flood, upon the mountains of Ararat," i. e. upon one of them, Judg. xii. 7.; 1 Sam. xviii. 21.; Ps. i. 3.; Zech. ix. 9.; Jonah i. 5. From this it appears that it was exactly five months from the beginning of the flood to the time when the ark rested upon Ararat, or a hundred and fifty days; but it is doubtful whether this and ch. vii. 24. refer to the same period; for it appears from what follows, that "the waters prevailed upon the earth" long after the ark rested; v. 14. note.-See Index, voc. 6, at the end of forty days,] Viz. after the tops of the moun- tains were seen. The window" is in the Hebrew a different word from that so rendered ch. vi. 16. 7. to and fro,] Literally, as in the margin, "going forth and returning;" i. e. the raven often flew from the ark, and again returned to it. Noah sent forth the raven, as he did the dove, in order "to see if the waters were abated," or decreased, v. 8. for if they had, the raven would have stayed away to feed on dead animals, and the dove would have done the same, as it might have obtained food in the seeds of the ground. It is not said what length of time intervened between his sending forth the raven and the dove, but probably seven days, as seems inti- mated in v. 10. From v. 10. 12. it seems that Noah kept the seventh day with some peculiar observance, which must surely have reference to the institution of the Sabbath; ch. ii. 3. 13. it came to pass, &c.] From this and v. 14. compared with ch. vii. 11. it appears that, if the months were lunar, Noah was in the ark three hundred and sixty-five days, just one of our years; but if they were such as our months, he was in it 20. an altar] It cannot be credited that Noah would either have thought of this, or have practised it, when so few animals had been just rescued from the waters of the deluge, if sacrifice had not been a divine institution; ch. iv. 3-7. notes. "Burnt- offerings," Levit. i. 3. vi. 9. 21. smelled] Viz. Noah's sacrifice was as grateful and accep- table to the Lord as odours are to man. Levit. i. 9. xxvi. 31.; 1 Sam. xxvi. 19.; Ephes. v. 2. i. e. he determined in himself. But the words may mean, "The Lord spake to his (Noah's) heart," meaning, the Lord comforted him, ch. xxxiv. 3.; Isa. xl. 2. “I will not again curse the ground any more," i. e. by a general deluge, have done" now, ch. ix. 11. " for," rather," though the ima- gination of man's heart is evil from his youth;" Isa. xlvii. 12. 15.; Jer. iii. 25.; Ps. li. 5. lviii. 3.; Matt. xv. 19. The promise in the next verse is clearly general, and therefore partial failures CHAPTER IX. 1. God blessed, &c.] The primitive benediction is here renewed, ch. i. 28. and it is described as consisting, 1st, in the increase of their offspring, v. 1. 7. ch. viii. 17. 2dly, in the restoration of their dominion over the animal creation, v. 2. ch. i. 28. 3dly, in the permission to eat animal food, v. 3. 4thly, in the care for their lives by the prohibition of murder, v. 5. and, lastly, in the assurance that he would not again destroy the earth by a flood, v. 11. ch. viii. 21. 3. every, &c.] Here God grants to Noah and his offspring the use of animals for food, as he had the use of vegetables to the first pair, ch. i. 29. The comparison implies that the permission of animal food was not given till now. But it is accompanied with this limitation, not to eat blood. The command to abstain from blood was most likely enjoined, 1st, to prevent cruelty to animals; and, 2dly, because blood was appointed for the expiation of sins, and therefore to be appropriated to sacred purposes. That this prohibition is not binding upon Christians, see Acts xv. 20. et seq. and notes. 4. with the life] Neither this text, nor Deut. xii. 23. implies that blood forms the principle of life, but that it is the seat of vitality, is more especially connected with, and instrumental to life; and this seems now to be placed beyond the reach of doubt by the most eminent physiologists. 5. your blood of your lives] Viz. the shedding of your lifeblood "will I require," i. e. find out and punish, ch. xlii. 22.; Deut. xviii. 