Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 41:45
And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnath-paaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over [all] the land of Egypt.
45. Zaphenath-paneah ] An Egyptian name for which the meaning is given by some Egyptologists “God speaks, and He lives,” i.e. De-pnute-ef-nch. A proper name of this form does not as yet however appear to have been found in the Egyptian inscriptions before the 20th Dynasty, i.e. the 13th century b.c. The LXX endeavoured to transliterate the name by . The Vulg. renders salvator mundi; and Jerome records ab Egyptiis didicimus, quod in lingu eorum resonet salvator mundi.
Josephus ( Ant. ii. 91), Targum of Onkelos, and the Syriac rendered the name by “Revealer of Secrets”; and this was very generally accepted in Christian tradition, the derivation being assumed to be from the Hebrew root zphan, “to conceal.”
Asenath ] A proper name, meaning “Belonging to the goddess Neith.”
Poti-phera ] As in Gen 41:50 and Gen 46:20. This is the same name, spelled fuller, as in Gen 37:36 (see note), Gen 39:1, meaning “the gift of the sun-god.” We may compare the Greek name Heliodorus.
priest of On ] “On,” known in later times as Heliopolis, was situate about 7 miles N.E. of Cairo; and was the great centre of Egyptian Ra, or Sun, worship. The obelisk still standing at Heliopolis was there in Joseph’s time. By his marriage with Asenath, Joseph became connected with one of the principal Egyptian families. Potiphera, the priest of On, would have been a man of eminence; but should not be confounded with “the captain of the guard” (Gen 37:36). Late Jewish tradition identified the two names; and asserted that Asenath had reported to her father her mother’s shameless conduct, whereupon he gave Asenath to Joseph as wife, in order that Joseph might be cleared of any shadow of blame. But this is mere romance.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Gen 41:45
Pharaoh called Josephs name Zaphnath-paaneah
Josephs new name
Besides other marks of honour, Joseph received a new name from the king–analogous to those which Daniel and his friends received, in a later age, from Nebuchadnezzar, and having some special appropriateness to the work which be was to perform.
Different explanations have been given of its meaning. Some, like those who drew up the marginal readings of our Bible, understand by it a revealer of secrets, but others, viewing the term as really an Egyptian word in Hebrew letters, have put it back again into its Egyptian form, getting, according to Brugsch, the meaning, the governor of the abode of him who lives; or, according to Canon Cooke, whose dissertation in the Speakers Commentary on the Egyptian words in the Pentateuch is of very great value, the food of life, or the food of the living. I am, of course, incompetent to judge between these scholars, but I wish you to note, as a mark of the age of this history, that we have here imbedded in the Hebrew text Egyptian words in Hebrew letters, to which, in this ]ate day, our Egyptologists, who have learned the language from the inscriptions on the monuments, are able to give very definite and intelligible translations–a fact which scarcely comports with the notion now so popular with some, that this book is only a production of a very late date, composed, perhaps, eight hundred years after the events. But similar conformation of the age of this record may be found in the description of Josephs investiture with office as compared with the representation of such ceremonies found upon the monuments. (W. M. Taylor, D. D.)
Josephs adoption of Egyptian manners
A question may arise in reference to the complete adoption by Joseph of Egyptian manners. His name is changed. According to the high authority of Brugsch, his new name means governor of the district of the dwelling-place of the living one, and thus includes as one of its elements the name of an Egyptian god, Ankh, worshipped at Pithom. Other Egyptian scholars, however, render it storehouse of the house of life. But, in any case, the Egyptian name implies a complete identification with Egypt. His marriage to the daughter of a priest may not have involved adoption into the sacerdotal caste, nor participation in idolatrous worship, but is another mark, at least, of naturalization. It is difficult to recognize a son of Abraham in Pharaohs minister; and his action sounds unpleasantly like that of the unworthy Englishmen whom one hears of in the Turkish service, with pasha at their names. But we may easily exaggerate the extent of Josephs assimilation, and overrate the sharpness of the separation between that generation of the sons of the promise and the rest of the world. The Pharaoh with whom Joseph had to do was not a full-blooded Egyptian; and his predecessors, at all events, were not orthodox worshippers, according to Egyptian standards. He appears in Gen 41:38 as recognizing one God; and we know that, in the opinion of competent authorities, the religion of Egypt had a monotheistic basis beneath all the wood, hay, stubble of legend and animal worship. Possibly we may see in this Hyksos king another instance, like those of Abimeleeh of Gerar and Melchizedek of Salem, which widens our conceptions of the extent of the early faith in one supreme God, and surprises with twinkling light where we had thought darkness reigned; but, whether this be so or no, Joseph did not give up his religion because he became an Egyptian in name, and married an Egyptian wife. The old faith in the Divine promise to his fathers lived on in his heart, and flamed out at last when he gave commandment concerning his bones. So he teaches us the lesson of willing co-operation, so far as may be, in the charities and duties of life, with those who do not share our faith, and shows us that the firmer our hold of the truth and promise of God, the more safe and obligatory is it to become all things to all men, that we may by all means help and save some. No doubt that principle is often abused, and made an excuse for unhallowed mingling with the world; but it is a true principle for all that; and as long as Christian people seek to assimilate themselves to others, and to establish friendly relations for unselfish ends, and not from cowardice or a sneaking wish to be of the world, after all no harm will come of it. Ye are the salt of the earth. Salt must be rubbed into the substance which it is to preserve from putrefaction. So Christian men are to go among those whom they would save; and remember that a greater than Joseph was called a Friend of publicans and sinners. (A. Maclaren, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 45. Zaphnath-paaneah] The meaning of this title is as little known as that of abrech in the preceding verse. Some translate it, The revealer of secrets; others, The treasury of glorious comfort. St. Jerome translates the whole verse in the most arbitrary manner. Vertitque nomen ejus, et vocavit eum, lingua AEgyptiaca, Salvatorem mundi. “And he changed his name, and called him in the Egyptian language, The saviour of the world.” None of the Asiatic versions acknowledge this extraordinary gloss, and it is certainly worthy of no regard. The Anglo-Saxon nearly copies the Vulgate: [Anglo-Saxon] And named him in Egyptian, The healer of the world. All the etymologies hitherto given of this word are, to say the least of them, doubtful. I believe it also to be an Egyptian epithet, designating the office to which he was now raised; and similar to our compound terms, Prime-Minister, Lord Chancellor, High-Treasurer, Chief Justice, c.
Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah] There is no likelihood that the Poti-pherah mentioned here is the same as the Potiphar who had purchased Joseph, and, on the false accusations of his wife, cast him into prison.
1. The Scripture gives no intimation that they were one and the same person.
2. Poti-pherah had children, and Potiphar was an eunuch See Clarke on Ge 37:36; for though eunuchs often kept women, there is no proof that they had any issue by them.
Priest of On.] For the signification of the word cohen or priest, See Clarke on Ge 14:18. On is rendered Heliopolis (the city of the sun, [Anglo-Saxon]) by the Septuagint and Anglo-Saxon; and it is very likely that this Poti-pherah was intendant of that nome or province, under Pharaoh.
Joseph went out over all the land] No doubt for the building of granaries, and appointing proper officers to receive the corn in every place, as Dr. Dodd has very properly conjectured.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Zaphnath-paaneah, i.e. The revealer of secrets, as the Hebrews generally understand it, and with them most others.
Poti-pherah, not that Potiphar, Gen 39:1; both because he had another title, and dwelt in another place; and because it is not probable Joseph would have married the daughter of so unchaste a mother; but another and a greater person. It is the observation of a late ingenious and learned writer, that among the Egyptians there were three words, or endings of words, near akin, but differing in signification, and in the degree of dignity and authority, to which those names were annexed: Phar, which belonged to inferior officers; and Pherah, which was given to those of greater dignity and power; and Pharaoh, which was appropriated to the king.
Priest, or prince, as the word signifies, Exo 18:1; 2Sa 8:18; 20:26, and elsewhere. This sense is the more probable, both from Josephs high quality, and from his holy disposition, whereby he hated idolatry, and would never have married the daughter of an idolatrous priest.
On was a famous city of Egypt, called also Aven, Eze 30:17, and afterwards, as some think, Heliopolis, now Damiata. See Jer 43:13.
Joseph went out over all the land, upon his employment, and to execute the kings command, and his own counsel.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
45. Zaphnath-paaneahvariouslyinterpreted, “revealer of secrets”; “saviour of theland”; and from the hieroglyphics, “a wise man fleeing frompollution”that is, adultery.
gave him to wife Asenath, thedaughter ofHis naturalization was completed by this alliancewith a family of high distinction. On being founded by an Arabcolony, Poti-pherah, like Jethro, priest of Midian, might be aworshipper of the true God; and thus Joseph, a pious man, will befreed from the charge of marrying an idolatress for worldly ends.
Oncalled Aven (Eze30:17) and also Beth-shemesh (Jer43:13). In looking at this profusion of honors heaped suddenlyupon Joseph, it cannot be doubted that he would humbly yet thankfullyacknowledge the hand of a special Providence in conducting himthrough all his checkered course to almost royal power; and we, whoknow more than Joseph did, cannot only see that his advancement wassubservient to the most important purposes relative to the Church ofGod, but learn the great lesson that a Providence directs theminutest events of human life.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnathpaaneah,…. Which, according to the paraphrase of Onkelos, signifies one to whom hidden things are revealed; or, as Jonathan, a revealer of secrets; and so most of the Jewish writers explain it; and which seems to be given him from his interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams, and revealing what was hereafter to come to pass. The word is only used in this place, at least the latter part of it and Aben Ezra confesses his ignorance of it, whether it is an Egyptian word or not; Kircher a most asserts it, and says it signifies a prophet (or foreteller) of future things. Though some think the first part of the name has some respect to the Egyptian idol Baal Zephon, Ex 14:2, and that, in this new name Pharaoh gave Joseph upon his promotion, he inserted the name of his god, as Nebuchadnezzar, when he gave new names to Daniel and his comparisons, Da 1:7:
and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah; not the same with Potiphar, Joseph’s master, as Jarchi says, not only their, names differ, but also their offices; nor would Joseph, it is imagined, marry the daughter of such a woman, so wicked as his mistress was, and had so much abused him, and been the cause of all his troubles; nor was this Asenath the daughter of Dinah by Shechem, as some Jewish writers b assert, whom Potiphar’s wife, having no child, brought up as her own, which is not at all probable; but an Egyptian woman, the daughter of the person before named: who was
priest of On: the same with Aven; [See comments on Eze 30:17]; and which in Ptolemy c is called Onii, about twenty two miles from Memphis, and said to be the metropolis of the “Heliopolitan home”; and has been since called “Heliopolis”, as it is here in the Septuagint version, which signifies the city of the sun, and is the same with Bethshemesh, the house of the sun, Jer 43:13; where, as Herodotus d says, the sun was worshipped, and sacrifice offered to it, and the inhabitants of this place are by him said to be the wisest and most rational of the Egyptians e; here Potipherah, Joseph’s father-in-law, was “priest”; and Strabo f says, at Heliopolis we saw large houses, in which the priests dwelt; for here especially of old it was said, that this was the habitation of priests, of philosophers, and such as were given to astronomy: the Septuagint version and