Genesis
41
1 “And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and,
behold, he stood by the river.” And it came to pass at the end of two full years
(literally, two years of days, i.e. two complete years from the commencement of
Joseph's incarceration, or more probably after the butler's liberation), that Pharaoh –
on the import of the term see ch. 12:15. Under what particular monarch Joseph came
to
modern Egyptologists in favor of:
1.
sovereign, whose
name appears on a granite obelisk at
Ancient Egyptians,' 1:30, ed. 1878).
2. Assa, or Assis, the fifth king of the fifteenth dynasty of Shepherd kings
(Stuart Peele in Smith's 'Bible Dict.,'
art.
3. Apophis, a Shepherd king of the fifteenth dynasty, whom all the Greek authorities
agree in mentioning as the patron of Joseph (Osburn, 'Menu-mental History,' vol. 2.
Genesis 2; Thornley Smith, 'Joseph and his Times,' p. 42).
4. Thothmes III., a monarch of the eighteenth dynasty (Stanley Leathes in Kitto s '
Cyclopedia,' p. 744).
5. Rameses III., the king of
(Bonomi in 'The Imperial Bible Dict.,'
p. 488; Sharpe's ' History of
p. 35).
It may assist the student to arrive at a decision with respect to these contending aspirants
for the throne of Pharaoh in the time of Joseph to know that Canon Cook ('Speaker's
Commentary,' vol. 1. p. 451), after an elaborate and careful as well as scholarly review
of the entire question, regards it as at least "a very probable conjecture" that the
Pharaoh of Joseph was Amenemha III., "who is represented on the lately-discovered
table of
the twelfth dynasty), and as such receiving divine honors from his descendant
Rameses" - dreamed. "For the third time are dreams employed as the agencies of
Joseph's history: they first foreshadow his illustrious future; they then manifest
that the Spirit of God
had not abandoned him even in the
abject condition of a
slave and a prisoner; and lastly they are made the immediate forerunners of his
greatness" (Kalisch.). And, behold, he stood by the river - i.e. upon the banks
of the
the Memphitic dialect yaro, in the Sahidic yero) being used almost exclusively
in Scripture for the
This was the common name for the
being Hapi (Canon Cook in 'Speaker's Commentary,' p. 485).
2 “And, behold, there came up out of the river seven
well favored kine
and fat-fleshed; and
they fed in a meadow.” And, behold, there came up out
of the river seven well-favored kine and fat-fleshed. According to Plutarch and
Clement of
symbol of the earth, agriculture, and the nourishment derived therefrom. It was
therefore natural that the succession of seven prosperous years should be
represented by seven thriving cows. That they appeared ascending from the river
is explained by the circumstance that the
cause of
by Euna (according to the generality of Egyptologers a contemporary of Moses),
and translated from a papyrus in the
to it an earlier date than the nineteenth dynasty),
describes the
the gardens created by Ra giving
life to all animals....watering the land without
ceasing... Lover of food, bestower of corn... Bringer of food! Great Lord of
provisions!
Creator of all good
things!" (see 'Records of the Past,' vol. 4. pp. 107, 108); And
they
fed in a meadow – בָּאָחוּ
- ἐν τῷ Αχει
– en to Achei - (Septuagint), literally, in the
or reed grass. The word appears to be an Egyptian term descriptive of any herbage
growing in a stream. It occurs only here and in v. 18, and
Job 8:11.
3 “And, behold, seven other kine
came up after them out of the river, ill favored
and lean-fleshed; and
stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river.”
And, behold, seven other kind came up after them out of the river, ill.
favored
and lean-fleshed. The second seven cows, "evil to look upon," i.e. bad in appearance,
and "thin (beaten small, dakoth, from dakak, to crush or beat small) of flesh," also
proceeded from the river, since a failure in the periodical
overflow of the
the usual cause of scarcity and famine in
the brink of the river. The use of the term lip, שָׂפָה, for brink, common enough in
Hebrew (ch. 22:17; Exodus 14:30; I Kings 5:9), occurs also in a papyrus of the
nineteenth dynasty, "I sat down by the lip of the river," which appears to suggest
the impression that the verse in the text was written by one who was equally
familiar with both languages (Canon Cook in 'Speaker s Commentary,' p. 485).
4 “And the ill favored and lean-fleshed kine did eat up the seven well favored
and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke.”
And the ill-favored and lean
fleshed kine
did eat up the seven we favored and fat kine - without there being any effect
to show that they had eaten them (v. 21). So
(literally, and) Pharaoh awoke.
5 “And he slept and dreamed the second time: and,
behold, seven ears
of corn came up upon
one stalk, rank and good.” And
he slept and dreamed
the second time (that same night): and, behold, seven ears of corn
came up upon
one stalk, rank (i.e. fat) and good. This clearly pointed to
the corn of the
the triticum compositum, which bears seven ears upon one stalk. The assertion of
Herodotus, that the Egyptians counted it a disgrace to live on wheat and barley
(2:36), Wilkinson regards as incorrect, since "both wheat and barley are noticed
in
of the Thebaid prove that they were grown extensively in that part of the country;
they were among the offerings in the temples; and the king, at his coronation,
cutting some ears of wheat, afterwards offered to the gods as the staple production
of
us to suppose was held in abhorrence" (Rawlinson's 'Hexodotus,' vol. 2. p. 49).
6 “And, behold, seven thin ears and blasted with the
east wind sprung up after
them.” Literally, burnt up of the east, קָדִים being put poetically for the fuller
רוּחַ קָדִים. It has been urged that this displays a gross ignorance of the nature, of the
climate in
does occur is not injurious to vegetation; but, on the other
hand, it is open to reply:
(1) that direct
east winds may be rare in
as that described in the narrative equally exceptional (Kalisch);
(2) that the Hebrews having only names to describe the four principal winds,
the kadirn might comprise any wind blowing from an easterly direction
(Hengstenberg); and
(3) that the south-east wind, "blowing in the months of March and April, is one of
the most injurious winds, and of longest continuance" (Havernick). Hengstenberg
quotes Ukert as saying, "As long as the south-east wind continues, doors and
windows are closed; but the fine dust penetrates everywhere; everything dries up;
wooden vessels warp and crack. The thermometer rises suddenly from 16° 20°,
up to 30° 36°, and even 38°, Reaumur. This wind works destruction upon
everything. The grass withers so that it entirely perishes if this wind blows
long" ('
8 “And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank
and full ears. And
Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream.” Manifestly of the same import
as that which had preceded. The dream was doubled because of its certainty and
nearness (v. 32).
8 “And it came to pass in the morning that his
spirit was troubled; and he sent
and called for all
the magicians of
Pharaoh told them his
dream; but there was none that could interpret them
unto Pharaoh.” And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled;
or, rather, his mind was agitated, ἐταράχθη ἡ χυχὴ
αὐτοῦ - etarachthae hae chuchae
autou – his spirit was troubled (LXX.), pavore perterritus (Vulgate), the ruach being
the seat of the senses, affections, and emotions of various kinds (compare Daniel 2:1;
4:5, 19) - and he sent and called for all the magicians
of
חָרַט (unused), to engrave, whence חֶרֶט, a stylus (Gesenius), or from חוּר, to see or
explain, and טוּם, to conceal, i.e. he who explains hidden or mysterious things
(Kalisch), were sacred scribes, ἱερογραμματεῖς – hierogrammateis, belonging
to the priestly caste, who were skilled in making and deciphering the hieroglyphics.
Besides figuring in the Court of Pharaoh (Exodus 7:11, 22; 8:3; 14:15) in the time
of Moses, they recur again at a later period in that of the Babylonian monarch
Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 1:20; 2:2) - and all the wise men thereof. The חֲכָמִים,
from חָכַם, the primary idea of which is that of judging (Gesenius), were persons
capable of judging, hence persons endowed with preeminent abilities for the
prosecution of the ordinary business of life, the cultivation of the arts and sciences,
the practice of divination, the interpreting of dreams, and other kindred occupations.
