebrew it is mincha, that is, a gift which is brought to God or to a prince, in testimony of subjection to attest his excellence.
FOR THUS I HAVE SEEN YOUR FACE, AS THOUGH I HAD SEEN THE FACE OF GOD, as if to say: To me, fearful and anxious, the unexpected clemency and gentleness of your countenance, joined with such dignity and excellence, is as pleasant and venerable as would be the face of God, or of an angel, showing by some sign his aid and presence; which is commonly said: "God appearing from the machine." Thus Abulensis; and St. Chrysostom, hom. 58: "With such, he says, pleasantness I saw your face, with as much as one would see the face of God." Thus the Septuagint translates it. For in Hebrew Elohim signifies both God and angel. By this art Taxiles, the wise king of India, soothed Alexander the Great, and made him a friend from an enemy; for saluting Alexander he said: "What need is there of wars between us, since you have come neither to deprive us of water, nor of necessary food? for these alone do the healthy need to contend. In other riches if I abound more, I will impart to you willingly; if I am inferior, I do not refuse to receive a benefit from you with a grateful mind. Delighted by that speech, Alexander embraced him: Do you think, he said, to escape the contest by this courtesy? You are mistaken; for I will contend with you in benefits, lest you surpass me in beneficence. And having received many gifts and given more, finally he gave him a thousand talents of coined silver," says Plutarch in Alexander. The same Alexander was merciful and beneficent toward the wife and daughters of Darius, whom he had taken in war; whence Darius, defeated, asked of the gods that his empire be restored to him, so that he might repay this beneficence to Alexander; or, if it seemed good to them to end the empire of the Persians, that it be transferred to none other than to Alexander: the same Plutarch is witness. Behold, says St. Chrysostom, with what bland and august words Jacob soothes the fierce mind of his brother: "For nothing, he says, is more violent than gentleness. For as fire, when greatly kindled, is extinguished by water poured upon it: so also a mind burning more in the furnace is extinguished by a word spoken with gentleness. And a twofold gain accrues to us from this, both that we show gentleness, and that we cause the indignation of our brother to cease, and free his mind from disturbance. Fire cannot be extinguished by fire, so neither can anger be soothed by anger; but what water is to fire, that gentleness and mildness is to anger." Thus Esther to Ahasuerus, cap. xv, vers. 16: "I saw, she says, you, Lord, as an angel of God;" and Mephibosheth to David: "But you, Lord, my king, are as an angel of God."
BE MERCIFUL TO ME. From this I shall gather that you are benevolent and merciful to me, if you do not reject my blessing and honorarium, which I offer to you.
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Note: The Hebrews call a gift or present a "blessing," which they have received from God, and by which they bless others, that is, they do good by their giving. See what is said II Cor. ix, 5 and 6.
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12. LET US JOURNEY TOGETHER, at least as far as my region of Idumaea.
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13. NURSING, suckling. ALL, many, most. It is a hyperbole.
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14. TO MY LORD IN SEIR. Jacob now proposed to do this, but afterwards changed his mind, fearing lest Esau, stirred up by his presence and recalling former things, would renew his former complaints and resume his anger; especially if he himself, receiving his brother as a guest and at dinner, had grown heated with wine. Thus St. Augustine, Questions CVI.
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17. SUCCOTH. This place was not called by this name then, but afterwards was called Succoth, from the tabernacles which Jacob pitched there, and afterwards a city was built there called likewise Succoth, which is situated in the tribe of Gad, near the Jabbok and Scythopolis. Thus St. Jerome in the Hebrew Places. DWELLING, tent or hut.
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18. AND HE PASSED INTO SALEM, A CITY OF THE SHECHEMITES. The Chaldean, Cajetan and Oleaster take "Salem" not as a proper name, but as an appellative, and render it, safe and whole (for this is what Salem means) he arrived at Shechem. But both the Septuagint and our text take "Salem" as the proper name of a place. For Salem is a city, which was formerly called Shechem, and corruptly Sychar, as in John IV, 5. The Hebrews wish it to be called Salem, because Jacob was healed there of his lameness, as I said in chapter XXXII, verse 25.
HE DWELT NEAR THE CITY. It appears that Jacob dwelt here easily for nine years: for Simeon and Levi, when they came here from Mesopotamia, were about 11 years old, who afterwards destroyed Shechem on account of the rape of Dinah, in the following chapter. They were therefore easily 20 years old at that time.
