Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 43:1
And the famine [was] sore in the land.
1 14. The Return to Egypt
2. Go again ] That Jacob seems to forget about Simeon, is due to the change from the E to the J narrative.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
– Joseph and His Eleven Brethren
11. debash, honey, from the bee, or sirup from the juice of the grape. boten, pistachio nuts. shaqed, almond tree; related: awake. The tree is also called luz. Some refer the former to the fruit, the latter to the tree.
The eleven brothers are now to bow down before Joseph.
Gen 43:1-10
The famine was severe. The pressure began to be felt more and more. The twelve households had at length consumed all the corn they had purchased, and the famine still pressed heavily upon them. Jacob directs them to return. And Judah said. Reuben had offended, and could not come forward. Simon and Levi had also grieved their father by the treacherous slaughter of the Shekemites. Judah therefore, speaks. Is your father yet alive? Have ye a brother? These questions do not come out in the previous narrative, on account of its brevity. But how pointed they are, and how true to Josephs yearnings! They explain how it was that these particulars came out in the replies of the brothers to Joseph. For the charge of being spies did not call for them in exculpation. Judah now uses all the arguments the case would admit of, to persuade his father to allow Benjamin to go with them. He closes with the emphatic sentence, If I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me have sinned against thee all my days; that is, let me bear the blame, and of course the penalty of having sinned against thee in so tender a point. Both Judah and his father knew that this was a matter that touched the interest of the former very deeply. Reuben was bearing the blame of a grievous sin, and had no hope of the birthright. Simon and Levi were also bearing blame, and, besides, had not the natural right, which belonged only to Reuben. Judah came next, and a failure in securing the safe return of Benjamin might set him also aside. He undertakes to run this risk.
Gen 43:11-15
Jacob at length reluctantly sends Benjamin with them. He employs all means, as is usual with him, of securing a favorable result. The best of the land – the sung or celebrated products of the land. A little honey. Palestine abounded with bee honey. A sirup obtained by boiling down the juice of the grape was also called by the same name, and formed an article of commerce. Nuts. These are supposed to be pistachio nuts, from the pistacia vera, a tree resembling the terebinth, a native of Anatolia, Syria, and Palestine. Almonds. The almond tree buds or flowers earlier in the spring than other trees. It is a native of Palestine, Syria, and Persia. For the other products see Gen 37:25. Other silver; not double silver, but a second sum for the new purchase. God Almighty – the Great Spirit, who can dispose the hearts of men as he pleases. Jacob looks up to heaven for a blessing, while he uses the means. If I am bereaved, I am bereaved. This is the expression of acquiescence in whatever may be the will of Providence. Double silver, – what was returned and what was to pay for a second supply of corn.
Gen 43:16-18
The invitation into Josephs house fills the brothers with alarm. Saw with them Benjamin. This was an unspeakable relief to Joseph, who was afraid that his full brother, also the favorite of his father, might have incurred the envy and persecution of the brothers. Brought the men to Josephs house. This he eventually did, but not until after the conference between him and them took place. The men were afraid of a plot to rob them of their liberty and property.
Gen 43:19-25
They are encouraged by the steward of Josephs house to lay aside their fears, and prepare their present. Spake to him at the door of the house. This was, of course, before they entered. When we came to the inn. The relater is prone to lump matters in the narration, for the sake of brevity. They began to open their bags at the first lodging-place, and finished the process at the last when they got home. Other silver. This explains the phrase second silver in Gen 43:12. Peace be to you. Be at rest. All is well. Your God. The steward of Joseph expresses himself as one who fears and trusts God, the God of the Hebrews, who had displayed his omniscience and omnipotence in Egypt. He brought out unto them Simon. While they still linger at the entrance, the considerate steward bethought himself of bringing out Simon to them, which reassured their hearts, and induced them to enter willingly. He now succeeds therefore, in bringing them in, and then bestows upon them the usual attentions of Eastern hospitality. They now make ready their present.
Gen 43:26-34
They are now entertained by Joseph. They brought the present, and made a lowly obeisance before him. They bent the head. See Gen 24:26. God be gracious unto thee, my son. His kind treatment of Benjamin, on whose presence he had so much insisted, was calculated to reassure the brothers. The latter was born in his thirteenth year, and therefore, he was entitled to assume the paternal style in regard to him. Joseph still appeals with a natural and unconstrained reverence to his own God. And Joseph hastened away. The little touch of tenderness he had involuntarily thrown into his address to Benjamin, is too much for his feelings, which yearn toward his brother, and he is obliged to retreat to his chamber to conceal his tears and compose his countenance. They set for him by himself. As the governor, or as connected by affinity with the priestly caste, Joseph does not eat with the other Egyptians. The Egyptians cannot eat with the Hebrews. That is an abomination to the Mizrites. For the Hebrews partook of the flesh of kine, both male and female.
But Herodotus informs us (ii. 41), that male kine, if clean, are used by the Egyptians, but the females they are not allowed to sacrifice, since they are sacred to Isis. And he adds that a native of Egypt will not kiss a Greek, use his knife, his spit, or his cauldron, or taste the flesh cut with a Greek knife. They considered all foreigners unclean, and therefore, refused to eat with them (see Rawlinsons Herodotus on p. q.). They sat in his presence; arranged according to the order of their birth, to their great amazement. Egypt was to them a land of wonders, and Egypts sultan a man of wonder. Benjamins mess. The honored guest was distinguished by a larger or daintier portion of the fare (1Sa 9:23-24; Homer, ii. 7,321). A double portion was assigned to the Spartan kings. The fivefold division was prominent in Egyptian affairs Gen 41:34; Gen 45:22; Gen 47:2, Gen 47:24, Gen 47:26. And were merry. They drank freely, so as to be exhilarated, because their cares were dissipated by the kindness they were receiving, the presence of Simon, and the attention paid to Benjamin.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Gen 43:1-14
Go again, buy us a little food
Jacob under the pressure of want
I.
His CHANGE OF RESOLUTION (Gen 43:11-14).
II. His PIETY THROUGHOUT.
1. His faith in God.
2. His honest principle.
3. It is no reflection on his piety that he changed his purpose.
Consistent with the unchanging truth of God, with the eternal law of righteousness, we must and ought to be; but not invariably consistent with ourselves; for our goodness is imperfect, and we are liable to mistake and error. Instead of adjusting our present conduct to our former habits and thoughts, we should act upon our present convictions, leaving the present and the past to reconcile themselves as they may. It is only by looking continually to God, and not to ourselves, that we can walk sure-footedly in the present life. (T. H. Leale.)
The second journey of Josephs brethren into Egypt
I. THE JOURNEY.
1. The resolve of Jacob to send at last his son Benjamin to Egypt. In this consent of Jacob we read a double instance of faith, faith in God and in man.
(1) Faith in God; for he says, God Almighty give you mercy before the man (Gen 43:14). Faith has been well defined thus, the heart to make ventures for God. He alone knows what real faith is, who has been compelled to lose sight of or to relinquish hold of those most dear to him, relying only on the mercy and eternal love of God. Faith is that which makes us hold and cling to God when nothing else is left for us to cling to; the grasp of the dying sailor to the mast, that is faith.
(2) There was, besides, faith in humanity, in his son Judah, in one scarcely worthy of his confidence, for once at least he had proved treacherous. But it was better so, and it is better for us if we possess this faith in man.
2. Jacobs honesty (Gen 43:12). We are bound not only to return that which is ours unjustly, but also that which is ours by the oversight or mistake of others. But there is another way of looking at this act of Jacobs. It seems somewhat to savour of his disposition to mollify and appease his enemies by presents; as, when he dreaded the enmity of Esau, he sent presents to him, flattering him with the name of god. And if it be so, we find here that which tells, not of honesty, but of pliancy.
3. The change of Jacobs resolution in permitting Benjamin to go. At first we might be inclined to charge him with inconsistency, but the circumstances were changed, and the only choice now left him was between famine for them all and the loss of one son.
II. THE ARRIVAL IN EGYPT.
1. The fear of Josephs brethren when invited to Josephs house. They came dreading some misfortune. They were suspicious of Josephs intentions. They could not but think that he wished to entrap them and make bondsmen of them. And this fear of theirs arose partly out of their own capability for a similar act of treachery. Thus conscience doth make cowards of us all. It is the worst penalty of a deceitful and crooked disposition that it always dreads being overreached.
2. In the next place we observe the bowing down of the brethren before Joseph (Gen 43:26). This was an exact fulfilment of one of his early dreams, when the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed down before him. But Joseph was now changed; he had been too much saddened by misfortune, and was far too much accustomed to Egyptian homage, to find any real pleasure in this, from which he had formerly expected so much. For us this is a pregnant example of the illusiveness of human life. Now that his dream was fulfilled to the very letter, he could not enjoy it.
3. We next observe Josephs relief in the indirect utterance of his feelings. He asked, Is your father yet alive, and your youngest brother? &c. (Gen 43:27).
4. The feast of brotherhood. (F. W. Robertson, M. A.)
Lessons from Jacobs behaviour at this crisis
1. Did he at length admit the necessity of making the sacrifice which he declared he would never make? Let us never be ashamed to retract any hasty and improper resolution which we have ever formed. And when we perceive how necessary it is to give up any idol, or any forbidden indulgence, let us not hesitate a moment to act upon our convictions. No delays are so dangerous as those which take place between the formation and the performance of a good resolution.
2. Again, we must not attempt to procure the favour of Him who sits upon the throne of grace by any present that we have to bring, or any payment that we have to make. While we are willing to part with everything for the sake of Christ, we are not to bring anything as the price of our salvation, or to offer anything that we have, or anything that we can do, to recommend us to His favour.
3. Again, let us never forget that the desire for His salvation, and the broken and contrite heart which He has promised to accept, must come from God. The preparation of the heart of man is from the Lord. We must bring our heart when we come into His presence, and it must be upright and contrite if we would see His face in peace. But He only, who requires such a heart as this, can produce it for us.
4. For here, observe, the importance of a praying spirit is especially to be seen in Jacobs behaviour at this time. When he sent his sons away, it was with the humble and earnest petition–God Almighty give you favour before the man. Prayer ever was, and ever must be, the distinguishing mark of all the true sons of Jacob.
5. Lastly, Jacob at length determined to acquiesce in the appointments of Divine Providence, whatever they might be. So let every true penitent resolve to do, and he is certain eventually to be delivered out of all his fears. (C. Overton.)
Jacobs prayer
1. The character under which the Lord is addressed–God Almighty, or God all-sufficient. This was the name under which Abraham was blessed, and which was used by Isaac in blessing Jacob. Doubtless Jacob, in putting up this prayer, thought of these covenant promises and blessings, and that it was the prayer of faith.
2. The mistake on which the prayer is founded, which yet was acceptable to God. He prayed for the turning of the mans heart in a way of mercy; but the mans heart did not need turning. Yet Jacob thought it did, and had no means of knowing otherwise. The truth of things may in some cases be o concealed from us, to render us more importunate; and this importunity, though it may appear at last to have been unnecessary, yet being right according as circumstances appeared at the time, God will approve of it, and we shall find our account in it.
3. The resignation with which he concludes: If I am bereaved, I am bereaved! It is Gods usual way, in trying those whom He loves, to touch them in the tenderest part. Herein the trial consists. If there be one object round which the heart has entwined more than all others, that is it which is likely to be Gods rival, and of that we must be deprived. Yet if when it goes, we humbly resign it up into Gods hands, it is not unusual for Him to restore it to US, and that with more than double interest. (A. Fuller.)
The second visit to Egypt
I. JACOBS ENTREATY.
1. The occasion of it. Continuance of the famine. How dreary the prospect. Barren earth. Languishing cattle. Dry river-beds. The heavens as brass.
2. The character of it. Buy us a little food.
(1) Buy. They had money. The money that was returned, and a little more. They probably took all they could well spare the first time, not thinking the famine would last so long, and intending to obtain enough to suffice till plenty was restored.
(2) A little food. It was all they could purchase with what money was left after they had restored the first purchase-money.
(3) Go again. He does not say a word about Benjamin. Did he think they had forgotten him; or that they would not press the matter? He speaks of food, not of Simeon or Benjamin.
II. JUDAHS EXPOSTULATION. He at once assures his father that it is of no use except Benjamin goes too; and refuses to go without him, as a useless and perilous experiment.
III. THE BROTHERS MEETING. They once more set out for Egypt. In due time they stand in the presence of the great lord. Joseph sees and recognizes Benjamin. Commands that a banquet shall be prepared in his own house. This new kindness filled them with new fear. They thought they were being ensnared, and would be sold as bondmen. Yet they had done to Joseph the very thing they feared to receive at his hands. Having had no opportunity of speaking to Joseph, they explain to the steward. He encourages them. Tells them not to fear. Reminds them of Gods mercy. Josephs present is therefore prepared, and they await the issue. In all this see how a guilty conscience destroys enjoyment of happy circumstances. If a man is right within, all will be right without; if he be wrong, all will be wrong. Learn:
I. To be thankful for plenty.
II. To pity the distressed.
III. Sin brings its own punishment.
IV. The brothers meeting may remind us of our future meeting with our Elder Brother. (J. G. Gray.)
If thou wilt send our brother
A reasonable condition
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. But let parents take heed that they provoke not their children to resist their commands, by enjoining that which is unjust, unreasonable, or impracticable. Judah was justifiable in making conditions with his own venerable father. But to object to the commands of a parent, without an urgent reason, is consistent neither with the law of Christ, nor with the law of nature. The command of Jacob was not simply to go to Egypt, but to go and fetch corn from Egypt. This was impracticable, unless Benjamin went along with his brethren. Every wise man will consider, when he undertakes a journey, or any great work, for what purpose it is designed, and how it may be executed, so as to answer the end. What man would have travelled all the way from the place where Jacob sojourned in Canaan to Egypt, to buy corn in the time of famine, without the prospect of being able to obtain it? What man will plough or sow his land, without the prospect of a crop? What wise man will undertake any religious employment, without the prospect of obtaining the wished advantage to be found in the service of God? If those who call themselves the children of light, were half as wise in their generation as the children of this world, when they wish to have the oil of grace, they would go to those who sell before the door is shut, and would not go without their Elder Brother, without whom no man can come to the Father with acceptance. It is said of the famous Themistocles, that when he fled for refuge to Admetus, king of Thessaly, he took the kings infant son in his arms, and obtained what he requested. He had been told that this was the law of the court of Admetus. And this is the law of Gods house, that we cannot come with success to the throne of Gods grace, but in the name of Christ, the only mediator between God and sinful men. (G. Lawson, D. D.)