They were the sages of the nation. And Pharaoh told them his dream;
but there was
none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh. The magicians of
conceited as their Brethren in
Daniel 2:4 (Lawson). That they could not explain the dream, though couched in
the symbolical language of the time, was no doubt
surprising; but "the things of
God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of
God" (I Corinthians 2:11), and they to
whom the Spirit doth reveal them (ibid. v. 10).
9 “Then spake the chief
butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults
this day: 10 Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and
put me in ward in the
captain of the
guard's house, both me and the chief baker:
11 And we dreamed
a dream in one night,
I and he; we dreamed each man according to the
interpretation of his
dream. 12 And there was there with us a young man, an
Hebrew, servant to the
captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted
to us our dreams; to
each man according to his dream he did interpret. 13 And it
came to pass, as he
interpreted to us, so it was; me he restored unto mine office,
and him he hanged.” Then spake the
chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do
remember my faults this day: - literally, my faults I am remembering today; but
whether he understood by his faults his ingratitude to Joseph or his offense against
Pharaoh commentators are not agreed, though the latter seems the more probable –
Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, - literally, broke out against them (see ch. 40:2)
- and put me in ward in the captain of the guard's house, - literally, put me in custody
of the house of the captain of the slaughterers (compare ch. 40:3) - both me and the
chief baker: and we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed
each
man according to the
interpretation of his dream (see ibid.
v. 5). And there was
there with us a young man, a Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard (see
ch. 37:36); and we told him (our dreams), and he interpreted to us our dreams
(see ch. 40:12-13, 18-19); to each man according to his dream he did interpret.
And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he (not Pharaoh, but
Joseph) restored unto mine office, and him he hanged (ibid. vs. 21-22).
Pharaoh’s Forgetful
(ch. 40:23; here v. 9)
“Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgot
him.” “I do
remember my faults this day.” Good men have sometimes had to bear
painful imprisonments. Think of Bunyan
and Baxter shivering behind the
bars of a narrow cell, where light and air were almost
excluded, and where
disease and death held sway. How much brightness, however,
has broken
at times from behind prison bars! We might not have had the
‘Pilgrim’s
Progress,’
unless Bunyan had been incarcerated on the banks of
the Ouse.
Nor might the patience and kindness of Joseph’s disposition
have shone
out so brilliantly but for his prison life. In a work
entitled ‘ Five Years’
Penal Servitude’ a most vivid description is given of how
the criminals of
the clever and cultured class have to mingle and work with
those of
ignorant and most sensual type. Defaulting cashiers have to
undergo the
same treatment as cowardly garrotters and desperate
burglars. Breaking
the law brings any under its rigorous clutches, and levels
all distinctions of
class or education. Thus Joseph, a Hebrew slave, although not a criminal,
would be despised by the chief butler of Pharaoh, but the butler had to
associate with him. Indeed the former became his superior
in prison, and
was in a position to render to a State official certain
kindness.
adviser of the Pharaoh of Egypt,
but he is sent to the common prison.
Joseph gives him much cheer,
attention, and kindness. He seeks in every
way to relieve the monotony of
prison life, and becomes a prophet and
religious helper. He sees the butler
one day sad of countenance, and learns
the reason. Readily he, by
Divine help, interpreted the perplexing dream.
His words are verified. The
chief butler was doubtless profuse in his thanks
and promises, but we see how he kept them.
Perhaps the forgetfulness was
convenient. He did not wish,
after his restoration, to remind his monarch
— even by making a request — of
his having been formerly in disfavor. He
possibly never
intended to make any effort, unless it should be a gain to
himself. He is a very
different man in prison and out. This is the way of
men in life. Favors slip from
the memory like floods from a smoothly-worn
rock. We might here possibly
find out certain things in our own conduct
which would indicate a similar
forgetfulness of favors. For example, CHRIST
CAME as the good
Joseph to share our captive state. Think of what
love He
showed in bearing
so much suffering for us. Do not put
aside the thought
of it as not being DEFINITELY FOR YOU!
It was for each one, as if there
were none other for whom to
suffer. Some have not believed, have not come
out from prison, but have
preferred the darkness to light, have thought that
THE ATONEMENT was all unnecessary. They cannot understand how evil
is their state until brought out
of it. A beggar would not be troubled about his
patches and rags in the common
lodging-house; but let him be taken into a
room of decently-arrayed people,
and he then feels the difference, and
shudders at his degraded
appearance. When once brought into Christ’s
light we see
from what we have been saved, and SHOULD BE GRATEFUL
TO HIM! Some
have been brought into union with him, and afterwards have
declined from His way. Dangerous state. We should blame others who were
ungrateful; what if we have
been! The longer action is postponed, the
deeper the
ingratitude, and the less likelihood is
there that the
favor will he
felt. The longer postponed, the harder to acknowledge. Thus the
butler
may have hesitated to speak of
Joseph because he would have to reveal his
own ingratitude. Possibly he
hoped Joseph was dead. Not so; Joseph lives.
Forgotten by
man, he is not forgotten by God. God will yet bring the
forgetful one and his benefactor
face to face.
whereby we can imagine ourselves to exist
in the past. Some have weak
memories, others strong. Some
have memories for places and thoughts,
others for dates, figures, and
words. Whether memory be strong or weak,
the power of association is such
that at times facts long past will be
brought back most vividly.
Revisiting places of interest, traversing certain
countries, will bring to memory
past friendships, and perhaps even subjects
of conversation formerly held
there. A house in which one has been born or
trained becomes a complete
history in time. Certain seasons arouse
memories of the past, as
birthdays, wedding days, Christmas time, or
Easter. Certain circumstances
also arouse memory. Pharaoh’s perplexity
concerning his dream forcibly
reminded the butler of his morning of
sadness in the prison. “I do
remember.” The butler implied
that he
repented of his sins and of his
forgetfulness. He may not have been very
sincere, but as a courtier he
introduces a subject in that way. Let us
remember our
faults, our inconsistencies as Christians, our hesitation to
confess Christ,
our excusing ourselves on the ground of the doings of
others. Let us be plain with ourselves. Let us not see the motes
in the eyes
of others, and forget the beams
in our own. (Matthew 7:1-5) Let us remember
them that we may be humbled, may
gain experience of how to avoid them in
the future, may gain strength to
resist, may gain pardon for past faults, and
learn thereby more of THE INFINITE
FORBEARANCE AND LOVE OF
GOD who is so willing to
blot out our transgressions, and even the memory
of our sins. (God forgives and forgets - Isaiah 43:25; Hebrews 8:12;
10:17 –
not us – we remember, but thank
God, sin “......once purged should have
no more conscience
of sins.” Hebrews 10:2 – we do not forget but
remember them, but the proof of
forgiveness is we have no more bad
conscience of them, there is a
sense of shame involved since all sin
really is
foolishness! I consider the memory
good because it makes me
not want to do the same sin
again. CY – 2018)
14 “Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they
brought him hastily out of
the dungeon: and he
shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in
unto Pharaoh.” Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily
(literally, caused him to run) out of the dungeon and he shaved himself, - this was
exactly in accordance with Egyptian custom (Herod. 2:36). Wilkinson states that
"the custom of shaving the head as well as beard was not confined to the priests in
compare 'Ancient Egyptians,' vol. 2. pp. 330-332. ed. 1878). That the verb is not
more exactly defined by a term following, such as the head (Numbers 6:9), the beard
(II Samuel 10:4), but stands alone (the only instance of its intransitive use), appears
to suggest that the writer was familiar with the practice of shaving (vide Havernick,
'Introd.,'§ 21) - and
changed his raiment, - as required by the customs of
(see Hengstenberg's '
Pharaoh.
The Blessing of Suffering Wrongfully (v. 14)
Joseph had probably been three years in prison (compare v.
1 with ch. 40:4).
Sorely must his faith have been tried.
His brothers, who had plotted his
death, prosperous; himself a slave, spending
the best years of his life in
prison; and that
because he had been faithful to God and to his master. We
know the end, and therefore hardly realize his desolate condition when no
sign of anything but that he should live and die uncared for and forgotten.