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19. FROM THE SONS OF HAMOR. Hamor was the prince of the Shechemites, whence the Shechemites are called his sons, that is, subjects; for a true prince is the father of his own people. Thus the servants of Naaman call their master father, IV Kings v, 43. But since Hamor is here called the father of Shechem, and was properly his father, as appears in the following chapter, verse 2, hence you will better understand the sons of Hamor here taken properly, namely the brothers of Shechem. THE FATHER OF SHECHEM. You will say: Acts VII, 16, it is said "the sons of Shechem." I answer, perhaps there "the father of Shechem" should be substituted for "sons of Shechem," as it is here; and thus it appears that St. Jerome read it in his letter to Pammachius. Or certainly, as Bede wishes, there were two Shechems: one the father of Hamor, the other the son of Hamor. Whence the Greek texts indifferently have τοῦ Συχέμ: which however is almost always understood and explained of the son of Shechem. Add that St. Stephen in Acts VII names Abraham, and therefore seems to speak of a purchase, not of Jacob here, but of Abraham made in Genesis XXIII, 36. On which matter I shall say more in Acts VII.
A HUNDRED LAMBS. For lambs in Hebrew it is kescita, which the moderns render as coins. But St. Jerome, the Chaldean, Lyra, Pagninus, Vatablus, Oleaster, Aben Ezra render it lambs. Whence also the Septuagint renders it ἀμνών: for which Eugubinus wrongly reads μνᾶν, that is minas, or coins. You will say, kescita in Arabic means a coin, therefore it means the same in Hebrew. I answer, I deny the consequence; for the Rabbis err, when they seek and borrow the meanings of Hebrew words from the Arabic language, as Oleaster rightly noted. You will say secondly: St. Stephen, Acts VII, 16, says this field was purchased, not for a hundred lambs, but for a price of silver. I answer, "for a price of silver," that is, for a just price; for by the name of silver or money, we signify all riches, which were formerly situated in sheep and cattle. Whence also money is called from cattle, or pecu; hence also at first bronze was stamped with the mark of cattle, namely sheep, swine and oxen, as Plutarch testifies in the Publicola, and Pliny, book XXXIII, chapter III. By the name of money therefore (says Hermogenianus, law pecunia, ff. de verb. signif.) not only coins, that is counted money, but all things both solid and movable, and both bodies and rights are contained. I answer secondly, that with Pineda it is possible to understand by a hundred lambs or sheep, 100 coins, which are called lambs or sheep, because they had the image of a sheep inscribed, as I have already said, if however the stamping of money be so ancient: for it is established that the ancients used it unstamped. Add that St. Stephen speaks not of this purchase of Jacob, but of another purchase of Abraham, as I said. You will say thirdly: Genesis XLVIII, at the end, says Jacob took this field for himself by his sword and bow. St. Jerome answers that the arms of a peaceful man were this reward, and the price of a hundred lambs; and beautifully in the Hebrew there is an allusion, kescet, that is bow, to kescita, that is lamb. But on this passage I shall speak in Genesis XLVIII.
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20. AND HE CALLED UPON IT THE MIGHTY GOD OF ISRAEL. In Hebrew it is vaiicra lo el elohe Iisrael, which can be translated in two ways, and Jacob did both. First, "and he called upon it (the Chaldean translator rendered it, sacrificed) the mighty God of Israel:" thus the Septuagint, the Chaldean, and our translators render it: for altars are properly erected for sacrifice and invocation. Second, "and he called it (the altar) the strong God of Israel," for this is what the Hebrew lo properly signifies. Whence it is clear that Jacob not only adored and sacrificed at this altar, but also dedicated, consecrated and inscribed it to God. Jacob therefore inscribed this title on the altar: el elohe Iisrael, that is, the mightiest God of Israel, or to the mighty God of Israel—not that the altar itself was God, says Cajetan, but that it was dedicated and inscribed to the mighty God of Israel: for Jacob calls God el, on account of His strength; and elohim, on account of His providence, governance and just protection shown to him by God against Esau, Laban and other enemies. Jacob likewise gave and inscribed a similar title to the altar at Bethel, Genesis XXXV, 7. Thus the Reubenites called their altar, "a testimony that the Lord Himself is God," Joshua cap. XXII, last verse. Thus Gideon called his altar, "the peace of the Lord," Judges cap. VI, verse 24. Thus also the Gentiles dedicated and inscribed altars to Jupiter the victor, to Minerva the savior, to Aesculapius the healer, etc. In like manner Jacob here erects and inscribes an altar to God the liberator, leader and guide, in thanksgiving. GOD OF ISRAEL, the God of Jacob, who was called Israel. Second, the God of the descendants of Jacob, namely the Israelites, in whom He Himself as el, that is the mightiest, and as elohim, that is judge and avenger, will rule, protecting and avenging them from the Canaanites, Philistines, and other enemies, as He protected and avenged Jacob. This God is God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; but especially God the Son, who was to be born from Jacob, and was to become man, and thus was to reign in the house of Jacob forever, Luke I, 33; for His name among others is el, that is mighty, Isaiah IX, 6.
