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Chapter I.

A

COMMENTARY

UPON THE

First Book of Moses,

CALLED

GENESIS.

THat MOSES wrote this and the Four following Books hath been s constantly believed, both by Jews, Christians, and Heathens, that none, I think, denied it, till Aben Ezra (a Jewish Doctor, who lived not much above five hundred Years ago) raised some Doubts about it, in his Notes upon the First of Deuteronomy, out of XII Passages in these Books themselves: Which he pretended could not be his, but the Words of a later Author. But when I meet with those places, I shall make it appear, that all such Exceptions are very frivolous, and ought not to shake our belief of this Truth, That these Five Books were penned by MOSES and no Body else.

The first is called GENESIS, because it contains the History of the Creation of the World, with which it begins; and the Genealogy of the Patriarchs, down to the Death of Joseph, where it ends. It comprehends an History of Two thousand three hundred and sixty Years, or thereabouts: The truth of all which it was not difficult for Moses to know, because it came down to his time, through but a very few Hands. For from Adam to Noah, there was one Man (Methuselah) who lived so long as to see them both. And so it was from Noah to Abraham: Shem conversed with both: As Isaac did with Abraham and Joseph: From who in these things might easily be conveyed to Moses, by Amram; who lived long enough with Joseph. In short, Moses might have been consuted, if he had written any thing but the Truth, by learned Men of other Nations, who sprang from the same Root, and had the like means of being acquainted with the great things here reported by Tradition from their Fore-fathers: Who lived so long in the beginning of the World, thay they more certainly transmitted Things to their Posterity. Besides, it is not reasonable to think, they had not the use of Writing as we have; whereby they conveyed the knowledge of Times foregoing, to those that came after.

Verse 1. Verse 1. In the beginning.] The World is not eternal, but had a beginning, as all Philosophers acknowledged before Aristotle. So he himself informs us, L. I. de Cælo, cap. 2. (speaking of the ancient Opinions concerning the Original of the World) οὖν ἅπαντες ει/ση φασὶν, they all said it had a beginning: But some thought it might have no End; others judged it to be corruptible.

God created.] He who is Eternal gave a Being to this great Fabrick of Heaven and Earth, out of Nothing. It is observed by Eusebius (in the beginning of his Book De Præpar. Evang. p. 21 & 25. Edit. Paris.) That neither the ancient Historians, nor the Philosophers, do so much as mention God, οὐδὲ μέχρι ὀνόματος, no, not so far as to name, when they write of the beginning of the world. But this Divine Law-giver, designing to hang the whole Frame of his Polity, upon Piety towards God, and to make the Creator of all, the Founder of his Laws, begins with him. Not after the manner of the Egyptians and Phoenicians, who bestowed this adorable Name; upon a great Mulditude: But puts in the Front of his Work, the Name of the sole Cause of all things: the Maker of whatsoever is seen or unseen. As if he had told the Hebrew Nation, That he who gave them the Law contained in these Books, was the King and Law-giver of the whole World: Which was, like a great City, governed by him. Whom therefore he would have them look upon, not only as the Enacter of their Laws; but of thofe also which all Nature obeys. See L. VII. De Præpar. Evang. c. 9, 10. & L. XII. c. 16.

The Heaven and the Earth.] The Hebrew Particle Eth, put before both Heaven and Earth, signifies as much as with, if Maimonides understood it aright; and makes the Sence to be this: He created the Heavens, with all things in the Heavens, and the Earth with all things in the Earth; as his Words are in More Nevochim, P. II. cap. 30. Certain it is these two words, Heaven and Earth, comprehend the whole visible World. Some would have the Angels comprehended in the word Heaven; particularly Epiphanius, Hæres. LXV. n. 45. ἅμα οὐρανῷ καὶ γῇ καὶ Ἄγγελοι ἐκτίσθησαν. But others of the Fathers are of a different Opinion, as Petavius there observes. It is a pretty Conceit of Theophilus Antiochenus. L.II. ad Autolychum, That the Heavens are mentioned before the Earth, to show that God's Works are not like ours: For he begins at the top, we at the bottom: That is, he first made the first Stars and all beyond them, (so I take the word Heaven here to signifie) for they had a beginning, as well as this lower World, though they do not seem to be comprehended in the six days Work, which relates only to this Planetary World, as I may call it, which hath the Sun for its Center. And thus Philo understood the first word Bereschith, in the beginning, to respect the order wherein things were created. God began his Creation with the Heaven, as the most noble Body, and then proceeded to the Earth; an account of which follows.

Verse 2. Ver. 2. And the Earth was without form, &c.] Some connect this Verse with the foregoing, by translating the first Verse in this manner, When God first created, or began to create, the Heaven and the Earth, the Earth was without form, &c. That is, at first he only created a rude Matter of those things, which afterwards were fashioned as we now see them.

Without form.] A confused, indigested heap, without any order or shape.

And void.] Having no Beasts, nor Trees, nor Herbs, nor any thing else, wherewith we now behold it adorned.

So these two words, Tohu Vabohu, are used in Scripture, where we meet with them (which is not often) for confusion and empitness, XXXIV. Isaiah 11. IV. Jer. 23. Being a description of that which the Ancients called the CHAOS (of which the Barbarians had a Notion, no less than the Greeks) wherein the Seeds and Principles of all things were blended together. This is called, in the Pagan Language, by Epicharmus, (Greek characters), the first of the Gods: Because all things sprang out of this; which was indeed the first of the Works of God, who, as Moses shows in the sequel, produced this beautiful World out of this CHAOS.

And darkness was upon the face of the deep.] Nothing was to be seen, for want of Light: Which lay buried, as all things else did, in that great Abyss, or vast confused heap of Matter before-mentioned. So the Hebrew word Tehom signifies (which we translate deep) tumult and turbid confusion: The first Matter being very heterogeneous, as they speak, i. e. of various sorts and kinds, hudled together without distinction.

And the Spirit of God moved.] Men have been extreamly fanciful in the Exposition of these plain Words: Some understanding by the Spirit of God, the Sun, which gives Spirit and Life to all things upon Earth; others the Air, or the Wind: When as yet there was no Sun in the Firmament, nor any Wind that could stir, without the Power of the Almighty to excite it. This therefore we are to understand to be here meant; The Infinite Wisdom, and Power of God, which made a vehement Commotion, and mighty Fermentation (by raising, perhaps, a great Wind) upon the Face of the Waters: That is, on that fluid Matter before-mentioned, to separate the parts of it one from the other.

Verse. 30. Ver. 30. And to every Beast, &c.] Here he gives to the Beasts, and Fowl, and Creeping things, all Herbs for their Food, but saith nothing of Fruit; from which we cannot well think the Birds would abstain: And therefore they are included in the Phrase, of every green Herb.

Verse.31. Ver. 31. Very Good.] From these words Epiphanius confutes the Manichees, Hæres. LXVI, n. 18. where there is an explanation of this Phrase (God saw that it was good) throughough this whole Chapter. Where it being said at the end of every Day's Work, God saw it was good; and particularly here on the Sixth Day, before he had quite ended the Work of it, he saith so of the formation of the Beasts, ver. 25. Abarbinel will have this to relate particularly to the Creation of Man and Woman. But the beginning of the Verse plainly shows that he speaks of every thing that he had made: And therefore their Doctors in Berischeth Rabba (whom he mentions) say a great deal better, That Man is meant in the first and principal place, when Moses says, God saw every thing that he had made; and behold, it was very good.