the son of Isaac and Rebekah, was born in the year of the world 2168, before Jesus Christ 1836. The history of this patriarch is given at large in the book of Genesis. He died in Egypt in the 147th year of his age. Joseph directed that the body should be embalmed, after the manner of the Egyptians; and there was a general mourning for him throughout Egypt for seventy days. After this, Joseph and his brethren, accompanied with the principal men of Egypt, carried him, with the king of Egypt's permission, to the burying-place of his fathers near Hebron, where his wife Leah had been interred. When they were come into the land of Canaan, they mourned for him again seven days; upon which occasion the place where they staid was called Abelmisraim, or the mourning of the Egyptians.

Ben Haggai, a rabbi famous for the collection of the Masorah in 1325; together with the text of the Bible, the Chaldæic paraphrase, and Rabbinical commentaries.

Ben Naphtali, a famous rabbi of the 5th century; he was one of the principal massorets, and bred at the school of Tiberias in Palestine with Ben Aser, another principal massoret. The invention of points in Hebrew to serve for vowels, and of accents to facilitate the reading of the language, are ascribed to these two rabbies; and said to be done in an assembly of the Jews held at Tiberias, A.D. 476.