Moral: Why God Proves His Saints Through Tribulation Morally, from this chapter, and indeed from the whole life of Jacob, Joseph, Abraham and Isaac, it is clear that God exercises His servants and friends with various tribulations and persecutions, in order to advance them to the glory of virtue and honor. For what fire is to gold, a file to iron, a winnowing fan to wheat, lye to cloth, salt to meat: this tribulation is to just men. It appears to be a cautery, a wound, but it is truly a remedy for the wound: thus vexation appears to be an evil, but it is truly a remedy for evils, and of divine grace. For this reason the Lord answered Paul: My grace is sufficient for thee; for virtue is made perfect in infirmity. Hence let the faithful learn, first, that tribulations are signs, not of hatred, but of the love of God. For they are symbols of election and divine sonship. This is what He Himself says in Zacharias XIII, 9: "I will refine them as silver is refined, and I will try them as gold is tried;" and in the Apocalypse, cap. III, 19: "Such as I love, I rebuke and chastise;" and the Apostle, to the Hebrews XII, 6: "For whom the Lord loveth, he chastiseth; and he scourgeth every son whom he receiveth;" and in Wisdom III, 6: "As gold in the furnace he proved them, and as a holocaust victim he accepted them." Let them learn, secondly, that tribulations do not harm, but purify and perfect those who are tribulated. Hence Job XXIII, 10: "He hath proved me, saith he, as gold that passeth through fire." And David, Psalm XVI, 3: "Thou hast proved my heart, and visited it in the night; thou hast tried me by fire, and iniquity hath not been found in me." And Ecclesiasticus XXVI, 6: "The furnace proveth the potter's vessels, and the trial of tribulation proveth just men." Truly therefore Blessed Antiochus, homily 78: "As wax, saith he, unless it be warmed or softened, doth not easily receive the impression of a seal: so also man, unless he be proved by the exercise of labors and manifold infirmity, will in no wise suffer himself to be marked with the seal of divine grace; through it we are taught to love better things, "lest the traveller hastening to his homeland love a stable as his home," saith St. Augustine in Sentences, sentence 186. Let them learn, thirdly, that calamities destroy those who reject patience; they protect those who embrace it. For tribulation patiently borne is the gate of heaven. Hence of Christ it is said in Luke XXIV, 26: "It behoved Christ to suffer, and so to enter into his glory." Paul and Barnabas, Acts XIV, 21: "Through many tribulations, say they, we must enter into the kingdom of God." On the contrary, prosperity and happiness of this life is the gate of hell. For this reason God gives it to the impious; but the pious and those strong in virtue He exercises through various crosses, and leads them through bitter straits of calamities to immortal life; this is what they themselves say in Psalm LXV, 10: "Thou hast proved us, O God, thou hast tried us by fire, as silver is tried." And Christ in Matthew V, 5: "Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted;" and: "Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Thus the Patriarchs, thus the Maccabees, thus the martyrs and other heroes of faith, exercised through persecutions, prisons, stripes, racks, martyrdoms, fires, became purer, stronger and more illustrious, and consecrated their names to heaven and immortality.
Machine translation from the Latin, not reviewed.
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v. 1 « Elevans autem Iacob oculos suos » , non necessario immediate post ante narrata , « vidzt venientem Esau et cum eo quadringentos viros. Divisitque filios Liae et Rachel ambarumque famularum »,
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v. 9 « et posuit utramque ancillam et liberos earum in principio , Liam vero et filios eius in secundo loco, Rachel autem et Ioseph novissimos » , eodem quo 32,8 ordine, ut quos magis diligeret remotiori obiiceret periculo (Menoch.). Putat Ca?., haec prius disposita nunc narrata suppleri : non tamen id necessario supponitur. Potuit Esau primum castra ponere, quo tempore potuit frater agmen dispo-- nere.
