Then tlirew Telemachus
His arms around his father's nee/c, and wept. Pangs of soft sorrow, not to be siipprcss'd,
So ihey their chttks with bi^ round drops of woe Bedciein!!; stood.-. — See the note on ver. I.
I forbear to quote Pope's translation, because it bears little or no resemblance to the original — it seems rather to be formed for the parallel he had in view.
V'tise 5. Be not grieved nor angry:;/(/( yourselves] This i discovers a truly nohle mind — he not only fon^ives and for- ■ gels, but he wishes, even those who had wiongetl him to ic_irget! the injury they had done, that they might not sufler distress on the account; and with deep piety he attributes the whole i to the Providence of Gud: lor, says Ir", God did send nie i before you lo- preserve life. On every word here a strong | emphasis may be laid. It is not you, but God — it is not you i that sold me, but God who sent me — I'gypt and Canaan inu^t I both have perished, had not a merciful provision been madt— you were to come down hither, and God sent me before you—
the land: and yet there are five years, in the wliicli, there s/iall neither be caring, nor harvest.
7 And God sent me before you * to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save jour lives by a great dehverancc.
8 So now it xcas not you that sent me hither, but God: and lie hath made me ""a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.
9 Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not:
10 And ' thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and tliy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast:
death must have been the consequence of this famine, had^ not God sent me here to preserve life.
Verse 6. There shall neither be eariin; nor harvest] E.\R1NG has been supposed to mean codieclinir the ears of corn; which vould confound it with liarvest: the word, however, means ploiii^hiiig or seed-time, from the Anglo-.Saxon ejiian, erian, probably borrowed from the Latin aro, to plough — and plainly means, that there should be no seed-time, and consequently no harvest; and why? Because there should be a total want of rain in other countries, and the Nile should not rise abo\e tX!:elve cubits in Egypt; see on cliap.,\li. 3 1. But the ex])reseions here must be qualified a little, as we find from chap, xlvii. 19. that the Egyptians came to Joseph to buy seed; and it is probable, that even during this famine they sowed some of the ground, particularly on the borders of the river, from which a crop, thougli not an abundant one, might be produced. Tlie passage, however, in the above cliaptei-, may refer to the last year of the famine, when Ihey came to procure seed for the e!imin<^ year.
Verse 8. He hath made me a father to Pharaoli] It has already been conjectured, that father was a name of office in Egypt, and that father of Pharaoh might, among them, signify the same as prime minister, or the king's minister, does among us. Calmet has remarked, tliat aijiong the Phoenicians, Persians, Arabians, and Romans, the title of./«(/(er was given to certain officers of state. The Roman emperors gave the name of father to the prefects of the Rrsetorium, as appears by the letters of Constantine to Ablavius. The Calill's gave the same name to their prime ministers. In Judges xvii. 10. Rlicah says to the young Levite, Dxeell %vilh me, and be unto me a FATHER and a priest. And Diodorus Siculus remarks, that the teachers and counsellors of the kings of Egypt were chosen out of the priesthood.
Verse 10. Thou shalt diu-ll in the land of Goshen] Pro-
CHAP. XLV. desires them to return mth their father. II And there will I nourish thee; -■^•^i-a^?-
(for yet there are five years of famine;) "• ^ ^''"^- lest thou, and thy houshold, and all that thou hast, come to poverty.
12 And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that // is " my moiilli that speaketh unto you.
13 And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and ' bring down my fiither liither.
14 ^ And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck.
15 Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that, his brethren talked with him.
1 6 % And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, Joseph's brethren are
bably this district had been allotted to Joseph by the king of Egypt, else we can scarcely think he could have promised it so positively, without first obtaining Fiiaraoh's consent. Goshen was the most easterly province of Lon-er Egypt, not far from the Arabian, Uulph, lying next to Canaan; for Jacob went directly thither when he came into Egypt, from which it is supposed to have been about fourscore miles distant, though Hebron was distant from the Egyptian capital about three hundred miles. At Goshen Jacob staid till Joseph visited iiim, chap. xlvi. 28. It is also called the Laiid of Rameses, chap, xlvii. 1 1. from a city of tlial name, which was the metropolis of the country: Josephus, Antiq. 1. ii. c. 4. makes Heliopolis, the city of Joseph's father-in-law, the place of the Israelites' residence. As DB^J Geshem, signifies rain in Hebrew, St. Jerom, and some others, have supposed that ]tyj Goshen, comes from the same root, and that the land in question was called thus, because it had rain, which was not the case with Egypt in general: and as it was on the confines of the Arabian Gulph, it is very probable tliat it was watered from Iteaven; and it might be owing to this circumstance, that it was peculiarly fertile, for it is stated to be the best of the land of Egypt. — - See chap, xlvii. 6, 11. See al.so Calmet and Dudd.
Verse 1 2. That it is tny mouth that speaketh unto you] The Targum of Jonathan ben L'zziel renders the place thus — " Your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my own mouth that speaketh with you, in the language of the houie of the sanctuary" Undoubtedly Joseph laid considerable stress on his speaking with them in the Hebrew tongue, without the assistance o{ an intcrpi-eCer, as in the case mentioned chap. xlii. 23.
Verse 11. He fell upon his brother Benjamins neck] Amonnthe Asiatics, kissing the beard, the neck, and the shonldeis, is in use to the present day; and probably falling on the neck, signifies no more than kissing the tieck or shoulders.
17 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethrcji, This do ye; lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan;
18 And take your father, and your housholds, and come unto me: and I will give you tlie good of tlie land of Egypt, and ye shall eat * the fat of the laud.
19 Now thou art commanded, this do ye; take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come.
20 Also " regard not your stuff"; for the good of all the land of Egypt is your's.
21 ^ And the children of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, according' to the '' commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way.
22 To all of them, he gave each man, changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and " five clianges of raiment.
Verse 20. Res^ard not your stvjj-'] Literally, fet not your eye spare your inslrunien'.s or vessels, uyh'2 ktkycem, a general term, in which may he included household furniture, agritul- Uiral utensils, or iinpleuients of any description. Tiiey were not to delay, nor enruniber themselves with articles which could be readily found in Egypt; and were not worth so long a carriage.
Verse 21. Joseph gave them wagons'] jyhiV dgaloth, from Vjy %"'> which, though not used as a verb in the Hebrew Bible, evidently means to turn round, roll round, be circular, &f. and hence very))ropcrly applied to wheel carriages. It appears from this, that such vehicles were very early in use, and that the road from I'-gypt to Canaan must have been very open, and mnch frequented, else such carriages could not have passed by it.
Verse 22. Changes of raimeni\ It is a common custom with all the Asiatic sovereigns to give both ganiients atid momy to ambassador.'^, and persons of distinction, whom they particularly wish to honour. Hence they keep in then wardrobes several hundred changes tf raiment, ready made up, for presents of this kind. That such were given by way of reward and honour, sec Judges xiv. 12, 19. llcv. vi. 11. and vii. 9, 14.
Verse 23. Meat for his father by the way] Jito mazon, from n zan, to prepare, provide, S(c. Hence prepared meat; some made-up dish, delicacies, coifcclionaries, iff. As the word is used, 2 Chron. xvi. 14. ^or aromatic preparation.'!, it muy be restrained in its meaning to something of that kind
23 And to his father he sent after ^- '*'• '■''^• this manner; ten asses ^ laden witli ^'^' ""^^ tlie good things of Egypt, and ten she asse* laden witli corn and bread, and meat for his father by the way.
