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two fishes, fufficed to feed five thousand people, and the fragments afterward filled twelve baskets, though we should suppose they were two karmuds, or two of the bonni fpecies, two kinds of fifh which are found in the fea of Tiberias, and which are faid to weigh near thirty pounds each'. However, it should feem, they were not fo large, as they were brought thither for fale by a little lad, according to the import of the Greek word made ufe of there, though they might not be what we call fmall fishes.

When the nets were drawn on fhore, he that called to them to know whether they had catched any thing, ordered them to bring some of the fish to him, for his use, which, as he appeared as a ftranger, we are to fuppofe was done in confequence of a purchase made of them; he then immediately applied himself to the preparing them for eating, while they were bufied in clearing the net, and when the fish were broiled, and they began to be a little at leifure, he faid to them, "Come and dine," ver. 12, or take fome refreshment after your toil this morning. This is quite in the prefent Arab tafte, the Arabs inviting ftrangers to eat with them, and even thofe of figure asking people in very low life. Our Lord Jefus here expreffed the fame kind of generofity mingled with humility: He all

See Obf. on divers Paff. of Script. vol. 2, ch. 8, obf. 4.

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the while claiming no knowledge of them; nor they of him.

Had he not afked them to eat with him, they would foon, in courfe, have prepared for themselves they had plenty of provifions; they were come to the fhore, to which we find, by Doubdan, the fishermen of that country are wont to repair, when they are difposed to dress the fish they catch; and they had made a very abundant capture, and wanted not immediately to return to their fishing, But this ftranger, by his generofity, made fuch care unneceffary on their part, having got a fire ready, and prepared bread: nothing was wanted but the broiling the fish,

When it is faid, v. 4, " The difciples "knew not that it was Jefus," it means that they did not know at firft fight, upon feeing him ftanding on the fhore; when it is faid, V. 12, "None of the difciples durft ask "him, who art thou? knowing it was the "Lord," it expreffes their not being all perfectly fatisfied it was their Lord, at the time of his inviting them to come and eat with him, while yet it was unlawful for a Jew to eat with one of another nation', and there was a mixture of Gentiles among them, particularly in Galilee, yet they were fo apprehenfive it might be Jefus, that none dared to express so much doubt of it as to ask the

Acts 10. 28, ch. 11. 3.

• Called Galilee of the Gentiles, Mat. 4. 15.

queftion :

queftion but when he came to take bread, and to give it to them, the like circumstances as caused the two difciples at Emmaus to recognise their Lord', it is natural to fuppofe, produced the fame effect in them here; and if there had been the leaft fhadow of a doubt. that remained, it must have been removed by the manner of his addreffing Peter, “Simon "fon of Jonas, loveft thou me more than "these? He faith unto him, Yea, Lord, thou "knoweft that I love thee. He faith unto "him, Feed my lambs, &c." Accordingly, however unapprehenfive they were of it's being their Lord at firft, St. John gives it as a fact of which they were fully affured before our Lord retired.

I will only add, that by the ftory of Doubdan it appears, that the Eastern fishermen are difpofed to put afhore, and eat fish early in the day, as well as towards evening.

OBSERVATION LX.

Our verfion of Gen. xxxi. 46, reprefents Jacob's fitting, with his relations and friends, when he held a folemn feaft, on an heap of ftones: one would be inclined to fufpect the

Luke 24. 35.

2 And Jacob faid unto his brethren, Gather fones: and they took ftones, and made an heap; and they did eat there UPON the heap.

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juftness of the tranflation, as to this circumftance, of the manner in which he treated his friends; but it is made less incredible, by the account Niebuhr has given us, in the first volume of his Travels, of the manner in which fome of the nobles of the court of the Imam feated themfelves, when he visited that prince at Saná of Arabia, his capital city'.

It is certain the particle (gnal), tranflated in this paffage upon, fometimes fignifies near to, or fomething of that fort: fo it is twice used in this fenfe, Gen. xvi. 7, "And the

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Angel of the Lord found her by a fountain "of water in the wilderness, by the fountain "in the way to Shur." to Shur." So Gen. xxiv. 13, Behold, I ftand here by the well of water, "and the daughters of the men of the city "come out to draw water." The fame may be observed in many other places of the book of Genefis.

Confequently the fitting of Jacob and Laban, with their relations and friends, might be understood to have been only near the heap of ftones which was collected together upon this occafion, and defigned for a memorial of prefent reconciliation, and reciprocal engagement to preserve peace and amity in future times; but their actual fitting on this heap of ftones may perhaps appear fomewhat lefs improbable, after reading the following paffage of Niebuhr's Travels, relating to his being

! P. 339:

admitted

admitted to an audience of the Imam of Yemen.

"I had gone from my lodgings indisposed, "and by standing fo long found myself so "faint, that I was obliged to afk permiffion "to quit the room. I found near the door "fome of the principal officers of the court, "who were fitting, in a fcattered manner, "in the shade, upon ftones, by the fide of the "wall. Among them was the Nakib (the

general, or rather mafter of the horse) Gheir Allah, with whom I had had fome acquaintance before. He immediately re"figned his place to me, and applied himself "to draw together ftones into an heap, in order to build himself a new feat."

This management to us appears very ftrange; it might poffibly be owing to the extreme heat of that time of the year in that country', which made fitting on the ground very difagreeable; it can hardly however be fuppofed that they fat upon the heap of ftones that had been gathered together on Mount Gilead', for this reafon, fince high grounds are cooler than those that lie low '; fince it was in the fpring-time, when the heat is more moderate, for it was at the time of fheep

I

The latter end of July. See alfo p. 245, where we have an account of their not fitting on the ground, in another part of Aràbia, which is a burning fand.

2 Gen. 31. 21.

3 This is a remark made by Nicbuhr, over and over again, in this volume of his Travels.

fhearing:

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