If it must be so now, do this
Jacob yields to persuasion
A fool rageth, and is confident; but a wise man will yield to reason, be it from a servant, from a son, from a wife, or from any other person, though inferior to himself, in station, in good sense, or in holiness. Ye younger, be subject to the elder, yea, all of you be subject one to another; and be clothed with humility, for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble (1Pe 5:3). Here you have an illustration of the apostles precept, and the reason by which it is enforced. Jacobs sons submitted to their father in going down to Egypt, and their father complied with them in sending Benjamin along with them; and God crowned their designs with success, and gave them wonderful displays of His favour in the event of their journey. How was Jacob persuaded to comply with a motion so adverse to his feelings? Not by Reubens, but by Judahs solicitations. Judah addressed his father in words of wisdom and meekness, He set before him the absolute necessity of parting with Benjamin for a time, and the great comfort to be expected in the issue. Far was he from reproaching his father for his manifest partiality to this favourite son, but he gave him full assurance that his partiality should be gratified, if possible and necessary; for when Judah became surety for him, he, in effect, engaged to stand between him and every danger; and this promise he did not fail to perform. Complain not, young persons, of tyranny in your parents, when the truth probably is, that you have not learned to treat with due reverence the fathers of your flesh. Do they refuse to comply with your wishes? Can you say with uprightness, that your desires were such as ought to have been granted? And if this has been the case, have you showed due respect to them in expressing your desires? and have you borne, with a meek temper, those eruptions of passion which disagreeable circumstances may sometimes produce, even in the best men? You see in the instances before us, that by much forbearing, a prince and a father may be persuaded, and that a soft answer breaketh the bone. (G. Lawson, D. D.)
Conduct in emergency
1. He acts prudently. He uses means of conciliation, and of bespeaking the good graces of the unknown ruler of Egypt.
2. He acts honestly. The money that was brought again in your sacks, carry it again in your hands: peradventure it was an oversight. There are not a few who, in similar circumstances, would have been disposed to regard such money as, according to their cant phraseology, a God-send; and who would have thought no more about the matter. Not so Jacob. Before he would regard the money as his, or have his sons regard it as theirs, he must be at the bottom of the matter–he must have it accounted for, how came it there–he must know whether they can keep it honestly. Thus let all Christian transactions be regulated by the principles of high honour and sterling unbending integrity.
3. He acts piously. And God Almighty give you mercy before the man! When a human heart requires to be softened, and inclined to favour where there is seeming hostility, it is ours to do what we can, and to leave the result, by prayer and supplication, in the hands of God–of God Almighty. How much more like himself does Jacob now appear; and how much more becoming an example does he set before his family!
4. He acts submissively. If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved!
5. He acts affectionately. It may be truly said of Jacob, as a father, that even his failings leaned to virtues side. We can account for them from causes that are in themselves good. But the point to which my observation tends, as many of you may anticipate, is this. How come we to be so much in earnest in seeking to propitiate a fellow-creature to turn away his displeasure, and to conciliate his favour, in order to avoid what harm, and to ensure what good, he may have it in his power to do us; while we are so careless about averting the wrath and obtaining the grace of a higher than the highest of created powers?–of Him, whose wrath is so infinitely more to be deprecated, and whose grace is so infinitely more to be desired and sought, than those of all the agents of evil or of good combined, in the world or in the universe. (R. Wardlaw, D. D.)
Carry down the man a present
Offerings by the little to the great (a harvest sermon for children)
An old man is sending off a company of his sons; they are going to visit a very great man, who is the governor of a great country. They have a proper awe of this man, because he is so great, but he has been very good to them, and their need compels them to go. So their father sends them off, and bids them by no means go empty-handed, but take with them a present for the man. Now your parents have sent you or brought you to church to-day to our Harvest Festival, not to visit some great earthly governor, but to Gods House, to meet God, and to Present your prayers through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, of whom in His human life Joseph was in many ways a type; and I feel sure that your parents will have said to you, as Jacob said to his sons, Take a present, a little of the best fruits of the land, or their value in money. For even if it should be very little indeed that you can bring, I am sure they will have told you that that certainly should not be forgotten. Joseph in Egypt was a picture in some small degree of our Lord, who is Governor of all the earth, who says by the mouth of David, the whole world is Mine, and all that is therein (Psa 50:12). He has no need of our corn, or of our fruits, or of our money: and yet He has commanded us to offer to Him. There follow close after, in this same Psalm, the words, Offer unto God thanksgiving, and pay thy vows unto the Most Highest. God ordered His people (Deu 26:1-19.) when they came into the land of Canaan to take at harvest-time a basket of the first-fruits, and give it into the hands of the priest before Gods altar, and say, A Syrian ready to perish, was my father, and he went down into Egypt with a few–and became great and mighty. So the people of Israel were to be reminded of this visit to Egypt and its consequences, for by the Syrian, my father, is meant Jacob. Let us look again at our picture, and see what it will teach us. Joseph, we may be quite sure, was pleased with the present, not for its value in itself, but because it showed that those who brought it wished well. But what pleased him most was the coming of his brethren themselves. He wanted them very much, especially the little one. And there was great joy when he had them all together, and made himself known and embraced them. Joseph is here again a type of our Blessed Lord. That which, above all, He desires, over and above the gifts which He welcomes, is the heart of the giver. St. Paul tells us exactly what it is He seeks–not yours, but you (2Co 12:14). He is not ashamed to call us brethren (Heb 2:11), though we have treated Him worse than Josephs brethren treated him; and though we may be us shabby and poor as probably Josephs brethren looked in his royal palace in Egypt, our Lord Jesus Christ will be ready with His kiss and embrace for us. And when I tell you that He seeks not yours, but you, I do not mean that He does not want your little offerings; He does for your sakes. What you can give, of course, is nothing to Him: but do not allow yourself to be tempted into saying, as grown-up people sometimes say when the harvest is not so plentiful, and they are poor, and the times are hard, that we must leave giving to those who are well off. Jacob and his sons were poor enough–there was a famine in the land–and yet they sent the rich governor of Egypt a present, and see what a blessing came out of it. I find, as I read my Bible, that it is the poor of this world, rich in faith, who become heirs of the kingdom (Jam 2:5), through their faith and liberality. And our Lord has told us why it is He likes us to offer to Him of our little: He says, Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Mat 6:21). He wants our hearts, and therefore He asks for our treasures. Let me give you an example. Only a few weeks ago I read a sad story in a newspaper. There were several young men, brothers, who went, I think, to Canada, and there worked very hard upon a farm out in the wilds, and earned a good deal of money. A man came to visit them, and persuaded them to trust him with their savings, saying that he would use it in the working of a mine which would yield them double their money in a short time. But one day they found out that this man was a rogue, and that he had spent all their money for nothing, and the news was so terrible a shock to them that they all went out of their minds. Their minds were all upon their money, and when that was lost they were lost. Learn, thin, as soon as you may, to lay up your treasure in heaven. Bring your little offerings to Jesus Christ,
And what He most desireth, Your humble, thankful hearts.
(Archibald Day, M. A.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
CHAPTER XLIII
The famine continuing, Jacob desires his sons to go again to
Egypt and buy some food, 1, 2.
Judah shows the necessity of Benjamin’s accompanying them,
without whom it would be useless to return to Egypt, 3-5.
Jacob expostulates with him, 6.
Judah replies, and offers to become surety for Benjamin, 7-10.
Jacob at last consenting and desires them to take a present with
them for the governor of Egypt; and double money, that which
they had brought back in their sacks’ mouth, and the price of
the load they were now to bring; and, having prayed for them,
sends them away, 11-15.
They arrive in Egypt, and are brought to Joseph’s house to dine
with him, at which they are greatly alarmed, 16-18.
They speak to the steward of Joseph’s house concerning the money
returned in their sacks, 19-22.
He gives them encouragement, 23, 24.
Having made ready the present, they bring it to Joseph when he
came home to dine, 25, 26.
He speaks kindly to them, and inquires concerning their health,
and that of their father, 27, 28.
Joseph is greatly affected at seeing his brother Benjamin, 29-31.
They dine with him, and are distinguished according to their
seniority; but Benjamin receives marks of peculiar favour, 32-34.
NOTES ON CHAP. XLIII
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
And the famine [was] sore in the land. In the land of Canaan; it increased yet more and more: this is observed for the sake of what follows, showing the reason and necessity of Jacob’s sons taking a second journey into Egypt.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
When the corn brought from Egypt was all consumed, as the famine still continued, Jacob called upon his sons to go down and fetch a little corn (little in proportion to their need).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| Jacob Unwilling to Part with Benjamin. | B. C. 1707. |
1 And the famine was sore in the land. 2 And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food. 3 And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you. 4 If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food: 5 But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down: for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you. 6 And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother? 7 And they said, The man asked us straitly of our state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother down? 8 And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones. 9 I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever: 10 For except we had lingered, surely now we had returned this second time.
Here, 1. Jacob urges his sons to go and buy more corn in Egypt, Gen 43:1; Gen 43:2. The famine continued; and the corn they had bought was all spent, for it is meat that perisheth. Jacob, as a good master of a family, is in care to provide for those of his own house food convenient; and shall not God provide for his children, for the household of faith? Jacob bids them go again and buy a little food; now, in time of scarcity, a little must suffice, for nature is content with a little. 2. Judah urges him to consent that Benjamin should go down with them, how much soever it went against his feelings and previous determination. Note, It is not at all inconsistent with the honour and duty which children owe their parents humbly and modestly to advise them, and, as occasion is, to reason with them. Plead with your mother, plead, Hos. ii. 2. (1.) He insists upon the absolute necessity they were under of bringing Benjamin with them, of which he, who was a witness to all that had passed in Egypt, was a more competent judge than Jacob could be. Joseph’s protestation (v. 3) may be alluded to to show upon what terms we must draw nigh to God; unless we bring Christ along with us in the arms of our faith, we cannot see the face of God with comfort. (2.) He engages to take all possible care of him, and to do his utmost for his safety, Gen 43:8; Gen 43:9. Judah’s conscience had lately smitten him for what he had done a great while ago against Joseph (ch. xlii. 21); and, as an evidence of the truth of his repentance, he is ready to undertake, as far as a man could do it, for Benjamin’s security. He will not only not wrong him, but will do all he can to protect him. This is restitution, as far as the case will admit; when he knew not how he could restore Joseph, he would make some amends for the irreparable injury he had done him by doubling his care concerning Benjamin.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
GENESIS – CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Verses 1-10:
The food supplies the nine brothers brought from Egypt were soon exhausted. Israel (Jacob) instructed them to return to Egypt for additional provisions. Judah reminded him of the restrictions imposed by “the man” in Egypt who was in charge of the grain sales. This official was Joseph, but the brothers did not recognize him.
Israel was still reluctant to send Benjamin to Egypt, even though this was the one condition imposed on any future grain sales to his sons. The brothers were convinced that they would be endangering their own lives if they returned to Egypt without Benjamin. They feared they would be arrested and perhaps executed as spies. They steadfastly refused to go without Benjamin.
Judah offered to stand surety for Benjamin’s safety. This pictures the surety of Him who is the “Lion of the Tribe of Judah” (Re 5:5; 13:8; 1Pe 1:20). Then he chided his father for not permitting them to take Benjamin with them to Egypt earlier.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
1. And the famine was sore in the land. In this chapter is recorded the second journey of the sons of Jacob into Egypt, when the former supply of provision had been exhausted. It may, however, here be asked, how Jacob could have supported his family, even for a few days, with so small a quantity of corn: for, suppose it to be granted that several asses were conducted by each of the brethren, what was this to sustain three hundred persons? (166) For, since Abraham had a much larger number of servants, and mention has been made above of the servants of Isaac; it is incredible that Jacob was so entirely destitute, as to have no servants left. If we say, that he, being a stranger, had been compelled to sell them all, it is but an uncertain guess. It seems to me more probable that they lived on acorns, herbs, and roots. For we know that the orientals, especially when any necessity urges, are content with slender and dry food, and we shall see presently, that, in this scarcity of wheat, there was a supply of other food. I suppose, therefore, that no more corn had been bought than would suffice to furnish a frugal and restricted measure of food for Jacob himself, and for his children and grandchildren: and that the food of the servants was otherwise provided for. There is, indeed, no doubt that the whole region had been compelled to resort to acorns, and fruits of this kind, for food for the servants, and that wheaten bread was a luxury belonging to the rich. This was, indeed, a severe trial, that holy Jacob, of whom God had engaged to take care, should almost perish, with his family, through hunger, and that the land of which he was constituted the lord, in order that he might there happily enjoy the abundance of all things, should even deny him bread as a stranger. For he might seriously doubt what was the meaning of that remarkable promise, I am God Almighty, grow and multiply: I will bless thee. It is profitable for us to know these conflicts of the holy fathers, that, fighting with the same arms with which they conquered, we also may stand invincible, although God should withhold present help.
(166) Dr. A. Clarke supposes the assess to have amounted to several scores, if not hundreds. The latter supposition seems improbable. — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
JOSEPH. GODS FAVORITE
Gen 36:1 to Gen 50:26
IF we began our study with the 36th chapter of Genesis we should have to do with the generations of Esau, who is Edom. It is a chapter filled with hard names of men, many of whom wore the title Duke, but like many of the lords and dukes of the present day, did nothing worthy the pen of inspiration. The men whose history God passes over with the mere statement of birth, name, title and death, we may be excused for skipping in our search for the more important characters and the more impressive lessons of the sacred Word.
The 37th chapter introduces us to such a character in Joseph, and launches us upon a study which has engaged the most serious thought of Scripture students for thousands of years. According to the reckoning of John Lord, in his essay on Joseph, this great-grandson of Abraham was born at Haran about 3701 years ago. The most distinguishing feature of his early life was his peculiar and prophetic dreams or visions. He comes before us in the blush of seventeen summers, nicknamed by those who knew him best, this Dreamer. Already in the visions of the night, God had vouchsafed to him the earnest of his coming supremacy and power. The eleven sheaves of his brethren had made obeisance, while Josephs sheaf had stood upright and received their homage. The sun and moon and eleven stars had gathered at his feet. And, when the dreams were known, his father gently reproved, but his brothers resolved and agreed to watch for a chance to act. The favorite of the household was to be put out of the way. The beauty of face that had made him a subject of parental partiality was to be despoiled. The jealousy-breeding coat was to become all crimson; the tattling tongue was to be silenced, and this business of first dreaming and then interpreting to his own profit was to be brought to a deserved end!
Such were the resolutions; and their chance came. Joseph is at last within their grasp, and with a shout of triumph they cry, as they lift their eyes to his sweet though envied face,
Behold, this dreamer cometh. Come now, therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say some evil beast hath devoured him; and we shall see what will become of his dreamt (Gen 37:19-20).
The remainder of the story is familiar to every one of you, and I do not propose to give time to a rehearsal of its incidents, but rather to a consideration of its fundamental lessons.
DIVINE FAVORS DO NOT INSURE AGAINST HUMAN HATRED.
Joseph had, indeed, almost a monopoly of the favors to be coveted in this life. Through his veins there pulsed no common or unclean blood. Four of his brethren were of the meaner extraction of slave mothers, while six others were born to the tender-eyed Leah. It was Josephs good fortune, and doubtless his pride, to be the elder son of the beautiful Rachel, the only lawful wife of Jacob, because the woman of his selection, and the only one to whom he was bound by love. It may be a sin in the child to love his father and mother less because they are those in whom he can take no special pride, but I am sure that his joy is as commendable as natural who loves and delights in them the more, because they are virtuous, honorable and superior in every way. Such a pride was Josephs possession. Who of us are as grateful as we should be for godly and noble parentage?