24 So he sent his brethren away, and they departed: and he said unto them. See that ye fltll not out by the way.
25 % And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacod) their lather,
26 And told him, and he is governor over all ^ And '' Jacob's heart fainted, for he believed them not.
27 And they told him all the words of Joseph, Avhich he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived:
28 And Psrael said. It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die.
here. In Asiatic countries they have fe^■eral curious me. thods of preserving flesh hy potting, by which it may be kept for any reasonable length of time, sweet and wholesome. Some delicacy, similar to the savoury food which Isaac loved, may be here intended; and this was sent to Jacob in consideration of his age, and to lc^■tify the respect of his son. Of other kinds of meat he could need none, as he had large herds, and could kill a lamb, kid, sheep, or goat, whenever he pleased. ^
Verse 24. See that ye fall not out by the way] This prudent caution was given by Joseph, to prevent his brethren from accusing each other for having sold liim; and to prevent them from envying Benjamin, for the superior favour shewn him by his brother. It is strange, but so it is, that children of the same parents are apt to envy each other, fall out, and contend; and therefore the exhortation in this verse, must be always seasonable in a large family.
Verse 26. Jacob's heart fainted] Probably the good news so overpowered him, as to cast him into a swoon. He be. licved thou not — he thougiit it was too good nezvs to be true; and though it occasioned his swooning, yet, on his recovery, he could not fully credit it. See a similar case, Luke xxiv. 41.
Verse 27. }Vhen he saw the wagons — the spirit of Jacob revived] The wagons were additional evidences of the trutli of what he had heard from his sons; and the consequence wa.s, that he was restored to fresh vigour — he seemed as if he had gained neiu life — Vim va-techi, and he lived— revixil, says the Vulgate, he lived afresh. I'he Septuagint translate the original word by a,nia7cvpyi(n, which signifies the blowing, and stirrin" up, almost extinguished embers, that bad been buried I under the ashes, «liich word St. Paul uses 2 Tim. i. 6. for I stirrinz "p the gift of God. The passage at once sliews us the; debihtatcd state of the venerable patriarch, and the wonderful
I Verse 28. It is enough; Joseph my son hyel «//rc.] It was ' not the state o^ digniii/, to which Joseph had arisen, that par- liciilarly aflected Jacob, it was the consideration that he was.still alive. It was this that caused liim to exclaim 31 mb.'! " mueh! multiplied.' my son is yet alive! I will g'o and see ' him, before I die." None can realize this scene — the words,
' 1. In Joseph'? conduct to his brethren there are several I things for which it ii difficult to account. It is strange, kiiow- I ing how much his father loved him, that he never took an j opportunity, many of which nui>t have offered, to acquaint I hnn that he was alive; ami that self-interest did not dictate I the propriety of this to him, is, at first view, surprising; as his ^fklier would undoubtedly have paid his ransom, and restored Lhim to liberty: but a little reflection will.shew that prudence jdictatcd secrecy. His brethren, jcalof.s and envious in the? extreme, would soou have found out other methods of defstroying his lift, had they again got him into their power. [Thcretbre, for his personal safety, he chose rather to be a I bond slave in Egypt, than to risk his life by returning home. 1 On this ground it is evident, that he could not with any! safety, have discovered the place of his residence. I 2. His carriage tu his brethren, previous to his making 1 himself known, appears inexcusably harsh, if not vindictive:, but when the men are considered, it will appear sufficiently {evident, that no other means would have been adequate to 1 awaken their torpid consciences, and bring them to a di;e I sense of their guilt. A desperate disease requires a desperate! remedy. The event justified all that he did, and God ap- I pears to have been the director of the whole. I 3. His "conduct in requiring Benjamin lo be, as it were, torn away from the bleedmg heart of an aged desolate father, in whose affection he himself had long lived, is the most 'difficult to be satisfactorily accounted for. Unless the spirit [of prophecy had assured him that this experiment would terminate in the mo;.t favourable manner, his conduct in making it, cannot well be vindicated. To such prophetic intimation this conduct has been attributed by learned men; -!nd we may say that this consideration, if it d les not wuie the hiot, at least cuts it. Perhaps it is best to say. that in all these things Joseph acted as he was directed by a Providence, under the inlhience of which he might have Iwcn led to do many things, which lie had not previously designed. The issue proves that the hand of God's wisdom and goodness du-ected, regtdated, and governed every circumstance; and the result was, glory to God in the highest, and on earth;i peace and good-will among men.
)| 4. This chapter, whicli contains the unravelling of the |i plot, and wonderfully illustrates the mysteries of these paril ticular providences, is one of the most interestinir in tlif whole account: the speech of Joseph to his brethren, ver. I. — l.'J. is inferior only to that of Juilah, in the precedin;^ chapter. He saw that his brethren were confounded at his presence— that they were struck with his present power — and that they keenly remembered, and deeply deplored, thenown guilt. It was absolutely necessary to comfort. them, lesl; their hearts should have been overwhelmed witirover-much sorrow. How delicate and finely wi'ought is the apology he makes for them! the whole heart of the pious and aifectionale brother is at once seen in it — art is confounded, and swallowed up by nature — " Be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves— it was not you that.sent me hither, but God." What he says also concerning h\s father, shews the warmest feelings of a benevolent, pious and filial heart. Indeed the whole chapter is a master-piece of composition; and it is the more impressive, because it is evidently it simple relation of facts just as they occurred; for no attempt is made to heighten the f fleet, by rhetorical colouring, or philosophical reflections; it is all simple sheer nature, I'rom beginning to end. It is a history that has no fellow, crouded with incidents as probable as they are true; where every passion is called into action, where every one acts up to its own character, and where nothing is outre in time, or extravagant in degree. Had not the history of Joseph formed a part of the Sacred Scriptures, it would have been jMibliihed in all the living languages of man, and read throughout the universe; but it contains the things of God, and to all such, the carnal mind is enmity.
Jacob begins his journey to Egi/pt, comes to Beer-aheba, and offers sacrifice* to (iod, I. God appears to him in « vision, gi-ces him graciotis promises, and assures him of his protection, '2 — 4. He proceeds zcith his famili/ and their cattle, on his journey torrards Egypt, 5 — 7. yl genealogical enumeration of the seventy persons rvlio zeent down lo Egypt, 8, <^c. The posteritij oj Jacob by Leah. Keubcii and his sons, 9. Simoon and his.wns, 10. Lc\\ and his sons, 11. Judah and his sons, 12. Issachar a?jrf his sous, \3. And Zebulun and his sons, 14. All the posterity o/Jacob by Leah, thirty and three. The posterity of Jacob by Zit.pah. Gad and his sons, 16. Asher and his sons, 17. All the posteritij o/" Jacob by Zilpah, si.xteca. The posteritij o/' Jacob by Rachel. Joseph and his sons, 19,20. Benjamin wwfi A/.? so««, 21. All the posterity of Jacob bij Ravhei, fourteen, 22. The posteritij of Jacob by Bilhah. Dan and his sons, 23. Naplitali and his sons, 24. All the posterity of Jacob iy Bilhah, seven, 25. All the immediate descendants of Jacob by his Four mv('>, threescore and six, 'l(^. And all the descendants of the house of Jacob, seventy souls, 27- Judah is sent before, to in/'orm Joseph of his father's coming, 28. Joseph goes to Goshen to meet Jacob, 29. Their affecting ■ interviea, 30. Joseph proposes to return to Pharaoh, and inform him of the arrival of his family, 31, and of their occupation, as keepers of cattle, 32. Inatnicts them what to sajj zchen called before Pharaoh, and questioned by him; that they might be pe)-mit fed to dwell unmolested in the land of Goshen, 34.
AN D Israel took his journey with all that lie had, and came to ' Beer-sheba, and offered sacrifices "^ unto the God of his father Isaac.
