• A.M. 2315.

Ver. 1. Sick. Worse than when he was with him before. H.

Ver. 2. Strengthened; with the thought of seeing this beloved son, and also with the prophetic spirit (M.) of God, which filled him with joy, &c. Gal. v. 22. H.

Ver. 4. Possession. He makes mention of this first vision of God to him, to shew that he had a right to Chanaan, and to adopt the two children of Joseph, who were each to have as much as his own children. H. — Jacob's posterity enjoyed that land till the Messias came, with some few interruptions. But his spiritual children inherit a much better country, (of which this was a figure) an eternal kingdom in heaven. C.

• ** Josue 13:7
  And now divide the land in possession to the nine tribes, and to the half tribe of Manasses,
• ** Josue 13:29
  He gave also to the half tribe of Manasses and his children possession according to their kindreds,

Ver. 5. Mine, by adoption; and shall be heads of their respective tribes. M.

Ver. 6. Thine. They shall not claim the same prerogative: they shall live among their brethren, Ephraim and Manasses. We read not that Joseph had any other children besides these two. C. — The double portion, or birth-right, was thus transferred from Ruben to Joseph. D.

Ver. 7. For when, &c. Heb. "as for me." Do not wonder that I should so earnestly desire to be laid in the tomb of Mambre, whereas your mother was buried at Ephrata. I was in a manner forced to bury her there, by the heat of the weather, (M.) and the confusion to which my family was then exposed, on account of the slaughter of the Sichemites. H. — That place was, moreover, to be honoured with the birth of the Messias. S. Aug. q. 165.

Ver. 11. Deprived. Heb. "I did not expect; or, I durst not pray" to God for a thing which I thought impossible; I mean, the happiness of seeing thee; and lo, God, &c.

Ver. 12. Lap, (gremio, breast,) after Jacob had embraced them; or from between his knees, where they knelt to receive his blessing. — Bowed down, out of reverence to his father, and to beg of God that he would put words of comfort into the mouth of his father, on this solemn and important occasion. Then, in order that his children might not lean upon, or incommode Jacob, he placed them, the elder at his right-hand, the other at his left. H.

Ver. 14. Changing. Heb. "making his hands intelligent;" or giving to understand, by forming a cross with his extended hands, that he had some particular reason for so doing. H. — By the preference given to Ephraim, he foreshewed his royal dignity, in giving kings to the ten tribes, (Euseb.) and that his tribe would surpass that of his brother in glory and numbers; (v. 19,) and lastly, give birth to that great leader, Josue; who, as a figure of Christ, should introduce the Israelites into the promised land. M. — The custom of imposing hands on a person, is of high antiquity, and is still practised in the Christian church in the ordination of her ministers. Num. viii. 10. Acts. vi. 6. See Matt. xix. 13. Num. xxvii. 23. C. — The cross of Christ is the source of all our exaltation. A preference for the younger children is generally observable in Scripture; being intended to shew that the Church, though chosen later out of all nations, should obtain the preference over the synagogue. Theodoret. T.

• * Hebrews 11:21
  By faith Jacob, dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and adored the top of his rod.

• * Matthew 18:10
  See that you despise not one of these little ones: for I say to you, that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.

Ver. 16. The angel guardian, who, by God's ordinance, has ever protected me, continue his kind attention towards these my grand-children. It is not probably that he, who was called God before, should now be styled an angel, as some Protestants would have us believe. H. — S. Basil c. Eunom. iii. and S. Chrysostom, with many others, allege this text, to prove that an angel is given to man for the direction of his life, and to protect him against the assaults of the rebel angels, as Calvin himself dares not deny. — Let my, &c. Let them partake of the blessings (promised by name to me, to Abraham, and to Isaac) among the other tribes; or, may God bless them, in consideration of his servants. Moses obtained pardon for the Hebrews, by reminding God of these his chosen friends. Ex. xxxii. W.

Ver. 17. Displeased; (graviter accepit,) was grieved to see the elder son neglected; and thinking it might possibly proceed from a mistake, as his father's eyes were so dim that he did not know them, (v. 8,) he ventured to suggest his sentiments to his father; but acquiesced in his decision. H. — The greatest prophets are not always under actual inspiration. C.

Ver. 19. A people, (in populos.) He shall be father of many peoples. The tribe of Manasses was divided, and had a large territory on either side of the Jordan, immediately north of that which fell to the lots of Ephraim and of Gad. H. — Grow. Heb. "shall be the fulness of nations;" or shall possess every thing that can make a nation great and enviable. The event justified this prediction. Ephraim was at the head of the ten tribes, most valiant and powerful. 3 K. xi. 26. C.

Ver. 20. In thee, Joseph. Sept. "in you," Ephraim and Manasses. The Israelites shall wish the same happiness to their greatest friends, as that which you have enjoyed. M.

• * Josue 16:1
  And the lot of the sons of Joseph fell from the Jordan over against Jericho and the waters thereof, on the east: the wilderness which goeth up from Jericho to the mountain of Bethel:
• * Josue 15:7
  And reaching as far as the borders of Debara from the valley of Achor, and so northward looking towards Galgal, which is opposite to the ascent of Adommin, on the south side of the torrent, and the border passeth the waters that are called the fountain of the sun: and the goings out thereof shall be at the fountain Rogel.
• ** Josue 24:8
  And I brought you into the land of the Amorrhite, who dwelt beyond the Jordan. And when they fought against you, I delivered them into your hands, and you possessed their land, and slew them.
• ** Deuteronomy 13:16
  And all the household goods that are there, thou shalt gather together in the midst of the streets thereof, and shall burn them with the city itself, so as to comsume all for the Lord thy God, and that it be a heap for ever: it shall be built no more.

Ver. 22. Thee. In thy posterity; and particularly in Ephraim, to whose lot it shall fall, a portion. Heb. shecem; which the Sept. explain of the city, or field near it, which Jacob had formerly purchased; and which, being wrested from him after he had left that country, by the Amorrhites, he recovered by the sword. Masius. — The particulars of this transaction are not given in Scripture. M. — The children of Joseph buried their father in this field. Jos. xxiv. 32. There also was Jacob's well. John iv. 5. We have already observed, that Jacob restored whatever his sons had taken unjustly from the unhappy Sichemites. C. xxxiv. 30. — Sword and bow, is understood by S. Jerom and Onkelos in a spiritual sense, to denote his justice and earnest prayer, by which he merited the divine protection; (C.) or it may mean the money, which he had procured with hard labour. S. Jer. q. Heb.