Again, providence had favored this child in his own person. Joseph was a goodly person and well favored (Gen 29:6). Doubtless that fact accounts for some of Jacobs inexcusable partiality. He saw in the beautiful boy those princely features which called for a royal tunic as a natural complement. Beauty of person is one of Gods better gifts, and it has played its part in the role of human history. It was that charm and that alone that saved the child, Moses, and opened to him the princess nursery and put him in the splendid Egyptian school from which he graduated unto the great work of saving his people and serving his God. It was beauty of face and grace of form that brought Esther to the throne at the very time when the interests of Israel were trembling in the balance, and Gods people were waiting for just such a friend. The prominent role that Cleopatra played in the world is assigned almost entirely to the solitary circumstance of her personal charms. I have often wondered why the great artists have not made more of Joseph as a subject fit for the choicest marble, and worthy the best skilled brush.
In his spirit also, Joseph was divinely favored. So far as the record of his life goes, it would be dangerous to affirm that the splendid child, or the saintly man, Samuel, was ever possessed of sweeter temper than that which Joseph discovered in all the changing and trying experiences of his life. Not a single indictment against his conduct can be successfully sustained. If it be said that his brothers hated him on account of his intolerable pride, let it be remembered Eliab hurled at David this sentence, I know thy pride and the naughtiness of thy heart. In each instance the bigger brother was voicing the naughtiness of his own heart instead. If he be charged with tattling because he brought unto his father the evil report of his brethren, let us answer with a question, Is silence at the sight of sin a virtue? If a report is to be made, to whom other than the father, the rightful authority? His behavior toward the woman whose unholy love his beauty had excited discovers at once a righteousness of personal character, a keen sense of others interests, and a splendid sensitiveness to sin against God that all right thinking people must admire. His dealing with the butler whose freedom he secured, to be rewarded by base neglect for two long years, proved his patience with forgetfulness and ingratitude. Toward his fratricidal brothers, whose lives eventually fell to his disposal, he discovered only the bosom of love, treating with all tenderness those who had attempted his destruction. Blood may be a good thing, and beauty a joy forever, but that magnanimity of soul which can forget a wrong, be patient with a weakness, and treat with affection those who have subjected you to contemptthat is divine! To do that is to prove ones kinship with the Son of God.
Finally Joseph was favored with dreams of a wider and nobler life. The most promising youth is the one who enjoys such visions of the night. Guizot once wrote to his son who was contesting for a university prize, You are ambitious, my boy; you have a right to be. A man at forty may be too ambitious, but at 20, never.
Now and then the world is astonished by the sudden awakening of some sleeping Samson who discovers unsuspected powers at the attack of the Philistines of opposition; but the rule is that Longfellows, while still beardless, dream of being laureates and write to their mothers asking, Do you not think I may one day write books that will be read all over the land? I think that Dr. Hillis has called attention to an important truth when, in his book A Mans Value To Society, he emphasizes the imagination as the architect of manhood.
But let no man conclude that such Divine favors will insure against human hatred. Jealousy is the blindest of passions, and envy never sees anything save through the green glasses which convert all virtue into vice, and all merit into excuses for murder. We have already seen that Josephs conduct toward his brethren was commendable and in every instance meant for their good. But as the belligerent Israelites resented Moses plea for peace between brethren, so these sons of Leah and the concubines interpreted Josephs just report of their behavior as bad tattling. How many a noble Christian man has been insulted and cruelly criticised because, forsooth, he tried to get people to live right and when they would not, reported their sins to the church!
The modern martyr is that noble Joseph who keeps out of fights himself and says to his brethren, You must behave or I shall be compelled to report you to our spiritual mother. Yes, it is one of the most significant suggestions of the sham of modern profession that it will brook no correction from the brother of tenderest love, yea, even from the officials of the church of God elected for the very purpose of counsel and, when needful, of correction.
Again, how many, Joseph-like, are hated because they have had some dream of position, influence and real worth? You have heard it said, There is one black sheep in every flock. Yes, and the converse is equally true, In a black flock one white sheep appears. In most families there is one child that early comes into possession of that broader view of character, conduct and life. How often his first utterance of the hope for the future, that has grown big within his breast, is met with some expression of contempt for such pretensions, or scorn for such pride of heart! Josephs experience and Davids has been known to the bleeding heart of many a precocious boy. An education has been resolved upon, and he begins the long climb of attainments ladder alone. It would seem enough that he should struggle single-handed, and without assistance or sympathy, but how often he must make his way upward, carrying in memory the bitter reproaches and keen sarcasm of his brothers who see nothing in his dream save concentrated egotism and vain conceit!
If any reader has suffered at one or more of these points, I come to say, Be not discouraged! Retrace your steps in nothing! Be slow to conclude you are wrong, or that it is of no use to labor against such opposition. Christ experienced it all boiled down to its last bitterness and yet, when it did its final work of lifting Him to the cross, it only hastened His crown. Josephs brethren can sell him, but if he is always right the Lord will be with him, and the sale into slavery is only an additional push toward the waiting throne.
Now for our second suggestion,
And Josephs master took him and put him into prison. But the Lord was with Joseph (Gen 39:20-21).
INNOCENCE CANNOT BE EFFECTUALLY DISHONORED.
People sometimes make the mistake of affirming that an innocent man cannot be injured. On the contrary, history is rife with illustrations of the fact that no character is so easily sullied as that of the purest and best of men and women. The principle is easy of explanation. The whiter the sheet of paper the easier it is for dirty fingers to leave their track. Some people have the impression that after all preachers and other religious people are about as capable of immoralities as are the members of any other circle. Alas! for the poisoning power of a sensational and truthless press! Many a Joseph has been silenced, and even banished for a while by such confessed lovers of the profession. They know the ease with which that lord, Public Opinion is excited to jealousy and cruel judgment. They know, too, the inability of the best man to defend himself when accused of the meanest crimes, and so they clap their hands and seek on the spotted hounds of slander. Let us ever be slow in believing charges that are calculated to humble the best reputations to the dust, and wrong the most innocent by robbing them of their good name, and opening for them the door into some dungeon of shame!
Joseph may submit to the inevitable, and under the ban of the law, languish in silence, but God has a reckoning to make, and then the Hamans will swing on the gallows, and the Mordecais ride in the royal chariot and dictate to the throne.
Innocent men, however, can best afford to be lied about and wronged, since truth has wonderful powers of coming abroad. So far as the record of Scripture goes, Joseph complains in never a word. Who doubts that by faith he saw his final triumph; and said in his heart of that prison what the three Hebrew children, of a later time, said of the fiery furnace, Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us, and He will deliver us. The innocent and righteous man, and he alone, can employ such words and give to them their weight. I come more and more to think that no enemy can effectually injure him who walks uprightly, loves the truth and obeys God.
Dr. Talmage tells how, some years ago, two professed temperance lecturers speaking in Ohio, and taking the unusual course for that class of men, maligned Christians and preachers. Among other things they claimed to be well acquainted with Dr. Talmage and declared that their former drunkenness began with drinking wine from that clergymans table. Talmage, indignant over such a charge, went to Patrick Campbell, then chief of the Brooklyn police, and requested his company to Ohio to effect the arrest of the libelous orators. Campbell only smiled and said, Do not waste your time by chasing these men. Go home and do your work, and they can do you no harm. The advice was taken, and the falsehood died of weakness, if indeed it was not stillborn. There is not a scandal in the power of the tongue strong enough to blight the life that loves innocence and clings to God. Joseph may be imprisoned and never entertain the thought of breaking jail, and yet there are not doors enough in all the dungeons of Egypt to keep him in the narrow cell. Butlers will need his help, the king will require his wisdom and God will bring him forth. This brings us to a third lesson.
And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Thou shalt he over my house and according unto thy mind shall all my people be ruled, Only in the throne shall I he greater than thou (Gen 41:39-40).
PRISONS WILL NOT HOLD THE MAN FIT TO BE PREMIER.
I know of few things that will so certainly effect recognition as merit. You cant sell into slavery the man who has it. You may set a price on him and be paid it, but you cant enslave him. There was an old colored man who trotted me on his knees the year the Civil War began. He never was a slave. He was always free! He would have been free on the southern plantations where masters rode with revolver in pocket and whip in hand. You cant enslave the man who makes himself needful to you at every turn. You can put him in prison but an hour later you will need him and bring him out again. Darius once had Daniel put into a lions den. But Daniel was still freer than the king. He curled himself up in a corner of that cage and slept, while Gods angel watched with his hand at the hungry mouths. But the king went to his palace and passed the night in fasting, and his sleep went from him, and very early in the morning he made haste to see if the Hebrew was yet alive, without whom the kingdom could not run; and so Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of
Cyrus the Persian. The city authorities at Philippi tried imprisoning Paul and Silas, but next day they came and let them forth and gave them full permission to depart in freedom. You may bind the body of Zedekiah with fetters of brass, and carrying him away to Babylon, imprison him for life; but he, in whom the spirit of Joseph is, must yet rule in the throne.
Moreover he called for a famine upon the land; he brake the whole staff of bread. He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant; whose feet they hurt with fetters; he was laid in iron. Until the time that his word came, the word of the Lord tried him. The king sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the people, and let him go free. He made him lord of his house and ruler of all his substance; to bind his princes at his pleasure and teach his senators wisdom (Psa 105:16-22).
Men are slow at times to discern merit, but even jailbirds will feel its power and witness to its presence. The incidental remarks in Acts, which say of the midnight song of Silas and Paul and the prisoners heard them, is not more significant than the sentence which informs us of Joseph that he was in favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. Let no man flatter himself that he has great virtues but the world is ignorant of them. Goodness is power and will be felt, and the worlds wise men will be discovered, though a very prison seek to both hide and silence them. God knows the nooks of the universe and when there is need of a man he will find the fittest one in some corner and bring him forth.
When Saul has uncrowned himself, there is a shepherd youth known to God upon whom the mantle will fall. When Eli is old and his family are an offense to heaven, there is a boy in the temple trained, though the great outside world has never heard his name. When famine threatens Egypt and the king is unequal to the task of averting it, Joseph is lying in wait, ready to take the place by Divine appointment.
Fuente: The Bible of the Expositor and the Evangelist by Riley
CRITICAL NOTES.
Gen. 43:7. The man asked us straitly.] Heb., Asking, asked. He earnestly enquired about us and our kindred.
Gen. 43:9. Let me bear the blame for ever.] Heb., I shall be a sinner to thee all the days. He would consent to be reputed guilty of violating his plighted faith. Thus in 1Ki. 1:21, shall be counted offenders is literally, shall be sinners.
Gen. 43:11. The best fruits in the land.] Heb, The song, music, or melody of the land. The idea is, that for which the land is celebrated, those productions which are the pride of the land and which have given rise to songs of praise. A little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds. These are the same (excepting in two cases) with the articles conveyed to Egypt by the Ishmaelites (Gen. 37:25). These are articles that grow best in a drought.(Jacobus). None of these would be necessarily affected by the failure of wheat.
Gen. 43:12. Take double money in your hand.] The meaning is not, as would appear from the A.V., that they were to take three payments,double money besides that which was in their sacksbut that they were to take money of a second, i.e., the same amount. And so they describe what they had done, though not with the same Hebrew word, Gen. 43:22.(Alford).
Gen. 43:14. God Almighty.] Heb. El Shaddai. (Gen. 17:1; Gen. 35:2.)
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Gen. 43:1-14
JACOB UNDER THE PRESSURE OF WANT
I. His change of resolution. He had refused, at first, to part with Benjamin. Even Reubens desperate proposal was rejected. (Gen. 42:37.) But Judahs proposal is accepted (Gen. 43:9), for the father had confidence in the honesty, frankness, and persevering energy of this son. Judah makes a practical appeal to his father, and puts the case before him in all its stern reality. His argument was unanswerable. (Gen. 43:8.) Jacob now sees the dire necessity of the situation. His sons must go to Egypt without their younger brother. The affection of the father now struggles with the dread of famine, and after one more feeble objection, Jacob submits. (Gen. 43:6.) He who once said, My son shall not go down with you, makes up his mind at last to say, Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man. (Gen. 43:13.) Thus we learn gradually to submit to what we plainly see is the will of God. How great is power of want, in the hands of Providence; how inexorable its demands!
II. His piety throughout.
1. His faith in God. God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother and Benjamin. (Gen. 43:14.) This was that name of God under which Abraham was blessed: I am God Almighty, and also that which Isaac invoked in blessing Jacob, God Almighty bless thee, and give thee the blessing of Abraham. Jacob must now have thought of the covenant promises and blessings. Now he is forced by hard necessity most entirely to cast himself upon God, for now nothing else is left to which he can cling. It is the property of faith to make ventures; and we do not know what great faith is until we are called upon to give up something that we hold most dear, and cast ourselves upon the eternal love of God alone. When all is gone, our faith must still look to God, who is our souls true portion.
2. His honest principle. Jacob commands his sons to take back the money which they found in their sacks, saying, Peradventure it was an oversight. (Gen. 43:12.) It is true religious honesty to return that which comes to us by the mistake of others.
3. His resignation. Jacob does not behave as one who is forced to yield to fate, while his heart rebels against it. His is not the stoical acceptance of destiny. It is the resignation of a religious mind. He yields in a manner worthy of a man of God, If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved. (Gen. 43:14.) He is willing to resign all entirely into the hands of God. It is as if he had said, I commit the event unreservedly to God. If it seems good to him to bereave me of my children, the will of the Lord be done; I have nothing to say. The Lord gave, and the Lord taketh away.
4. It is no reflection on his piety that he changed his purpose. The fact that Jacob in consenting to give up Benjamin changed his purpose, lays him open to the charge of inconsistency. But the circumstances are all changed now. The famine continues, want stares them all in the face, and he has to choose between the dreadful alternative of starvation and the risking of the life of one son. We may be too careful about keeping up what we call our own consistency. For, after all, if a man is under no circumstances to change his conduct, then would conversion be impossible. Consistent with the unchanging truth of God, with the eternal law of righteousness, we must and ought to be; but not invariably consistent with ourselves; for our goodness is imperfect, and we are liable to mistake and error. Instead of adjusting our present conduct to our former habits and thoughts, we should act upon our present convictions, leaving the present and the past to reconcile themselves as they may. It is only by looking continually to God, and not to ourselves, that we can walk sure-footedly in the present life.
SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES
Gen. 43:1-2. They had, indeed, met with difficulties and dangers on their former journey, but greater difficulties and dangers must be encountered to prevent worse. Let it not be thought a hard matter that the service of Christ often requires peculiar hardships and hazards. The world requires as great sacrifices as Christ, and is far less able to recompense them. In labouring for the meat that endureth to everlasting life, we seldom meet with such difficulties and perils as are often encountered in labouring for the meat that perisheth.(Bush.)
Gen. 43:3-9. The duties of parents and children.
1. Children should obey their parents in the Lord. But,
2. Parents should not enjoin upon their children that which is unreasonable, or impracticable.
3. Children should consider the infirmities of aged parents, should bear with them, and especially should not interpret unkindly or severely what they may say under the pressure of extraordinary affliction. The sons of Jacob set an example here. They did not blame their father for bringing this groundless charge against them, but are content calmly to justify their conduct by pointing out the necessity of the case
Judah is the eloquent one among his brethren. His eloquence had carried the measure of Josephs sale; it had prevailed on Jacob to send Benjamin with them; and here, finally, it makes Joseph unable to endure the restraint which he wished to put upon himself.(Delitzsah).