2 And God spake unto Israel " in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said. Here am I.
3 And he said, I am God, '' the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egj^t; for I will there, ' make of thee a great nation:
4 ^ I will go down with thee into Egypt, and I will also surely ^ bring thee up again: and '' Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes.
.5 5F And ' Jacob rose up from Beer-sheba: and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons "which Pharaoh had sent to carry
NOTES ON CHAP. XLVl.
Verse 1. And came to Beer-sheba'] This jjlace appears to be menlionttl not only because it was tlie way from Hebron, where Jacob resided, to I'^sypt whither he was going, but because it was a consecrated place — a place where God had appeared to Abraham, chap. xxi. 33. and to Isaac, chap. xxvi. 23. and where Jacob is encouraged to expect a manifestation of the same goodness: he chuses therefore to begin his journey with a visit to God's house; and as he was going into a strange land, lie feels it right to renew his covenant with God by sacr?Jice. There is an old proverb which applies strongly to this case; " Prayers and provender never hinder any man's journey." He, who would travel safely, must take God with him.
Verse 3. Fear not to go down into £s^pt} It appears that there had been.^ome doubts in the patriarch's mind relative to the propriety of this journey; he found, from the confession of his own sons, how little they were to be trusted. But every doubt is dispelled by this divine manifestation. 1. He may gn down conlidenlly, no evil shall befal him. 2. Even in Kyypt the covenant shall be fulfilled — God will make of him titere, a great nation. 3. God himself will accompany him on his journey, be with him in the strange land, and even bring V>ack his bones to rest with those of his fathers. 4. He shall.sec Joseph, and this same beloved son shall be with him in his last hours, and do the last kind office for him: Joseph shall put Itis htinds upon tliy eyes. It is not likely that Jacob would have at all attempted to go down to Egypt, had be not
6 And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, ' Jacob, and all his seed with him:
7 His sons, and his sons' sons with him, his daughters, and his sons' daughters, and all his seed brought he with him into Egypt.
8 ^ And " these ar-e the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: " Reuben, Jacob's lirstborn.
9 And the sons of Retiben; Hanoch, and Phallu, and Hezron, and Carmi.
10 And "the sons of Simeon; '' Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and '' Jachin, and ' Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman.
received these assurances from God; and it is very likely, that he offered his sacrifice merely to obtain this information. It was now a time of famine in Egypt, and God had forbidden his father Isaac to go down to Egypt when there was a famine there, chap. xxvi. 1 — 3. besides, he may have had some general intimation of the prophecy delivered to his grandfather Abraham, that his seed should be afflicted in Egypt, chap. xv. ver. 13, 14. and he also knew that Canaan, not Egypt, was to be the inheritance of his family, cliup. xii. &c. on all these accounts, it was necessary to have the most exphcit directions from God, before he shoidd take such a journey.
Verse 1. Alt his seed brou'j;ht he xvilh him into Egypt] When Jacob went down into Egypt, he was in the one hundred and thirtieth year of his age; two Imndred and fifteen years after the promise was made to Abraham, chap. xii. I — 4^. in the year of the world 2298, and before Christ 1706.
Verse 8. These are the names of tlie cliildren of Israel] It may be necessary to observe here. First, that several of these names are expressed differently elsewhere; Jemuel fyr Nenniet, Jachin for Jarib, Gershon for Gershom, &c. compare Numb, xxvi. 12. 1 Chron. iv. 21.. But it is no uncommon case for the same person to have different names, or the same name to be differently pronounced, see chap. xxv. 1 5. Secondly, that it is probable that some names in this list are brought in by prolcpsis or anticipation, as the persons were born (probably) during the seventeen years which Jacob sojourned in Egypt, oee vcr. 12. Thirdly, i\i^\. the families of some are entered
and Zarah: but ''Er and Onan died in the land
14 And the sons of Zebulun; Elon, and Jahleel.
15 These be the sons of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob in Padan-aram, with his daughter Dinah: all the souls of his sons and his daughters jvere thirty and three.
17 'And the sons of Asher; Jiinnah, and Ishuah, and Isui, and Beriah, and 8erah tlieir sister: and the sons of Beriah; Heber, and Malchiel.
more at larp;e than others, because of their peculiar respectabihty, as in the case of Judah, Joseph and Benjamin; but see the tables under ver. 20.
Verse 12. The sons of Pharez xaere Hezron and Hamul.] It is not likely that Pharez was more than ten years of age when he came into E^ypt, and if so, he could not have had children; therefore it is necessary to consider Hezron and Hamul as being born during the seveniecti years that Jacob sojourned in I'-gypt, see on ver. 8.; and it appears necessary, for several reasons, to take these seventeen yeans into the account, as it is very probable that what is called l/ie going dnivn into Egi/pt, includes the seventeen years which Jacob spent Ihere.
Verse 20. Unto Joseph — icere horn Manasseh and Ephruim] There is a remarkable addition here in the.Sepluagint which must be noticed; EysrovTO Se utoi Mai/ao-tr», ov; etexev auTco » TtaXaxvi » Hupa, rov Max'?' Max'? ^e syiWY>ai rov FoiXaa^. Tioi Je Efifai|i* a^sX/pou M.a.vaT(jy[' Xourahaa/x,, Hat Taa:/.c. Tioi Je 'Loura'Saa|^^ EjE/it. These 'xere the sons of Manasseh vshoni his Sj/rian concubine bore unto him, Macliir; and Machir begot Ctdaad. The sons of Ephraim, IMunasstli's brother, rvere Sutulaani and Tuam: and the sons of Suiulaam, Edem. These add Jive persons to the list, and make out the number given by Stephen, Acts vii. 14. wh"ich it seems he had taken from the text of the Septuagint, unless we could suppose that the text of.Stephen had been altered to make it corre>])ond to the Septuagint, clwhich there is not the slightest evidence from ancient MSS. or versions. The addition in the Septuagint is not found in either the Hebrew or the Samaritan at present; and ■ome suppose that it was taken either fi'om Numb, xxvi. 29.
19 The sons of Rachel ""Jacob's wife; Joseph, and Benjamin.
20 " And unto Josepli in the land of Egypt were born Manasseli and Ephraim, which Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah " priest of On bare unto him.
22 These are the sons of Rachel, which were born to Jacob: all the souls -were fourteen.
24 ^ And the sons of NaphtaH; Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem.
25 ' These are the sons of Bilhah, ^ which La-
35. or 1 Chron. vii. 14' — 20. but in none of these places does the addition appear as it stands in the Septuagint; though some of the names are found interspersed. Various means have been proposed to find the sevenlj/ persons in the text, and to reconcile the Hebrew with the Septuagint and the New Testament.
A table given by Scheuchzer, extracted from the Memoires de T7-evoux gives the following general view.
The tivelve sons of JACOB with their children and grands
Reuben and his four sons - -. 5 Simeon and his six sons. - - - ^ Levi and bis three sons - - -. 4 Judah and his seven sons and grandsons 8 Issachar and h'\s four sons - - - 5 Zcbidon and liis three sons - - - 4
Total sons of Jacob and Leah 33
Gad and his seven sons - - - - 8
Asher and his seven sons and grandsons 8
Total sons of JACOB and ZlLPAH Joseph and his tv:o sons -. - - 3 Benjamin and his ten sons.. - 11
Total sons of Jacob and Rachel Dan and his son ------ 2
Naphtali and hi.^ /our sons - - - 5 Total sons of JACOB and BlLH.iH
Total sons o( Jacob and \iis fotir viivca
ban gave unto Rachel his daughter, and she bare these unto Jacob: all the souls were seven.