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v. 3 « Et ipse progrediens », « pro suis se, ut decebat, periculo obiiciens » (Bonfr.), « adoravit pronus in terram septies, donec appropinquaret frater eius ». In inscriptionibus Tell-el-Amarna constans est formula, qua servi protestantur, se « septies provolvi ad pedes » Pharaonis (E. Nestle : Marginalien). v. « Currensitaque Esau obviam fra- (ri suo », eo non exspecítato (Ca?.) et eius prostrationes interrumpens, « amplexatus est eum stringensque collum etus et osculans flevit »
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v. 8 « Dizitque Esau : Quaenam sunt istae turmae, quas obviam habui? » Hebr. : Quid tibi etc? Quid istis efficere studes? Et Hebr. habet sing. nan2n; loquitur de omnibus per modum unius, cum a singulis idem accepisset responsum, cf. 32,17 sqq. « Audierat a pastoribus, sed iterum rogat, ut occasionem habeat ex fratris responso non acceptandi munus » (Menoch.), aut eius certe primum declinandi, quae orientalium est urbanitas. « Respondit : Ut invenirem gratiam coram domzno meo ».
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v. 9 « At ille ait : Habeo plurima, frater mi : sint tua tibi ».
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v. 10 « Dizitque lacob : Noli ita, obsecro; sed si inveni gratiam in oculis tuts, accipe munusculum de manibus meis ». Esto , non sit opus donis ad gratiam in corde fratris comparandam : at in huius gratiae externam significationem accipe dona. « Sic enzm vid? faciem tuam, quasi viderim vultum Dei ». Quae verba aeque excusantur a « vili adulatione » (Kn.), atque illa alia Ex. 7,1; 1 Reg. 29,9; 2 Reg. 15,17. 20, monentque Cai. Honfr. Sa nw posse etiam accipi de angelo, ek Del. nos quandoque loqui de hominis alicuius « coelesti » comitate, quae tamen decentem veri superlationem non excedant. Hebr.: propterea enim vidi etc. (cf. 18,5). Faciem alicuius videre idem est atque in eius praesentiam admitti : me admittendo, ait, implicite annuisü velle te munus à me accipere; is quippe admittendorum est mos, ut munus proferant. Tantoque magis cogit ratio, quod videre vultum tuum sit instar videndi vultus augeli. Unde maior est etiam dono locus, « non ad subveniendum indigentiae », cum plurima habeas, « sed in signum venerationis » (Ca:?.). Porro in eo, quod dicitur de vultu Dei, deprehendunt Wellh., Dillm. alteram nominis Phanuel derivationem, alteri scriptori tribuendam : est allusio, non derivatio. « Esto mihi propitius ». Vulg. LXX legebant *1y"?rv. Masor. *3y" m, iungentes prioribus : propterea enim vidi etc., et propitius fuisti mihi. Propitius fuisti mihi amice mihi occurrens : gratiam comple acceptans donum. Ita reapse idem fere absolute enuntiatur, quod inilio versus (si inveni gratiam etc.) conditionate pronuntiabatur (Cai.). Aliqua tamen tautolo- . gia in formula urbanae supplicationis admitti potest.
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mihi Deus tribuens omnia ». Hebr. : quia gratiam praestitit mihi Deus, et quia habeo omnia. & Deo proveniunt, cuius liberalitas haud facile exhauritur; ex ea proferuntur abundantia, quae ob quantavis dona non deficiat. Ei, qui dixerat se plurima habere , pulchre reponit Iacob, se habere omnia (Del.). « Vix fratre compellente suscipiens »
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v. 19. « ait - Gradiamur simul eroque socius :tzneris tui ». Id utique intendebat Esau « in signum magni honoris et officii » (CÀrys.); at simul sibi lucro futurum intelligebat, si frater praedives prope se habitaret in Seir. Iacob non in Seir, sed ad patrem Isaac proficiscebatur (Proc.); nolebat unum cum fratre pagum incolere (Tost.) eiusque fieri subditus. Prudenter tamen solam itineris societatem declinat.