The end, however, is attained, not more by his touching eloquence than by his heroic deed, when he offers himself as surety for Benjamin, and is willing to sacrifice himself by taking his place.(Lange).
Gen. 43:10. Men blinded by affection too often disappoint themselves, and by needless and unwise delays cut themselves off from the enjoyment of much happiness that they might otherwise have secured to themselves.(Bush).
Gen. 43:11. Perplexity is blind and untractable. Let the mind but settle, and it will soon yield to a reasonable motion, if seasonable, especially as this of Judah was: for besides the weightiness of his words, necessity now speaks for him, that most powerful orator.(Trapp).
A rash man will, at all hazards, obstinately persist in a course once determined upon, but a wise man will yield to reason. The manner in which the patriarch acquiesces is worthy of remark. It is not the sullen consent of one who yields to fate while his heart rebels against it. He yields in a manner worthy of a man of God, proposing first that every possible means should be used to conciliate the man, the lord of the land, and then committing the issue of the whole to God. He recollected the effect of a present in appeasing his brother Esaus anger when coming against him with an armed host.(Bush).
Take of the best fruits. Of the verse or melody, saith the original; that is, of the most praiseworthy fruits; such as deserve to be commended in verse, and sung of, to the praise of God the giver.(Trapp).
The prized fruits of the land of Canaan. In Jacobs words there appears an objective poetry, or the poetry of the lands, as it may be called. It consists of their noblest products, not as they serve the common wants of life, but rather its healing, adornment, and festivity. When he selected them, however, Jacob could have but little thought how mighty the influence these noble gifts of Canaans soil would have upon the great Egyptian rulerhow they would impress him as the wonders of his youth, the glories of his native land.(Lange.)
Gen. 43:12. Jacob, who at first thought that the money was put into the sacks with a malicious purpose, is now disposed to put a milder interpretation upon the matter. In things doubtful, men are disposed to come to that conclusion which makes most for their peace of mind. They make an effort to think that to be true which they wish to be true.
No man of integrity will take an unrighteous advantage of the mistakes of those with whom he deals. Nothing is more palpably inconsistent with the great rule of doing to other men as you would that they should do unto you. Besides, it would have been very unsafe for Jacobs sons to have taken advantage of an oversight in the present case. It might have confirmed the suspicions of the lord of Egypt. But it is never safe to do any injustice while God reigns in heaven.(Bush.)
Gen. 43:13. We learn gradually to submit to the greatest trial of all when it becomes a necessity.
Gen. 43:14. This is like that of Esther, committing herself and her attempt to God, If I perish, I perish, (Est. 4:16); and like that of those saints in the Acts, The will of the Lord be done. Jacob prays for Benjamins safety, but will be content that his own will be crossed, so that Gods will may be accomplished. This is the right way of praying; this is to draw near with a true heart. (Heb. 10:22).(Trapp.)
It is too much in the desponding spirit of his former complaint. (Gen. 42:36). He looked too much at the secular, human side of the matter, and too little at the spiritual and divine side. When we are in the dark, why should we not rather expect deliverance than yield to despondence?(Jacobus).
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
3. Joseph as Prime Minister of Egypt (Gen. 41:46 to Gen. 47:31)
46 And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. 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 land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same. 49 And Joseph laid up grain as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left off numbering; for it was without number. 50 And unto Joseph were born two sons before the year of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-phera priest of On, bare unto him. 51 And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh; For, said he, God hath made me forget all my toil, and all my fathers house. 52 And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath made me fruitful in the land of my affliction. 53 And the seven years of plenty, that was in the land of Egypt, came to an end. 54 And the seven years of famine began to come, according as Joseph had said: and there was famine in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55 And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do. 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 was sore in the land of Egypt. 57 And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was sore in all the earth.
42 Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? 2 And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die. 3 And Josephs ten brethren went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4 But Benjamin, Josephs brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure harm befall him. 5 And the sons of Israel came to buy among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan. 6 And Joseph was the governor over the land; he it was that sold to all the people of the land. And Josephs brethren came, and bowed down themselves to him with their faces to the earth. 7 And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly with them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food. 8 And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him. 9 And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. 10 And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come. 11 We are all one mans sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies. 12 And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. 13 And they said, We thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not. 14 And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you, saying, We are spies: 15 hereby ye shall be proved: by the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither. 16 Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be bound, that your words may be proved, whether there be truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies. 17 And he put them all together into ward three days.
18 And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God: 19 if ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in your prison-house; but go ye, carry grain for the famine of your houses: 20 and bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so. 21 And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us. 22 And Reuben answered them saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore also, behold, his blood is required. 23 And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for there was an interpreter between them. 24 And he turned himself about from them and wept; and he returned to them, and spake to them, and took Simeon from among them, and bound him before their eyes. 25 Then Joseph commanded to fill their vessels with grain, and to restore every mans money into his sack, and to give them provisions for the way; and thus was it done unto them.
26 And they laded their asses with their grain, and departed thence. 27 And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the lodging-place, he espied his money; and, behold, it was in the mouth of his sack. 28 And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and they turned trembling one to another saying, What is this that God hath done unto us? 29 And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that had befallen them, saying, 30 The man, the lord of the land, spake roughly with us, and took us for spies of the country. 31 And we said unto him, We are true men; we are no spies: 32 we are twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan. 33 And the man, the lord of the land, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true men: leave one of your brethren with me, and take grain for the famine of your houses, and go your way; 34 and bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffic in the land.
35 And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that behold, every mans bundle of money was in his sack: and when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid. 36 And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me. 37 And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again. 38 And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he only is left: if harm befall him by the way in which ye go, then will ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.
43 And the famine was sore in the land. 2 And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food. 3 And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you. 4 If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food: 5 but if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down; for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you. 6 And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother? 7 And they said, The man asked straightly concerning ourselves, and concerning our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we in any wise know that he would say, Bring your brother down? 8 And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the land with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones. 9 I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever: 10 for except we had lingered, surely we had now returned a second time. 11 And their father Israel said unto them, If it be so now, do this: take of the choice fruits of the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spicery and myrrh, nuts, and almonds; 12 and take double money in your hand; and the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks carry again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight: 13 take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man: 14 and God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release unto you your other brother and Benjamin. And if I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved. 15 And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph.
16 And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, Bring the men into the house, and slay, and make ready; for the men shall dine with me at noon. 17 And the man did as Joseph bade; and the man brought the men to Josephs house. 18 And the men were afraid, because they were brought to Josephs house; and they said, Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in; that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses. 19 And they came near to the steward of Josephs house, and they spake unto him at the door of the house, 20 and said, Oh, my lord, we came indeed down at the first time to buy food: 21 and it came to pass, when we came to the lodging-place, that we opened our sacks, and, behold, every mans money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight: and we have brought it again in our hand. 22 And other money have we brought down in our hand to buy food: we know not who put our money in our sacks. 23 And he said, Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks: 1 had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them. 24 And the man brought the men into Josephs house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their asses provender. 25 And they made ready the present against Josephs coming at noon: for they heard that they should eat bread there.
26 And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed down themselves to him to the earth. 27 And he asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive? And they said, Thy servant our father is well he is yet alive. And they bowed the head, and made obeisance. And he lifted up his eyes, and saw Benjamin his brother, his mothers son, and said, Is this your youngest brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son. 30 And Joseph made haste; for his heart yearned over his brother: and he sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there. 31 And he washed his face, and came out; and he refrained himself, and said, Set on bread. 32 And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, that did eat with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians. 33 And they sat before him, the first-born according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled one with another. 34 And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamins mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him.
44 And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the mens sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every mans money in his sacks mouth. 2 And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sacks mouth of the youngest, and his grain money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. 3 As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses. 4 And when they were gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good? 5 Is not this that in which my lord drinketh, and whereby he indeed divineth? ye have done evil in so doing. 6 And he overtook them, and he spake unto them these words. 7 And they said unto him, Wherefore speaketh my lord such words as these? Far be it from thy servants that they should do such a thing. 8 Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks mouth, we brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan: how then should we steal out of thy lords house silver or gold? 9 With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, let him die, and we also will be my lords bondsmen. 10 And he said, Now also let it be according unto your words: he with whom it is found shall be my bondman; and ye shall be blameless. 11 Then they hasted, and took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack. 12 And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left off at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamins sack. 13 Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city.
14 And Judah and his brethren came to Josephs house; and he was yet there: and they fell before him on the ground. 15 And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? know ye not that such a man as I can indeed divine? 16 And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold we are my lords bondmen, both we and he also in whose hand the cup is found. 17 And he said, Far be it from me that I should do so: the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my bondman; but as for you, get you up in peace unto your father.
18 Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh, my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lords ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant; for thou art even as Pharaoh. 19 My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother? 20 And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother; and his father loveth him. 21 And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him. 22 And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die. 23 And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more. 24 And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. 25 And our father said, Go again, buy us a little food. 26 And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down; for we may not see the mans face, except our youngest brother be with us. 27 And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons: 28 and the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I have not seen him since: 29 and if ye take this one also from me, and harm befall him, ye will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol. 30 Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad is not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lands life; 31 it will come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants will bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to Sheol. 32 For thy servant became surety for the land unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then shall I bear the blame to my father for ever. 33 Now therefore, let thy servant, I pray thee, abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren. 34 For how shall I go up to my father, if the lad be not with me? lest I see the evil that shall come on my father.
45 Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. 2 And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians heard, and the house of Pharaoh heard. 3 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence. 4 And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. 5 And now be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. 6 For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and there are yet five years, in which there shall be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve you a remnant in the earth, and to save you alive by a great deliverance. 8 So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 9 Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not; 10 and thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy childrens children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast: 11 and there will I nourish thee; for there are yet five years of famine; lest thou come to poverty, thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast. 12 And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you. 13 And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen: and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither. 14 And he fell upon his brother Benjamins neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. 15 And he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him.
16 And the report thereof was heard in Pharaohs house, saying, Josephs brethren are come; and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants. 17 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye: lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan; 18 and take your father and your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land. 19 Now thou art commanded, this do ye: take your wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. 20 Also regard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours.
21 And the sons of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way. 22 To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment. 23 And to his father he sent after this manner: ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she-asses laden with grain and bread and provision for his father by the way. 24 So he sent his brethren away, and they departed: and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way. 25 And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father. 26 And they told him, saying Joseph is yet alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt. And his heart fainted, for he believed them not. 27 And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived: 28 and Israel said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die.
46 And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beer-sheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac. 2 And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob, And he said, Here am I. 3 And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation: 4 I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes. 5 And Jacob rose up from Beer-sheba: and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. 6 And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him: 7 his sons, and his sons sons with him, his daughters, and his sons daughters, and all his seed brought he with him into Egypt.
8 And these are the names of the children of Israel, who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacobs first-born. 9 And the sons of Reuben: Hanoch, and Pallu, and Hezron, and Carmi. 10 And the sons of Simeon: Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohab, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman. 11 And the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 12 And the sons of Judah: Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. 13 And the sons of Issachar: Tola, and Puvah, and lob, and Shimron. 14 And the sons of Zebulun: Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel. 15 These are the sons of Leah, whom she bare unto Jacob in Paddan-aram, with his daughter Dinah: all the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty and three. 16 And the sons of Gad: Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli. 17 And the sons of Asher: Imnah, and Ishvah, and lshvi, and Beriah, and Serah their sister; and the sons of Beriah: Heber, and Malchiel. 18 These are the sons of Zilpah whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter; and these she bare unto Jacob, even sixteen souls. 19 The sons of Rachel Jacobs wife: Joseph and Benjamin. 20 And unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-phera priest of On, bare unto him. 21 And the sons of Benjamin: Bela, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh, Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard. 22 These are the sons of Rachel who were born to Jacob; all the souls were fourteen. 23 And the sons of Dan: Hushim. 24 And the sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, and Guni, and Nezer, and Shillem. 25 These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave unto Rachel his daughter, and these she bare unto Jacob: all the souls were seven. 26 All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, that came out of his loins, besides Jacobs sons wives, all the souls were threescore and six; 27 and the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two souls: all the souls of the house of Jacob, that came into Egypt, were threescore and ten.
28 And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to show the way before him unto Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen. 29 And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen; and he presented himself unto him, and fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while. 30 And Israel said unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, that thou art yet alive. 31 And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his fathers house, I will go up, and tell Pharaoh, and will say unto him, My brethren, and my fathers house, who were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me; 32 and the men are shepherds, for they have been keepers of cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have. 33 And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, what is your occupation? 34 that ye shall say, Thy servants have been keepers of cattle from our youth even until now, both we and our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.
47 Then Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen. 2 And from among his brethren he took five men, and presented them unto Pharaoh. 3 And Pharaoh said unto his brethren, What is your occupation? And they said unto Pharaoh, Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and our fathers. 4 And they said unto Pharaoh, To sojourn in the land are we come; for there is no pasture for thy servants flocks; for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan: now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen. 5 And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee; 6 the land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and thy brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell: and if thou knowest any able men among them, then make them rulers over my cattle. 7 And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8 And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How many are the days of the years of thy life? 9 And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty years: few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage. 10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from the presence of Pharaoh. 11 And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. 12 And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his fathers household, with bread, according to their families.
13 And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine. 14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the grain which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaohs house. 15 And when the money was all spent in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for our money faileth. 16 And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail. 17 And they brought their cattle unto Joseph; and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, and for the flocks, and for the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread in exchange for all their cattle for that year. 18 And when that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide from my lord, now that our money is all spent; and the herds of cattle are my lords; there is nought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands: 19 wherefore should we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, and that the land be not desolate.
20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine was sore upon them: and the land became Pharaohs. 21 And as for the people, he removed them to the cities from one end of the border of Egypt even to the other end thereof. 22 Only the land of the priests bought he not: for the priests had a portion from Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them; wherefore they sold not their land. 23 Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land. 24 And it shall come to pass at the ingatherings, that ye shall give a fifth unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food of your little ones. 25 And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaohs servants. 26 And Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth; only the land of the priests alone became not Pharaohs.
27 And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen; and they gat them possessions therein, and were fruitful, and multiplied exceedingly. 28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were a hundred forty and seven years. 29 And the time drew near that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found favor in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me: bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt; 30 but when I sleep with my fathers, thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their burying-place. And he said, I will do as thou hast said. 31 And he said, Swear unto me: and he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the beds head.