Josephus g call this man Petephre; and an Heathen writer h, Pentephre, a priest of Heliopolis; which a very learned man i says, in the Egyptian tongue, signifies a priest of the sun; and so Philo says k, that Joseph married the daughter of a famous man in Egypt, who had the priesthood of the sun. But the word may as well be rendered “prince” l, as it is when there is nothing to determine its sense otherwise, as there is none here; and it is more likely, that Pharaoh should marry his prime minister into the family of one of his princes than of his priests; this seems to be more agreeable to the high rank that Joseph was raised to, as well as more suitable to his character as a worshipper of the true God, who would not choose to marry the daughter of an idolatrous priest: though, according to Diodorus Siculus m, the Egyptian priests were second to the king in honour and authority, and were always about him, and were of his council; and Aelianus, says n, that formerly with the Egyptians the judges were priests, and the eldest of them was a prince, and had the power of judging all; and even Sethon, king of Egypt, was a priest of Vulcan: whether this prince or priest was of the king’s family, or whether the kings of Egypt had a power to dispose of the daughters of their subjects, especially of their priests or princes when dead, is not certain: perhaps no more, as Bishop Patrick observes, is meant, than that Pharaoh made this match, and which was a mark of great honour and affection to Joseph; and which, if even disagreeable to him, being an idolater, he could not well refuse:
and Joseph went out over [all] the land of Egypt; either the name and fame of him, as Aben Ezra interprets it, see Mt 4:24; or rather he himself went forth in all his grandeur before related, and took a tour, throughout the whole land to observe the fruitfulness of it, and make choice of proper places to lay up his intended stores.
a Prodrom. Copt. p. 124, c. b Targ. Jon. in loc. Shalshalet Hakabala, fol. 3. 2. Pirke Eliezer, c. 38. c Geograph l. 4. c. 5. d Euterpe, sive, l. 2. c. 59. 63. e Ib. c. 3. f Geograph. l. 17. p. 554. g Antiqu. l. 2. c. 6. sect. 1. h Polyhistor. ex Demetrio apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 21. p. 424. i Jablonski de Terra Goshen. Dissert. 8. sect. 4. k De Josepho, p. 543. l “praesidis”, Junius Tremellius, Piscator “principis”, Pagninus, Vatablus so the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan. m Bibliothec. l. 1. p. 66. n Var. Hist. l. 14. c. 34.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
But in order that Joseph might be perfectly naturalized, the king gave him an Egyptian name, Zaphnath-Paaneah, and married him to Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah, the priest at On. The name Zaphnath-Paaneah (a form adapted to the Hebrew, for lxx; according to a Greek scholium, , “ salvator mundi ” ( Jerome), answers to the Coptic P-sote-m-ph-eneh, – P the article, sote salvation, m the sign of the genitive, ph the article, and eneh the world (lit., aetas, seculum ); or perhaps more correctly, according to Rosellini and more recent Egyptologists, to the Coptic P-sont-em-ph-anh, i.e., sustentator vitae , support or sustainer of life, with reference to the call entrusted to him by God.
(Note: Luther in his version, “privy councillor,” follows the rabbinical explanation, which was already to be found in Josephus ( Ant. ii. 6, 1): , from = occulta , and revelator.)
Asenath, (lxx), possibly connected with the name Neith, the Egyptian Pallas. Poti-Phera, (lxx), a Coptic name signifying ille qui solis est , consecrated to the sun ( with the aspirated article signifies the sun in Memphitic). On was the popular name for Heliopolis ( , lxx), and according to Cyrill. Alex. and Hos 5:8 signifies the sun; whilst the name upon the monuments is ta-R or pa-R, house of the sun ( Brugsch, Reisebericht, p. 50). From a very early date there was a celebrated temple of the sun here, with a learned priesthood, which held the first place among the priests’ colleges of Egypt ( Herod. 2, 3; Hengst. pp. 32ff.). This promotion of Joseph, from the position of a Hebrew slave pining in prison to the highest post of honour in the Egyptian kingdom, is perfectly conceivable, on the one hand, from the great importance attached in ancient times to the interpretation of dreams and to all occult science, especially among the Egyptians, and on the other hand, from the despotic form of government in the East; but the miraculous power of God is to be seen in the fact, that God endowed Joseph with the gift of infallible interpretation, and so ordered the circumstances that this gift opened the way for him to occupy that position in which he became the preserver, not of Egypt alone, but of his own family also. And the same hand of God, by which he had been so highly exalted after deep degradation, preserved him in his lofty post of honour from sinking into the heathenism of Egypt; although, by his alliance with the daughter of a priest of the sun, the most distinguished caste in the land, he had fully entered into the national associations and customs of the land.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(45) Zaphnath-paaneah.This word also is Egyptian, and, fortunately, there is no Hebrew word of similar sound to suggest a false meaning. Canon Cook shows that it means food of life, or food of the living. The LXX. have Psonthom-phanek, which Jerome, on the authority of the Jews in Egypt, translates saviour of the world. By the world, would be meant the living, as in Canon Cooks explanation, which, in the sense of he who feeds the world, or the living, is the best exposition yet given. There is no authority for the supposition that the name means revealer of secrets.