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v. 13 « Diattque lacob : Nosti, domine mi , quod parvulos habeam teneros, et oves et boves foetas mecum. Quas si plus in ambulando fecero laborare, morientur una, die cuncti greges ». Hebr. : Quae si urgeantur uno die, morientur omnes pecudes minores, quas modo oves scribebat Vulg. —
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v. 14 « Praecedat dominus meus ante servum suum, et ego sequar paulatim vestigia eius, sicut videro parvulos meos posse, donec veniam ad dominum meum in Seir ». Hebr. : et ego procedam secundum commodum meum , claudicabat enim (Cai.), secundum gressum pecorum antecedentium me et secundum gressum parvulorum. Veteres torquebat «quaestio, an mentitus sit Iacob promittens iter in Seir. Aug. (Quaest. 106 in Hept.; M. 34. 575) censebat sincere promisisse, sed postea mentem mutasse. Tost. adstruit mendacium officiosum; Bonfr. promissionem conditionatam, nisi aliud iter mihi commodius iudicavero. Idem monet nos ignorare, perrexeritne serius aliquando Iacob in Seir : verum adverte, verba fere agere de ilinere immediate, licet lente suscipiendo.
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v. 15 « Respondit Esau : Oro te, ut de populo , qui mecum est, saltem. socii. remaneant viae tuae. Non est, inquit, necesse .: [hoc uno tantum indigeo, ut| énvenzam gratiam in conspectu tuo, domine mi ».
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v. 16 « Heversus est itaque ?llo die Esau tttnere, quo venerat, in Seir »;
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v. 17 « et Iacob venit in Socoth, ubi aedificata domo et fixis tentoriis appellavit nomen loci illius Socoth, [1. e. Tabernacula] ». Socoth, urbs tribus Gad, in australi plaga fluminis Iaboc sita Ios. 13, 21. Ps. 59 (60), 8 enumerat Socoth et Sichem ad designandum agrum et trans et cis iordanicum, ergo videntur civitates e regione fuisse neque ita multum distantes inter se.
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v. 18 « Transivitque in Salem urbem Sichimorum, quae est zn terra Chanaan », quam nunc patriarcha redux primum intrabat (Caz.) ideoque merito elferendam, « postquam reversus est de Mesopotamia Syriae, et habitavit iuxta oppidum ». àóv nomen proprium interpretati sunt LXX Vulg. Syr., é& Hzer. (Ep. 126 ad Evangelum ; M. 22.680) commemorat urbem Salem prope Scythopolim, ubi ostendebatur palatium Melchisedech (!). Sed adiectivum znteger icf. Nah. 1,12) intellexere Sam. (mov), Targumzm (ar»v), Ios. et post eos Cai. aliique. Neque tamen cum Hebraeorum traditione (H?er.) vox de ipso potissimum Iacob intelligenda est, cuius tum femur convaluerit, sed de parvulis et gregibus, de quorum ipse v. 13 ita erat sollicitus. Etiam 12,6 Sichem, uti h. l. vv, ita praefixum habet ap» : videlur fuisse iustae molis urbs, non mera tabernaculorum congeries.
Árg. — lam ad finem suum properat narratio. Stationibus itinerum ea rursus insistit, occasione sumpta a quibusdam stationibus supplendi quaedam, quae in patriarcharum actis nequaquam erant silentio praetereunda : emptionem agri, quem postea Iacob Iosepho prae fratribus dono dedit; scelera Ruben, Simeon et Levi, ob quae illi iure primogeniturae exciderunt in Iosephum transferendo ; voti in Bethel ante facti persolutionem; ortum Beniamini et Rachelis mortem; obitum ipsius Isaac. Sane, quae supplentur, plura sequentes Generationes Iacob omnino respiciunt et unum produnt narratorem. De pericopae compositione non est, quod dicamus, nisi neotericos suis iam ipsorum principiis ad absurdum deduci, cum cogantur singulos fere versus imo semiversus alii tribuere scriptori. Masor. 33,18-20 a precedentibus distinguunt; reapse verba v. 18 ostendunt novum ordiri narrationis caput, quod acta referat « in terra Chanaan », et « postquam reversus est de Mesopotamia Syriae », quae expressiones etiam inseri potuere a redactore seu Geneseos auctore. Versus incipiunt narrationem eorum, quae prope Sichem acta sunt.
