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to be the Gihon of Moses. It is remarkable that the district which this would indicate was called by the Greeks and Romans Susiana, and is still called Khusistan, or "the land of Khus or Chus."

14. "Hiddekel.”—No one doubts that the Tigris is intended. The Septuagint so considers it. Depriving the name of the prefixed aspiration, the remainder, Dekel, has considerable analogy with Dijel, or Dijlah, by which the Tigris is locally distinguished. Its situation with regard to Assyria is inaccurately described in our translation. The words which have been rendered "towards the east of Assyria," should be simply towards or before Assyria.

"Assyria."-So called from Ashur, the son of Shem, by whom it was first settled. Its boundaries varied with the limits of the empire; but the geographical limits of Assyria proper, which formed the nucleus of that empire, nearly corresponded with those of the present Koordistan, being bounded by Armenia on the north, and Babylonia and Susiana on the south, and by Media on the east, and the Tigris on the west.

"Euphrates."-This river is in the text simply mentioned, as too well known to need description. The name in the original is "Phrat," and is still that by which it is locally distinguished. This primitive form of the name remains an element in that which we have adopted from the Greek.

CHAPTER III.

1 The serpent deceiveth Eve. 6 Man's shameful fall: 9 God arraigneth them. 14 The serpent is cursed. 15 The promised seed. 16 The punishment of mankind. 21 Their first clothing. 22 Their casting out of Paradise.

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, 'Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the

garden:

3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.

15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be 'to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not cat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou cat of it all the days of thy life;

18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

20 And Adam called his wife's name 1oEve;

10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the because she was the mother of all living.

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4 Ecclus. 25. 24. 1 Tim. 2. 14. 5 Or, things to gird about. 9 Heb, cause to bud. 10 Heb. Chavah.

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Verse 7. "They sewed fig-leaves together."-The word "sewed" is too definite: the word so rendered simply means "to join or fasten together," which was probably done by twisting the leaf-stems together to form such a covering as was required. The fig (Teena), Ficus carica of Linnæus, has been famous from time immemorial for the production of a most grateful and nutritious fruit. The leaves are divided into lobes, and are of considerable breadth. The fig is the enlargement of the common base or receptacle on which the numerous small flowers stand. This receptacle forms a kind of urn, in the hollow of which the flowers are placed.

21. "Coats of skins."-As some animal (probably a sheep) must have been killed to obtain the skin, this furnishes the first recorded instance of animal death. We soon after see Abel offering sacrifice; it is, therefore, not improbable that the animals from which the skins came had been killed for an offering to God. It is well known that skins and furs still form essential articles of dress in many countries, and there are few better and more durable defences against cold and rain. In Western Asia, the country where sheep-skins are most in use is Persia, being not only employed for linings, but as independent articles of dress-jackets and great-coats-the wool being turned inside. In this text, and elsewhere, God is described as doing that which he directed to be done.

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CHAPTER IV.

1 The birth, trade, and religion of Cain and Abel.
8 The murder of Abel. 11 The curse of Cain.
17 Enoch the first city. 19 Lamech and his two
wives. 25 The birth of Seth, 26 and Enos.
AND Adam knew Eve his wife; and she
conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have
gotten a man from the LORD.

2 And she again bare his brother 'Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

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SYRIAN SHEEP.

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3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.

4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his 'flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had 'respect unto Abel and to his offering:

5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?

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8 Wisd. 10.3. Matth. 23, 35. 1 John 3. 12. Jude 11.

is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?

10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's 'blood crieth unto me from the ground.

11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;

12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.

13 And Cain said unto the LORD, 10My punishment is greater than I can bear.

14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.

15 And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall

5 Heb. 11. 4.

9 Heb. bloods.

6 Or, have the excellency.

7 Or, subject unto thee. 10 Or, Mine iniquity is greater, than that it may be forgiven.

be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.

16 ¶ And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.

17 And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare "Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.

18 And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech.

19 And Lamech took unto him two wives the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.

20 And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.

was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.

22 And Zillah, she also bare Tubal-cain, an 13instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.

23 And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for 14I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt:

24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.

25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name 16Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.

26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name "Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.

21 And his brother's name was Jubal: he
19 Heb. Lemech, 13 Heb. whetter. 14 Or, I would slay a man in my wound, &e.
16 Heb. Sheth. 17 Heb. Enosh. 18 Or, to call themselves by the name of the LORD,

11 Heb. Chanoch.

15 Or, in my hurt.

Verse 2. "Sheep."-There is no animal better known than the sheep, nor any species that has undergone more changes from domestication, if we except the dog. This animal, in the time of Abel, had not altered in its external shape from what it had been in its wild condition. In the Syrian variety the ears are pendent, and the tail is entirely composed of fat, whence it came to pass, that in the law of the peace offering, where the fat was all to be consumed upon the altar, the tail or "rump" was the first particular mentioned in the detail. (See Levit. iii. 9.)

4." The fat thereof."-The same word in Hebrew, differently pointed, means milk, as well as fat. Josephus expressly says it was milk; and Grotius and others think that milk was part of the offering. Milk used to be offered in sacrifice by the ancient Egyptians.