Asenath.n Egyptian word signifying the favourite of Neith, the Egyptian Minerva.
Potipherah.See Note on Gen. 39:1.
On.This is also an Egyptian word, signifying the sun, whence in Hebrew the name of this city was Bethshemesh, house of the sun; in Greek, Heliopolis; and in Latin, Oppidum Solls. It was famous for its temple of Ra, the sun, destroyed at an early period by the Persians, but still remarkable for its ruins, among which is an obelisk covered with hieroglyphics of extreme antiquity. Several of the obelisks now at Rome were brought by the emperor Caligula from this spot. It is situated about six miles north-east of Cairo.
A difficulty has been felt by some in a Hebrew shepherd being thus described as marrying the daughter of a priest of the sun; and also that Joseph, a worshipper of the One God, should ally himself with an idolater. But the elevation of a slave to high rank is not an uncommon occurrence in the East, especially as he might be of as good birth and education as his owner, slaves being obtained either by kidnapping, or by war. And a slave so raised to power, would not be likely to oppose his benefactor, nor would even a high priest refuse a daughter to the kings favourite, especially if, as appears to have been the case, he had first been raised to the priesthood. Joseph too, would rightly regard the whole matter as providential, and though he might not know for what exact purpose, as regards his race, he was thus exalted, there was noble work for him to do in saving Egypt from perishing by famine. The narrative throughout represents him as remaining true to the religion of his family (Gen. 41:51-52; Gen. 42:18; Gen. 43:29; Gen. 45:5; Gen. 45:7-9; Gen. 48:9; Gen. 1:19-20; Gen. 1:24), but probably, on public occasions he would be required to attend at the religious solemnities of the Egyptian gods. We must remember, however, that their worship had not degenerated as yet into the miserable idolatry of later times, and that the Egyptian creed contained much primval truth, though in a corrupted form. Pharaoh himself, in Gen. 41:38-39, speaks as one that acknowledged a supreme God, and Joseph throughout freely used to him the name of Elohim. As for Asenath, no doubt Joseph would teach her higher views of the Deity, and make her acquainted with the religious hopes and destinies of the Abrahamic race.
The possibility, however, of a foreigner attaining to high rank in Egypt, is demonstrated by the story of Saneha, translated in Records of the Past, vol. vi., pp. 131-150. It belongs to the reign of Amenemha I., a king of the twelfth dynasty, and represents Saneha as entering Egypt in the dress of a herbseller, but in time he marries there the eldest daughter of a local king, has a large landed estate given him, which abounded in wines more than in water, and, finally, is sent for by King Amenemha, and raised to such high rank, as to be clad in garments of kingly attire, and on his going to the royal palace the kings children attend him, proceeding even unto the great gates. This curious evidence, which is even a little older than the time of Joseph, proves that there is nothing unusual or improbable in his exaltation.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
45. Zaphnath-paaneah An Egyptian name signifying bread of life, a most appropriate designation of Joseph, in his relation to the Egyptians . Others have explained the word as meaning, revealers of secrets, (Targ . , Syr . ,) saviour of the world, (Vulgate,) but the deciphering of the hieroglyphic inscriptions has led to the explanation first given above . See Cook’s Essay on Egyptian Words . The same writer explains Asenath to mean sacred to Neith, the Egyptian Athene, or Minerva; or perhaps a combination of Isis and Neith, names of two deities Isis-neith, a name very likely to be given to his daughter by an Egyptian priest . So also Potipherah is explained as meaning devoted to Ra, the sun god, a suitable name for the priest of On, or Heliopolis, the great city and seat of the worship of the sun . This city stood about two hours’ ride north-east of Cairo, and its site is now “marked by low mounds inclosing a space about three quarters of a mile in length, by half a mile in breadth; which was once occupied partly by houses and partly by the celebrated temple of the Sun. The solitary obelisk which still rises in the midst, is the sole remnant of the former splendours of the place. The Seventy translate the name On by Heliopolis, city of the sun; and the Hebrew prophet calls it in the same sense, Bethshemesh. Jer 43:13. The city suffered greatly from the invasion of Cambyses; and in Strabo’s time it was a mass of splendid ruins . ” Robinson .
