Chapter XXXVI
"Ver. 1-43. Posterity of Esau. 1. these are the p;et»- erations—history of the leading men and events (cf. cli.
2.4). Esau who is Edom—A name applied to him in
It Is now Identified with the modern Beltin, and lies on the western slope of the mountain on which Abraham built his altar (Genesis 12.8). 7. El-Beth-el-i. >>., the God
reference to the peculiar colour of his skin at birth, rendered more significant by his inordinate craving for t!i«
red pottage, and also by the fierce sanguinary character
of Ijctliel. 8. Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died—This
Parental Partiality, GENESIS XXXVII. The Dreams of Joseph.
of his descoiKlants (cf. Ezekiol 2.). 12; Obadiah 10). 3,3. Esau took Ills wives of tlie ditiighters of Canaan There weie three, iiieutioiied under ditlerent names; for
thee," the usual expression of good wishes amongst friends and acquaintances. It is deemed a sacred duty to give all this form of salutation; and the withholding of
it is evident that Basliemath is tliesanieas Malialath (ch.
it is an unmistakeable sign of dislike ol secret hostility. The habitual refusal of Joseph's brethren, therefore, to meet him with " the salaam," showed how ill-disposed they were towards him. It is very natural in parents to love the youngest, and feel partial to those who excel in talents or amiableness. But in a family constituted as Jacob's—many children by difl'erent mothers—he showed great and criminal indiscretion.
2H. 9), since they both stand in the relation of daugliter to Jshmael and sister to Nehajoth; and lience it may be inferred tliat Adah is the s;ime as Judith, Aholibam.ah as Bathsemath (ch. 20. 3^). It was not unusual for women, in that early age, to have two names, as Sarai was also Iscah
and this is the more probable in tlie case of Esau's wives, who of course would have to take new names when they went fro)n Canaan to settle in mount Seir. <>, 7. Esnu
5-3K. The Dreams of Joseph. 5. Joseph dreamed a dream—Dreams in ancient times were much attended
. . . -ivent into tlie country from tlie face of 2'..is i>>'Othrr Jacob—AiY., a country, witlionl any certain piospec-t of a
to, and hence the dream of .Joseph, though but a mere boy, engaged the serious consideration of his family. But this dream was evidently symbolical. The meaning was easily discerned, and, from its being repeated under different emblems, the fullilinent was considered certain
s;'tllenient. The design of this historical ski-t< h of Esau and his family is to show how the promise icli. 27. 8!l, 40) was fulfilled. In temporal prosperity he far exceeds his brother; and it is remarljal)le That, in tlie overruling providence of God, the vast increase of his worldly substance was the occasion of his leaving Canaan, and thus making way for the return of .Jacob. 8. Tlins dwelt Esaii in mount Seir—This was Divinely assigned as his possession (Joshuii 24. 4; Deuteronomy 2. .5). 15-19. dukes —The Edomites, like the Israelites, were divided into
(cf. ch. 41.32;—whence it was that "his brethren enviad him, but his father observed the saying." 13. his brethren went to feed their fatlker's flock in Shechem—The vale of Shechem was, from the earliest mention of Canaan, blest with extraordinary abundance of water. Therefore did the sons of Jacob go from Hebron to this place, tliough
it must have cost them near twenty hours' travelling
tribes, which took their names from his sons. The head of each tribe was called by a term which in our version is rendered duke—not of tlie high rank and wealth of a British peer, but like the sheicks or emirs of the modern East, or the chieftains of our highland clans. P'onrteen are mentioned who flourished contemporaneously. 2030. Sons of Scir, the Horite—native dukes, who were incorporated with those of the Edomite race. 34. This was that Anah that found the mules—The word
i. e., at the shepherd rate, a little more than fiftj' miles. But the herbage there Is so rich and nutritious, that they thought it well worth the pains of so long a journey, to the neglect of the grazing district of Hebron. [Van De Velde.] 13-17. Israel said, . . . Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem 1—Anxious to learn how his sons were doing in their distant encampment, Jacob despatched Joseph; and the youth accepting the raissiou with alacrity, left the vale of Hebron—sought them at Shechem—heard of them from a man in " the field," the wide and richly-cultivated plain of Esdraelon—and found that they had left that neighbourhood for Dothan, probably being compelled by the detestation in whldi, from the horrid massacre, their name was held. Joseph went after Ills brethren, and found them in Dothan I{e-
'• mules" is, in several ancient versions, rendered " water springs;" and this discovery of some remarkable fountain was sufficient, among a wandering or pastoral people,
to entitle him to sucli a distinguishing notice. 31-39. kiik^s of Edom—The royal power was not built on the rnins of the dukedoms, but existed at the same time. •10-43. Recapitulation of the dukes according to their residences.
breiv, Dothaim, or "two wells," recently discovered in the modern " Dotan," situated a few •ours' distance fi-oia Shechem. 18. wlien they saw him afar off—on tlie level grass-field, where they were watcliing their cattle, they could perceive htm approaching in the distance from the side of Shechem, or ratlier Samaria. 19. Behold, tills dreamer cometh lit., "master of dreams" a bitterly ironical sneer. Dreams being considered suggestions from above, to make false pretensions to having received one was detested as a species of blasphemy, and in this light Joseph was regarded by his brethren a.s an artful pretender. They already began to form a plot for his assa.sslnatlon, from which he was rescued only by the address of Reuben, who suggested that he should rather be cast Into one of the welKs, which are, and probalily were, completely dried up In summer. 33. they stripped Josepli out of his coat ... of many colours—Imagine him advancing In all the unsuspecting openness of