of it is come unto me: This Earth fhall refufe to give thee her fruits, or a certain dwelling, as it follows.

12. When thou tilleft the ground, it fhall not benceforth yield unto thee her ftrength: a fugitive, and vagabond fhalt thou be in the earth.

a

12. Her ftrength: i. e. Her fruit or encreafe, which speaks Earth, Joel 2.22. This the ftrength of the

was a fit punishment of Cain, who was a tiller of the ground, (v.2.) A fugitive: i. e. Thou fhalt wander about, not having a fetled and fixed Habitation.

14. From the face of the Earth: That is, from that land or ground where now I am, and which I have

13. And Cain faid unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear, s 14. Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth, and from thy face fhall I be hid, and I jhall be a fugitive and vagabond in the earth and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me, fhall flay me.

:

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tilled. The Hebrew word, which is here rendred Earth, is not the fame word which

is fo rendred (v. 12.),but a word of a narrower extent, and which is rendred ground, v.2,3. And in thofe places it fignifies tilled ground, and ground improved, and is ufed with a particular reference to that very ground which Cain tilled. The fame word is ufed v. 11. And though it be rendred Earth there, yet it might have been as well rendred Ground, as it is in the places mentioned, and as it fignifies. When Cain is faid to be curfed from the Earth, it feems to referr, especially to that ground where he then was, and where he fhed his Brother's bloud: And Cain fays here, that he is driven from the face of the Earth: i.e. From that Ground or Land where he was, for it cannot be understood of the Earth, in the largest fence, in which he was to be a fugitive and vagabond, (v.12.) From thy face fhall I be hid: i. e. I fhall be separated from that place where thou haft more peculiarly manifefted thy felf. This God does in his Church, and this he did at the Altar or place where the Sacrifices were offered. See verfe 4. and Gen. 28. 16, 17. Every one that findeth: Whether Man or Beaft. The guilty Man fears

C 3

every

every thing, and flies when no Man pursues. It is reasonable to believe that there were more of Mankind in the World, than those whofe Birth is exprefly mentioned. See verse 16, 17. and chap. 5. 4.

15. And the LORD faid unto bim, Therefore whosoever flayeth Cain, vengeance fhall be taken on him feven fold. And the LORD fet a mark upon Cain, left any find ing him, fhould kill him.

15. Seven-fold: i.e. Abundantly. Compare Levit. 26. 28. Mark: Whether by over-awing the reft of the Creatures, or what

other way foever it

were; God thought fit to preferve the first Murderer alive as a lafting and fad Example to the World of the greatness of his Crime.

16. And prefence of it. Cain went out from the prefence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of

Eden

17 And Cain knew his wife, and the conceived, and bare Enoch, and be builded a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his fon Enoch.

16. Nod: So call

ed from Cain's wandring up and down.

17. He builded: Or, he was building, as it is in the Hebrew. It the original Text that does not appear from

he finifhed it, much

lefs that he had a fixed habitation there, (v. 12.)

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

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

19. Two Wives: Polygamy was a deviation from the firft inftitution of Marriage, Gen. 2. 24. It is Though it were after

brought into ufe by Cain's off-fpring. wards indulged to the Ifraelites, and fo was Divorce allo for the hardness of their hearts, Matt, 19.8.

20. And

20. Have cattel:

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

Or, of Shepherds, and of fuch as feed cattel, which agrees with fer

veral ancient Verfions.

21. And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all fuch as handle the harp and organ.

22. And Zillah, fhe alfo bare Tubal-Cain, an inftructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the fifter of TubalCain was Naamah.

23. And Lamech faid unto his wives, Adab and Zillah, Hear my voice, yè wives of Lamech, hearken unto my Speech: for I have flain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.

23. And Lamech faid, &c. The occafion of this Speech of revealed, it cannot be Lamech's not being reafonably expected that any man fhould

pofitively determine the full fence thereof. Thus much feems plain, that they are vaunting words, intimating his expectation of God's extraordinary regard to him, (though he had, or fhould kill a man as Cain did) many times beyond what he fhewed to Cain, as appears from v. 24. He feems from Cain's indemnity to encourage himself in his violence and wickedness.

24. If Cain fhall be avenged Seven-fold, truly Lamech Seventy and feven-fold.

25. And Adam knew his wife again, and fhe bare a fon, and called his name Seth for God, faid he, hath appointed me another feed in ftead of Abel, whom Cain flew.

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25. Called: i.e. She called, as it is in the he did not do with. Hebrew Text, which out the confent of 4dam, as appears from chap. 5.3.

26. Then began, &c. After Seth and Enos were born, Religion did arife to a greater degree than it had arrived

arrived to under the Off-fpring of Cain, who are therefore onely called the children of Men; whereas the Religious Off-fpring of Seth and Enos are called the children of God, ch. 6. v. 2.

CHA P. V.

The ARGUMENT.

The Genealogy, the Age and Death of the Off-Spring of Adam by Seth, unto the days of Noah; being an account of the Patriarchs, or principal Heads of Fami- lies of those who continued in the Worship of the true God; (See the Note on ch 6. v. z.) The Piety of Enoch, and his Tranflation. The Birth of Noah, and of his Sons.

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TH "His is the book of the gene-': rations of Adam: in the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him.

1. THE Book of the generations: i.e.

The Catalogue of thofe that (after the Birth of Seth, in that

line) did defcend from Adam. The word Book, among the Ancients, was applied to very fmall Writings, or Chapters. Thus the Bill of Divorcement is called, Deut.24.1. An Epiftle, 2 Sam. 11. 14. A Regifter of Names, Nehem

7.5.

2. Male and female created he them, and bleed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when

3. And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a fon in his own likeness, after his image, and called his name Seth.

2. Adam: Or,Man, Gen. 1. 27.

they were created.

3. An hundred and thirty years: By years are meant Solar, not Lunar years,through+ out the whole Chap

ter. If a If a year were put for a month in these places, then would a would Cainan, Mahalaleel and Enoch be fuppofed to have had Children before they were fix years old. In his own Lieknes .e. Like to him, not onely in his faculties, and

i

bodily gifts and endowments, but also in his mortality and the depravedness of his nature.

4: And the days of Adam, after he had begotten Seth, were eight hundred years: and he begat fons and daugh

ters.

5. And all the days that Adam lived, were nine hundred and thirty years and he died,

5. All the days,&c. This very particular account, which is gi ven of Adam, and his Defcendants by Seth, to the Floud, ferves to fet forth the care and good providence of God. And that it does, [I.] As it affures us of God's bleffing thofe Men, in giving them Children, both fons and daughters; there not being any among them that was deprived of this Bleffing. [II] By acquainting us with the long lives of those Men, for the better replenishing of the Earth which God had made. [III.] As it informs us of God's peculiar care of these good Men, in exempting them from the Floud. For it appears by computation, that these righteous perfons were not deftroyed by the Floud, which was brought upon the world of the ungodly, 2 Pet. 2. 5. There was not any one of them, befides Noah, whofe Age reached unto the Floud: And that seems to be the reason that the time of their death is precifely fet down here, which is not thus particularly done in the generations which are mentioned, Gen. 11.

6. And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and be gat Enos.

7. And Seth lived after he begat Enos, eight bundred and feven years, and begat fons and daughters.

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

9. And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan. To. And Enos lived after he begat Cainan, eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat fons 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 Mahalalee!.

13. And