Gen 41:45. Zaphnath-paaneah The most probable interpretation of these words, is the revealer of secrets: the Chaldee targum has it, the man to whom secrets are revealed. And of the Greek versions cited in the Hexapla, one renders the words, a man that knoweth secrets; another, one to whom futurity is revealed; and a third, one to whom God hath revealed hidden things. St. Jerome asserts, that it signifies no less than the Saviour of the world; salvatorem mundi, as the Vulgate has it. Houbigant, who understands the Hebrew at least better, renders it arcanorum explanatorem, an explainer of secrets. It was a custom among the Eastern monarchs, to give new names to such foreigners as were inrolled among their subjects: thus did the king of Babylon to Daniel and his associates. It is usual with the Mogul, at this very day, when he invests a person with an office, to give him a name significant of some quality belonging to him.
Asenath, the daughter of Poti-pherah A different person from Potiphar, though some have strangely confounded them. This person was priest of On, or Heliopolis, a city in the eastern part of AEgypt, situated between the Nile and the Arabian gulph, in the land of Goshen. An annual festival was celebrated here in honour of the sun, whence it was called by the Greeks heliopolis, that is, the city of the sun. It is thought to be the same with that which is called Aven, Eze 30:17 and Ir-heres, Isa 19:18 a name of the like import, though we render it, the city of destruction: at present it is called Damietta. “Antiquity celebrates On, or Heliopolis,” says Bishop Warburton, “as a nursery of the most learned and wise colleges of priests. Strabo tells us, they were famed for their skill in astronomy; and what more probable, than that the priests of the sun would devote themselves to the study of that system over which this god was supposed to preside. Pharaoh, therefore, consulted Joseph’s interest in this match; for the administration being in the hands of the priests, they would hardly have borne with Joseph, a stranger, had he not thus been joined in alliance with them.” See Warb. Div. Leg.
Priest of On The Hebrew word rendered priest, signifies also a prince; one who ministers or presides either in things sacred or civil. In the former sense it occurs, ch. Gen 14:18. (Melchizedek priest of the most high GOD) and in various other places. In the other sense it occurs, 1Ch 18:17. The sons of David were chief about the king, that is, they were his principal officers of state, as it is explained 2Sa 8:18. Anciently the priests were the premiers of all AEgypt, and the kings themselves were taken from their order. Shuckford infers, from this passage, that the AEgyptians at this time could not be very [or, universally] corrupt in their religion, or Joseph would not have married into the family of one of their priests, which coincides with a sentiment we have before advanced on Gen 41:38. The authors of the Universal History observe, that as it is not likely that Joseph should so soon have forgotten his religion as to have married the daughter of an uncircumcised person, whether prince or priest, on the one hand; and, on the other, Poti-pherah could not but be desirous to purchase so advantageous an alliance at any rate; this might have given the former a fair opportunity of introducing circumcision into the family of the latter: and thence by degrees among all the AEgyptian priests and laity.
Joseph went out That is, took a progress through the whole kingdom, to build his granaries, and appoint proper officers for the reception of the corn in every place.
REFLECTIONS.1. Joseph adds his advice to his interpretation, evincing his consummate wisdom in both: to improve the years of plenty, and, under faithful inspectors, to lay up provision against the years of famine. Note; (1.) There is a day coming, against which we shall have abundant need to provide. All the grace we can get, will be no more than we shall need. (2.) Provision for approaching danger must be immediate. We, who have so little time to spend, have none to lose.
2. Pharaoh is highly pleased with the advice, and on the spot resolves to follow it. He extols the wisdom of Joseph, and from conviction of his interest with God and of the superiority of his genius, advances him to the honourable post of governor of the whole land. To him the trust is committed, to provide against the famine he predicts. He is solemnly installed. The ring from his finger, and his second chariot bestowed on Joseph, proclaim the favour of the king, and the dignity of the minister; while they cry before him, Bow the knee! And to all his other honours are added, a noble alliance with the daughter of Poti-pherah, and a new name, Zaphnath-paaneah, The revealer of secrets. What a change hath a day brought forth! the morning saw him a prisoner in distress; the noon beheld him apparelled as a king, and chief of all the land of AEgypt. Patient suffering will certainly one day thus be crowned with glory. Note; (1.) It is as honourable to the prince, as happy for the people, when those are preferred, in whom the Spirit of God is. (2.) Herein Joseph resembles the Lord of Glory: exalted from his prison of death to the right hand of God, the concerns of heaven and earth are entrusted to him alone; and angels, principalities, and powers bow before him.
Gen 41:45 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 land of Egypt.
Ver. 45. Zaphnath-paaneah. ] That is, saith Jerome, the Saviour of the world. A high style; so the Greeks, when Flaminius, who had freed them from bondage, came among them, called him Saviour, Saviour, with such a courage, that the birds that flew over their heads, amazed at the noise, fell to the ground. Hunniades, having overthrown Mesites, the Turks’ general, at his return into the camp a wonderful number of the poor captives came, and falling at his feet and kissing them, gave God thanks for their deliverance by him. Some called him father, some the defender of his country; the soldiers, their invincible general; the captives, their saviour; the women, their protector; the young men and children, their tender father. He again, with tears standing in his eyes, courteously embraced them, rejoicing at the public good; and himself giving most hearty thanks unto God, commanded the like to be done in all the churches of that province. a
The daughter of Potipherah priest of On. a Turk. Hist., fol. 269.
b Nullo detrectante, donec ad Erganem regem perventum est, qui omnes occidit et saterdotium sustulit. – Alex. ab Alexandro.
