Dissertations on the prophecies which have remarkably been fulfilled, and at this time are fulfilling in the world / Revised by the Rev. W.S. Dobson.

  • Thomas Newton
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Credit: Dissertations on the prophecies which have remarkably been fulfilled, and at this time are fulfilling in the world / Revised by the Rev. W.S. Dobson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    is also confirmed by the Jerusalem Targum) that the tribe of Simeon were so straitened in their situation and circumstances, that great numbers were necessitated to seek a subsistence among the other tribes, by teaching and instructing their chil- dren.—Of Zebulun it is said, (ver. 13.) ‘‘ He shall dwell at the haven of the sea, and shall be for an haven of ships :” and ac- cordingly the tribe of Zebulun extended from the sea of Galilee to the Mediterranean (Josh. xix. 10, &c.), where they had commodious havens for shipping. And how could Jacob have foretold the situation of any tribe, which was determined 200 years afterwards by casting of lots, unless he had been directed by that divine Spirit, who disposeth of all events ?—Of Ben- jamin it is said (ver. 27.), ‘‘ He shall ravin as a wolf :” and was not that a fierce and warlike tribe, as appears in several in- stances, and particularly in the case of the Levite’s wife (Judg. xx.), when they alone waged war against all the other tribes, and overcame them in two battles ? In this manner he characterizes these and the other tribes, and foretels their temporal condition, and that of Judah as well as the rest: ‘‘ Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine, he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes. His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk” (ver. 1], 12.): and not to men- tion the valley of Eshcol and other fruitful places, the moun- tains about Jerusalem, by the accounts of the best travellers, were particularly fitted for the cultivation of the vine, and for the feeding of cattle. ‘The blessing,’ says Dr. Shaw,} ‘that was given to Judah, was not of the same kind, with the bless- ing of Asher or of Issachar that ‘‘ his bread should be fat,” or ‘‘his land should be pleasant,” but that ‘his eyes should be red with wine, and his teeth should be white with milk.”’ He farther observes that ‘the mountains of the country abound with shrubs and a delicate short grass, both which the cattle are more fond of, than of such plants as are common to fallow grounds and meadows. Neither was this method of grazing peculiar to this country; inasmuch as it is still practised all over Mount Libanus, the Castravan mountains and Barbary; in all which places the higher grounds are set apart for this use, and the plains and valleys for tillage. For besides the good manage- ment and economy, there is this farther advantage, that the milk of cattle fed in this manner is far more ricn and delicious, as their flesh is more sweet and nourishing.—It may be pre- sumed likewise, that the vine was not neglected, in a soil and exposition so proper for it to thrive in.’ He mentions particu- larly, ‘ the many tokens which are to be met with, of the an- cient vineyards about Jerusalem and Hebron,’ and ‘the great 1 Shaw’s lravels, p. 366, 367. D
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