But the trial comes more home to us when some one for whom
we care, or
perhaps ourselves, “endure grief, suffering wrongfully”
(I Peter 2:19);
when unsuspecting frankness has been overreached, or trust betrayed, or
feebleness oppressed. We feel
not only that wrong has been done, but as if
there had been a failure in God’s care. It is one thing to
acknowledge the
doctrine of God’s providence, and quite another to feel it under pressure
of
trouble. A frequent mistake to think of suffering as calling for
immediate
restitution. Since God beholds the wrong, should there not be some
speedy
token that he does so? The truth which faith has to grasp is
that GOD
IS
CARRYING A PLAN for which all these
things are a preparation. We may
not
be able to trace it; but it is so. Thus it was with Joseph. All through these sad
years GOD WAS GUIDING
HIM. It
was not merely that in time the cloud was
removed; every step of the way had its purpose (John 16:20). In
the
prison he was learning lessons of the soul, — unlearning the
spirit of
censoriousness and of
self-complacency (ch. 37:2), — and, by
obeying, learning how to rule. And the course of events bore him
on to
what was prepared for him. Had he
remained at home, or returned thither,
or had Potiphar not cast him into prison, he would not have been the head
of a great work in
fulfilling God’s promise.
Not one step of his course was in vain; his
sufferings were blessings.
suffered for us, “leaving us an example” (I Peter
2:21) of willingness to
suffer for the good of others. This is the principle of
self-sacrifice; not a
self-willed sacrifice (Colossians 2:23), but the submission of the will
to
God (Luke 22:42;
Hebrews 10:7). “This is acceptable with God”
— to
accept as from Him what He sends, though we may not see its use
(Hebrews 12:5-7).
NEEDFUL. If it
was so in our Lord’s sinless human nature (Hebrews 2:10),
how much more in us, who must be taught to subdue the flesh
to the
spirit! Without trial
Christian courage and fruit-bearing graces would fail
(John 15:2), as without the winter’s
cold the forest tree would not form
sound wood. And trial calls them into exercise (Romans 5:3), and
through
a sense of our weakness draws us nearer to God (II
Corinthians 12:7-9).
WORKS GOOD. To every
part the promise applies (John 16:20). So it
was with Joseph. God lays no stroke without cause (Hebrews
12:10).
The conviction of this works
practical patience. This particular suffering
has its own loving message.
How different was the end to
which God was leading Joseph from anything
he could have expected or hoped for! Yet
far better. We can see but a very
little way along the path by which God is leading us. We walk by faith that
HIS GUIDANCE IS
UNERRING, and that which he has provided is best
(Ephesians 3:20).
15 “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a
dream, and there is none
that can interpret
it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand
a dream to interpret
it.” And
Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream,
and there is none that can interpret it (literally, and interpreting it there is no one):
and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it –
literally, I have heard of thee, saying, thou hearest a dream to interpret it.
16 “And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not
in me: God shall give
Pharaoh an answer of
peace.” And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in
me (literally, not I): God - Elohim
(compare ch. 40:8) - shall give Pharaoh an
answer of peace - literally, shall answer the peace of Pharaoh, i.e. what shall be
for the welfare of Pharaoh. The rendering Ανευ τοῦ θεοῦ οὐκ
ἀποκριθησεται
τὸ
σωτήριον
Φαραιό - Aneu tou Theou ouk apokrithaesetai
to sotaerikon Pharaio –
It isn’t in me. God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace. (Septuagint), though
giving the sense, fails in accuracy of translation.
17 “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream,
behold, I stood upon the bank
of the river: 18 And, behold, there came up out of the river
seven kine, fat-
fleshed and well-favored; and they fed in a
meadow: 19
And, behold, seven
other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favored and
lean-fleshed,
such as I never saw
in all the
the ill favored kine did eat up the first seven fat kine: 21 And when
they had
eaten them up, it
could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were
still ill favored, as
at the beginning. So I awoke. 22 And I saw in
my dream,
and, behold, seven
ears came up in one stalk, full and good: 23
And, behold,
seven ears, withered,
thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them:
24 And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears:
and I told this unto the
magicians; but there was none that could declare it to me.” Pharaoh then relates
his dreams in substantially the same terms as those in which they have already been
recited, only adding concerning the lean kine
that they were (v. 19) such as I never
saw (literally, I never saw such as these) in all the
(v. 21) when they had eaten them (i.e. the
good kine) up, it could not be known they
had eaten them; - literally, and they (i.e. the good kine) went into the interior parts,
i.e. the stomach (of the bad kine), and it was not known that they had gone into the
interior parts - but they (the bad kine) were still ill-favored, as at the beginning –
literally, and their appearance was bad as in the beginning, i.e. previously; and
concerning the thin and blasted ears, that they were also
(v. 23) withered - צְנֻמות,
from צָנַם, to be hard, meaning either barren (Gesenius), dry (Furst), or sapless
(Kalisch) - a word which the Septuagint and the Vulgate both omit. Onkelos explains
by flowering, but not fruiting; and Dathius renders by jejunae. After which he
(i.e. Pharaoh) informs Joseph that the professional interpreters attached to the Court
(the chartummim, or masters of the occult sciences) could give him no idea of its
meaning.
25 “And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of
Pharaoh is one: God hath
shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.” And Joseph said unto Pharaoh (the
inability of the magicians to read the dream of Pharaoh was the best proof that
Joseph spoke from inspiration), The dream of Pharaoh is one (i.e. the two dreams
have the same significance): God hath showed Pharaoh what he is about to do
(literally, what the Elohim is doing, i.e. is about to do, he causeth to be seen by
Pharaoh).
26 “The seven
good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears
are seven
years: the dream is
one. 27
And the seven thin and ill favored kine that came
up after them are seven
years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east
wind shall be seven
years of famine. 28 This is the thing which I have spoken
unto Pharaoh: What
God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh. 29 Behold,
there come seven
years of great plenty throughout all the
30 And there shall arise after them seven years of
famine; and all the plenty
shall be forgotten in
the
31 And the plenty shall not be known in the land
by reason of that famine
following; for it
shall be very grievous. 32 And for that
the dream was doubled
unto Pharaoh twice;
it is because the thing is established by God, and God will
shortly bring it to pass.” Proceeding with the interpretation of the dream, Joseph
explains to Pharaoh that the seven good kine and the seven full ears point to a
succession of seven years of great plenty throughout all
the
were already coming (v. 29), after which there should arise seven years of famine,
in which all the plenty should be forgotten in the land, and
the
famine should
consume, or make an end of, the land (v. 30), and
the plenty should not be known
in the land by reason of (literally, from the face of, used of the efficient cause of
anything, hence on account of) that famine following - literally, the famine, that
one, after (things have happened) so; adding (v. 32), And
for that the dream was
doubled unto Pharaoh twice (literally, and as for the doubling of the dream to
Pharaoh twice); it is because the thing is established by God, - literally, the word
(or thing spoken of) is firmly fixed, i.e. certainly
decreed, by the Elohim – and God
will shortly bring it to pass - literally, and hastening (is) the Elohim to do it.
33 “Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man
discreet and wise, and set him
over the
the land, and take up
the fifth part of the
years. 35 And let them gather all the food of those good
years that come, and
lay up corn under the
hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.
36 And that food shall be for store to the land
against the seven years of famine,
which shall be in the
Now therefore (adds Joseph, passing on to suggest measures suitable to meet the
extraordinary emergency predicted) let Pharaoh look out a man discreet (נָבון, niph.
part. of בִּין,
intelligent, discerning), and wise, and set him over the
Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers (literally, let him set overseers,
פְקִדִים,
from פָּקַד,
to look after, in hiph. to cause to look after) over
the land, and
take up the fifth part of the
a tax upon its produce to that extent (Septuagint, Vulgate), which was double the
annual impost exacted from Egyptian farmers, but which the unprecedented fertility
of the soil enabled them to bear without complaint, if, indeed, adequate compensation
was not given for the second tenth (Rosenmüller) - in the seven plenteous years.
