particular manner. And accordingly the church of God was among the pofterity of Shem for feveral generations; and of them (Rom. IX. 5.) as concerning the flesh Chrift came. But still Japheth was not difmiffed without a promife. (ver. 27.) God fhall inlarge Japheth, and be fhall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan fhall be fervant to them, or their fervant. God fhall inlarge Japheth. Some render the word (it is fo rendered in the margin of our bibles) God fhall perfuade or allure Japheth, fo that he fhall come over to the true religion, and dwell in the tents of Shem. But the (5) beft critics in the language have remarked, befides other reasons, that they who tranflate the word by perfuade or allure, did not confider, that when it is fo taken, it is used in a bad fenfe, and governs an accufative cafe, and not a dative as in this place. God fhall inlarge Japheth is the beft rendring; and in the original there is a manifest allufion to Japheth's name, fuch as is familiar to the Hebrew writers. As it was faid of Noah, (Gen. V. 29.) This fame fhall comfort us, the name of Noah being thought to fignify comfort: As it is faid of Judah, (Gen. XLIX. 8.) Thou art he whom thy brethren shall praife, and the name of Judah fignifies praise: As it is faid of Dan, (ver. 16) Dan fhall judge his people, and the name of Dan fignifies judging: As it is faid of Gad, (ver. 19.) A troop fhall overcome him, and the name of Gad fignifies a troop or company: So it is faid here God fhall inlarge Japheth, and the name of Japheth signifies inlargement. Was Japheth then more inlarged than the reft? Yes he was both in territory and in children. The territories of Japheth's pofterity were indeed very large, for (6) befides all Europe, great and extenfive as it is, they poffeffed the leffer Afia, Media, part of Armenia, Iberia, Albania, and thofe vaft regions towards the north, which anciently the Scythians inhabited, and now the Tartars inhabit; and it is not improbable that the new world was peopled by fome of his northern defcendents paffing thither by the ftraits of Anian. The inlargement of Japheth may also denote a numerous progeny as well as tinere cogitabit, Afiam minorem, et Mediam, et Armeniæ partem, et Iberiam, et Albaniam, et vastiffimas illas regiones ad Boream, quas olim Scythe, hodie Tartari obtinent. ample Ut de novo orbe taceam, in quem per fretum Anianis migraffe Scythas vero non eft abfimile. Bocharti Phaleg, Lib. 3. Cap. 1. Col. 149. (7) Et ample territory: and if you confult the genealogies of the three brothers comprised in the following chapter, you will find that Japheth had seven fons, whereas Ham had only four, and Shem only five: and the northern hive (as Sir William Temple denominates it) was always remarkable for its fecundity, and hath been continually pouring forth fwarms, and fending out colonies into the more fouthern parts, both in Europe and in Afia, both in former and in later times. The following claufe, and he fhall dwell in the tents of Shem, is capable of a double construction; for thereby may be meant either that God or that Japheth fhall dwell in the tents of Shem; in the tents of Shem, faith he speaking according to the fimplicity of thofe times, when men dwelt in tents and not in houses. They who prefer the former conftruction, feem to have the authority of the original text on their fide; for there is no other noun to govern the verbs in the period, but God; there is no pronoun in the Hebrew, answering to the be which is inferted in our English translation and the whole fentence would run thus, God will inlarge Japheth, and will dwell in the tents of Shem: and the Chaldee of (7) Onkelos also thus (7) Et habitare faciet gloriam fuam in tabernaculis Sem. (8) See thus paraphraseth it, and will make his glory to dwell in the tabernacles of Shem. They who prefer the latter conftruction, seem to have done it, that they might refer this 27th verfe wholly to Japheth, as they refer the 26th wholly to Shem: but the other appears to me the more natural and easy construction. Taken in either fenfe, the prophecy hath been moft punctually fulfilled. In the former sense it was fulfilled litterally, when the Shechinab or divine prefence refted on the ark, and dwelt in the tabernacle and temple of the Jews; and when the Word who was with God and was God (Joh. I. 1.) Eσnnwσv, pitched his tent, and dwelt among us. (ver. 14.) In the latter fense it was fulfilled firft, when the Greeks and Romans, who fprung originally from Japheth, fubdued and poffeffed Judea and other countries of Afia belonging to Shem; and again spiritually, when they were profelyted to the true religion, and they who were not Ifraelites by birth, became Ifraelites by faith, and lived, as we and many others of Japheth's pofterity do at this day, within the pale of the church of Chrift. What think you now? Is not this a most extraordinary prophecy; a prophecy that was delivered near four thousand years ago, and yet hath been fulfilling thro' the feveral periods of time time to this day! It is both wonderful and inftructive. It is the hiftory of the world as it were in epitome. And hence we are enabled to correct a mistake of one author, and expofe the petulance of another. 1. The firft is the learned and excellent Mr. Mede, an author always to be read with improvement, and to be corrected with reverence: but yet I conceive, that he hath carried matters too far in afcribing more to this prophecy than really belongs to it. For difcourfing of the difperfions and habitations of the fons of Noah, he (8) faith that "there hath never yet been a "fon of Ham, who hath fhaken a fcepter over "the head of Japheth; Shem hath fubdued Japheth, and Japheth hath fubdued Shem, "but Ham never fubdued either:" and this paffage hath been cited by several (9) commentators to illuftrate this prophecy. But this worthy perfon furely did not recollect, that Nimrod, the first monarch in the world, was the fon of Cufh, who was the fon of Ham. (Gen. X.) Mifraim was another fon of Ham; he was the father of the Egyptians, and the Egyptians detained the Ifraelites in bondage feveral years. Shifhak king of Egypt fubdued Rehoboam (8) See Mede's Works B. 1. Difc. 49 and 50. p. 283. Edit. 1672. (9) Patrick |