(1) Josephs Administration (Gen. 41:46-57). For the first seven years of his administration Joseph went throughout Egypt and gathered up the produce of the land that was needed to preserve the nation in the period of famine that was to follow. All the food of the land, Gen. 41:48, a general expression that must be viewed as limited to the proportion of one-fifth of the crop (Gen. 41:34). It gives a striking idea of the exuberant fertility of this land, that, from the superabundance of the seven plenteous years, corn [grain] enough was laid up for the subsistence, not only of its home population, but of the neighboring countries, during the seven years of dearth (Jamieson). The Oriental hyperbole here must be understood as actualized in the form of a royal impost: the ordinary royal impost appears to have been a land tax of one-tenth; hence this was a double tithe. (It must be noted that Joseph was thirty years of age when he entered upon the office of Vizier of Egypt. Note Gen. 41:38, in which the Pharaoh spoke of Joseph as a man in whom the spirit of God is. that is, the spirit of supernatural insight and wisdom. Evidently Joseph had been in Egypt thirteen years as a slave, and at least had spent at least three years in prison, after ten years in Potiphars house. This promotion of Joseph, from the position of a Hebrew slave pining in prison to the highest post of honor 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 sciences, 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 paved the way for him to occupy that position in which he became the preserver, not of Egypt alone, but of his own family. And the same hand of God, by which he had been so highly exalted after deep degradation, preserved him in his lofty post of honor 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 (K-D, 352). How gloriously does God compensate to go with them, lest some calamity befall him as he believed had occurred to Joseph. Imagine Josephs surprise when, in receiving the various delegations, he discovered his own brothers bowing down to him with their faces to the earth. At least twenty years had passed before Josephs boyhood dreams were fulfilled. He first dreamed when seventeen years of age (Gen. 37:2). He appeared before Pharaoh thirteen years later (Gen. 41:46). The seven years of plenty followed. Then came the years of famine. This meant that his brothers had not seen him for at least twenty years. He knew them, but they were unable to recognize him in his new role of splendor and authority (HSB, 67). Joseph received them harshly, first accusing them of being spies, that is, of hunting out the unfortified parts of the kingdom that would be easily accessible to a foe. When they explained who they were, protesting they were not spies but servants, Joseph put them into custody for three days. Relenting, however, at the end of this time, he released them, demanding that one of the group remain in prison, but allowing the other nine to return home with grain for their families. He retained Simeon in custody, as a pledge that they should return with their younger brother, a procedure which he demanded in order that it might be proved that they were not spies. (We can hardly think that this charge of spying was completely out of line with the facts in the case. What evidence did Joseph have as yet that these brothers had abandoned any of their disposition to deceive?) He had Simeon bound before their eyes, to be detained as a hostage (not Reubenfor he had overheard Reuben reminding them of his attempt to dissuade them from killing him, a disclosure which must have opened Josephs eyes and fairly melted his heartbut Simeon the next in age). He then ordered his men to fill their sacks with corn, to give each one back his money putting it in his sack, and providing them with food for the journey, Gen. 41:26-38; Thus they started home with their asses laden with the corn, When they reached their first halting-place for the night, one of them opened his sack to feed his beast and found his money in it, The brothers looked on this as incomprehensible except as a divine punishment, and neglected in their alarm to look into the rest of the sacks. On their arrival at home, they told their father Jacob all that had happened. But when they emptied their sacks, and to their own and their fathers terror, found their bundles of money in their separate sacks, Jacob burst out with recriminations, You are making me childless! Joseph is gone, and Simeon is gone, and ye will take Benjamin! All this falls on me! Reuben then offered his own two sons as pledges for Benjamins safe return, if Jacob would entrust him to his care: Jacob might slay them, if he did not bring Benjamin backabout the costliest offer a son could make to a father. But Jacob refused to let Benjamin go.
(3) Second Visit of Josephs Brothers (Gen. 43:1 to Gen. 45:28). Famine at last compelled Jacob to yield and to send Benjamin with his older brothers to Egypt to buy corn; however, the old man strictly charged his sons to propitiate the Egyptian ruler by presents and to take double money, lest that which they had discovered in their sacks should have been placed there inadvertently. On their arrival in Egypt, Joseph ordered his steward to take them to his house and make ready the noonday meal. The brothers were now frightened, and on reaching the house they explained to the steward the restoration of their money, but he replied that he had received it, and must have been their God who restored it; he further reassured them by bringing out Simeon. Joseph soon followed his brethren and the meal was served, but Joseph sat at one table, his brethren at another, and the Egyptians at a third, as shepherds were an abomination to the Egyptians. The brothers were entertained liberally, but were surprised at finding themselves placed at their table exactly in the order of their ages, and that Joseph sent a fivefold portion to Benjamin. The next morning they left the city, but Joseph had first commanded his steward to restore the money as before, and to place his silver cup in Benjamins sack. They had not, therefore, proceeded far before the steward overtook them and charged them with robbery. They immediately protested their innocence, challenged investigation, and invoked death on the man who would be found guilty. But the cup was found with Benjamin, and the distressed brothers were compelled to return to Joseph. Judah now made to the supposed Egyptian ruler a touching relation of the disappearance of Joseph, and of Jacobs special affection for Benjamin; and then, after stating that the death of their aged father would certainly follow the detention of his beloved young son, he offered to abide himself as bondman if the lad were permitted to return. Joseph now understood so many things he had not understood before, e.g., how is was that, as he thought, his father had forgotten him, how that the brothers had paid for their deception, what Reuben had done to try to save him, what Judah had done later to save him from being killed, etc. Everything began to fall into a mosaic of Divine Providence. Joseph could refrain no longer from disclosing his identity. He told the brothers that the one whom they had sold for a slave had become the Vizier of Egypt, and that he now realized that God had used these means of bringing him into this position in order that he might save his household from famine. He assured them of his hearty forgiveness, and invited both them and their father to settle in Egypt during the remaining years of famine. The invitation was seconded by the Pharaoh, and wagons, and changes of raiment, and asses laden with provisions were sent by the king and Joseph for the accommodation of the children of Israel. (The story of Josephs reconciliation with his brothers is another of those human interest stones the like of which is found only in the Bible). Thus the stage was set for the period of bondage, the glorious deliverance under Moses, and the final occupancy of the Land of Promise, just as all this had been foretold to Abraham long before (Gen. 15:12-16). Josephs realization came at last that his humiliation and exaltation had been the work of Providence looking toward the saving of Israel (as a people) for their great mission, that of preserving belief in the living and true God, that of preparing the world for Messiah, and that of presenting Messiah to the world (Gen. 45:5-8).
(4) The Israelites Migrate to Egypt (Gen. 46:1 to Gen. 47:12). When the brothers returned from Egypt the second time, the venerable father Jacob could hardly believe their report. But when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to move him and his house, he cried: It is enough; Joseph my son is still alive: I will go and see him before I die. Accordingly he set out on the journey. The brothers doubtless had told him of their treatment of Joseph, but Jacob could readily forgive them now that he knew Joseph was alive. Jacobs early life had been one of deceit; he had, in turn been deceived himself; now, however, he could look forward to seeing his beloved Joseph once more. At Beersheba, he offered sacrifices. And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night telling him to go on down into Egypt, promising to make of him a great nation, promising to go down with him and bring him out again (that is, He would surely recover his body for interment in Canaan, should he die in Egypt, and his descendants for settlement in the land of their inheritance); and promising that Joseph should put his hand upon his [fathers] eyes (that is, perform the last offices of affection by closing his eyes in death, a service upon which the human heart in all ages has set the highest value (cf. PCG, 501). So Jacob and his retinue arrived in Egypt, with his sixty-four sons and grandsons, one daughter, Dinah, and one granddaughter, Sarah, numbering in all sixty-six persons (Gen. 46:26). These, with Jacob himself, and Joseph and Josephs two sons, made seventy persons (Gen. 41:27); while the sixty-six persons, with his nine sons wives, made the seventy-five persons mentioned in Act. 7:14. The following table will make this clear (from OTH, 122123):
The children of Leah, 32, viz.,
1.
Reuben and four sons
5
2.
Simeon and six sons
7
3.
Levi and three sons
4
4.
Judah and five sons (of whom two
were dead) and two grandsons
6
5.
Issachar and four sons
5
6.
Zebulun and three sons
4
Dinah
1
The children of Zilpah, considered as Leahs, 16, viz.,
7.
Gad and seven sons
8
8.
Asher: four sons, one daughter, and two grandsons
8
The children of Rachel, 14, viz.,
9.
Joseph (see below)
10.
Benjamin and ten sons
11
The children of Bilhah, considered as Rachels, 7, viz.,
11.
Dan and one son
2
12.
Naphtali and four sons
5
Total of those who came with Jacob into Egypt
66
To these must be added Jacob, Joseph, and his two sons
4
Total of Israels house
70
Benjamins sons are evidently added to complete the second generation, for Benjamin was only 25 years old, and the tone of the whole narrative is scarcely consistent with his yet having a family.
Upon their arrival in Egypt, Joseph, after a most affecting reunion with his father, presented five of his brothers to the Pharaoh; and the king, on being informed that they were shepherds, a class held in abomination by the Egyptians, we are told, gave them for their separate abode the land of Goshen or Rameses (Gen. 47:6; Gen. 47:11), which was the best pasture land in Egypt, and intrusted to them his own flocks, while Joseph supplied them with bread during the remaining five years of famine. That they were tillers of the land as well as shepherds is clear from their being employed in all manner of service in the field (Exo. 1:14), and from the allusion of Moses to Egypt, where thou sowedst thy seed and wateredst it (Deu. 11:10).
(5) Economic Policies of Joseph During the Famine (Gen. 47:13-27). In contrast to the happy condition of Josephs father and brothers in the land of Goshen, the Biblical record next depicts the state of privation in Egypt. In need of food, the Egyptians presented themselves to Joseph to explain their plight. On the first such occasion, Joseph purchased their cattle, allowing them bread in exchange for horses, flocks, herds, and asses. When the Egyptians presented themselves a second time, they had nothing to exchange for food except their lands. Thereupon Joseph secured the lands of the Egyptian people for Pharaoh, because they received an allotment of food at Pharaohs expense. This introduced the feudal system into Egypt: the system of land tenure. Seed was allotted to the Egyptians on condition that one-fifth of the produce land would revert to Pharaoh. Although this act of Joseph involved a measure of humiliation, including the surrender of lands to the state, it made possible a strong central government which could take measures to prevent famines. The life of Egypt depends upon the Nile, and all the inhabitants of the Nile Valley must cooperate if the the water is to be used efficiently. The government was in a position to regulate the use of Nile water and also to begin a system of artificial irrigation by means of canals which could carry the waters of the river to otherwise inaccessible areas. Josephs economic policy is described with no hint as to either approval or censure. Some have thought that Joseph drove a hard bargain and took advantage of the conditions to enhance the power of the throne. That the emergency resulted in a centralization of authority is clear. There is no hint that Joseph, personally, profited from the situation, however. On the contrary, the people said to Joseph, Thou bast saved our lives (Gen. 47:25). Many, doubtless, resented the necessity of being moved, but in famine conditions it was necessary to bring the population to the store-cities where food was available. Convenience must be forgotten in a life-and-death situation such as Egypt faced. Joseph thus destroyed the free proprietors and made the king the lord-paramount of the soil, while the people became the hereditary tenants of their sovereign, and paid a fifth of their annual produce as rent for the soil they occupied. The priests alone retained their estates through this trying period (Pfeiffer, The Book of Genesis, 9899). The tax of a fifth of the produce of the fields was not excessive according to ancient standards, we are told. In the time of the Maccabees the Jews paid the Syrian government one-third of the seed (1Ma. 10:30). Egyptologists inform us that large landed estates were owned by the nobility and the governors of the nomes (states) during the Old Empire period (c. 30001900 B.C.). By the New Kingdom (after 1550 B.C.) power was centralized in the person of the Pharaoh. It would appear that Joseph, as Prime Minister, was instrumental in hastening this development. There is no doubt that Egypt was, during the most of the last two millenia of her existence, essentially a feudal state in which the nobility flourished and slaves did all the work. At the end of two years (see Gen. 45:6) all the money of the Egyptians and Canaanites had passed into the Pharaohs territory (Gen. 47:14), At this crisis we do not see how Joseph can be acquitted of raising the despotic authority of his master on the broken fortunes of the people; but yet he made a moderate settlement of the power thus acquired. First the cattle and then the land of the Egyptians became the property of the Pharaoh, and the people were removed from the country to the cities. They were still permitted, however, to cultivate their lands as tenants under the crown, paying a rent of one-fifth of the produce, and this became the permanent law of the tenure of land in Egypt; but the land of the priests was left in their own possession (Gen. 47:15-26) (OTH, 121). It is a well-known fact also that in those ancient times Jewish men were sought as mercenary soldiers by the nations which were vying for hegemony in the area of the Fertile Crescent. This fact does not make the career of Joseph in Egypt an anomaly at all.
The Land of Goshen, or simply Goshen, was evidently known also as the land of Rameses (Gen. 47:11), unless, of course, this latter may have been the name of a district in Goshen. Goshen was between Josephs residence at the time and the frontier of Palestine. Apparently it was the extreme province toward the frontier (Gen. 46:29). The reading of Gen. 46:33-34, indicates that Goshen was hardly regarded as a part of Egypt proper and that it was not peopled by Egyptianscharacteristics that would indicate a frontier region. The next mention of Goshen confirms the previous inference that it lay between Canaan and the Delta (Gen. 47:1; Gen. 47:5-6; Gen. 47:11). It was evidently a pastoral country, where some of the Pharaohs cattle were kept, The clearest indications of the exact location of Goshen are found in the story of the Exodus. The Israelites set out from the town of Raamses (or Rameses) in the land of Goshen, made two days journey to the edge of the wilderness, and in one additional day reached the Red Sea. This was a very fertile section of Egypt, excellent for grazing and certain types of agriculture, but apparently not particularly inviting to the pharaohs because of its distance from the Nile irrigation canals. It extends thirty or forty miles in length centering in Wadi Lumilat and reaches from Lake Timsa to the Nile. It was connected with the name of Rameses because Rameses II. (c. 12901224 B.C.) built extensively in this location at Pithom (Tell er Retabeh) and Rameses (or Raamses) (Zoan-Avaris-Tanis). Tanis was called the House of Rameses (c. 13001100 B.C.) (See Exo. 1:11; Exo. 12:37; cf. UBD, s.v., p. 420).
FOR MEDITATION AND SERMONIZING
Divine Providence: Joseph
A sermon delivered August 20, 1893, by J. W. McGarvey. Originally published by the Standard Publishing Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, in McGarveys Sermons, here reprinted verbatim.
I will read verses four to eight in the forty-fifth chapter of Genesis:
I am Joseph, your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither; for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land; and yet there are five years in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God.
The story of Joseph is one of those undying narratives which have been of deepest interest to all readers for more than three thousand years, and will be to the end of time. It is interesting to children, to simple-minded people who understand it the least; and it is still more interesting to profound scholars, who understand it the best. (1) It occupies a larger space in the Old Testament than any other personal narrative, except that of Abraham; and have you never wondered why this simple story was allowed so much space? (2) Whether there was any design in it beyond that of entertaining and interesting the reader, as a novel or a fine poem entertains and interests us? (3) And have you never, in studying the story, wondered why Joseph, after he became governor over Egypt and had command of his own time, spent the whole seven years of plenty and two years of famine without going to see his father, who lived only two hundred miles away over a smooth road? And finally, has not the question occurred to you, Why did God select to be the heads of ten of the twelve tribes of His own people, ten men who were so cruel, so inhuman as to take their seventeen year old brother and sell him into bondage in a foreign land? The task that I have undertaken in the discourse this morning, will be to give, as well as I can, an answer to these three questions, and in doing so, to point out a striking example of the providence of God.