26 * All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came out of his ^ loins, besides Jacob's sons' wives, all the souls "icere threescore and six;
27 And the sons of Joseph, which were born him in Eg^^it, "were two souls: ' all the souls
GENESIS. goes to meet his father, of the house of Jacob, which came
"To harmonize thi.s: with the Septuacint and St. Stephen, AcU vii. 14. to the number sixty-six, (all the souls that came out of Jacob's loin.s, ver. 20,) add nine of the patriarcli's wives, Judaii's wife being already dead in Canaan, chap, xx.wiii. 12. Benjamin being supposed to be as yet unmarried, and the wife of Joseph being already in Egypt, is out of the case, the number will amount to seventy-five, wliich is that found in the Acts." Universal History.
Dr. Hales' method is more simple and I think, more satisfactory. " Moses states that all the souls that came wilh Jacob inlo Egypt, which issued from his loins, (except his sons' wives) were sixty-six souls. Gen. xlvi. 26. and this number is thus collected:
Jacob's children, eleven sons and one daughter - - 12
Jiidtih's three sons and two grandsons ----- 5
Asher's four sons, one dauglitei", and two grandsons - 7
" If to thc.^e sirly-s!x- children, and grandchildren, and great-graiidcliildren, we add Jacob himself, Joseph and his tivo sons, Ihe amount is seventy, the whole amount of Jacob's family which settled in Egypt.
Jn this statement the wives of Jacob's sons, who formed part of the household, are omitted; but they amounted to nine; for of the fuxlve wives of the twelve sons of Jacob, Judah's wife was dead, chap, xxxviii. 12. and Simeon's also, as wc may collect from his youngest son Shaul by a Canaanitess, ver. 10. and Joseph's wrfe was already in Egy])t. Tliese nine wives, therefore, added to the sixty-six, gi\e ia('Hi'j/-_/itr souls, the whole amount of Jacob's household that went down with him to Egypt: critically corresjjonding with the statement in the New Testament, that " Joseph sent for his father Jacob and all his kindred, amounting to sevaityfze souls." The expression all his kindred, including the rwives whicli were Joseph's kindred not only by affinity, but
28 ^ And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, •■ to direct his face unto Goshen; and they came ^ into the land of Goshen.
29 And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto him; and he "^fell 011 his neck, and wept on his neck a good while.
also by consanguinity: being probably of the families o? Esau, hhmacl, or Keturah. Tlius does the New Testament fumi.sh an admirable comment on the Old." — Analysis vol. ii. p. 159.
It is necessary to observe that this statement, which appears, on the whole, the most consistent, supposes that Judah was married when about fourteen years of age, his son Er at the same age, I'harcz at the same, Asher and his fourth son Bcriah under tiuenly, Benjamin about fifteen, and Joseph's sons and grandsons about txi:enty. But this is not improbable; as the children of Israel must all have married at a very early age, to have produced in about two hundred and fifteen years, no less than six hundred thousand persons above twenty years old, besides women and children. See Exod. xii. 37. Numb, i. 3. and see the note on ver. 8.
Verse 28. He sent Judah before him unto Joseph"] Judah was certainly a man of sense and also an eloquent man; and of him, Joseph must have iiad a very favourable opinion from the speech be delis'ered before him, chap. xliv. 18, &c. he was therefore chosen as the most proper person to go before, and announce Jacob's arrival to his son Joseph.
To direct his face unto Goshen] The land of Goshen is the same, according to the Septuagint, as the land of Rameses, and Goshen ilsclf the same as Heroopolis, Hpoiav ttoM; Heroon-polis, the city of Heroes, a name by which it went in the days of the Septuagint; and which it still retained in ' tiie time of Joscplius; for he makes use of the same term in speaking of this place. See on ver 34.
\'erse 29. And Joseph made ready his chariot] ^^\^yyO merecaboto. In chap. xli. 43. we have the first mention of a chariot; and if the translation be correct, it is a proof that the arts were not in a rude state in Egypt even at this early time. When we find wagons used to transport goods from place to place, we need not wonder that these suggested the idea of ionn'mg chariots {or ca.rry\ng persons, and especially those of high rank and authoritj'. AVc««(y produces arts; and arti and science ])roducc not only an increase of the conveniences, but also of the rcfinanents and luxuries of life. It has been supposed that a chariot is not intended here: for as the word naano meracabot, which we, and most of the ancient versions translate chariot, comes from 2T\ racab, he rode, saddling his horse may be all that is intended. But it is more likely to signify a chariot, as the verb 1D^f osar, which signifies to hind, tie or yoke, is used; and not fiH chabash, which signifies to saddle.
SI ^ And Joseph said unto his brethren, and i unto his father's house, '' I will go up, and shew; Pliaraoh, and say unto him. My brethren, and | mv lather's house, which were in the land of Canaan, are come unto mc. \
32 And the men are sliepherds, for "■' their trade hath been to feed cattle j and they have
brought tlieir flocks, and their herds, and all that they have.
Fell on hisncckl See chap, xl v. 14.
Verse 30. Noiu let me die since 1 have seen iJij/ /«a] Perhaps old Siv.eoit liad this place in view, when seeing the Salvation of Issue', he said, Lord, nozv lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, tVc. Luke iii. 21).
Verse li 4. T/ij/ sen-ants' trade liuth been about cattW] "The land of Goshen, called also the land of liameses, lay East of ilie Mile, by which it was never overflowed, and was bounded by the mountains of the Tliebaid on the South, by the Nile and Mediterranean on the West and North, and by the Red Sea and Desart of Arabia on the East. It was the Heliopolitan nonie or district, and its capital was called ON. Its proper name was Geshen, the country of grass or pasturage, or of the shepherds, in opposition to the rest of the land which was so-wn after having been overflowed by the Nile." Bruce. As tins land was both fruilml and pleasant, Joseph wished to fix his family in that part of Egypt. Hence he advises them to tell Pharaoh that their trade had been in cattle from their youth; and because every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians, hence he concluded, tliat there would be less difficulty to get them quiet settlement in Goshen, as they would then be separated from the Egyptians, and consequently have the free use of all their religious customs. Tliis scheme succeeded, and the consequence was the j)reservation both of their religion and their lives; though some of their posterity did afterwards corrupt themselves; see Ezek. XX. S. Amos v. 26. As it is well known that the Egj'ptians had cattle andjhch themselves, and that Pharaoh even requested that some of Joseph's brethren should be made rulers over his cattle, how could it be said, as in ver. 34. Everj/ shepherd is an abomination unto the Jitr/ptians? Three I reasons may be assigned for this. 1. Sheplu'rds and fccdirs; of cattle were usually a sort of lawless freebooting banditti, ' frequently making inroads on villages, &c. carrying off cattle,; and whatever spoils they could find. This might ])robal;ly have been the case formerly; for it is well known it has often been the case since. On this account, such persons j must have been universally detested. 2. They nui>t have I abhorred shepherds, if Manetho's account of the hj/cso.i, or; king-shepherds, can be credited. Hordes of marauders under I this name, from Arabia, Syria, and Ethiopia, whose chief I occupation, like the Bedouin Arabs of the i)rescnt day, was ' to keep flocks, made a powerful irruption into Egypt, which
S And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, '' What is your occupation.''