Diodorus mentions the payment of a fifth in productive years as a primitive custom
(vide Havernick,
p. 219). And let them (the officers) gather all the food of those
good years that come, and lay up
corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them
keep food in the cities (or, food in the cities, and let them
keep it). And that food
shall be for store
(literally, something deposited) to the land against the seven
years of famine, which shall be
in the
through the famine - literally; and the land (i.e. the people of the land) shall not
be cut off in, or by, the famine.
37 “And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh,
and in the eyes of all his
servants. 38 And
Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as
this is, a man
in whom the Spirit of God is?” And the
thing was good in the
eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants. The advice tendered
recommended itself to the king and his ministers. And
Pharaoh said unto his
servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?
The Ruach Elohim, as understood by Pharaoh, meant the sagacity and intelligence
of a deity (compare Numbers 27:18; Job 32:8; Proverbs 2:6; Daniel 4:8, 18;
5:11, 14; 6:3).
39 “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God
hath shewed thee all this,
there is none so discreet
and wise as thou art: 40 Thou shalt be over my
house,
and according unto
thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne
will I be greater than thou.” And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as
(literally, after) God (Elohim) hath showed thee (literally, hath caused thee to know)
all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: thou shalt be over my house,
and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled - literally, according to
thy mouth shall all my people dispose themselves, i.e. they shall render obedience
to thy commands (Septuagint, Vulgate, Onkelos, Saadias, Pererius, Dathius,
Rosenmüller, Keil, Kalisch, Lange, Murphy, and others); though by many
competent authorities (Calvin, Schultens, Knobel, Ainsworth, Gesenius, Furst,
Wordsworth, et alii) the rendering is preferred, "upon thy mouth shall all my
people kiss," against which, however, is the fact that not even then were governors
accustomed to be kissed on the lips by their subjects in token of allegiance. The
suggestion that the verb should be taken in the sense of "arm themselves," as in
II Chronicles 17:17 (Aben Ezra),
does not meet with general acceptance. Only
in the throne (or, more accurately, only as to the throne) will I be greater than thou.
Joseph as Prime Minister (v. 40)
“Thou shalt be over my house, and
according unto thy word shall all my
people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.” Sudden
elevations are often the precursors of sudden falls. It was not so
with
Joseph. He filled satisfactorily his position, retaining it
to the end of life. He
made himself indispensable to Pharaoh and to the country. He was a man
of
decision. Seeing what had to be done, he hesitated not in commencing it.
Going from the presence of Pharaoh, he passed throughout
the land,
arranging for granaries and appointing officers to grapple with the
seven
years of famine which were imminent. Doubtless he felt the
weight of
responsibility resting upon him, and would have many restless nights in
calculating how by means of the money then in the treasury and by
forced
loans to meet the expenditure for granaries, grain, and official
salaries. He
superintended everything. By method he mastered detail.
MINISTER. Many
things we admire in Joseph, but we must not be blind to
the fact that he thought more of binding the people to the
throne than of
benefiting the people themselves. He was the first statesman of that
day.
His policy determined in great
measure what should be the standard of
internal prosperity, and what position the country should hold in
the eyes
of other nations. He sought to make Pharaoh’s rule absolute.
He gave no
benefit without payment, no supplies without sacrifice. He took
all the
money first (ch. 47:14), then the
cattle (ibid. v. 16), then the
lands and their persons (ibid. v. 23). He thus reduced
the people of
monarch was pleased, and the priests, being exempt, were
flattered. It is
possible that in this Joseph laid the foundation of that system of
mismanagement, which has made the most flourishing spot in the world the
basest of kingdoms. He seems also to have striven to give some
sort of
preeminence to his brethren, and to advance them. Exempt from the
burdens pressing on others, they gained power, and would have
become
eventually the dominant race in
knew not Joseph, i.e. who, although he knew of his
having lived and
served the nation, yet recognized not his policy. The state to
which Joseph
reduced the Egyptians was that to which afterwards his own
descendants
were reduced. Thus our plans are overthrown. Time tries success,
and by
removing dimness from our vision enables us to test it better.
MINISTER, He was soon
led to conform to the spirit and practice of an
ungodly nation. He used a divining cup (ch.
44:15-16), took his meals apart
(ch. 43:32), recognizing and sustaining class
distinctions. He learned the mode
of speech common among the Egyptians, swore by the life of
Pharaoh
(ch. 42:15), and was affianced to an idolatress,
probably a priestess (here, v. 45).
He made no effort to return to
his own land, or to the pastoral life of his fathers.
It was in his power also for
nine years to have sent to make search for his father,
who was sorrowing for him as dead, but he sent not. Not until
trouble, by an
apparent chance, drove his brethren to him did he appear to think
of them,
or of home and Jacob. When they came he was very slow to make
known
himself, as though he feared it might compromise him in the eyes
of the
Egyptians to be known to have
relatives who were shepherds, an
occupation which was abominable to the Egyptians (ch.
46:34).
When he revealed himself to
them, it was without the knowledge or
presence of the Egyptians. He removed his brethren also to a
distant part
of
others of his origin. We fancy that Joseph had weaknesses and
imperfections such as other men had.
He had dwelt in
spirit. In the names he gave to his children there seems some
indication of
regret at his forgetfulness and wonder at his fruitfulness. (??? - CY – 2018)
Amid views that might depress
there is some brightness. His forgiveness of
his brethren was noble. His
affection for his father returned. His faith in
God was pure at last. (???
CY – 2018) Dying, he “gave commandment
concerning his bones.” (ch. 50:25; Hebrews 11:22) He showed
that though outwardly an Egyptian, he was inwardly an
Israelite.
41 “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set
thee over all the
42 And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and
put it upon Joseph's hand,
and arrayed him in
vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck;
43 And he made
him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried
before him, Bow the
knee: and he made him ruler over all the
And Pharaoh said unto Joseph. See, I have set thee over all the
This was the royal edict constituting Joseph grand vizier or prime minister of the
empire: the formal installation in office followed. And
Pharaoh took off his ring
from his hand, - the use of a signet-ring by the monarch, which Bohlen admits to
be in accordance with the accounts of classic authors ('Introd.,' p. 60), has recently
received a remarkable illustration by the discovery at Koujunjik, the site of the
ancient
two inches long by one wide, and bearing the image, name, and titles of the
Egyptian king Sabaco (see Layard, '
upon Joseph's hand (thus investing him with regal authority),
and arrayed him
in vestures of fine linen, - שֵׁשׁ, βυσσίνη – bussinae – fine linenv (Septuagint),
byssus, so called from its whiteness (probably a Hebrew imitation of an Egyptian
word), was the fine linen of
priestly caste was constructed: "vestes ex gossypio sacerdotibus AEgypti gratissimae"
(Pliny, 'Nat. Hist.,' 19:1). Herodotus (2:81) agrees with Pliny in affirming the priestly
costume to have been of linen, and not of wool - and put a - literally, the, the article
showing that it was so done in accordance with a common custom (Hengstenberg,
'
Daniel 5:7, 29). This was usually worn by persons of distinction, and appears in
the monuments as a royal ornament; in the Benihassan sepulchral representations,
a slave being exhibited as bearing one of them, with the inscription written over it,
"Necklace of Gold" (see Wilkinson, 'Ancient Egyptians,' 2:343, ed. 1878;
Hengstenberg, '
he had; - "which is another genuine Egyptian custom, for on the monuments the king
constantly appears in his war-chariot" (Havernick); - and they cried before him,
Bow the knee: - אַבְרֵך, regarded by most ancient translators as a Hebrew word,
an inf. abs. hiph. from בָּרַך,
meaning bow the knee (Vulgate,
is most probably an Egyptian word either altered by the writer (Gesenius) or pointed
by the Masorites (Keil) to resemble Hebrew, and signifying "bow the head ' (Gesenius),
"bend the knee" (Furst), "Governor or Viceroy" (Kalisch), "rejoice thou" (Canon Cook
in 'Speaker's Commentary'), "Pure Prince" (Osburn), "Robed by the king" (Forster) –
and he made him ruler - literally, and he set him (by the
foregoing acts) - over all
the
44 “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and
without thee shall
no man lift up his
hand or foot in all the
to be absolute and universal.