In regard to the design of allowing this story to occupy so much space, I think I may safely say that there is nothing recorded in this Holy Book, which has no higher purpose than to entertain and interest the reader. There is always in the divine mind something beyond and higher than that. If you will read a little further back in the book of Genesis, you will find that on a certain occasion, God, after having promised Abraham again and again that he should have offspring who would inherit the land of Canaan as their possession, commanded him one day to slaughter some animals and lay them in two rows. He did so, and seeing that the birds of prey were gathering to devour them, he stood guard and drove them away until night came, and they went to roost. Then he also fell asleep, and a horror of great darkness fell upon him. I suppose it was a terrible nightmare. He then heard the, voice of God saying to him, Thy seed shall be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and they shall be afflicted four hundred years. After that, I will judge the nation by whom they shall be afflicted, and bring them out, and bring them into this land, and give it to them as an inheritance. [Gen. 15:12-16]. From these solemn words, Abraham now knows that it is to be four hundred years, and more, before his people will inherit this promised land, and that they shall pass, in the meantime, through four hundred years of bondage and fearful affliction; but that then the good word of the Lord will be fulfilled. It gave him a totally different view of those promises, from that which he had entertained before.
We learn by the subsequent history, that Abraham never did learn that the foreign land in which his people were to be bondmen was Egypt; and that a removal of his posterity to that land was necessary to the fulfillment of Jehovahs words. He lived and died, however, in Canaan. His son Isaac lived one hundred and eighty years, and died and left his children, his servants and his flocks and herds, still in Canaan. Jacob, although he had spent forty years in Paddan-Aram, still lived in Canaan with his twelve sons and his flocks and herds; and up to the very hour when his sons came back from Egypt the second time, and said, Joseph is alive, and is governor over all Egypt, and he saw a long line of wagons coming up and bringing the warm invitation of Pharaoh and Joseph to hasten down and make their home in Egyptup to that hour he had never entertained the idea of migrating to Egypt. He as little thought of it as we do of migrating to the moon. What then was it that brought about, after so many years, that migration of the descendants of Abraham into Egypt, and led to the four hundred years of bondage? You are ready to answer, that the immediate cause of it was the fact that Joseph, the son of Jacob, was now governor over all Egypt, and wanted his father and his brothers to be with him. That is true. But, how had Joseph happened to be governor over all the land of Egypt? You say, the immediate cause of it was, that when he predicted the seven years of plenty and the seven years of famine, he proposed to the king that a man be selected to go out and gather up grain during the years of plenty, to save the people from starving in the years of famine; and that Pharaoh had the good sense to accept the proposal, and to appoint Joseph governor. But then, how is it that Joseph predicted that famine? You say it was the interpretation of Pharaohs dream and so it was. But how did he happen to interpret that dream? You say, because all the magicians of Egypt had been called on to interpret it, and haid failed. They not only could not see the real meaning of it, but they did not venture a supposition as to what it meant. A dream in which a man saw fat cows coming up out of a river! The idea of cows coming up out of a river! And then, other cows, lean cows, coming up out of the same river, and devouring these fat cows, and looking just as lean and thin as they were before! Why, that went outside all the rules for interpreting dreams that the dream interpreters of that age had invented; and they could not give the remotest suggestion as to what it meant. The failure of the magicians then, was one necessary cause of Josephs being called on to interpret the dream. And then, how did Joseph happen to be called on? If that butler had not forgotten his promise to Joseph, made two years before. to speak to the king and have Joseph released out of an imprisonment which was unjust, Joseph would have been released most likely, and might have been anywhere else by this time than in the land of Egypt. The forgetfulness of the butler, who forgot his friend when it was well with himself, was a necessary link in the chain. He says, when all the magicians had failed, I remember now my fault; and he told the king about a young Hebrew whom he met in prison, who interpreted his dream and the bakers, and both came to pass; Me he restored to my office, and the chief baker he hanged. The king immediately sent for Joseph. But how did he happen to interpret the dreams of the butler and the baker? That depended upon their having the dreams, and upon their having those dreams in the prison, and upon Joseph being the man who had charge of the prisoners, and who, coming in and finding the two great officers of the king looking very sad, asked what was the matter. But how did Joseph happen to have the control of the prisoners, so as to have access to these officers? Why, that depended upon the fact that he had behaved himself so well in prison as to win the confidence of the keeper of the jail, and had been promoted, until the management of the whole prison was placed in his hands. Well, how did Joseph happen to be in prison? Why, you will say that the wife of Potiphar made a false accusation against him. But have you not wondered why Potiphar did not kill him? An average Kentuckian would have done it instanter. I think it depended upon the fact that Potiphar knew his wife well and knew Joseph well, and had about as much confidence in Josephs denial as in her accusation. And how did it happen that she had a chance to bring such accusations against Joseph? Because Joseph had won the confidence of his master as a young slave, till he had made him supreme director of everything inside of his house. He had access to every apartment, and provided for his masters table, so that the text tells us there was nothing inside his house that Potiphar knew of, except the food on his table. It was this that gave the opportunity to the bad woman. But then I ask further, How did Joseph happen to be there a house-boy in the house of Potiphar? Well, he bought him. He wanted a house-boy, and went down to the slave market, and found him there and bought him. How did Joseph happen to be in the slave market? Because his brothers sold him. But suppose he had never been sold into Egypt! Would he ever have interpreted dreams? Would he ever have been governor of Egypt? Would he ever have sent for his father and brothers to come down there? But how did he happen to be sold as a slave? If those traders had been fifteen minutes later passing along, Reuben would have taken the boy up and let him loose, and he would have gone back to his father. Everything depended on that. But how did he happen to be in that pit from which Reuben was going to deliver him? You say, they saw him coming from home to the place where they were grazing their flocks, and they remembered those dreams. They said, Behold, the dreamer cometh. Come now therefore, let us slay him and cast him into one of the pits. Then they would see what would become of his dreams. Dissuaded by Reuben from killing him outright, they put him in a pit to die. It was their jealousy that caused them to put him into the pit. But then, how is it that those dreams had excited their jealousy to such a pitch? I do not suppose that they would, if they had not already been jealous because of the coat of many colors. Now we have traced these causes back from one to the other, back, back, back, till we have reached the source of all in the partiality of the old father in giving the coat of many colors. And brethren, let me say here by way of digression, that the history of many a family trouble, with its trials and alienations and distresses, running sometimes through generations, is traceable to jealousy springing from parental partiality. But now, every one of these causes that I have mentioned stands like a link in the long chain by which God, having determined that these Hebrews should dwell in Egypt for four hundred years, after predicting it two hundred years before, draws them down where He wants them to be.
And what are the links in this chain? Some of them are desperately wicked deeds; some of them are good deeds. The fidelity of Joseph; sold to be a slave, but evidently saying within himself, As I have to be the slave of this man, I will be the best slave he has. I will be the most faithful one. I will win his confidence. I will do my duty like a man. And thus he rises. And then the same kind of fidelity when he is cast into prison. As I have to be in prison, I will be the best prisoner in this jail. I will do what I ought to do here in the fear of my God. Thus he rises to the top again; illustrating the fact, and I wish I had young men in abundance to speak this tothat a young man who has true character, unfaltering fidelity, and some degree of energy and ability, can not be kept down in this world. You may put him down, but he will rise again. You may put him down again and again; but he will come up. A young man like that, is like a cork; you may press it under the water, but it will soon pop up again. Oh that the young men of our country had such integrity, such power to resist temptation, such resolution and perseverance, as this Jewish youth had.
So then, this long story is told as an illustration of the providence of God, by which He can bring about His purposes without the intervention of miraculous power except here and there; for in all this long chain of causes God touched the links only twice, directly: once, when He gave power to Joseph to interpret the dreams of the butler and the baker, and once when He gave him power to interpret the dream of Pharaoh. Just those two instances in which the finger of God touched the chain; all the rest were the most natural things in the world, and they brought about Gods design just as effectively as though He had wrought one great miracle to translate Jacob and his children through the air, and plant them on the soil of Egypt. The man who studies the story of Joseph and does not see this in it, has failed to see one of its great purposes. And what is true in bringing about this result in the family of Jacob, may be trueI venture to say, it is truein regard to every family of any importance in this world; and it extends down to the modes by which God overrules our own acts, both good and bad, and those of our friends, and brings us out at the end of our lives shaped and molded as he desires we shall be.
Now let us look for a moment at the second question. Why did Joseph not go and see his father and his brothers during the nine years in which he could have gone almost any day? I think that when we reach the answer we will see another and perhaps a more valuable illustration of the providence of God. In order to understand the motives which actuate men under given circumstances, we must put ourselves in their places and judge of them by the way that we would ourselves feel and act; for human nature is the same the wide world over, and in all the different nations of men. Suppose then, that you were a boy of seventeen. Your brothers have all been away from home, sixty or seventy miles, with the flocks, until your father has become anxious about them, and sends you up to see how they do. You go, as Joseph did, but you fail to find them. While you search you meet a stranger who tells you they are gone to Dothan, fourteen or fifteen miles farther away. With this news Joseph continued his journey, and how his heart leaped at last to see his brothers again! How glad a welcome he expected from them and inquiries about home, and father, and all. But when he came up, he saw a scowl upon every face. Instead of welcoming, they seized him, and with rough hands stripped the coat from his back, dragged him to the mouth of a dry cistern, and let him down in it. Now we will see what will become of his dreams.
How did the boy then feel? I have thought that perhaps he said to himself, My brothers are only trying to scare me. They are just playing a cruel joke on me, and dont mean to leave me here to perish. But perhaps he had begun to think they were in earnest, when he heard footsteps above, and voices. He sees one of their faces looking down, and a rope let down to draw him up, and he thinks the cruel joke is over. But when he is drawn up and sees those strangers there, and hears words about the sale of the boy, and his hands are tied behind him, and he is delivered into their hands, and they start off with him, what would you have thought or felt then? If the thought had come into his mind that it was another joke, he might have watched as the merchants passed down the road, on every rising piece of ground he might have looked back to see if his brothers were coming to buy him back again, and to get through with this terrible joke; but when the whole days journey was passed, and they went into camp at night, and the same the next day, no brothers have overtaken him, what must have been his feelings? When he thought, I am a slave, and I am being carried away into a foreign land to spend the rest of my life as a slave, never to see father and home again, who can imagine his feelings? So he was brought down into Egypt and sold.
But it seems to me that Joseph must have had one thought to bear him up, at least for a time. My father loves me. He loves me more than he does all my brothers. He is a rich man. When he hears that I have been sold into Egypt, he will send one hundred men, if need be, to hunt me up; he will load them with money to buy me back. I trust in my father for deliverance yet. But he is sold into the house of Pharaoh, and years pass by. He is cruelly cast into prison, and years pass by, until thirteen long years of darkness and gloom and sorrow and pain have gone, and he has never heard of his father sending for him. He could have done it. It would have been easy to do, And now, how does he feel toward his brothers and toward his father? Would you have wanted to see those brothers again? And when he found his father had never sent for him, knowing, perhaps, how penurious and avaricious his father had been in his younger days, may he not have said, The old avaricious spirit of my father has come back on him in his declining years, and he loves his money more than he loves his boy? And when that feeling took possession of him, did he want to see his father anymore? Or any of them? Could he bear the thought of ever seeing those brothers again? And could he at last bear the thought of seeing that father who had allowed him to perish, as it were, without stretching out a hand to help him? The way he did feel is seen in one little circumstance. When he was married and his first-born son was placed before him, he named him Manasseh, forgetfulness, Because, he says, God has enabled me to forget my fathers house. The remembrance of home and brothers and father had been a source of constant pain to him; he never could think of them without agony of heart; but now, Thank God, I have forgotten them. Oh, brethren, what a terrible experience a boy must have before he feels a sense of relief and gladness that he has been enabled to forget all about his father and his brothers in his early home! That is the way Joseph felt when Manasseh was born. And would not you have felt so, too?
Everything was going on more pleasantly than he thought it ever could, with himriches, honor, wife, children: everything that could delight the heart of a wise and good manwhen suddenly, one day his steward comes in and tells him that there are ten foreigners who desire to buy some grain. He had a rule that all foreigners must be brought before him before they were allowed to buy grain. Bring them in. They were brought in, and behold, there are his brothers! There are his brothers! And as they approach, they bow down before him. Of course, they could not recognize him, dressed in the Egyptian stylegovernor of Egypt. Even if he had looked like Joseph, it would only have been a strange thing with them to say, He resembles our brother Joseph. There they are. It was a surprising sight to him and a painful one. He instantly determines to treat them in such a way that they will never come back to Egypt again. He says, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. No, they say, we are come to buy food; we are all the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. We are twelve brothers. The youngest is with our father, and one is not.
That remark about the youngest awakened a new thought in Joseph. Oh how it brought back the sad hour when his own mother, dying on the way that they were journeying, left that little Benjamin, his only full brother, in the hands of the weeping father! And how it reminded him, that when he was sold, Benjamin was a little lad at home. He is my own mothers child. Instantly he resolves that Benjamin shall be here with him in Egypt, and that these others shall be scared away, so that they will never come back again; so he says, Send one of you, and let him bring your brother, that your words may be proved, or else by the life of Pharaoh ye are spies. He cast them all into prison; but on the third day he went to them and said: I fear God; if ye be true men let one of you be bound in prison, and let the others go and carry food for your houses; and bring your youngest brother to me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. When he said that, they began to confess to one another their belief about the providential cause of this distress, when Reuben made a speech that brought a revelation to Joseph, He said to his brethren, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear. Therefore, behold his blood is required. Joseph learns for the first time that Reuben had befriended him, and this so touched his heart that he turned aside to weep. He passes by Reuben and takes the next to the oldest for the prisoner.
He now gave the directions to his steward to sell them the grain; and why did he order the money to be tied up in the mouth of every mans sack? They were once so mean and avaricious that they sold me for fifteen petty pieces of silver. I will put their silver in the mouths of their sacks, and I will see if they are as dishonest as they were then. If they are, I will never hear of that money again. Not many merchants in these days, if you go in and buy ten dollars worth of goods, will wrap the ten dollars in the bundle to see if it will come back. I will see, thought Joseph, if they are honest.