34 That ye shall say, Thy servants' ' trade hath been about cattle ' fiom our youth even until now, botli we, and also our fathers: that ye may dwell iu the land of Goslien; for every shepherd is ^ an abomination unto the Egyptians.
they subdued and ruled with great tyranny for 259 years. Now, though they had been expelled from that land some considerable time before this, yet their name, and all persoFis of a similar occupation, were execrated by the Egyptians, on account of the depredations and long continued ravage.s they had committed in the country. 3. The last, and probably the best, reason why the Egyptians abhorred such shepherds as the Israelites were, was, they sacrificed those very animals, the OX particularly, and the SHEEP, which the Egyptians held sacred. Heiice the Reman historian Tacitus, speaking of the Jews, says — " Ctcso AlUETE velut in contumelia A.MMONIS; Bos quoque immolatur, quem Egyptii Al'IM colunt." — " They sacrifice the ram, in order to insult Jupiter Amman; and they.sacrifice the ox, which the Egyptians worship under the name of Apis." Though some contend, that this idolatry was not as yet established in Egypt, and that the king-shepherds were either after the time of Joseph, or that 3Ianet ho by them intends the Israelites themselves; yet, as the arguments by which these conjectures are supported, are not sullicient to overthrow those which are brought for the support of the contrary opinions, and as there was evidently an established religion and priesthood in I'^gvpt before Joseph's time; for we find the priests had a certain portion of the land of Egypt, which was held so sacred, that Josejih did not attempt to buj' it in the time of the famine, when he bought all the land which belonged to the people, ch. xlvii. 20 — 22. And as that established priesthood was - in all likelihood idolatrous, and as the worship of Apis, under the form of an o.r, was one of the most ancient forms of worship in Egypt, we may rest tolerably certain, that it was chiefly on this account, that the shepherds, or tliOoe who fed on and sacrificed the,«e objects of their worship, were an abomination to the Egyptians. Calmet has entered into this subject at large, and to his notes I must reler those reader* who wish for farther information. See on chap, xliii. 32.
On the ])rincipal.subject of this chapter, the going down of Jacob and his family into Egypt, Bishop Warburton, in his Divine Legation of Moses, makes the following judicious retlections. " I'he promise God made to Ahraham, to give his posterity the land of Canaan, could not be performed tillthat fannly was grown strong enoug!) to take and keep possession of it. In the mean tune, therefore, ihey were necessitated to reside amonff idolater?, and to reside unmixed; but whoever examines their history, will see that the Israelites liud ever a violent propensity to join themselves to Gentile nations, and practise their manners. God, therefore, in his infinite wisdom, broucrht them into Egypt, and kept them there during- this period, the only place where they could remain for so long a time safe and unconfounded witli the natives, the ancient Egyptians being, by numerous institutions, forbidden all fellowship with strangers; and bearing, besides, a particular aversion to the profession of the Israelites, mIio were shepherds. Thus tlie natural dispositions of the Israelites, which in Egypt occasioned their superstitions, and in consequence the neccs^iity of a burthensome ritual, would, in any other country, have absorbed tlieiu into ge7Uilism, and confounded them with idolaters. Prom the Israelites going into Egypt, arises a new occasion to adore the footsteps of Eternal \Visdom, in his dispensatiohs to hit chosen people."
Joseph informs Pharaoh that his father and brethreti are arrived in Goshen, 1. He presents Jive of his brethren before tlie king, 2, icho questions them concerning their occupation; they inform him that they are shepherds, and request permission to duett in the land of Goshen, 3, 4. Pharnoti consents, and desires that some of the most active of tliem sliould be. made rulers over his cattle, 5, 6. Joseph presents his father to Pharaoh, 7, tc'ho questions him concerning his age, 8, to which Jacob returns an affecting answer, and blesses PJiaraoli, 9, 10. Joseph p/iircs his father and famili/ in the land of liameses (Goslien) and furnishes them ziith provisions, II, 12. Ttie famine prevailing in the land, tlie Egi/ptians deliver up all their money to Joseph to get food, 13 — 15. T/ie next year, thejj bring their cnttle, l6, 17. The third, their lands and their -persons, 18 — 21. Tlie land of the priests, Joseph does not buy, as it was a royal grant to them from Pharaoh, 22. The people receive seed to sow the land on condition that they shall give a fifth part of the produce to the Icing, 23, 24. The people agree, and Joseph makes it a lata all over Egypt, 25, 26. The Israelites multiply exceedingly, 27- Jacob having lived seventeen years in Goshen, and being one hundred and forty-seven years old,Q.'Si, makes Joseph promise not to bury him in Egypt, but to carry him to Canaan, 29, 30. Joseph promises and confirms it uiith an oath, 31.
HHEN Joseph ' came and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in '' the land of Goshen.
2 And he took some of his brethren, even five men, and " presented them unto Pharaoh.
3 And Pharaoh said unto his brethren, " W[\a.t
NOTliS ON CHAP. XLVII. Verse 2. He took some of his brethren] There is something very strange in the original: literally translated, it signifies, " from the end or extremity, nxpD inikctsnh, of his brethren, lie took five men." lliis has been understood aix diftijrent ways. 1. Joseph took five of his bretliren that came first to hand — at random, without design or choice. '2. Joseph took five of the meanest-looking of his brethren to present before Pharaoh, fearmg, if he had taken the sightliest, that Pharaoh would detain them for his service, whereby their religion and morals niigiit be corrupted. 3. Joseph look five of the best mudc and finest-looking of his lirethren, and piesenlcd iheni before Pharaoh, wishing to impress his mind with a favourable opinion of the family which be had just
is your occupation? And they said unto Pharaoh, ' Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and also our fathers.
4 (They said moreover unto Pharaoh,) '^ For to sojourn in the land are we come; for thy servants have no pasture for their flocks; ^ for the fiunine is sore in the land of Canaan: now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants " dwell in the land of Goshen.
now brought into Egypt, and to do himself honour. 4. Joseph took five of the youngest of his brethren. 5. He took five of the eldest of his brethren. 6. He took five from the exlremilj/ or end of his brethren; i.e. some of t\\e eldest, and ^oMt of the j^owiiijc.s.', viz. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, and Benjamin. Rah. Salomon. — It is certain that, in Judge* xviii. 2. the word may be undtr.stood as iuiplying dignity, valour, excellence, and pre-eminence. And the children of Dan.se?U of their family FIVE men — OniSpD miketsotam, not from their coasts, but of the 7nost eminent or excellent they had: and it is ])robable, that they might have had their eye on the same number, five, and of their principal men, as did Joseph, because the mission was important — to go and search
5 And Pharaoh spake unto Josepli, saying, Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee:
6 'The land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell 5 ''in the land of Goshen let them dwell: and if thou knowest any men of activity among them, then make them rulers over my
7 And Joseph brought in and set him before Pharaoh: Pharaoh.
8 And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, 'How old art thou?
9 And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, ""The days of the years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty years: '^ few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and Miave not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers, in the days of their pilgrimage.
11 ^ And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a pos.session in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of " llameses, 'as Pharaoh had commanded.
12 And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father's household, with bread, '' according to their families'.
13 ^ And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine xcas very sore, " so that the land of Egypt, and all the land of Canaan fainted, by reason of the famine.
14 "And Joseph gathered up all A.M.cir23oo. the money that Avas found in the ^^""•"'^ land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house.
out the land. But the word may be understood simply as lignifying some. Out of the whole of liis brethren he took onlj/ five men, &c.
Verse 6. In the best of the land inake thy father and brethren to divell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell] So it appears that the land of Goshen was the best of the land of Egypt.
Men of activity] 7'n 'U'JX anshey chayil, stout or robust men — such as were capable of bearing fatigue, and of rendering their authority respectable.
Rulers over my cattle] AJpO mikneh, signifies not only ca«/e, but possession or properly of any kind, though most usually, cuule are intended; because, in ancient times, they constituted the principal part of a man's property. The word may be taken here in a more exten.sive sense, and the circumstances of the case seem obviously to require it. If every shepherd was an abomination to tlie Egyptians, however we may understand or qualify the expression, is it to be supposed that Phataoli should desire that tiie brethren of his prime minister, of his chief favourite, should be employed in some of the very meanest offices in the land? We may therefore safely understand Pharaoh, as ex])ressing his will, that the brethren of.loseph, should be appointed as overseers and superintendunis of Iiis domestic concerns, while Joseph superintended those of the stale.
