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From the Creation to the Death of Isaac - Flavius Josephus

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he was <strong>the</strong>refore purifying his followers, he lighted upon <strong>the</strong> gods <strong>of</strong> Laban;<br />

(for he did not before know <strong>the</strong>y were s<strong>to</strong>len by Rachel;) and he hid <strong>the</strong>m in<br />

<strong>the</strong> earth, under an oak, in Shechem. And departing <strong>the</strong>nce, he <strong>of</strong>fered<br />

sacrifice at Be<strong>the</strong>l, <strong>the</strong> place where he saw his dream, when he went first in<strong>to</strong><br />

Mesopotamia.<br />

3. And when he was gone <strong>the</strong>nce, and was come over against Ephrata,<br />

he <strong>the</strong>re buried Rachel, who died in child-bed: she was <strong>the</strong> only one <strong>of</strong><br />

Jacob's kindred that had not <strong>the</strong> honor <strong>of</strong> burial at Hebron. And when he had<br />

mourned for her a great while, he called <strong>the</strong> son that was born <strong>of</strong> her<br />

Benjamin, (2) because <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> sorrow <strong>the</strong> mo<strong>the</strong>r had with him. These are all<br />

<strong>the</strong> children <strong>of</strong> Jacob, twelve males and one female. - Of <strong>the</strong>m eight were<br />

legitimate, - viz. six <strong>of</strong> Lea, and two <strong>of</strong> Rachel; and four were <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

handmaids, two <strong>of</strong> each; all whose names have been set down already.<br />

Footnotes:<br />

1. Of this slaughter <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Shechemites by Simeon and Levi, see Au<strong>the</strong>nt.<br />

Rec. Part I. p. 309, 418, 432-439. But why <strong>Josephus</strong> has omitted <strong>the</strong><br />

circumcision <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se Shechemites, as <strong>the</strong> occasion <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir death; and <strong>of</strong><br />

Jacob's great grief, as in <strong>the</strong> Testament <strong>of</strong> Levi, sect. 5; I cannot tell.<br />

2. Since Benoni signifies <strong>the</strong> son <strong>of</strong> my sorrow, and Benjamin <strong>the</strong> son <strong>of</strong><br />

days, or one born in <strong>the</strong> fa<strong>the</strong>r's old age, Genesis 44:20, I suspect<br />

<strong>Josephus</strong>'s present copies <strong>to</strong> be here imperfect, and suppose that, in<br />

correspondence <strong>to</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r copies, he wrote that Rachel called her son's<br />

name Benoni, but his fa<strong>the</strong>r called him Benjamin, Genesis 35:18. As for<br />

Benjamin, as commonly explained, <strong>the</strong> son <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> right hand, it makes<br />

no sense at all, and seems <strong>to</strong> be a gross modern error only. The<br />

Samaritan always writes this name truly Benjamin, which probably is<br />

here <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> same signification, only with <strong>the</strong> Chaldee termination in,<br />

instead <strong>of</strong> im in <strong>the</strong> Hebrew; as we pronounce cherubin or cherubim<br />

indifferently. Accordingly, both <strong>the</strong> Testament <strong>of</strong> Benjamin, sect. 2, p.<br />

75

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