Time went ona good deal more than Joseph expected, on account of the unwillingness of Jacob to let Benjamin make the journey. But finally the news is brought that these ten Canaanites have returned. They are brought once more into his presence, and there is Benjamin. They still call him the little one and the lad; just as I have had mothers to introduce me to the baby, and the baby would be a strapping fellow six feet high. There he is. Is this your youngest brother of whom you spoke? He waits not for an answer, but exclaims, God be gracious unto thee, my son. He slips away into another room to weep. How near he is now to carrying out his planto having that dear brother, who had never harmed him, to enjoy his honors and riches and glory, and get rid of the others. He has them to dine in his house. That scared them. To dine with the governor! They could not conceive what it meant. Joseph knew. He had his plan formed. He wanted them there to give them a chance to steal something out of the dining-room. They enjoyed the dinner. They had never seen before so rich a table. He says to the steward, Fill the mens sacks with food; put every mans money in his sacks mouth, and put my silver cup in the sacks mouth of the youngest. It was done, and at daylight next morning they were on their journey home. They were not far on the way when the steward overtook them, with the demand, Why have ye rewarded evil for good? Is it not this in which my Lord drinketh, and wherewith he divineth? Ye have done evil in so doing. They answered, God forbid that thy servants should do such a thing. Search, and if it be found with any one of us, let him die, and the rest of us will be your bondmen. No, says the steward, he with whom it is found shall be my bondman, and ye shall be blameless. He begins his search with Reubens sack. It is not there. Then one by one he takes down the sacks of the others, until he reaches Benjamins. There is the cup! They all rend their clothes; and when the steward starts back with Benjamin, they follow him. They are frightened almost to death, but the steward can not get rid of them. Joseph was on the lookout for the steward and Benjamin. Yonder they come, but behind them are all the ten. What shall now be done? They come in and fall down before him once more, and say, We are thy bondmen. God has found out our iniquity. No, he says, the man in whose hand the cup is found shall be my bondman; but as for you, get you up in peace to your father.
Joseph thought that his plan was a success. They will be glad to go in peace. I will soon have it all right with Benjamin. They will hereafter send somebody else to buy their grain. But Judah arose, drew near, and begged the privilege of speaking a word. He recites the incidents of their first visit, and speaks of the difficulty with which they had induced their father to let Benjamin come. He quotes from his father these words: Ye know that my wife bore me two sons; one of them went out from me, and I said surely he is torn in pieces; and I have not seen him since, If ye take this one also from me and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my grey hairs with sorrow to the grave. He closes with the proposal, Let thy servant, I pray thee, abide instead of the lad, a bondman to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brethren. Here was a revelation to Josephtwo of them. First, I have been blaming my old father for these twenty-two years because he did not send down into Egypt and hunt me up, and buy me out, and take me home; and now I see I have been blaming him unjustly, for he thought I was deadthat some wild beast had torn me in pieces. O what self-reproach, and what a revival of love for his old father! And here, again, I have been trying to drive these brothers away from me, as unworthy of any countenance on my part, or even an acquaintance with them; but what a change has come over them! The very men that once sold me for fifteen paltry pieces of silver, are now willing to be slaves themselves, rather than see their youngest brother made a slave, even when he appears to be guilty of stealing. What a change! Immediately all of his old affection for them takes possession of him, and with these two revelations flashing upon him, it is not surprising that he broke out into loud weeping. He weeps, and falls upon his brothers necks, He says, I am Joseph. A thought flashes through his mind, never conceived before, and he says, Be not grieved, or angry with yourselves that ye sold me hither. He sees now Gods hand all through this strange, sad experience, and using a Hebraism, he says, It was not you that sent me hither, but God; God did send me before to preserve life. When he was a prisoner there in the prison, he did not see Gods hand. I suppose he thought that it was all of the devil; but now that he has gotten to the end of the vista and looks back, he sees it is God who has done it. He sees in part what we saw in the first part of this discourse. O, my friends, many times when you shall have passed through deep waters that almost overwhelm you, and shall have felt alienated from all the friends you had on earth, thinking that they had deserted you, wait a little longer, and you will look up and say it was God; it was the working of grand, glorious, and blessed purposes that He had in his mind concerning you.
The last question we can dispose of now very quickly, because it has been almost entirely anticipated. Why did God select ten men to be the heads of ten tribes of his chosen people, who were so base as to sell their brother? O, my brethren, it was not the ten who sold their brother that God selected, but the ten who were willing to be slaves instead of their brother. These are the ten that he chose. If you and I shall get to heaven, why will God admit us there? Not because of what we once were, but because of what He shall have made out of us by His dealings with us. He had his mind on the outcome, and not on the beginning. If you and I had to be judged by what we were at one time, there would be no hope for us. I am glad to know that my chances for the approval of the Almighty are based on what I hope to be, and not on what I am. Thank God for that!
And they were worthy. How many men who, when the youngest brother of the family was clearly guilty of stealing, and was about to be made a slave, would say, Let me be the slave, and let him go home to his father? Not many. And what had brought about the wondrous change which they had undergone? Ah, here we have the other illustration of Gods providential government to which I have alluded. When these men held up the bloody coat before their father, knowing that Joseph was not dead, as he supposed, but not able to tell him so because the truth would be still more distressing than the fiction, What father would not rather a thousand times over that one of his sons should be dead, than that one of them should be kidnapped and sold into foreign bondage by the others? If their fathers grief was inconsolable, their own remorse was intolerable. For twenty-two long years they writhed under it, and there is no wonder that then they should prefer foreign bondage themselves rather than to witness a renewal of their fathers anguish. The same chain of providence which brought them unexpectedly into Egypt, had fitted them for the high honors which were yet to crown their names.
Is there a poor sinner here today, whom God has disciplined, whether less or more severely than He did those men, and brought to repentance? If so, the kind Redeemer whom you rejected, and sold, as it were, to strangers, stands ready to forgive you more completely and perfectly than Joseph forgave his brethren. He has found out your iniquity; he knows it all; but he died that he might be able to forgive you. Come in his appointed way; come guilty and trembling, as Josephs brothers came, and you will find His everlasting arms around you.
REVIEW QUESTIONS ON PART FORTY-SIX
1.
What is the over-all motif of the Joseph-Story?
2.
Where was Joseph dwelling with his parental household at the time he now appears in the Biblical narrative? How old was he at this time?
3.
Were Josephs brothers justified in their hatred of him?
4.
What was it that made his good qualities offensive? Can we sympathize with them at all? Could we be justified in accepting what they did to him?
5.
How did the brothers get the opportunity to dispose of Joseph?
6.
What special gift did Jacob give to Joseph?
7.
Who were the brothers of whom he brought back to his father an evil report?
8.
What were the two dreams which Joseph experienced and what did they mean?
9.
What were the three things that incensed the brothers against Joseph? To what extent did envy enter into their attitude, and why?
10.
To what place did Jacob send Joseph to find the brothers? Where did he find them?
11.
Which of the brothers kept the others from killing Joseph? Why did he do this?
12.
Which one suggested that Joseph be sold? What was probably his real motive for doing this?
13.
To what people was Joseph sold? What was the price involved?
14.
What was done with Josephs coat? How did the brothers account for Josephs disappearance?
15.
What was Jacobs reaction when he saw the coat?
16.
Explain what Sheol was in Old Testament thought? How did the O.T. concept of Sheol correspond to the N.T. doctrine of Hades? Explain the distinction between Hades and Gehenna in New Testament teaching.
17.
To whom was Joseph sold in Egypt? What office did his owner hold?
18.
How did Joseph get along in his masters house? To what extent did his owner trust him?
19.
What temptation was thrust upon Joseph in his owners house? Against whom did Joseph declare that this sin would be?
20.
How did he escape the woman? What was the lie she told? What did the owner do with him as a consequence?
21.
What special prisoners were kept in the place where Joseph was imprisoned?
22.
How did Joseph get along in prison? What two royal officials were cast into the prison?
23.
What were the dreams which these two prisoners experienced? What interpretations did Joseph give of these dreams?
24.
What special request did Joseph make of the chief butler?
25.
How were the dreams fulfilled?
26.
Who was it that forgot Joseph and for how long?
27.
What were the two dreams which the Pharaoh experienced? What did the word Pharaoh signify?
28.
Who among the Egyptians could not interpret the Pharaohs dreams?
29.
Who told the Pharaoh of Joseph? What confession did he make?
30.
What preparations did Joseph make to present himself before the king? What did these signify especially?
31.
To whom did Joseph give credit for the dreams which the king had experienced and for what purpose were they granted the king?
32.
What was Josephs interpretation of the Pharaohs dreams? Why was his dream doubled? What advice did Joseph give him?
33.
With what office did the Pharaoh invest Joseph? What special rank did he give him?
34.
Who was given to Joseph as his wife? What was her fathers name and position?
35.
Explain the significance of the names, Asenath, Potiphera, and On.
36.
What was Josephs age at the time he was made Prime Minister?
37.
What general policy did Joseph advise the Pharaoh to adopt in view of the impending crisis?
38.
What was the general character of the various dreams which Joseph interpreted?
39.
What is the popular opinion as a rule with regard to the significance of dreams?
40.
What is the over-all psychoanalytic theory of dreams?
41.
In what sense were the dreams interpreted by Joseph premonitions?
42.
Who were the professional interpreters of dreams in the pagan world?
43.
What are the two general categories of dreams reported in Scripture?
44.
What two functions do dreams serve which in Scripture are divinely inspired?
45.
How is the power of interpretation varied in relation to the functions served by dreams?
46.
How closely related are dreams to visions? How are waking visions to be distinguished from dreams? How is the dream related to prophecy in Scripture?
47.
How old was Joseph when he became Prime Minister of Egypt?
48.
How did God compensate him for his former unhappiness?
49.
How much grain did Joseph gather? Where did he store this grain?
50.
What were the names of Josephs two sons and what did each name mean?
51.
What area did the famine cover?
52.
What caused Jacobs sons to go into Egypt the first time?
53.
Which son of Jacob was left at home, and why?
54.
Whom did the brothers face in Egypt? How did their visit fulfil a dream?
55.
Of what did Joseph accuse the brothers? What was their reply?
56.
How long did Joseph keep them in jail?
57.
What tests did Joseph impose on them and for what purpose?
58.
Whom were they ordered to bring back to Egypt and why?
59.
What did the brothers think had caused them to suffer this penalty?
60.
Which brother was detained in Egypt?
61.
What facts were little by little revealed to Joseph about the brothers and the father with respect to what had happened to him in Canaan?
62.
What did Joseph cause to be placed in the brothers sacks? Which brother was detained in Egypt?
63.
How did the brothers react when they discovered the contents of their sacks?
64.
What accusation did Jacob bring against the brothers on their return home?
65.
Why did the brothers return to Egypt a second time?
66.
What security did Reuben offer Jacob as proof he would care for Benjamin?
67.
Who told Jacob that Benjamin must be taken into Egypt? What was Jacobs reaction?
68.
What caused the father finally to relent? What did he tell the brothers to take back into Egypt?
69.
What hospitality did Joseph show them when they returned to Egypt?
70.
What did Joseph say when the brothers tried to return their money?
71.
What did the brothers offer Joseph?
72.
How did Joseph react when he saw Benjamin?
73.
Why did Joseph not sit at the table with his brothers?
74.
How were the brothers arranged at their table? Who got the most food and how much more did he get?
75.
What was placed in the brothers sacks and in Benjamins sack?
76.
What did Joseph have the steward, on catching up with the brothers as they started for home, accuse them of stealing?
77.
What did the brothers say should be done to them as a punishment if they were guilty?
78.
How did they react when the cup was found?
79.
How did Joseph declare that Benjamin should be punished?
80.
Who interceded for Benjamin, offering to serve as hostage, and why?
81.
Why did Joseph send everyone out of the room but the brothers?
82.
Whom did Joseph ask about first after disclosing his identity?
83.
How did the brothers react to this revelation?
84.
In what statement did Joseph declare his conviction that this entire happening was providential? How was it providential?
85.
Trace the hand of God in the story of Joseph as this story was unfolded by His providence?
86.
How many years of famine had passed by this time?
87.
What arrangements were made for transporting Jacobs household to Egypt?
88.
What part of the country was given them for a dwelling, and why?
89.
How did Jacob react to the news about Joseph?
90.
What arrangements for transporting Jacobs family to Egypt did the Pharaoh make?
91.
How old was Jacob when he came down to Egypt? What did he say to Pharaoh at their meeting?
92.
What three things did Joseph obtain from the people for Pharaoh?
93.
What did God promise Jacob that he would do for him in Egypt?
94.
What economic policies did Joseph institute with reference to land ownership? What over-all changes did this make in the economics and politics of Egypt? Was it good or bad? Explain your answer?
95.
What class of people retained their land? What part of the land production was collected for Pharaoh?
96.
How many souls of the house of Jacob came into Egypt?
97.
How reconcile this figure with that which is given in Act. 7:14?
98.
What are the analogies between the life of Joseph and the life of Christ?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
XLIII.
THE SECOND VISIT TO EGYPT.
(7) The man asked us straitly.In Gen. 42:13 they appear rather as volunteering a statement of their family relations than as having it wrung from them by cross-examination. But really this history must be taken as explaining and supplementing the former. Accused of being spies, they would naturally give an account of themselves, and Joseph, anxious to know about his father and brother, would certainly put numerous questions to them concerning their home and family. And they would answer them fully and frankly, little suspecting who was the questioner, and what was his real reason for exacting Benjamins presence in proof of their trustworthiness:
Of our state and of our kindred.Heb., concerning ourselves and our birthplace (see Gen. 12:1; Gen. 24:4; Gen. 24:7; Gen. 31:3), that is, our home. Questions about ourselves would be such as those given: Is your father yet alive? Have ye a brother? And besides these, Joseph would interrogate them closely concerning the place whence they came, and the state of things there.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
THE SECOND JOURNEY TO EGYPT FOR FOOD, Gen 43:1-15.
1. The famine was sore Or, heavy . It had now continued two years . Gen 45:6.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The Second Visit of the Brothers – Joseph Makes Himself Known ( Gen 43:1 to Gen 45:28 )
The Brothers Again Meet the Egyptian Vizier ( Gen 43:1-34 Gen 43:1-2
‘And the famine was sore in the land. And it happened that when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt their father said to them, “Go again. Buy us a little food.” ’
The famine continued and grew worse. No crops grew, those water holes which had survived the first onslaught now dried up, the cattle and sheep grew thin and scrawny. And the corn store became emptier and emptier. Meanwhile Simeon was mourned as Joseph had been for they knew they would see him no more. Jacob’s intransigence had seen to that.
At length it had to be accepted that there would be no possibility of even the most meagre of harvests and as the corn store became depleted Jacob took the only possible course. He had no choice. He asked his sons once more to take silver to Egypt to buy corn. But he had not met the proud and stern Vizier of Egypt, and his sons had, and a fierce argument ensues.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Benjamin Must Go to Egypt – Jacob was making offerings to Joseph as his sons went to buy food for their survival. However, he was holding back the most precious gift, which was Benjamin. It was this gift that Joseph wanted the most. Joseph was meeting the basic needs of his brothers by giving them sacks of corn. When Benjamin was finally brought to Joseph, when there was released to them wagons to bring them into abundance and overflow in the land of Goshen. This truth teaches us that we must give our most precious in order to receive God’s best. We can give sparingly and receive sparingly and receive our basic needs. God wants us in abundance, even when the world lives in lack. We must be willing to give our best, that which is most precious in his sight. We see this type of giving when the widow of Zarephath gave Elijah her last meal (1Ki 17:8-16). When the widow gave her last two mites, she gave that which was most precious to her (Luk 21:1-4). These people gave that which was most precious out of their lack.