Verse 1. Jacob blessed Pharaoh].Saluted him on his entrance with — Peace be unto thee, or some such expression of respect and goodwill. For the meaning of the term to bless, as applied to God and man, see on ch. ii. 3.
Verse 9. The days qf the years of my pilgrimage] v^yo megurai, of my sojourning or icandering. Jacob liad always lived a migratory or wandering life, in different partji of
Canaan, Mesopotamia, and Egypt, scarcely ever at rest; and in the places where he lived longest, always exposed to the fatigues of the field and the desart. Our word pilgritn comes from the French pelerin and petegriit, which are cor* rupted from the Latin peregrinus, an alien, stranger, or foreigrter, from the adverb peregre, abroad, not at home. The pilgrim was a person who took a journey, long or short, on some religious account, submitting during the time to many hardships and privations. A more appropriate term could not be conceived, to express the life of Jacob, and the motive which induced him to live such a life. His journey to Padanaram, or Mesopotamia, excepted, the principal part of his journies were properly pilgrimages, undertaken, in the course of God's providence, on a religious account.
Have not attained — to the life of my fathers] Jacob lived in the whole one hundred and forty- seveu years; I.saar, his father, lived one hundred and eigluy; and Abraiiam, hi? grandfather, one hundred and seventy-five. These were days of years, in compari.son of the lives of the preceding patriarchs, some of whom lived nearly ten centuries!
Verse 14. Gathered up all the money] i. e. by sellinij- com out of the public stores to the people; and this he did till the money failed, vtr. 15. till all the money was exchanged for corn, and brought into Pharaoh's treasury. Besides the ffth part of the produce of the seven plentiful years, Joseph had iwught additional corn, with Pharaoh's tnomy, to lay up against the famine that was to prevail in the seven years of dearth; and it is very likely that this was sold out at the price for which it was bought, and the./f/M part, which belonged to Pharaoh, sold out at the same price. And a» money at that time, could not be plenty, the cash of the
\5 And when money failed ia the land of Egypt, and in the land of
Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and.said, Give us bread: for "why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth.
16 And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail.
17 And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Jcjseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and tor the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he ^ fed them with bread for all their cattle, for that year.
said unto him. We will not hide it ti'om my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands: 19 Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes,
both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our
whole nation was thus exhausted, as far as that had circulated among the common people.
Verse 1 6. Give me your cuttle] This was the wisest mea- 'sure that could be adopted, both for the preservation of the 'jicopk, and of the cattle also. As the people had not grain for their own sustenance, consequently they could have none for their cattle; hence the cattle were in the most imminent danger of starving, and the people also were in equal danger, as they must have divided a pt)rtion of that bought for themselves, with the cattle, which, for the sake of tillage, &c. they wished of course to preserve till the seven years of famine should ■end. The cattle being bought by Joseph, were supported at the royal expence, a.id very likely returned to the people at the end of the famine; fir how else could they cultivate their ground, transport tlieir merchan<lize, &c. &c.? For this part of Jost-ph's conduct, he certainly deserves high praise, and no censure.
Verse 18. When that year was ended] The sixth year of the famine, they came unto him the second year, which was the hst or seventh year of the famine, in which it was necessary to BOW the land, that there might be a crop the succeeding year; for Joseph, on whose prediction they relied, had foretold, thut the famine should continue only seven years; and con.scqiiently they expected the eis,luh ytar to lie a fruitful year, provided the land was sowed, without which, though the inundation of the land by the Nile, might amount to the Bixteen requisite cubits, there could be no crop.
Verse 21. And as for the people, he removed them to cities] It ift very likely that Joseph was influenced by no political motive in removing the people to the cities; but merely by a Hiolivc of humunitj/ and prudence. As the corn was laid up
land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give US seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.
20 And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold eveiy man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh's.
21 (And as for the people, he removed them to cities, from one end of the borders of EgyjH even to the other end thereof.)
22 ^ Only the land of the " priests bought he not; for the priests had a portion assigned than of Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them: wherefore they sold not their lands.
23 % Then Joseph said unto the people. Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land.
in the cities, he found it more convenient to bring them to the place where they might be conveniently fed; each being withm the reach of an easy distribution. Thus then the country which could allord no sustenance, was abandoned for the time being, that the people might be fed in those places where the provision was deposited.
Verse 22. The laud of the priests boiis;ht he not] From this verse it is natural to infer, that whatever the religion of Kgypt was, it was established by law, and supported by the state. Hence when Joseph bought all the land.s of the Egyptians for Pharaoh, he bought not the land ot the pr.est.s, for that was a portion assigned them hy Pharaoh; and thy did eat, did live on \.\iAt portion. 1 his is the e;jri:est account we have of an established re'it^ion, supported by the slate. ^
Verse 23. / hate bouj^ht you this day, and your land for Pharaoh.] It fully appears that the kingdom o Egypt vvas, previous to the time of Joseph, a very limited monarchy. The king had his estates; the priests had their lands; and the common people their patrimony, independently of both. The land of Kameses, or Goshen, appears to have been the king's land, verse 11. The priests had their lands, which they did not sell to Joseph, ver. 22, 26. and that the people had lands independent of the crown, is evident from the purchases Joseph made, ver. 19, 20. and we may conclude from those purchases, that Pharaoh had no power to levy taxes upon his subjects to increase his own revenue, until he had | bought the original right which each individual had in his j po.ssessions. And when.loseph bought this for the king, he | raised the crown an ample revenue, (thougii he restored! tlic lands,) by obliging eacii to pay one fifth of the product j to the king, ver. 24. And it is worthy of remark, that the i
I A.M. -iioi. 24 And it shall come to pass in the I ^f— increase, that ye sliall give the fifth \ part unto I'haraoh, and fonr parts sliall be your, own, for seed of" the field, and for your food,
and for t'lem of your housholds, and for food ■ for your little ones.
I 25 And they said, Tliou hast saved our lives:; Met us find grace in the sight of my lord, and
26 And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth jort/'/; "'except the land of the "priests only, ivliicli became not Pharaoh's.
27 ^ And Israel '' dwelt in tlie land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and ihey liad possessions therein, and "grew, and multiplied ex-
people of Egypt well understood the distinction between subjects and sa-x'ums; for when they came to sell their land, they ofiered to sell thcmstlies a\so; and said, buj/ us and our land, and we and our land ivUl be servants to Pharaoh, vcr. 1 9.
Diodoius Sicuhis, lib. i. gives the saiue account of tlie ancient constitution of E^ypt. The land, says he, was divided into //(ra- parts: 1. (7nc belonged to the nil ESTS, with which they provided all sacrifices, and maintained all the ministers of religion. 2. A second part was the king's, to support his court and family; and to supply expenses for wars, if tliey should happen. Hence there were no taxes, the king having so ample an estate. 3. The remainder of the land I)clonged to the SUIUF.CTS; who appear, from the account of Diodorus, to have been all soldiers, a kind of standinn^-militia, liable, at the king's expense, to serve in all wars for tlie preservation of the slate. This was a constitution something like the British; the government appears to have been mixed, and the monarchy properly limited, till Joseph, by buying the land of the peo[)lc, made the king in some sort despotic. But it docs not appear that any improper use was made of lliis, as in inucii later tiuics, we find it stdl a comparatively limited monarchy.
Verse 26. And Joseph made it a lavj'] That the people should hold their land from the king, and give him the fifth part of the produce, as a yearly tax. Beyond this it appears the king had no farther demands. The whole of tiiis conduct of Joseph has been as strongly censured by some, as applauded by otiicrs. h is natural for men to run into extremes in attacking or <lcfending any position. Sober and jntlieious men will consider nhui.loseph did by divine appointment, as a prophet of God; and what he did merely as a statesman from the circumstances of the case, the complexion of the times, and the character of the people over whom he presided. VV'hcn this is dispassionately done, we shall.'ite much reason to adore Ood, applaud the man, and i)erhaps in some cases.