Zaphnath-paaneah. This, too, is not Hebrew, but Egyptian. Zap = abundance; nt (nath) = of; pa = the; aneh = life. The whole name = abundance of life, or, of food for the living.
Poti-pherah. The Egyptian priest of On = “City of the Sun”, called in Hebrew. Aven and Bethshemesh (Jer 43:13), and in Greek. Heliopolis. It was the university of Old Egypt.
Zaphnath-paaneah
Asenath, the Gentile bride espoused by Joseph the rejected one Joh 19:15 type of the Church, called out from the Gentiles to be the bride of Christ during the time of His rejection by His brethren, Israel.; Act 15:14; Eph 5:31; Eph 5:32. (See Scofield “Gen 37:2”).
Zaphnath-paaneah Coptic, revealer of secret things.
Zaphnathpaaneah: Which in Coptic signifies a revealer of secrets, or, the man to whom secrets are revealed. Jerome says this name signified in Egyptian, Savatorem mundi, “the Saviour of the world;” and Psotem-phaneh, in Coptic, is certainly “salvation of the world,” from CT, for [Strong’s G4991], salvation, em, the sign of the genitive case, and , world. If this interpretation be correct, Pharaoh must have meant Egypt by the world, or which Joseph might be justly termed the Saviour. We know that the Romans called their empire Universis Orbis-Orbis Terrarum, “all the world:” the Chinese say the same of their empire at the present day, and the phrase is used in the East: Nadir Shah is described on his coins as “Conqueror of the World,” i.e., Persia. See the same phraseology applied to Syria, Palestine, etc. Luk 2:1, Act 11:28
priest of: or, prince, Gen 14:18, Exo 2:16, *marg. 2Sa 8:18, 2Sa 20:26, *Heb:
On: Gen 46:20, Eze 30:17, Aven
Reciprocal: Gen 41:50 – Asenath Gen 47:22 – of the priests Gen 47:25 – Thou hast Num 12:1 – married 1Ki 11:19 – that he gave 2Ki 23:34 – turned Isa 22:24 – hang Dan 1:7 – gave names
Joseph, the Administrator
Gen 41:45-57
INTRODUCTORY WORDS
We delight in stepping into the scenes that covered fourteen years of Egyptian history-seven years of plenty, and seven years of famine. During all of that period Joseph sat, as it were, at Pharaoh’s right hand, clothed with authority and power.
1. Joseph, the administrator, was ruling under an invested power. His power was given him by Pharaoh, It was given by Pharaoh upon the basis of his (Joseph’s) wisdom.
Our Lord Jesus Christ said, “All power is given unto Me, in Heaven and in earth.” This statement of our Lord’s by no means upsets Christ as God and co-equal with the Father, It does emphasize the fact that a special power is Christ’s by the Father’s investment, because of His incarnation. The Lord’s exaltation to authority and power as Head of the Church by no means lessened or increased His prerogatives as “Deity.” Christ, in speaking to the Father, said, “And * * Father, glorify Thou Me with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was.”
The thought that Christ, by virtue of His incarnation and death, was accorded a place as Deity is all at variance with the Scripture. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” His eternal power and Godhead we all admit. He was inherent God.
However, Christ was power and authority in a new realm, in which He could never have known authority apart from the agonies of His Cross. On one occasion Christ said, “Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My life [for the sheep].” This by no means suggests that the Father did not always love the Son. It does suggest, however, that a new love came into the heart of God-a love that was different-and was made possible through Christ’s sacrificial act.
Christ could never have had authority and power as a Savior of men nor as the Head of the Church if He had not gone down into the depths of His humiliation. He was lifted up, not to Deity, but to a new realm in the range of Deity, because He suffered.
2. Joseph, the administrator, was ruling under an invested power which was dependent upon the fulfillment of his dream and the consummation of his wisdom. When Joseph was brought up out of the pit and stood before Pharaoh he announced seven years of plenty to be followed by seven years of famine. Had Joseph’s prophecy been broken anywhere during the period of those years, he would, beyond doubt, have been immediately dethroned.
Had there been no famine, Joseph would have been made a laughing stock before the world. Had there been no famine Pharaoh’s wealth, spent in the purchase of grain, had proved a complete squander. The grain would have rotted in Joseph’s storehouses had the land still produced its plenty.
Let us now turn to the Lord. He has been exalted to the right hand of authority and power. Millions upon the earth are giving Him homage. What would happen if Christ’s prophecies of things to come are not verified?
Before Christ died He was not unwilling to place every claim He had ever made to Deity upon His resurrection. When Christ gave His prophecies concerning the Church and its place among men; and, concerning the world and its course during this age; and concerning the conditions of the end of the age, He knew that His place of authority and power was always at stake.
Day by day, as Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream met their fulfillment, Joseph was the deeper intrenched in his place of authority. Thus the faith of saints today, who know how the world is moving along the very lines which were prophesied by the Lord nineteen hundred years ago, is doubly strong and unshakable.
3. Joseph, the administrator, had power in relation to world dominion. The authority of Jesus Christ which was given to Him by the investment of the Father has no bearing upon Christ’s power or glory in the realms of His eternal Godhead-the realm where He was ever worshiped with the Father and the Son as the angels cried, “Holy, Holy, Holy.”