45 “And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to
wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah
priest of On. And Joseph went out
over all the
an Egyptian word, of which the most accredited
interpretations are χονθομφανήχ –
Chonthomphanaech - (Septuagint); Salvator Mundi (Vulgate); "the Salvation of the
World," answering to the Coptic P-sote-m-ph-eneh - P the article, sots salvation,
m the sign of the genitive, ph the article, and eneh the world (Furst, Jablonsky,
Rosellini, and others); "the Rescuer of the World" (Gesenius); "the Prince of the
Life of the World" (Brugsch); "the Food of Life," or "the Food of the Living"
(Canon Cook in 'Speaker's Commentary') - and he gave him to wife – compare
the act of Rhamp-sinitus, who gave his daughter in marriage to the son of an
architect on account of his cleverness (Herod., 2:121) - Asenath - another Egyptian
term, rendered Ἁσενέθ – Aseneth (Septuagint), and explained by Egyptologers to
mean, "She who is of Neith, i.e. the Minerva of the Egyptians" (Gesenius, Furst),
"the Worshipper of Neith" (Jablousky), "the Favorite of Neith" (Canon Cook in
'Speaker's Commentary'), though by some authorities regarded as Hebrew
(Pools in Smith's ' Dictionary,' art. Joseph) - the daughter of Potipherah –
Potipherah ("devoted to the sun") - Potiphar (see ch. 39:1). The name is
very common on Egyptian monuments (Hengstenberg's
'
Moses,' p. 32) - priest - or prince (Onkelos.), as in II Samuel 8:18, where the word
כֹּהֵן, as explained by I Chronicles 18:17, means a principal minister of State, though
the probability is that Poti-pherah
belonged to the priestly caste in
or
being ta-Ra or pa-Ra, house of the
sun. "The site of
the massive walls that surround it, and by a granite obelisk bearing the name of
Rawlinson's 'Herod.,' 2. p. 8). The priests attached to the temple of the sun at
historians in
with a foreign shepherd may, have been distasteful to the prejudices of an intolerant
priesthood (Bohlen), but in the case of Asenath and Joseph it was recommended
by sundry powerful considerations.
1. Though a foreign shepherd, Joseph was a descendant of Abraham, whom a
former Pharaoh had recognized and honored as a prince, and ' The Story of Saneha,'
a hieratic papyrus belonging to the twelfth dynasty, shows that Eastern foreigners
might even become sons-in-law to the most powerful potentates under the ancient
empire (see 'Records of the Past,' vol. 6. pp. 135-150).
2. Though a foreign shepherd, Joseph was at this time grand vizier of the realm,
with absolute control of the lives and fortunes of its people (see v. 44).
3. Though a foreign shepherd, he was obviously a favorite of Pharaoh, who,
besides being monarch of the realm, was the recognized head of the priestly caste,
over whom, therefore, he exercised more than a merely external authority.
4. Though a foreign shepherd Joseph had become a naturalized Egyptian, as
may be gathered from ch. 43:32. And,
5. Though a foreign shepherd, he was circumcised, which, if this rite was already
observed in
a bar to the contemplated alliance (vide Canon Cook in 'Speaker's Commentary,'
vol. 1. p. 480; Kurst, 'Hist. of Old Covenant,' § 88; Hengstenberg,
'
Books of Moses,' pp. 32-35).
As to the probability of Joseph consenting to become son-in-law to a heathen priest,
it may suffice to remember that though marriage with idolaters was expressly
forbidden by patriarchal commandment (ch. 24:3; 28:1), and afterwards by Mosaic
statute (ch. 34:16; Deuteronomy 7:3), it was sometimes contracted for what seemed
a perfectly adequate reason, viz., the furtherance of the Divine purposes concerning
Exodus 2:21, and Esther, Esther 2:16); that Joseph may have deemed the religion
of
a pure monotheistic worship, or, if he judged it idolatrous, he may both have
secured for himself complete toleration and have felt himself strong enough to
resist its seductions; that Asenath may have adopted her husband's faith, though
on this, of course, nothing can be affirmed; and lastly, that the narrator of this
history pronounces no judgment on the moral quality of Joseph's conduct in
consenting to this alliance, which, though overruled for good, may have been,
considered in itself, a sin. And Joseph went out over all
the
the discharge of his vice-regal duties.
The Tried Man (vs. 1-45)
The tried man is now made ready by long experience for
his
position of responsibility and honor. He is thirty years old. He can
commence his public ministry for the people of God and the world.
Pharaoh’s dreams, the kine and
the ears of corn, like those of the butler
and
baker, have their natural element in them; but apart from the Spirit of
God Joseph would not have dared to give them such an
interpretation.
Even had his intelligence penetrated the secret, he would
not have ventured
on
a prophecy without God. Pharaoh himself acknowledged that the Spirit
of God
was manifestly in Joseph. We may be sure there was evidence of
Divine authority in his words and manner. As a testimony to the existence
of
a spirit of reverence for Divine teaching, and a reference of all great and
good things to God as their source, even in the minds of the Egyptians,
such facts show that God had not left the world
without light. The farther
we
go back in human history, the more simple and unsophisticated we find
the
minds of men, pointing to a primitive revelation, to the religious
beginning of the human race, and to their corruption being the
result of a
fall, and not a mere negative state, the state of undeveloped reason. Joseph
is lifted up out of the dungeon and made to sit among princes. He submits
to
the providential appointment, doubtless, under the guidance of the same
Spirit which had given him his
superiority. Moses refused to be called the
son of Pharaoh’s daughter because at that time to be so was to be
separated
from his people. (Hebrews 11:24-27) Joseph the slave,
already far from his
home, is willing
to be Pharaoh’s prime minister that he may be the forerunner
of
his people’s
exaltation. The opportunity was not to be lost. “God,” he said,
“hath made me forget all my toil
and all my father’s house.” “God
hath
caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.” The very names given
to
Manasseh and Ephraim were a testimony to his faith. His forgetting was
only to a better remembering. We must sometimes hide power for the sake
of
its manifestation. “All countries came into
corn.” Jesus said, “I, if I be lifted up, will draw
all men unto me.” (John 12:32)
As a type of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Hebrew slave
exalted to the rule of the
world and the saving of the world, from the cross to the throne.
The whole
story is full of analogies. He that distributes the bread of
life to a perishing race
was
Himself taken from prison, was treated as a malefactor, was declared
the Ruler and Savior because the Spirit of God was upon Him,
was King of
kings and Lord of lords. His benefits and blessings distributed to the world
are
immediately identified with his kingdom. He gathers in that he may give
out.
He is first the all-wise and all-powerful ruler of the seven years of
plenty, and then the all-merciful helper and redeemer in the seven
years of
famine. “Joseph is a fruitful bough.” (ch. 49:22)
Joseph before Pharaoh,
or
From the Prison to the Throne (vs. 1-45)
Ø His midnight visions. Two full years have expired since the
memorable
birthday of
Pharaoh which sent the baker to ignominious execution, but
restored the
butler to the favor of his royal master. Slumbering upon his
bed, the king
of
of the
up one after
the other among the reeds from the river’s edge, where they
have probably
been drinking, followed by seven lean and haggard animals,
walking up in
the same mysterious procession, till they stand side by side
with their
thriving predecessors, when they suddenly fall upon these
predecessors
and eat them up. Startled by the strangeness of the scene, the
royal sleeper
wakes only to discover it a dream. Then composing himself a
second time to
slumber, he finds himself still standing in the
now looking out
towards its luxuriant corn-fields. Again a strange
phenomenon
occurs. Growing from the soil he sees a tall, massive stalk of
corn, with
seven fat ears depending from its top; but scarcely has this
arrested his
attention, when he notices another by its side, spare and feeble,
with its seven
ears parched and empty, as if they had been burnt up by the
hot south-east
winds blowing up from the sandy wastes of
astonishment,
as before, the fat ears are devoured by the thin. Awaking, he
a second time
discovers that he has been dreaming.