I 28 ^ And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so ' the M'hole age of Jacob was an hiuulrod forty and
! 29 And the time ^ drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said
; unto him. If now I have found grace in thy sight, "put, I pray thee, thy hand imder my thigh, and 'deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egj-pt:
50 But ' I will lie with my fathers, arfd thou I shalt carry me out of I'^gypt, and "' bury me in I their burying-place. And he said, I will do as
51 And he said. Swear unto me. And he sware unto him. And "Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head.
censure the minister.' Joseph is never held up to our view as an ttnerring prophet of God. He was an honoured instrument in the hands of God of saving two nations from utter ruin; and especially of preserving that family from which the Messiah was to spring; and of perpetuating the true religion among them. In this character he is represented in the sacred pages. His conduct, as the prime minister of Pharaoh, was powerfully indicative of a deep and consummate politician, who had high notions of prerogative, which led him to use every prudent mean to aggrandize his master; and at the same time to do what he judged best on the whole, for the people he governed. See the conclusion of the 50th chapter.
Verse 30. / will lie ivith my fathers] As God had promised the land of Canaan to Abraliam and his posterity, Jacob considered it as a consecrated place, under the particular superintendance and blessing- of God: and as Sarah, Abraham, and Isaac, were interred near to Hebron, he, in all probabdity, wished to lie not only in the same place, but in the same grave: and it is not likely that he would have been solicitous about thi.s, had he not considered that promised land as being a type of the res! that remains for the people of God; and a pledge of the inheritance among the saints in light.
Verse 3 I. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head] Jacob was now both old and feeble, and we may suppose him reclmed on his couch when Joseph came, that he afterwards sal up erect (see chap, xlviii. 2.) while conversing with his.son, and receivmg his oath and promise; and that, when this was finished, he bowed himself on the bed's head; exhausted will) the conversation, he again reclined himself on his bed as before. This seems to be the simple meaning, which the text, unconnected with any religious system or prejudice, naturally proposes. But because r\r\^ shatach, signifies not only to ho-jj but to worship, because acts of religious worship were performed by boixing or prostration: and because flDO mittah, a bed, by the change of the points only, becomes maleh, a start', in which sense the Septuagint took it, translating the orio'inal words thus, km 'jt^ojiicuvyiijiv lix^aiiX ctti to an^ov T>if fa(3Joi/ auTOv, and Israel worshipped upon the top of liis starti which the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews, chap. xi. 21. (\wo\.ei literatim, therelbre some have supposed that.Tacob certainly had a carved image on the head or top of his stafli to which he paid a species of adoration; or that
! he bowed himself to the staff or sceptre of Jose|.>h, thus fulfilling the prophetic import of bis son's dreams! The sense of the Hebreiu text is given above: if the reader prefers the sense of the Septuagint, and the Epistle to the H ebrews, the meaning is, that Jacob through feebleness supported himself with a st;ilV; and that when he got the requii.il e assurance from.Joseph that his dead body should be carried to Canaan, leaning on his stall", he bowed his head in adoration to God, who had supported hiin all his life long, and hitherto fulfilled all his promises.
Josepli hearing that hii fattier Tufis near death, tooh liis tzco sons Ephraim and ]Mati;issel>, and zcent to Goslica to visit him, 1. Jacob streiigtfieiis himself to receive tliem, 1. Gives Joseph an uccount of God's appearing to him at Luz, and repeating the promise, 3, 4. Adopts Ephraim and Maiiasseh as Ids own sons, 5, 6. Mentions the death of Rachel at Ephraih, 7. He blesses Ephraim and Manasseh, preferring t/ie former uho ic as the younger, to his elder brother, 8 — 17. Joseph supposing his fatlier tiad mistaken, hi giving the right of primogeniture to the youngest, endeavours to correct him, 18. Jacob shezcs that he had done it des\gned]y, prophesies much good e<mcernin<r both; but sets Ephraim the youngest before Manasseh, 19,20. Jacob spealis of his death, and predicts the return of his posterity from Egypt, Q I. yJnd gives Joseph a portion above Ids brethren, zchich he had taken from the Amorites, 22.
AND it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Epliraim.
2 And one told Jacob, and said. Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.
3 ^ And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at ^ Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,
4 And said unto me. Behold, I will make thee fruitfid, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee, ^for an everlasting possession.
Verse 1. One told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick'] He was ill before, and Joseph knew it: but it appears that a messenger had been now dispatched, to inform Joseph that Ins father was apparently at the point of death.
Verse 2. Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.] lie had been confined to his bed before, see chap, xlvii. 31. And now hearing that Joseph was come to see him, he made what efforts his little remaining strength would admit, to sit up in bed to receive his son. This verse proves that a bed, | not a staff, is intended in the preceding chapter, ver. 31.
5 And now thy "" two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt, before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.
6 And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.
7 And as for me, when I came from Padan, " Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there Xims but a little way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is Bethlehem.
Verse 5. And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, arc H«ne] I now adopt tliem into my own family, and they ■shall have their place among my twelve sons, and be treated in every respect as those, and have an equal interest in all the spiritual and temporal blessings of the covenant.
9 And Joseph said unto his father, * Tiiey are my sons, whom God hath given me in thh jjlace. And he said, Bring thein, I pray thee, unto ine, and "^ I will bless tiieni.
10 (Now "^ the eyes oi'Israel were '' dim for age, so tluit he could not see.) And he brought them near unto him j and " he kissed them, and embraced them.
of Jacob's choice, and the ohjert of his iinvaryiiijj afiection; be loved licr in life; he loves her in death: many waters cannot quench love, ueitlier can the floods drown it. A match of a man's own making', when guided by reason and relif;ion, will necessarily be a happy one. W hen fathers and mothers make matches for their children, whicii are dictated by motives, notof utfction, but merely of convenience, worldly ijain, &c. &c. sucli matches are gvneralh' wretched. It is Lcali in the place of R-ichel to the end uf liie's pdgriinage.
Verse 8. Who are lliese?] At ver. 10. it is said that Jacob's eyes were dim ibr age, that he could not see; could not discern any object unless it were near him; therefore, though lie saw Ephraim and Manasseh, yet he could not distinguish them till they were brought nigh unto him.
Verse J 1. / h-ad not thought to sec tliy face] There is much delicacy and much tenderness in th'se expressions. He feels himself now am|)ly recomp;-nsed, for his long grief and trouble, on account of the supposed death of Joseph, in seeing not only himself, but his two sons, whom God, by an especial act of favour, is about to add to the number of his own. Thus we find, that as Reuben and Simeon were heads of two distinct tribes in Israel, so were Ephraim and Manasseh; because Jacob, in a sort of sacramental way, had adopted them with equal privileges to those of his own sons.
Verse 12. Joseph boxved liiinself with his face to the eartli.] This act of Joseph has been extravagantly extolled by Dr. Deltiney and others. " When I consider him on his knees to God," says Ur. Delaney, " I regard him as a poor mortal in the discharge of his duty to his CuKATOK. When I behold him bovving before Pharaoh, I consider him in the dutiful posture of a subject to his prince. But when I see him bendinti '" ^hc earth before a poor, old, blind, dccrepid father, ' 1 behold him with admiration and delight. Mow doth that lumiiliation exalt him!" — T his is insutlerable! for it in efl'ect ■ says, that it is a wondrous condescension in a young man, who in the course of God's providence, with.scarcely any efforts of his own, was raised to affluence and uorldly grandeur, to shew respect to hh father f And that resjKct was the more gratui- ] ioui and condescending, Ijecausc that lather was poor, old, blind, and decrepid! The maxim of this most exceptionable j flight of admiration is, that " children who have risen to afflui ence are not obliged to reverence their parents when reduced in ' their circumstances, and brought down by llic weight of yeriis and infirmities to the sides of tlxe grave: and should they ac-
'I had not thought to see thy face: and lo, God hath sliewed me also thy seed.