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v. 19 « Emitque partem agri, in qua fixzerat tabernacula, a filiis Hemor patris Sichem centum agnis ». Sichem hic intelligitur vir filius Hemor, de quo cap. 35. Num ergo ab hoc nomen nacta erat urbs? Id non sequitur, potuit nomen Sichem etiam alicui vel aliquibus antecessorum Hemor obtingere. Id colligas ex Act. 7,16 ( « in sepulero, quod emit Abraham pretio argenti a filiis Hemor filii Sichem », ubi etiam admirationem facit vox « Abraham »), ni mavis ibi mendum adstruere. no'vp versiones reddidere agnis (etiam Ios. 25,32; Iob 42,11, ad quem locum cf. Knabenbauer), ratione ducti nescio qua; Ps. Ion. et Targ. Hier. « margaritas » (?) scripsere. Post Ca?. plurimi censuere esse genus quoddam nummi seu verius ponderis argeníi, quam sententiam monet Caím. melius consentire cum Act. 7,16. Praecipua sane agri emendi ratio fuit altare ib. erigendum (CArys.); altare et emptio suggerunt (Ca?.), patriarcham ib. diutius esse moratum.
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v. 20 « Et erecto 2b: altar? , invocavit super illud fortissimum Deum Israel ». Hebr. : vocavit illud vaox 5x ox*3c*; mediam vocem ignorant LXX. In singulis altaribus videtur Deus certo nomine seu litulo invocariconsuevisse. Hoc nomen saneelectum in memoriam novi nominis ab angelo Iacobo tributi. Cap. XXXIV. Cum sequenti narratione Dina nubilis, Simeon et Levi viri robusti describantur, lacob autem nonnisi tredecim post initas nuptias annis (cf. 31,38 et 29,20) in Haran perseveraverit, hinc oportet a reditu ex Haran usque ad Dinae stuprum aliquos effluxisse annos. Cf. Cai., Bonfr. Acta tamen haec sunt aliquamdiu ante sextum decimum Ioseph annum (37,9), quo is venditus est, postquam pater Sichimis Hebronem (ib. v. 14) secesserat. Morum hoc capite descriptio affinis est eius, quae cap. 23 legebatur : sc. mores Chananaeorum Sichem et Hebron incolentium erant iidem. Idemne sit utriusque capitis narrator, ex ea sola affinitate dirimi nequit.
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… Jahweh sebhā'ath), they are powerful, messengers and executors of the divine orders (Ps. 102:20 ff.), they are intelligent (II Sam. 14:20), holy (Ps. 88:6-8): for this reason they are called "sons of God" (Job 1:6) and also "gods" in a broad sense (Gen. 33:10), but infinitely distant from the one God their creator, who finds imperfections in them (Job 4:17 ff.).
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… It is famous in the Bible for the night struggle fought on its banks (v. PHANUEL) by the patriarch Jacob (v.), returning from Mesopotamia, with a mysterious figure (Yahweh or the angel of Yahweh?), who changed his name to that of "Israel" (Gen. 32:23-30; 33:17-20). It was near Mahanaim (v.) and divided Gilead into two equal parts (Josh. 12:2; Judg. 11:13-22). It marked the boundary between the Kingdom of Og (Bashan) and that of Sihon (Hesh-
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As a distinct group, the H. appear in Shechem at the time of Jacob (Gen. 33, 18; 34, 2); their descendants influenced the life of the land even after the conquest (Judg. 3, 28). In Gibeon they formed a confederation of 4 cities governed by elders, and by a stratagem …
Salem (Heb. Šālēm, Septuagint Σαλήμ)
According to the Vulgate, the Septuagint and the Syriac of Gen. 33:18, Jacob, returning from Mesopotamia, came to S., "the city of the Shechemites." But according to the Hebrew, it is to be understood that from that journey "Jacob arrived safe and sound …
Sichem (Heb. Šēḥḥem «Nuca»; Gr. Sychem or Sychima)
Near the "oak of Mōreh," Abraham raised an altar, and in a vision there received the promise of the land of Canaan (Gen. 12:6); Jacob, under the same tree, hid the idolatrous objects (v. THERAPHIM) of his caravan; there he raised an altar and acquired a plot of land, where Joseph was later buried (Gen. 33:18-20; Josh. 24:32). The sons of Jacob, Levi and Simeon, there avenged the honor of their sister Dinah, violated by Shechem, son of Hamor, the local prince (Gen. 34).
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · Vulgata Clementina · original Douay-Rheims (Douay 1609-10), transcription by EEBO-TCP (CC0) · La Sacra Bibbia, tradotta dalla Volgata da Antonio Martini (1769-1781) (LaParola (laparola.net), Martini OSIS text, Public domain (LaParola's electronic edition marks it 'Dominio pubblico')). Public domain.