19.; Ps. ix. 12.; "at the hand of every beast," &c. i. e. whether any beast or any human being kills a man, I will take vengeance upon them for the crime. This is further explained in the next verse; "whoso sheddeth man's blood," i.e. wilfully and unjustly, "by man shall his blood be shed;" i. e. by the magistrate and constituted authorities; Numb. xxxv. 11.; Deut. xix. 4, 12.; Rom. xiii. 4. Hence may be inferred not only the lawfulness, but the obligation, of punishing murder with death; Exod. xxi. 12, 14, 28.; Matt. xxvi. 52.; Rev. xiii. 10. "Of every man's brother;" this clause is explanatory of the former; viz. "at the hand of man, EVEN at the hand of every man's brother, will I require (punish the taking away) the life of man." We are here taught that all mankind, being of one blood, ought to regard each other as brethren; Acts xvii. 26. With v. 7. comp. ch. i. 28. 9. my covenant] I will perform my promise or solemn engagement, namely, not to cut off all flesh any more by the waters of a flood; v. 11. comp. ch. vi. 18. note. This covenant the Lord declares shall be established "with you, and with every living creature," because the benefits of it were to extend to all the animal creation, as well as to man; and the rainbow was to be the constant token of it, the divinely appointed pledge that God on his part would perform it; v. 13.; Isa. liv. 9. 12. the token] Viz. the seal or pledge that I will perform this my covenant with you, as is evident from v. 15, 16.; ch. xvii. 11. ; Exod. xii. 13. As the rainbow is produced by natural causes, it doubtless existed before the flood. All that is here implied is, that it was then appointed the pledge, or outward visible sign, of the covenant with Noah, to assure him and his seed after him, that God would as surely perform his engagement as the rainbow would appear in the cloud. 15. remember] I will not be forgetful of the covenant, &c.; comp. ch. viii. 1. note. In the next verse, the words, "I will look upon it that I may remember," &c. signify, I will regard the rainbow as the pledge of my performing "the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature." 18. the father of Canaan.] Ham had other sons, ch. x. 6. but Canaan is here specified as being the subject of the curse, v. 25. 20. began] Viz. began, after the deluge, to addict himself to the cultivation of the ground, and, among other agricultural operations, planted a vineyard. As God endued Noah with the spirit of prophecy, we cannot suppose him guilty of being voluntarily inebriated, but that it arose from his inexperience of the strength of wine. 25. he said,] Viz. by divine inspiration, for his words contain a remarkable prophecy. This, like some other predictions, must be understood, not of single persons, but of the nations descended from them; and the meaning is, that the curse which Noah pronounced for Ham's offence should visit him in his progeny, and be limited to the posterity of his son Canaan. There were righteous individuals among them, whom, of course, this curse did not affect; but as a nation, the Canaanites were plunged into the deepest wickedness and corruption, as appears from their history, Levit. xviii. 20.; Deut. iv. xii. and consequently were justly doomed to the mean and vile slavery, which is expressed by the words, "a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren." The term 'brother" was used by the Hebrews for more distant relations; and about eight hundred years after the delivery of this prophecy, the Israelites, the descendants of Shem, subdued the Canaanites, who have ever since been subject to a foreign yoke. 27. enlarge] Viz. shall increase both his descendants and their territories, which was the fact, for they possessed, besides all Europe, a considerable part of Asia, ch. x. 2. et seq. But the Hebrew may be rendered," God shall persuade Japheth," which was accomplished by their conversion to Christianity. The next clause," he shall dwell," &c. may refer either to God or to Japheth. In the former sense the prophecy was fulfilled by the visible presence of the Deity in the tabernacle and temple of the Jews, and by the Word becoming flesh, and dwelling among them, John i. 1, 18.; in the latter, by the Greeks and Romans, who were descended from Japheth, and conquered Judea, and other countries of Asia, belonging to Shem. CHAPTER X. 1. Now these, &c.] We have in this chapter an account of the origin of nations from the three sons of Noah. In the uncertainty which often attaches to proper names, and in a relation of matters remounting to the most remote antiquity, some difficulties must be inevitable; yet learned men have traced the origin of every people upon the earth to these three sources, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, with such wonderful precision and accuracy, as to afford a convincing proof of the authenticity of the book of Genesis. All