Ø His morning agitations. The spirit of the king of
first because
of the dreams, which he obviously regarded as conveying to
his royal mind
some supernatural communication, which,
however, he
failed
to understand; and
secondly because the interpretation of them
appeared
equally to baffle the penetration of all the wise men and
magicians of
his empire, whom he had summoned to assist him in
deciphering
their import.
Ø The recollection of his faults. If this referred to his ingratitude to
Joseph
(which is scarcely
likely), that was a shortcoming which should have been
remembered at
least two years before, though it was better he should recall
it then than
never. But it is more than probable the offence spoken of was
the crime for
which he had been previously imprisoned by Pharaoh, and of
which he now
confessed himself to be guilty, as without acknowledging the
justness of his
royal master’s anger he could scarcely hope to experience
the mildness of
his royal master’s favor. That
he only remembers Joseph
when he deems
it possible by doing so to gratify his master and serve
himself
indicates a disposition as hypocritical and time-serving as
ungrateful
and unfeeling.
Ø The recital of his mercies. Narrating the story of his imprisonment,
he
informs the
anxious monarch that he and his late companion, the chief
baker, while
suffering the righteous penalty of their misdeeds in the round
house or State
prison, had each dream on one and the self-same night; that
a young man,
then an inmate of the cells, a Hebrew, and a servant of the
provost
marshal, to whom they severally related their extraordinary
dreams,
volunteered to deliver their interpretation; and that the event, in
the case of
both himself and his companion, had turned out exactly as had
been predicted —
the chief baker had been hanged, while himself, the chief
butler, through
the royal clemency of Pharaoh, had been restored to his
office.
Ø The opening of the interview. In obedience to a royal summons, Joseph,
after shaving
and exchanging his prison garb for a costume suited to the
high occasion,
is hastily presented to the king. Regarding him with mingled
feelings of
respect and awe, the mighty potentate declares his dilemma, —
he has dreamed
a dream which has baffled the ingenuity of all the Court
magicians,
— and explains how he has heard of Joseph’s rare skill as an
interpreter of
dreams, upon which Joseph, disclaiming all ability in himself,
and pointing
Pharaoh to the true Interpreter of dreams, assures him,
speaking in the
exercise of prophetic faith, that God
would vouchsafe to
him an answer
that should tend at once to the happiness of his own person
and the
prosperity of his realm.
Ø The interpretation of the dreams. Listening to the monarch’s recitation
of the singular
phenomena of his nocturnal visions, Joseph:
o
declares
their import to be the coming of seven years of plenty to
the land,
to be followed by seven years of famine, which should
consume
the land by reason of its severity;
o
affirms
the certainty of this prediction as involved in the repetition of
the dream; and
o
concludes
by recommending as a precautionary measure that a fifth
part of
the produce of the seven years of plenty should be taken up
and stored
in granaries in the chief cities of the empire, to be
distributed
among the people during the seven years of famine —
a measure
which would necessitate the appointment of one
competent
officer with a requisite staff of assistants, and with
supreme
authority to enforce the tax or compel the
sale, according
as the king might determine to uplift the grain.
Ø The reward of the interpreter. As became one who had proved of such
incomparable
service to the monarch and the State, Joseph was
immediately and
generously recompensed.
o
His counsel was accepted. “The thing,” or advice tendered, “was
good
in
the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.” It is ever
a grief to
God’s prophets and Christ’s ministers when their Divinely-
sent
communications are rejected, as the acceptance of their heavenly
messages never
fails to afford them occasion of rejoicing.
o
His person was exalted.
§
He
was constituted grand vizier of the empire, in the
historian’s
account of which may be noticed the monarch’s
resolution
and the reason of it — “Forasmuch as God hath
showed
thee all this, thou shaft be over my house, and
according
unto thy word shall all my people be ruled,” or
dispose
themselves; the royal edict and the public attestation
of it — “See,
I have set thee over all the
And
Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put
it
on Joseph’s hand” &c.;
the extent of his authority and
the limitation
of it — his power was to be absolute over
all the realm —
“without
thee shall no man lift up hand or
foot”
— only as to the
throne was he to be subordinate to
Pharaoh.
§
He
was naturalized as an Egyptian prince by the assignment
of a new
name, Zaphnath-paaneah, for the import of which
the
Exposition may be consulted.
§
He was
married to a daughter of the priestly caste, who
formed the
highest dignitaries in the State.
1.
The marvelous facility with which God can
accomplish His designs.
God can
make Pharaoh dream and the butler recollect his faults when
it is
time to bring Joseph out of prison.
2. The amazing incompetence
of human wisdom to understand God’s
riddles. The
world by wisdom knows not God, any more than
Pharaoh’s
magicians could interpret his dreams. (I
Corinthians 1:21, 25)
3. The
extraordinary insight which those have-who receive their teaching
from God (John 16:13-14). Joseph can interpret the dreams of the
monarch
and the dreams of his officers with a like
promptitude and accuracy, and
God’s
people have an unction from the Holy One that enables them
to know all things. (I
John 2:20)
4. The incomparable greatness to which
Christ’s followers will eventually
be raised. Joseph stepped from the prison to the
palace, from the tower to
the throne, from the wearing of iron
fetters to the wielding of regal power;
and
such honor will have all the saints in the day of the manifestation of
the sons of God. Even now God “raiseth
up the poor out of the dust, and
lifteth the needy
out of the dunghill, that he may set him with princes,
even with the princes of his people.” (I Samuel 2:8; Psalm 113:7-8)
but then “to him that overcometh
will I grant,” saith the King,
“to sit with me on my throne, even as I overcame, and am set
down with my Father on His throne.” (Revelation 3:21)
46 “And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood
before Pharaoh king of
throughout all the
stood before Pharaoh king of
standing before Pharaoh. If, therefore, he had been three years in prison
(ch. 40:4; 41:1), he must have served for ten years in the house of Potiphar.
And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh (in the performance of
his official duties), and went throughout all the
the district overseers.
47 “And in the seven plenteous years the earth
brought forth by handfuls.
48 And he
gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the
of
round about every
city, laid he up in the same.” And
in the seven plenteous
years the earth brought forth by handfuls (i.e. abundantly). And he (Joseph,
through his subordinates) gathered up all the food (i.e. all the portions levied)
of the seven years, which were in the
cities: - men bringing corn into granaries appear upon the monuments at Beni-hassan
(Wilkinson, 'Ancient Egyptians,' vol. 1. p. 371, ed. 1878) -
the
food of the field,
which was round about every city (literally, the food of the field of the city, which
was in its environs), laid he up in the same (literally,
in the midst of it).
49 “And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea,
very much, until he
left numbering; for it was without number.” And Joseph gathered (or heaped up)
corn as the sand of the sea, - an image of great abundance (compare ch. 32:12) –
very much, until he left numbering (i.e. writing, or keeping a record of the number
of bushels); for it was without number. "In a tomb at Eilethya a man is represented
whose business it evidently was to take account of the number of bushels. Which
another man, acting under him, measures. The inscription is as follows "The writer
or registrar of bushels - Thutnofre,"
(Hengstenberg, '
p. 36).
50 “And unto Joseph were born two sons
before the years of famine came,
which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him.
51 And Joseph called the name of the
firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he,
hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house.” And
unto Joseph
wore born two sons before the years of famine came, (literally, before the coming
of the years of famine), which
Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah
priest of On
bare unto him. And Joseph called, the name of the firstborn Manasseh ("Forgetting,"
from nashah, to forget): For God (Elohim; Joseph not at the moment thinking of
his son's birth in its relations to the theocratic kingdom, but simply in its connection
with the overruling providence of God which had been so signally illustrated in
his elevation, from a position of
obscurity in
in the land of the Pharaohs), said
he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all
my father's house. Not absolutely (Calvin, who censures Joseph on this account,
vix tamen in totem potest excusari oblivio paternae domus), as events subsequently
proved, but relatively, the pressure of
his former affliction being relieved
by his
present happiness, and the loss of his father's house in some degree compensated
by the building of a house for
himself.