Christ’s new power is a power related to the world. He said, “All power is given unto Me in Heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations.” He has a new power above and He has a new power on earth, but that power is related to the peoples of the world. The power has to do with His Headship over the Church and to His exaltation as a Savior.
I. JOSEPH WENT OUT FROM THE PRESENCE OF PHARAOH (Gen 41:46; Gen 41:2 nd cl.)
1. He actually went from Pharaoh to the people.
We are observing that every word spoken concerning Joseph has its parallel in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ came forth from the Father. Other men are of the earth, earthy; Christ Jesus is the Lord from Heaven. We are from beneath, He is from above. We are of natural generation, He was of supernatural generation.
Only once did our Lord speak plainly of His birth, and then He added, “To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world.” The Lord did always emphasize the fact that He came forth from the Father and came into the world.
All of its may be sent forth by the Lord, but the Lord Himself was sent forth from the Father.
2. He went from the presence of Pharaoh, clothed with the authority of Pharaoh. It was, to all purposes, as though Pharaoh had gone forth himself.
Was this not the claim of Christ? He said, not only that He came forth from the Father, but He also said, “He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father.” Christ, moving among men, was the same as though the Father had moved among them. In all things Christ was the express image of the Father’s Person, and the brightness of the Father’s glory. He who saw Christ could say, “I have seen the Father.”
II. JOSEPH WENT THROUGH ALL THE LAND OF EGYPT (Gen 41:46; Gen 41:3 d cl.)
1. Pharaoh could not go throughout the land, but Joseph went. The king was hemmed in by certain proprieties and necessities. The Father does not pass around among men, but the Son does. Of Christ it is written, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” How wonderful it is: Christ tabernacling among men. When Christ came, He came as a babe, born of Mary and laid in a manger. The holy Child mid the cattle seemed to prophesy the Son of God mingling among men. It was Christ who sat with the publicans and sinners and ate with them.
2. Pharaoh could not go, but Joseph went manifesting Pharaoh’s glory and power. Jesus Christ was among men, and it is written, “(And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of Grace and Truth.”
Christ even said, “He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; how sayest thou then, shew us the Father?”
As Joseph moved among the people, they felt that they had a manifestation of royalty. They had not beheld Pharaoh, but they had beheld the representative of Pharaoh, who was Pharaoh’s replica.
3. Pharaoh could not go, but Joseph went everywhere. Jesus Christ said, “Let us go into the next towns, * * also, for therefore am I sent.” Thus the Lord became a journeyman, going hither and thither.
We have a feeling that this ministry of Jesus Christ has been committed now unto us. The work He began, we are to carry forward. If Christ were in God’s stead carrying the message of life, then we are in Christ’s stead. If God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, He has now committed unto us that same Word of reconciliation.
When our Lord was ready to depart, He said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.”
The Apostle Paul carrying out the spirit of the great commission said, “According to our rule abundantly, to preach the Gospel in the regions beyond you.”
As Joseph went throughout all the land of Egypt, sent of Pharaoh; so must we go out over all the world sent of God.
III. THE YEARS OF PLENTY (Gen 41:47)
Immediately following Joseph’s exaltation to the throne, the years of plenty began to come. Of those seven years of plenty we read, “The earth brought forth by handfuls.”
1. There is suggested to us the bounteous grace of God. Calvary with its sacrifice stands for God’s mercy, but not merely mercy, but plenitudes of mercy. In the Cross of Christ there is. a redemption sufficient for all, deficient toward none, and yet efficient only to those who believe.
2. There is suggested to us the earlier harvests following Pentecost.
(1) At Pentecost there were about three thousand added to the Lord. During the whole of Christ’s earthly ministry there were numbered some five hundred brethren, but in one day after His exaltation there were added about three thousand.
As Joseph began to gather in the grain in such abundance, there must have been great rejoicing throughout Egypt. We know that as the harvest of souls came in at Pentecost, they did eat their meat with gladness and single-ness of heart, praising God.
(2) Following Pentecost, we read, “And the number of the men was about five thousand.” The Lord was giving great victory as the Apostles spoke the Word of God with boldness. Great grace was upon them all. The saints who were possessors of houses and lands brought the prices of the things that were sold and laid them at the Apostles’ feet for distribution. By the hands of the Apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people, and believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.
(3) In the days of the Apostle Paul the whole world seemed turned upside down. We read, “And many that believed came, and confessed, and showed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So mightily grew the Word, of God and prevailed.” It was not long until the great harvest was gathered in for God, and the Gospel was preached throughout the world.
IV. JOSEPH GARNERING THE FOOD (Gen 41:48-49)
It must have been a wonderful sight as the seven years of plenty passed to behold the garnering of the grain. The food was all gathered and laid by in the cities of Egypt. The corn thus reaped and conserved became in number as the sand of the sea. It was so much that Joseph ceased counting, for it was without number.
The early disciples who carried on the Word and the work after Christ’s exaltation to the throne of the Father did not fail to garner the souls. Those who were added to the Lord were also added to the Church.
The command of the Master was not only to go but it was to go, to disciple, to baptize, and to teach them all things whatsoever the Lord had commanded.
Let no evangelist or pastor think that he has completed his task by the mere fact of ripened harvests. Harvests must be placed in the storehouse, and saved sinners must be placed in the Church of God.