16. "The land of Nod."—Nod seems to be here inaccurately used for a proper name: if so intended, the land must have been so called from Cain's removal to it, as the word means a removal or exile, or a wanderer, a banished man. "The land of exile or banishment" is probably right. The land in question is thought by some to have been Susiana, while others find it in the deserts of Arabia.

19. "Lamech took unto him two wives."-As the circumstance is so minutely recorded, this is probably the first instance of polygamy, a practice which continues to prevail in the countries where it originated.

20. "He was the father."-It was a practice among the Jews to call a man the "father" of any thing or circumstance for which he was remarkable. The same usage prevails now, and always did, among the Arabians, and in many instances furnishes a name which supersedes the proper name of the person denoted. Thus the first of the Arabian caliphs is known as Abu-bekr, or " the father of the girl,”—that is, of Ayeshah, the wife of Mohammed. The same practice extends to the domestics of a large household, each of whom is called the father of that department of duty entrusted to him.

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“—of such as dwell in tents and—have cattle."-He was then the first of those wandering shepherds who, to this day, occupy so conspicuous a place among the inhabitants of Asia, living under tents, and removing from place to place with their flocks and herds, according to the season or the demand for pasturage. These notices of the founders of the primary occupations of mankind are interesting. We have seen Adam as the primitive gardener; Cain as a husbandman; Abel as a shepherd; and now Jabal as a nomade. The reader, by comparing this verse with the 17th, will observe that men lived in houses before they lived in tents. A city was built by Cain; but dwelling in tents was not

practised until the seventh generation from Adam.

21. "The father of all such as handle the harp and organ.”—It is thought that this mention of the principal stringed and wind instruments only denotes generally that Jubal was the first inventor of instruments of music. The "harp" (kinnour) of the Hebrews seems to have resembled the modern instrument in its form. It had ten strings, and in 1 Sam. xvi. 23, David is expressly described as playing upon it with his hand; but it appears from Josephus, that it was also struck or played upon by a plectrum, or bow. It seems to have been light and portable, as we find David playing upon it as he danced before the ark. It was called by the Hebrews "the pleasant instrument," and was not only used in their religious solemnities, but also in their private entertainments and occasions of enjoyment. The "organ" (ugab) certainly could not resemble the modern instrument of that name. It is concluded to have been a kind of flute, at first composed of one or two, and afterwards of about seven pipes of reeds, of unequal length and thickness, joined together; being nearly identical with the pipe of Pan among the Greeks, or that simple instrument called a "mouth-organ," which is still in common use.

22. "Brass and iron."-Native copper and native iron were doubtless the metals here intended, since the method of separating the metals from their ores was not known so early as the time of Tubal-cain, the first who taught the use of them in the making of tools and other mechanical implements. The superior hardness of these metals recommended them in cases where an unyielding edge is required. Copper is slightly inferior in this respect to iron, the hardness of one being represented by 8, and the other by 9. Copper is more frequently found in its native state than

iron; hence we see the reason why xáλxes, or copper, is in ancient writers by metonomy applied to the sword and all kinds of cutting instruments. Native iron, indeed, was so scarce, that it was once doubted whether it could be found in that state. Its existence, however, is now placed beyond a doubt. In whatever region Tubal-cain began to exert his inventive genius, native iron might have been found, whether the site was volcanic or otherwise. The language of the original on this occasion is very expressive, for it does not stop to inform us that Tubal-cain converted copper and iron into edged tools, but tells us that he instructed every artificer in this new mode of applying these useful metals. The powers of every cunning workman received a new impulse in his particular art the very moment when the bruising hack of a stone adze was exchanged for the keen edge of a metallic one.

CHAPTER V.

1 The genealogy, age, and death of the patriarchs 21 The godliness and

from Adam unto Noah. translation of Enoch. THIS is the 'book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;

2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.

3¶ And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:

4 And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters:

5 And all the days that Ådam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he

died.

6 And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos:

7 And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters:

8 And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.

9 And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan :

10 And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters:

11 And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died. 12¶ And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat 'Mahalaleel:

13 And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters:

14 And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died.

15 ¶ And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat "Jared:

16 And Mahalaleel lived after he begat

31 Chron. 1. 1, &c.

Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters:

17 And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died.

18 ¶ And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch:

19 And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:

20 And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died. 21 And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat 'Methuselah:

22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:

23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:

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24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

25 And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat 'Lamech:

26 And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters:

27 And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.

28 And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son:

29 And he called his name "Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.

30 And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters:

31 And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died.

32¶And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

11 Chron. 1. 1. 2 Wisd. 2. 23. 4 Heb. Kenan. 5 Gr. Maleleel." 6 Heb. Jered. 7 Gr. Mathusala. 8 Ecclus. 44. 16. Heb. 11. 5. 9 Heb. Lemech. 10 Gr. Noe.

Verse 27. "Methuselah.”—Sir Thomas Brown, in his "Inquiries into Vulgar and Common Errors," (Book vii. chap. iii) remarks, that this passage affords no ground for the common opinion that Methuselah was the longest liver of all the children of Adam. It merely appears that he lived the longest of the few antediluvian patriarchs whose ages are particularized; but it were scarcely reasonable from hence to conclude, that none exceeded him in age among the multitudes concerning whom no information is given.

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