52 “And the name of the second called he Ephraim:
For God hath caused me
to be fruitful in the
land of my affliction.” And the name of the second called
he Ephraim: - "Double Fruitfulness" (Keil), "
(Furst) - For God (Elohim) hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of
my
affliction. This language shows that Joseph had not quite
forgotten "all his toil."
53 “And the seven years of plenteousness, that was
in the
ended. 54 And the
seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph
had said: and the
dearth was in all lands; but in all the
was bread.” And the
seven years of plenteousness, that was in the
were ended. And the seven years of dearth began to come, - the most complete
parallel to Joseph's famine was that which occurred in A.D. -1071, in the reign
of Fatimee Khaleefeh, El-Mustansir-bilh (see below):
In
the whole of
the
watersheds having few large springs, and the small rivers not being sufficient
for
the
irrigation of even the level lands. If therefore the heavy rains of November
and
December
fail, the sustenance of the people is cut off in the parching drought of
harvest-time,
when the country is almost devoid of moisture.
all
its fertility to its mighty river, whose annual rise inundates nearly the whole
land.
The
causes of dearth and famine in
accompanied and followed by prevalent easterly
and southerly winds. Famine
is
likewise a natural result in the East when caterpillars, locusts or other
insects
destroy
the products of the earth. The first famine recorded in the Bible is that of
Abraham
after he had pitched his tent on the east of
the
second in the days of Isaac, ( Genesis 26:1 ) seq. We hear no more of times
of
scarcity until the great famine of
(
Genesis 41:53-57 ) The modern history of
ancient
records of famines; and instances of their recurrence may be cited to assist us
in
understanding their course and extent. The most remarkable famine was that of
the
reign
of the Fatimee Khaleefeh,
El-Mustansir billah, which
is the only instance on
record
of one of seven years duration in
A.D.
1064-1071). Vehement drought and pestilence continued for seven consecutive
years,
so that the people ate corpses, and animals that died of themselves. The famine
of
8:1 2
Kings 8:2 ) affords another instance of one of seven years. In
of
frequent occurrence.
(Smith’s Bible Dictionary)
according as Joseph had said (thus confirming Joseph's character as a prophet):
and the dearth was in all lands; - i.e. in all the adjoining countries, and notably
in
Destitution and Abundance (v. 54)
“And the dearth was in all lands; but in all the
bread.” The time of
harvest is, of all periods of the year, the most
important. It is the point to which all previous operations of the
cultivator
have tended. He knows how much depends on the weather and God’s
mercy. Having done all
he can, he has to wait, and the harvest-time
determines results. Those who are not engaged in agriculture are
concerned in a harvest. Suppose there were none; non-producers must
starve, Dwelling in great towns and cities, many who are engaged in traffic
or manufacture may easily overlook harvest-time, and forget
their
dependence on God for daily
bread. They see not the sown fields,
they
watch not the springing blade, they seize not the sharp sickle,
they join not
in
piling up the pointed stacks, and are therefore likely to forget
dependence on God. It is well that
God forgets us not. He has ever kept His
promise — “So long as the earth remaineth,
seedtime and harvest, and
cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall
not
cease.” (ch. 8:22) No year has passed without harvest-time being
stinted
in
some land. Think over the contrast given in the text.
then known to be peopled by the descendants of Noah. Their
harvests had
failed. Rain excessive, or drought prolonged, had ruined their
crops. For
several years there seems to have been disappointment. Not only
did the
husbandmen suffer, but those who could not toil. Dearth
engenders
disease, despair, death. See II Kings 6:24-40, to what straits famine will
reduce people. Even mothers consent together to eat their own
offspring.
In the lamentations of Jeremiah
there is a description of the fearful
consequences of famine, leading men to say, “Then was our skin black like
an oven, because of the terrible famine.” (Lamentations 5:10)
How painful
must it be to have scanty platters and empty barns; for parents
to have children
clinging to the skirts of their garments, crying, “Give, oh, give
bread,” and
to have none wherewith to satisfy them! We see the effect of
famine on
one family in the East. Jacob’s sons “looked on one another, and were
sad.”
Their looks were despairing.
They had money, flocks, and herds, but no bread.
They could not eat
their money, and to have lived on
their starving flocks
alone would engender disease of frightful character. Many had
not even
flocks to fall back upon, and the dearth was in all lands. How
men at such
a time must have looked longingly at the heavens, and prayed
that God
would send them bread! Sometimes
such seasons of trial are sent that men
may be reminded of their
dependence
on God. To have A
MORAL AND
SPIRITUAL DEARTH is
worse than to have outward destitution. The
spiritual is more important than the physical. (Our eternal destinies are
at stake! CY – 2018) A more terrible
death than all is that where
there is a lack of a knowledge of God and his love, and of
hearing the word
of the Lord. (“Behold. the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send
a famine, not a famine in the land, not a famine of bread,
nor a thirst for
water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.” - Amos
8:11 – CY – 2018)
the whole race might have perished. There were several reasons
for the
abundance in
Ø God
arranged it by that
wondrous overflowing of the
in the
rising a few feet makes all the difference as to the crops. Even at this
date, so
do the crops of
rising of
the
parts.
God, at the period referred to, had given seven years of plenty,
followed
by seven years of dearth; but such had been the previous
abundance,
owing to the overflow of the river, that in the terrible time of
dearth there was abundance of bread in
Ø The foresight and energy of one man had
led to the husbanding of
resources
and storing of excessive crops.
Ø Divine
revelation caused Joseph to act. He could not have known of the
impending
danger unless it had been revealed. He had faith in God when in
prison,
and maintained it when he became the governor of
that
faith shone as brightly when he was the approved of Pharaoh as when
he was
the slave of Potiphar and the object of passion’s
hate. His faith was
rewarded
when he was able to save multitudes from starving. What a
contrast
is presented in the text! Dearth of many lands, abundance in
one.
Such contrasts
are often seen. On one side of the ocean there may have
been an
abundant harvest, on the other side but scanty crops. The world is
full of
contrasts. Here is a wedding; there is a funeral. In one family is love,
thoughtfulness, harmony, and in that — perhaps separated only by the thin
partition
of hasty builders — bickering, jealousy, and hastiness of temper.
Here sobriety,
providence, and religion reign; there nothing but indigence,
drunkenness,
and utter neglect of the claims of God. In one country is
peace,
activity in all its branches of industry, commercial confidence,
progress in
education and art, thoughtfulness for the untaught and criminal
classes,
and higher appreciation of the
sacredness of life;
in another
depression,
mistrust, plotting of adventurers, rule of the conscienceless,
national
faithlessness, and the spreading pall of desolation. Forceful is the
contrast
presented by nations under the influence of a simple Christianity
and those
enslaved by superstition, as
fatalism,
as
seen in individuals. There walks one whose soul has no
light, no hope, no
peace; here one who knows he is pardoned, and is sure of acceptance by
Christ. At death what a contrast! See one dying
shrinking, doubting,
fearing,
grasping at any straw of comfort; another
rejoicing that he is soon
to enter and tread the streets of the New
Jerusalem. Let all be
prepared for
such a
change. Seek Christ, who is the “Bread of life,” the Savior of our
souls.
Lack of appetite and numbness may come from excessive
exhaustion.
Hunger and thirst after righteousness, and be not like a lady
who once
said, “Sir, I have been so
long without
religion that I
have, I fear,
now no desire for it.” If we come to Christ He
will receive us readily.
Joseph was glad
to receive and help his brethren. So will Christ supply all
our need out of the treasures
of His rich grace. Remember,
that if the need
of other
nations tested the charity of
our
earnestness. If we have
found the riches in Christ, we
are to seek to
bless others. If little time remains to some of us in which to do much for
Christ, let us act as those who, having much to write and little space,
crowd the letters and words the closer. Let us be earnest as the
husbandman,
who, seeing winter coming apace, hastens in the few fine
days
remaining to garner his crops. Alas,
many of our doings will have to
stand useless, like earless, rotten sheaves,
blackening dreary fields.