The Church is the pillar and ground of the truth, but the Church is also the conserver and instructor of saints. Paul, in the Spirit, wrote to Titus, saying, “For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee.”
The Church stands for us as the great household of the faith. It is the whole family of God. It is builded for fellowship and for the conservation and upbuilding of those who believe.
V. THE YEARS OF FAMINE (Gen 41:54)
1. The years of famine had been duly prophesied. Perhaps as the seven years of plenty ran on, from year to year, the Egyptians began to imagine that the years of famine would not materialize. There are many now who say, “Tomorrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.” They stand set against any possible days of tribulation. They cry to the pulpit to prophesy unto them good things. They think, “We shall never be in adversity.”
Against all such roseate speeches, the famine began to come, God has told us that there shall be another day of famine and of distress. For years the world mocked the preacher who dared to face the waves of prosperity that swept the land and proclaimed the coming of the Great Tribulation.
2. The years of famine came gradually. The text says, “They began to come.” It was not all at once as from a clear sky that the change from plenty to poverty gripped the world. Thus, also, the Great Tribulation is divided into two great parts. (1) The Beginning of Sorrows, and (2) The Tribulation intensified.
As we now write (June 1933), we believe for our part that the Seven Years of tribulation spoken of by Daniel the Prophet and corroborated by the Lord Jesus Christ and by many Prophets, has begun to come.
When Joseph announced his interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream, many, no doubt, laughed him to scorn. However, as the famine began to come, and as it took a deeper and deeper hold upon the world the scoffers awoke to the truth of God’s Word through His servant.
Thus, today, the scoffers are sitting up and taking notice, as the prophecies of God’s Word about the present hour of darkness are rapidly coming to pass, and the whole world is becoming involved in economic and moral disaster.
VI. JOSEPH THE ONLY HOPE OF THE FAMINE SUFFERERS (Gen 41:55)
When the hungry began to call upon Pharaoh for bread, Pharaoh said, “Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do.”
1. The world may turn to men and to antichrist and to Satan, but as the tribulation gets deeper and darker the utter collapse of every agency will occur.
Leagues of nations will prove no more than leagues of notions so far as any effective solving of social unrest is concerned.
All kinds of alliances will be made to meet the exigencies of the hour of tribulation; kings will set themselves together and take counsel; however, their counsel will come to naught.
For awhile the antichrist and the false prophet, Satan-energized may seem to meet successfully the needs of the hour, and lead men out of the labyrinth of seeming collapse, yet, after a short reign of peace the whole will once more become a veritable battle field, while famine and pestilence follow hard upon their heels.
2. Joseph was the sole help for Egypt and the world. He alone could give the needed bread; and Christ is the sole help of the world at this moment, He is the only hope of peace and prosperity and economic redemption. Under Him alone and under His rule will righteousness and peace kiss one another.
Joseph was not only the dispenser of bread, but he was the dispenser from unlimited stores. He had all the world needed.
Jesus Christ alone is the Bread which came down from Heaven. He has Bread enough to satisfy the hunger of the world.
So far as the physical bread is concerned. He holds the power of the seasons in His hand; He controls the winds and the rain. He speaks, and all the elements obey His will. Thus, when He is on the throne, He can and will cause the plowman to overtake the reaper. The hills will melt with new wine.
In the realm of the spiritual, Jesus Christ is the Bread that satisfies. He says, “He that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst.”
VII. ALL COUNTRIES CAME TO JOSEPH FOR CORN (Gen 41:57)
Joseph became more than a local blessing-the whole world came to Him. When Christ died on the Cross, the veil of the Temple was rent from top to bottom. The middle wall of partition which separated the Jew and Gentile was broken down, and the Gentiles became heirs in the same body. The Church is not alone the storehouse of the Bread of Life, but from its provisions bread goes out to the whole world.
Christ, over all, is food to all who come to Him. Not one race, but all, not one class, but all, are invited to the house of the Lord, and to our Joseph. The call is a world-wide call, “Come and dine.”
To whom shall we go? Christ alone is the Bread of Life.
AN ILLUSTRATION
CHRIST OUR CONQUEROR
In 1863, in the crisis of our Civil War, there was an interesting phenomenon that took place in Virginia City in Nevada. One day the bright summer sky was suddenly overcast with dense masses of threatening cloud, and the lightning played vividly. Suddenly on Mount Davidson’s eastern slope that confronted the city, a delicate golden tongue of flame was seen swaying in the wind. For an hour that flame continued to sway to and fro on the mountain’s brow. The explanation of it was simply this: there was an unseen rift in those dark, dense masses of cloud, and through that rift the evening sun flung his luminous beams and lit up the American flag that we raised on the summit of Mount Davidson. It was the national emblem that was glowing in the burning beams of the setting sun. The people stood there wrapped in admiration and entranced in astonishment. That flag was the unknown signal of two victories that had taken place that day-Vicksburg had yielded, and Gettsyburg was won. Often there are dark, dense masses of cloud in our firmament; but, blessed be God, there is a rift in the storm-cloud, and the Sun of Righteousness shines forth with healing in His beams, and they rest on the flag of the Cross raised on the very mountain heights of the strongholds of Satan. Let us stand and look at that symbol with thankfulness that Christ is not dead and never can die, and by that sign shall we conquer.-Dr. A. J. Pierson.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Neighbour’s Wells of Living Water