12 And Joseph brought them out Ironi between liis knees, and he bowed himself with his fttce to tlie earth.
13 And Joseph took them botli, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought ilicjn near unto him.
knowledge and reverence them, it would be a mark of singular goodness, and be highly meritorious." Should positions of this kind pass without reprehension? I trow not. By the law of God and nature, Joseph was as much bound to pay his dying father \.\m fiHul respect, as he was to reverence his kin.;, or to worship his (iod. As to myself, I must freely confess that I see nothing pcculiarlj/ amiable in this part of Jo-^eph's conduct: he simply aciiuitted himself of a duly which God, nature, decency, and conmion sense, imperiously demanded of him, and all such in his circumstances, to discharge. To the present day, children in the East, next to God, pay the deepest reverence to Xhtxr parents. Besides, before xvhom was Joseph bowing.? not merely his /a^/icr, but a most eminent P.^TRIARCH; one highly distinguished by the Lord; and one of the tliree of whom the Supreme Being speaks in the most favourable and aflectionate manner: the three who received and transmitted the true faith, and kept unbroken the divine covenant: I AM the GoD o/ ABRAHAM, the GOD of ISAAC, and the GoD o/" Jacob. He has never said, I am the God of Joseph. And if we compare the /;v(/(fi' and these;?, an men, we shall find that the latter was exceeded by the former in almost endless degnes. Joseph owed his advancement and his eminence to what some would call good fortune, and «hat xve know to have been the especial providence cf God, woi kingin his behalf, wholly iudepcndunt of his own industry, &.c. every event of that providence issuing in his favour. Jacob owed his own support and preservation, and the support and preservation of his munerous family, under God, to the continual exercise of the vast powers of a strong and vigorous mind, to which the providence of God seemed exer in opposition; becau.se, God chose to try to the uttermost the great gifts which he had bestowed. If therefore, the most humble and abject inferior,.should revei'ence dignity and eminence raised to no common heiglit^ — so should Joseph, bow down Ills fac€ to the earth, before JACOB.
Besides, Joseph in thus reverencing his father, only Ibllowed the custom of the Egyptians among whom he lived, who, according to Ilerodtitus (Euterpe, c. SO.) were particularly remarkable for the reverence they paid to -old age. " For if a young person meet his senior, he instantly' turns aside to make way tor him; if an aged person enter an apartment, the youth always rise from their seats;" and ]\Ir..SV(- vary oliserves, that the reverence mentioned by Herodotus, is yet paid to old age, on every occasion, in Egypt. 1b Mo-
A.M.M15. 14 And Israel stretched out liis "• ^' '^^^- right liand, and laid // upon Ephraim's head, who xvas the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, "guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh xvas the first-born.
15 And "he blessed Joseph, and said, God, " before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac
hammedan countries, the children sit as if dumb, in the presence of their parents, never attempting to speak, unless spoken to. Among the ancient Romans it was considered a crime, worthy of death, not to rise up in the presence of an a5;ed person; and acting a contrary part, was deemed an awful mark of the deep degeneracy of the tim-es. Tiius tlie satirist:
Credehant hoc grande ntfas, if utorle piandum, Si Juvenis VF.TULO non assurrexerat; et si Barbate cuicumque puer. JUV. Sat. xiii. v. 54. And had not men the horny heads revered. Or boys paid reverence when a vian appeared.
Both must have dy'd. DRYDEN.
Indeed, though Dr. Delaney is much struck with what he thinks to be great and meritorious condescension and humility on the part of Joseph, yet we find the thing itself, the deepest reverence to parents and old age, practised by all the civiliEed nations in the world, not as a matter of meriLorious courtesy, but as a point of rational and absolute duty.
Verse 14. Isruel stretched out his ri^ht hand, 6|-c.] Layino hands on the head was always used among the Jews in giving blessings, designating men to any office, and in the consecration of solemn sacrifices. This is the first time we find it mentioned: but we often read of it afterwards. See Numb, xxvii. 18, 23. Deul. 34. 1'. Matt. xi.v. 13, 15. Acts vi. 6. 1 Tim. iv. 14. Jacob laid his right hand on the head of the younger, which we are told he did ivitlingly (well knowing what he was about) /or, or although Manasseh was the first-born, knowing by the spirit of prophecy, that Ephraim's posterity would be more powerful than that of Manas-.seh. It is observable, how God from the beginning lias preferred the younger to the elder, as Jbel before Cain; Shetn before Japhclh; Isaac before Ishmael: Jacob before Esau: Juduh and Joseph before Reuben: Ephruiin before Manasseh: Moses before Aaron: and Daiid before his brethren. " This is to be resolved entirely into the wise and secret counsel of God, so fur as it regards temporal blessings and national privile"-es, as the apo.^tle tells us, Rom. ix. 11. see the notes on chap. xxv. 23. But this preference lias no concern with God's conferring a greater measure of his love and approbation on one person more than another; — compare Gen. iv. 7. with Heb. xi. 4. and you will see tiiat a diflerence in moral character was the sole cause why God preferred Abel to Cain." — Dodd. Tlie grace that converts the soul, certainly conies from the mere mercy of God, without any merit on man's part, and a sufficiency of this is ofllred to every man. Tit. ii. 11, 12. But, it is not less certain, that God luixs tltosa best, who are mosi faithful to this grace.
16 The angel "which redeemed me fiom all evil, bless the lads; and let " my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them ^ grow into a multitude, in the midst of the earth.
Verse 15. He blessed Joseph] The father first, and then" the sons afterwards. And this is an additional proof to what' has been adduced under vcr. 12. of Jacob's superiority; for the less is always blessed of the greater.
The God who fed me all 7iiy life long] Jacob is now standing on the verge of eternity, and his faith strong in God. He sees his life to be a series of mercies: and as he had been aflectionately attentive, provident and kind to his most helpless cliild, so iias God been unto him; he has fed him all ' his life long; he plamly perceives that he owes every morsel of food vehich he has received, to the mere mercy and kindness
Verse 16. The cn^el luhich redeemed vie from all evil] 7NJn ^N7Dn hamulac hagoel. The messenger, the Redeemer or kins»ian; for so 7SJ goel signifies: tor this term in the law of Moses, is appHed to tiiat person whose right it is, from his being nearest akin, to redeem or purchase back a ftirfeited inheritance. But of whom does Jacob speak.^ We have often seen in the preceding chapters, an angel of God appearing to the Patriarchs, see particularly chap. xvi. T. and the note there; and we have full proof that this was no created angel, but the Messenger of the Divine Council, the Lord Jesus Chrisi. Who then was the angel that redeemed.Jacob, and whom he invoked lo bless Ephraim and Manasseh? Is it not.IF.SUS.? He alone can be called Goel, the redeeming kinsman, for he alone took part of our flesh and blood, that the right of redemption might be his. And that the forfeited possession of the favour and image of God might be redeemed, brought back, and restored to all those who t>elieve in his name. To have invoked any other angel or messen<^cr in such-' a business would have been impiety. Angels bless not: to God alone diis prerogative belongs. "With what confidence, may a truly religious father use these words in beiialf of his children: " Jesus, the CHRIST, who hath redeemed me, bless the lads, redeem them also, and save them unto eternal life!"