The book of Genesis, and part of the book of Exodus : a revised version with marginal references and an explanatory commentary

1872·23.9 MB·English

by  Alford, Henry, 1810-1871

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COPM
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THE BOOK OF GENESIS,
PART OF THE BOOK OF EXODUS
g^ <Ecbiscb 0crsioit, tviitlj gliirginiil |tcfercnxcs,
EXPLANATORY COMMENTARY.
HENRY AFFORD,
D. D.,
LATE DEAN OF CANTERBURY.
STRAHAN & CO.,
LUDGATE HILL, LONDON.
56,
1872.
[A/iRights resen'ed.]
JOHN CHILD3 AND SON, PRINTERS.
;
PREFACE.
In Februarj', 1870, Dean Alford undertook to write an explana-
tory Commentary on the Old Testament. The first volume was
intended to include the Pentateuch. In the course of the year he
completed the Book of Genesis, revised it for the press, and placed
the first sheet in the printers' hands: he also wrote the Com-
mentary as far as the twenty-fifth chapter of the Book of Exodus
when his work on earth ended, on Jan. 12th, 1871.
It is due both to his memory and to those for whose instruction
he laboured,that the unfinished volume shouldbe published exactly
as he left it.
Pains have been taken to make the publication as accurate as
possible. But if errors are observed, it will be borne in mind
that the difficulty of printing from the manuscript was not slight,
and the difiiculty of correcting the press was increased by an un-
foreseen occurrence to the manuscript.
It was the Dean's intention to prefix to the Book of Genesis, a
general Introduction : but no part of it was actually written.
Many important questions, at which he only glances in the Com-
mentary, were to be discussed in the Introduction. Among
them were "all —general matters respecting—the Creation of the
AVorldand Man " "science—and revelation" "theuseofthename
Elohim in the first chapter " ^' the distinctness of the accounts of
—
iv PREFACE.
—
—tlie Creation in the first two chapters" " Paradise and the Fall "
"— "—
"the trees of Life and—Knowledge "the Sons of God " the
Flood and its extent" "the Confusion of Tongues and Disper-
—
sion " also "the Anthropomorphism ofthe early part ofGenesis,"
and "the hypothesis ofthe composition of the book by two writers,
distinguished as the Elohist and the Jehovist, or even by more
than two."
A —
book which he valued highly Theophylact's Commentaries
—
on St. Paul was first published in England under circumstances
so similar to those in which this Commentary is submitted to the
Header, that I venture to introduce it Avith the words ofthe preface
ofthat book
:
"Virum omni literarum genere excultum, inter media optima)
frugis molimina abreptum, etiam ignoti flebunt. At vero mei
muneris esse duxi (qui in istiusmodi studiis illi inservierim) non
tarn dcfunctum ignavo questu prosequi, quam qua? voluerit, memi-
nisse qua) mandaverit exequi. Ilinc animus mihi accendebatur
;
hosce Commentaries quos ille bono publico destinaverat pro medio-
critate mea potius excolere qiiam una cum ipso sepelire. Priores
ipsius curas, atque etiam secundas experti erant manus tantum
;
deerat suprema, Unde licet fortassis baud usque adeo absolutes,
non tamen omnino neglectos, prodire comperies."
W. T. B.
Kenshiglon, J/iiip, 1872.