that can be done here is to observe generally, that the Cimmerians or ancient Celts are supposed to be descended from Gomer; the Scythians from Magog; the Medes from Madai; the Ionians, or ancient Greeks, from Javan; the Tiberini from Tubal; the Moscovites, or Russians, from Meshech; the Thracians from Tiras. A more particular account follows of those descended from the sons of Gomer and Javan, by whom "the isles of the Gentiles," i. e. according to the Hebrew phraseology, the regions separated from them by the sea, comprehending the islands of the Mediterranean, Europe, and Asia Minor, "were divided in their lands; every one," &c. i. e. these regions were divided among the descendants of Gomer and Javan, each distinguished by their dialects and families which formed the several nations. Ashkenaz and his descendants are supposed to have inhabited Bithynia; Riphath, Paphlagonia; Togarmah, Phrygia or Cappadocia ; Elishah, Elis in Peloponnesus; Tarshish, Tarsus in Cilicia, or Tartessus in Spain; Kittim, Italy; Dodanim, or Rodanim, either some part of Gaul or Greece. 5. every one after his tongue,] As the whole earth was then of one language, ch. xi. 1. this must mean, each according to his dialect; for the different families, though speaking one common language, might differ in particular idioms and forms of expression: so v. 20. 31. 6. Cush,] Cush was the father of the Ethiopians and some of the Arabian tribes; Mizraim of the Egyptians; Phut of the Libyans; and Canaan of the Canaanites. The sons of Cush, mentioned in the next verse, were the ancestors of those who dwelt in part of Arabia and Babylonia. 8. began to be a mighty one] Viz. he was the first who possessed great power and authority in the earth; in addition to which," he was a mighty hunter," v. 9. which may be taken literally for being strenuous in hunting, or figuratively for being a great tyrant and oppressor; Jer. xvi. 16.; Micah vii. 2. Both senses may be included, for by the chase he would be inured to toil, and would collect a band of robust men to attend him, and to be the means of securing his dominion. "Before the Lord," i. e. in his sight, ch. vi. 11. Moses adds, that Nimrod became so mighty and renowned, that his name became proverbial for those who bore some resemblance to him. 11. Ashur,] Many render, as in the margin, "he went into Assyria, and builded;" but the Hebrew will scarcely bear this translation, and the meaning is, Out of that land of Shinar, Ashur went forth and built Nineveh -V. 21. see v. 5. note. 21. father of all the children of Eber,] Rather, "the father of the Hebrews;" for, as Eber or Heber was not the son of Shem, but of Salah, it is used here as an appellative, denoting to pass over; and the Hebrews were probably so called from their passing over the Euphrates in coming into the land of Canaan; ch. xi. 31.; Josh. xxiv. 2, 3. 22. Elam,] and his descendants inhabited Persia. From Asshur the Assyrians descended; from Arphaxad, the Chaldeans; from Lud, the Lydians; from Aram, the Syrians. 25. Peleg] denotes in Hebrew, division;" for in his days was [were the inhabitants of] the earth divided" and dispersed upon the confusion of languages, as related in the next chapter.V. 31, 32. see v. 1. 5. notes. CHAPTER XI. 1. of one language,] That the meaning literally is, that all mankind then spoke one and the same language, is evident from v. 7. but what this language was, or whether any remains of it still exist, it is impossible to say. 2. as they journeyed] Not all the posterity of Noah, but a part of them, who, in consequence of the increase of population, were obliged to disperse themselves abroad, and in so doing came westward into the land of Shinar, "and dwelt there," i. e. settled there. 3. Go to,] An hortatory interjection, equivalent to our saying, "Come, let us," &c. "Slime;" the Hebrew probably means bitumen, a kind of pitch or natural cement, with which Assyria abounds. 4. may reach unto heaven;] A common hyperbolical expression denoting an exceeding high tower; Deut. i. 28. ix. 1.; Matt. xi. 23. "and let us make us a name," i. e. let us obtain fame and renown, 2 Sam. viii. 13.; Isa. lxiii. 12. 14.; Jer. xxxii. 20. meaning, Let us build a city with a tower, suited for our settlement here, and let us gain a reputation by establishing ourselves in it, "lest we," like other families, "be scattered abroad," &c. Thus their crime consisted in a wicked attempt to prevent that dispersion abroad which God had decreed and commanded, ch. |