55 “And when all the
Pharaoh for bread: and
Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto
Joseph; what he saith to you, do.” Compare
the famine in
(II Kings 6:25-29)
56 “And the famine was over all the face of the
earth: And Joseph opened all
the storehouses, and
sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in
the
corn; because that
the famine was so sore in all lands.” And
the famine was
over all the face of the earth (v. 54): And Joseph opened all the storehouses, -
literally, all wherein was, i.e. all the magazines that had grain in them. The
granaries of
at Beni-hassan there is the painting of a great storehouse, before whose door lies
a great heap of grain already winnowed. Near by stands the bushel with which
it is measured, and the registrar who takes the
account" (Hengstenberg's '
and the Books of Moses,' p. 36) - and sold unto the Egyptians (compare Proverbs
2:26); - and the famine waxed sore
(literally, became strong) in the
A remarkable inscription from the tomb at Eileythia of Barn, which Brugsch
('Histoire d'Egypte,' second ed., p. 174, seqq.) assigns to the latter part of the
seventeenth dynasty, mentions a dearth of several years in
having broken out during many years, I gave corn to the town during each
famine"), which that distinguished Egyptologer identifies with the famine of
Joseph under Apophis, the shepherd king (vide ' Encyclopedia Britannica,'
ninth edition, art.
is rather to be detected in a dearth of several years which occurred in the time
of
the fact that during its prevalence food was supplied by Amenee, the governor of
a district of Upper Egypt (Smith's' Dict.,' art. Joseph). The character of Chnumhotep
(a near relative and favorite of
recorded events of his government, as described in the Beni-hassan monuments,
also remind one of Joseph: - "he (i.e. Chnumhotep) injured no little child; he
oppressed no widow; he detained for his own purpose no fisherman; took from
his work no shepherd; no overseer's men were taken. There was no beggar in his
days; no one starved in his time. When years of famine occurred he ploughed all
the lands of the district, producing abundant food; no one starved in it; he treated
the widow as a woman with a husband to protect her" (vide 'Speaker's Commentary,'
vol. 1. p. 450). And all countries (i.e. people from
all the adjoining lands) came
into
Joseph on the second throne in
Ø His mature manhood (v. 46).
Thirteen years had elapsed since his
brethren
had sold him at
life had
he experienced! Carried into
Midianitish
traders, he had been sold a second time as a slave. Ten years
had he
served as a bondman, first as a valet to the provost marshal of the
slaughterers, and then as overseer of the great man’s household. Three
years
more he had spent in prison, having been incarcerated on a charge of
which he
was entirely innocent. And now, at the age of thirty, he is the
wisest
and the greatest man in
the talents, maturing the experience, and
advancing the honor of his sons.
The case of
Joseph is a signal illustration of the
beneficial uses of adversity,
(former Joe B. Hall, basketball coach at the
of his
team calendars had this statement: “adversity will either make you
bitter or better.” CY
– 2018) and shows that the
true road to success in
life, to
the acquisition of wisdom, or of power, or of wealth, or of fame,
or of all
combined, often lies through early hardships and trials, disasters
and
defeats.
Ø His political activity (vs.
46-49). As grand vizier of the empire,
Joseph’s labors
during this period must have been many and laborious:
surveying
the corn-producing land of the country, and dividing it for
purposes
of taxation into districts, appointing overseers in every district,
erecting
granaries or government stores in every city of any size or
importance,
and generally superintending in every corner of the empire the
work of
uplifting the fifth part of the superabundant harvests of those
precious
years when the earth brought forth by handfuls. The result was,
that by
the close of this period the Egyptian government had collected corn
as the
sand of the sea, very much, and without number.
Ø His domestic prosperity (v.
50). On the name of Joseph’s wife, and the
questions
connected with the subject of her marriage with Joseph, the
Exposition
under v. 45 may be consulted. That the marriage itself was
approved
by God there is no sufficient reason to doubt, and that it was a
marriage
of affection may be inferred from the sentiments expressed by
Joseph on the occasion of his sons’ births. The birth of his children also
was
interpreted by him to be a
mark of Divine favor.
What a signal reward
for the
fidelity and purity of Joseph’s behavior in the house of Potiphar
three
years before! Had Joseph at
that time left the straight path of virtue,
where had
been his advancement and felicity now? Even in this life God
puts a premium in the long run on a life of purity.
Ø His personal piety (vs; 51-52). To some indeed Joseph’s language on
the birth
of Manasseh appears somewhat hard to reconcile at least with
true filial
piety. Why did not Joseph, on reaching his exalted station in
reward
for what he had experienced of the old man’s parental affection,
and, what
he must have still felt assured of, the old man’s sorrow for his
imagined
death? Yet Joseph talks as if he had forgotten his father’s house,
as well
as all his toil, in the splendor of his fame and the exuberance of his
happiness
in
becomes
apparent, not alone from the
pathetic meeting with his brethren
and
his father, soon to be described, but also from the statement which he
makes
upon the birth of Ephraim, in which he still characterizes
the
land of his affliction. That
Joseph did not at once declare his parentage
and send
a message home to
without
resorting to the hypothesis that “Joseph was still unable to attain
perfect
calm and cherish sentiments of love and forgiveness” towards his
brethren
(Kurtz): as, e.g., the comparative insecurity that must have
attended
his position in
unwillingness prematurely to reveal to his father the full depth of
wickedness
of which his brethren had been guilty, a secret impression made
upon his
mind by God that the time of disclosure was not yet, At all events
Joseph’s
conduct in this matter discovers nothing essentially inconsistent
with a piety which shines out conspicuously in
the grateful recognition of
the hand of God in turning for him the
shadow of death into the morning.
Ø His reputation as a prophet fully confirmed (vs. 53-54). God is
always
careful to maintain the honor of His own prophets. Whatever
message
He transmits to the world or the Church through a messenger of
His sending, He will in due time see to
its fulfillment. No true
ambassador
of heaven
need entertain the slightest apprehensions as to the failure of the
words
which God provides for him to speak. If he is not always, like
Samuel,
established as a prophet of the Lord at the beginning of his
ministry
(I Samuel 3:20), his claim to that distinction will in due course
be made
good by the exact accomplishment of what God has through his
lips
foretold.
Ø His sagacity as at, administrator clearly established (v. 55). If
Pharaoh had any
doubts as to the wisdom of Joseph’s proposal during the
seven
years of plenty, assuredly he had none now. With a famishing
population
all around him, what could Pharaoh have done, how averted the
destruction
of his people, and possibly the overthrow of his own dynasty, if
it had
not been for the prudent forethought of Joseph? Happy are the kings
who have
wise men in their kingdoms, and who, when they have them, can
trust
them.
Ø His work as a savior hopefully begun (v. 56). If it be asked why
Joseph did not
gratuitously distribute Pharaoh’s corn among the perishing
multitudes,
the reply is obvious.
o
In
all probability the grain had been previously purchased from the
people.
o
The
people had been warned of the impending calamity, and might have
exercised
a little of the forethought of Joseph, and by care and economy
provided
for the day of want.
o
To
have given the corn gratuitously would have resulted in a too lavish
distribution, and for the most part to the greedy and the prodigal rather
than to
the really necessitous.
o
By
affixing to it a price the people were encouraged as long as possible
to
practice frugality and preserve independence. Wise governors will be
slow in
making paupers of their subjects. This is one of the dangers
connected
with the Poor Law Administration in our own land. (
two
hundred years ago; today it is the welfare system of the United
States of
o
It
enabled Joseph by a judicious husbanding of resources to extend the
circle of
relief to the starving
populations of other countries who came
to
him to purchase corn.
1. The sin of national wastefulness.
2. The value of a wise statesman.
3. The
compatibility of piety with both personal greatness and political
activity.
4. The propriety of setting mercies over against
misfortunes.
5. The proper end of all government and legislation — the
happiness and
safety of the
people. (Like in the
“to promote the
general welfare” - somewhere we have lost our way
with presidents, legislators and judges
condoning many things that
history and eternity will prove damaging not
only to the welfare of
the country but to their souls as well: “abortion on demand” for starters
CY – 2018)
6. The true duty of a monarch — to sympathize with and direct
his
subjects.
7. The legitimate ambition for a nation — to be an object of
attraction for
good to
surrounding countries.
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