Gen 43:13 Comments – Jacob yielded to the pleas of his sons and gave his greatest sacrifice unto the ruler of Egypt, Joseph. In giving his best offering, his son Benjamin, he opened the door for God to give back to him in great measure, providing abundantly for these seventy souls in the land of Goshen during these seven years of famine. Jacob’s soul was bound in Benjamin (Gen 44:30), and in return, he received back from God his sons Benjamin, Simeon, and Joseph, as well as provision through the seven years of famine. He had to first give his best before God gave back His best. [255] During the first visit of Jacob’s sons to Egypt, Jacob had the ability to pay his debts and supply his needs during the famine. However, as the famine progressed, God knew that Jacob lacked the ability to provide for himself and his family throughout the duration of the famine. Therefore, He intervened, requiring a sacrifice from Jacob, and in return, God blessed Jacob while the rest of the world suffered in lack.
[255] Darryl Woodson, “Sermon,” Victory City Church, Kampala, Uganda, 25 April 2010.
Gen 44:30, “Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad’s life;”
Gen 43:14 And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.
Ten Genealogies (Calling) – The Genealogies of Righteous Men and their Divine Callings (To Be Fruitful and Multiply) – The ten genealogies found within the book of Genesis are structured in a way that traces the seed of righteousness from Adam to Noah to Shem to Abraham to Isaac and to Jacob and the seventy souls that followed him down into Egypt. The book of Genesis closes with the story of the preservation of these seventy souls, leading us into the book of Exodus where we see the creation of the nation of Israel while in Egyptian bondage, which nation of righteousness God will use to be a witness to all nations on earth in His plan of redemption. Thus, we see how the book of Genesis concludes with the origin of the nation of Israel while its first eleven chapters reveal that the God of Israel is in fact that God of all nations and all creation.
The genealogies of the six righteous men in Genesis (Adam, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) are the emphasis in this first book of the Old Testament, with each of their narrative stories opening with a divine commission from God to these men, and closing with the fulfillment of prophetic words concerning the divine commissions. This structure suggests that the author of the book of Genesis wrote under the office of the prophet in that a prophecy is given and fulfilled within each of the genealogies of these six primary patriarchs. Furthermore, all the books of the Old Testament were written by men of God who moved in the office of the prophet, which includes the book of Genesis. We find a reference to the fulfillment of these divine commissions by the patriarchs in Heb 11:1-40. The underlying theme of the Holy Scriptures is God’s plan of redemption for mankind. Thus, the book of Genesis places emphasis upon these men of righteousness because of the role that they play in this divine plan as they fulfilled their divine commissions. This explains why the genealogies of Ishmael (Gen 25:12-18) and of Esau (Gen 36:1-43) are relatively brief, because God does not discuss the destinies of these two men in the book of Genesis. These two men were not men of righteousness, for they missed their destinies because of sin. Ishmael persecuted Isaac and Esau sold his birthright. However, it helps us to understand that God has blessed Ishmael and Esau because of Abraham although the seed of the Messiah and our redemption does not pass through their lineage. Prophecies were given to Ishmael and Esau by their fathers, and their genealogies testify to the fulfillment of these prophecies. There were six righteous men did fulfill their destinies in order to preserve a righteous seed so that God could create a righteous nation from the fruit of their loins. Illustration As a young schoolchild learning to read, I would check out biographies of famous men from the library, take them home and read them as a part of class assignments. The lives of these men stirred me up and placed a desire within me to accomplish something great for mankind as did these men. In like manner, the patriarchs of the genealogies in Genesis are designed to stir up our faith in God and encourage us to walk in their footsteps in obedience to God.
The first five genealogies in the book of Genesis bring redemptive history to the place of identifying seventy nations listed in the Table of Nations. The next five genealogies focus upon the origin of the nation of Israel and its patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
There is much more history and events that took place surrounding these individuals emphasized in the book of Genesis, which can be found in other ancient Jewish writings, such as The Book of Jubilees. However, the Holy Scriptures and the book of Genesis focus upon the particular events that shaped God’s plan of redemption through the procreation of men of righteousness. Thus, it was unnecessary to include many of these historical events that were irrelevant to God’s plan of redemption.
In addition, if we see that the ten genealogies contained within the book of Genesis show to us the seed of righteousness that God has preserved in order to fulfill His promise that the “seed of woman” would bruise the serpent’s head in Gen 3:15, then we must understand that each of these men of righteousness had a particular calling, destiny, and purpose for their lives. We can find within each of these genealogies the destiny of each of these men of God, for each one of them fulfilled their destiny. These individual destinies are mentioned at the beginning of each of their genealogies.
It is important for us to search these passages of Scripture and learn how each of these men fulfilled their destiny in order that we can better understand that God has a destiny and a purpose for each of His children as He continues to work out His divine plan of redemption among the children of men. This means that He has a destiny for you and me. Thus, these stories will show us how other men fulfilled their destinies and help us learn how to fulfill our destiny. The fact that there are ten callings in the book of Genesis, and since the number “10” represents the concept of countless, many, or numerous, we should understand that God calls out men in each subsequent generation until God’s plan of redemption is complete.
We can even examine the meanings of each of their names in order to determine their destiny, which was determined for them from a child. Adam’s name means “ruddy, i.e. a human being” ( Strong), for it was his destiny to begin the human race. Noah’s name means, “rest” ( Strong). His destiny was to build the ark and save a remnant of mankind so that God could restore peace and rest to the fallen human race. God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, meaning, “father of a multitude” ( Strong), because his destiny was to live in the land of Canaan and believe God for a son of promise so that his seed would become fruitful and multiply and take dominion over the earth. Isaac’s name means, “laughter” ( Strong) because he was the child of promise. His destiny was to father two nations, believing that the elder would serve the younger. Isaac overcame the obstacles that hindered the possession of the land, such as barrenness and the threat of his enemies in order to father two nations, Israel and Esau. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel, which means “he will rule as God” ( Strong), because of his ability to prevail over his brother Esau and receive his father’s blessings, and because he prevailed over the angel in order to preserve his posterity, which was the procreation of twelve sons who later multiplied into the twelve tribes of Israel. Thus, his ability to prevail against all odds and father twelve righteous seeds earned him his name as one who prevailed with God’s plan of being fruitful and multiplying seeds of righteousness.
In order for God’s plan to be fulfilled in each of the lives of these patriarchs, they were commanded to be fruitful and multiply. It was God’s plan that the fruit of each man was to be a godly seed, a seed of righteousness. It was because of the Fall that unrighteous seed was produced. This ungodly offspring was not then nor is it today God’s plan for mankind.
Outline Here is a proposed outline:
1. The Generation of the Heavens and the Earth Gen 2:4 to Gen 4:26
a) The Creation of Man Gen 2:4-25
b) The Fall Gen 3:1-24
c) Cain and Abel Gen 4:1-26
2. The Generation of Adam Gen 5:1 to Gen 6:8
3. The Generation of Noah Gen 6:9 to Gen 9:29
4. The Generation of the Sons of Noah Gen 10:1 to Gen 11:9
5. The Generation of Shem Gen 11:10-26
6. The Generation of Terah (& Abraham) Gen 11:27 to Gen 25:11
7. The Generation Ishmael Gen 25:12-18
8. The Generation of Isaac Gen 25:19 to Gen 35:29
9. The Generation of Esau Gen 36:1-43
10. The Generation of Jacob Gen 37:1 to Gen 50:26
The Calling of the Patriarchs of Israel We can find two major divisions within the book of Genesis that reveal God’s foreknowledge in designing a plan of redemption to establish a righteous people upon earth. Paul reveals this four-fold plan in Rom 8:29-30: predestination, calling, justification, and glorification.
Rom 8:29-30, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”
The book of Genesis will reflect the first two phase of redemption, which are predestination and calling. We find in the first division in Gen 1:1 to Gen 2:3 emphasizing predestination. The Creation Story gives us God’s predestined plan for mankind, which is to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth with righteous offspring. The second major division is found in Gen 2:4 to Gen 50:25, which gives us ten genealogies, in which God calls men of righteousness to play a role in His divine plan of redemption.
The foundational theme of Gen 2:4 to Gen 11:26 is the divine calling for mankind to be fruitful and multiply, which commission was given to Adam prior to the Flood (Gen 1:28-29), and to Noah after the Flood (Gen 9:1). The establishment of the seventy nations prepares us for the calling out of Abraham and his sons, which story fills the rest of the book of Genesis. Thus, God’s calling through His divine foreknowledge (Gen 11:27 to Gen 50:26) will focus the calling of Abraham and his descendants to establish the nation of Israel. God will call the patriarchs to fulfill the original purpose and intent of creation, which is to multiply into a righteous nation, for which mankind was originally predestined to fulfill.
The generations of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob take up a large portion of the book of Genesis. These genealogies have a common structure in that they all begin with God revealing Himself to a patriarch and giving him a divine commission, and they close with God fulfilling His promise to each of them because of their faith in His promise. God promised Abraham a son through Sarah his wife that would multiply into a nation, and Abraham demonstrated his faith in this promise on Mount Moriah. God promised Isaac two sons, with the younger receiving the first-born blessing, and this was fulfilled when Jacob deceived his father and received the blessing above his brother Esau. Jacob’s son Joseph received two dreams of ruling over his brothers, and Jacob testified to his faith in this promise by following Joseph into the land of Egypt. Thus, these three genealogies emphasize God’s call and commission to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their response of faith in seeing God fulfill His word to each of them.
1. The Generations of Terah (& Abraham) Gen 11:27 to Gen 25:11
2. The Generations Ishmael Gen 25:12-18
3. The Generations of Isaac Gen 25:19 to Gen 35:29
4. The Generations of Esau Gen 36:1-43
5. The Generations of Jacob Gen 37:1 to Gen 50:26
The Origin of the Nation of Israel After Gen 1:1 to Gen 9:29 takes us through the origin of the heavens and the earth as we know them today, and Gen 10:1 to Gen 11:26 explains the origin of the seventy nations (Gen 10:1 to Gen 11:26), we see that the rest of the book of Genesis focuses upon the origin of the nation of Israel (Gen 11:27 to Gen 50:26). Thus, each of these major divisions serves as a foundation upon which the next division is built.
Paul the apostle reveals the four phases of God the Father’s plan of redemption for mankind through His divine foreknowledge of all things in Rom 8:29-30, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” Predestination – Gen 1:1 to Gen 11:26 emphasizes the theme of God the Father’s predestined purpose of the earth, which was to serve mankind, and of mankind, which was to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth with righteousness. Calling – Gen 11:27 to Gen 50:26 will place emphasis upon the second phase of God’s plan of redemption for mankind, which is His divine calling to fulfill His purpose of multiplying and filling the earth with righteousness. (The additional two phases of Justification and Glorification will unfold within the rest of the books of the Pentateuch.) This second section of Genesis can be divided into five genealogies. The three genealogies of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob begin with a divine calling to a patriarch. The two shorter genealogies of Ishmael and Esau are given simply because they inherit a measure of divine blessings as descendants of Abraham, but they will not play a central role in God’s redemptive plan for mankind. God will implement phase two of His divine plan of redemption by calling one man named Abraham to depart unto the Promised Land (Gen 12:1-3), and this calling was fulfilled by the patriarch. Isaac’s calling can also be found at the beginning of his genealogy, where God commands him to dwell in the Promised Land (Gen 26:1-6), and this calling was fulfilled by the patriarch Isaac. Jacob’s calling was fulfilled as he bore twelve sons and took them into Egypt where they multiplied into a nation. The opening passage of Jacob’s genealogy reveals that his destiny would be fulfilled through the dream of his son Joseph (Gen 37:1-11), which took place in the land of Egypt. Perhaps Jacob did not receive such a clear calling as Abraham and Isaac because his early life was one of deceit, rather than of righteousness obedience to God; so the Lord had to reveal His plan for Jacob through his righteous son Joseph. In a similar way, God spoke to righteous kings of Israel, and was silent to those who did not serve Him. Thus, the three patriarchs of Israel received a divine calling, which they fulfilled in order for the nation of Israel to become established in the land of Egypt. Perhaps the reason the Lord sent the Jacob and the seventy souls into Egypt to multiply rather than leaving them in the Promised Land is that the Israelites would have intermarried the cultic nations around them and failed to produce a nation of righteousness. God’s ways are always perfect.
1. The Generations of Terah (& Abraham) Gen 11:27 to Gen 25:11
2. The Generations Ishmael Gen 25:12-18
3. The Generations of Isaac Gen 25:19 to Gen 35:29
4. The Generations of Esau Gen 36:1-43
5. The Generations of Jacob Gen 37:1 to Gen 50:26
Divine Miracles It is important to note that up until now the Scriptures record no miracles in the lives of men. Thus, we will observe that divine miracles begin with Abraham and the children of Israel. Testimonies reveal today that the Jews are still recipients of God’s miracles as He divinely intervenes in this nation to fulfill His purpose and plan for His people. Yes, God is working miracles through His New Testament Church, but miracles had their beginning with the nation of Israel.
The Genealogy of Jacob The genealogies of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob have a common structure in that they open with God speaking to a patriarch and giving him a commission and a promise in which to believe. In each of these genealogies, the patriarch’s calling is to believe God’s promise, while this passage of Scripture serves as a witness to God’s faithfulness in fulfilling each promise. Only then does the genealogy come to a close.
Gen 37:1 to Gen 50:26 gives the account of the genealogy of Jacob, Isaac’s son. Heb 11:21-22 reveals the central message in this genealogy that stirs our faith in God when Jacob and Joseph gave redemptive prophecies, saying, “By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.” As Abraham’s genealogy begins with a divine commission when God told him to leave Ur and to go Canaan (Gen 12:1), and Isaac’s genealogy begin with a divine commission predicting him as the father of two nations (Gen 25:23), so does Jacob’s genealogy begin with a divine encounter in the form of his son Joseph’s two dreams. These dreams make it clear that Jacob’s divine commission was to bring his clan of seventy souls into Egypt through Joseph for four hundred years while the people multiply into the nation of Israel. This genealogy closes with the fulfillment of Joseph’s dreams. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel, which means “prince of God,” because his destiny was to father a multitude of godly seed. He fathered the twelve sons, or “princes,” who multiplied into the twelve tribes of Israel. His ability to father twelve righteous seeds earned him his name as a prince of God, as a man who ruled over a multitude of godly seed. The Scriptures testify to Jacob’s faith in God’s promise that Joseph would rule over his brethren by the fact that he followed his son into Egypt (Gen 49:22-26), and he blessed the two sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh (Heb 11:21-22). The fact that Jacob died in a ripe old age testifies that he fulfilled his destiny as did his fathers, Abraham and Isaac.
The Story of Joseph The last story in the origin of the nation of Israel that is recorded in the book of Genesis is the story of Joseph. Perhaps there is no other Old Testament story so moving as when he reveals himself to his brothers. There are many truths that are taught to us in this great Bible story. We learn that if we will serve the Lord amidst persecutions, God will always bring someone into our lives to bless us. Joseph had the favour and blessings of his father as a young man in the midst of his brothers’ persecutions. He then had the blessings of Potipher as a young man in Egypt. He found the favour of Pharaoh as an adult.
God gave Jeremiah some friends who stood by him and blessed him during the most difficult times in his ministry. God gave Daniel three friends in his Babylonian captivity. God gave to Paul men like Timothy and Luke to stand by him during times of persecution and even imprisonment. But for Joseph, he often stood alone, totally trusting in God.
The Chronology of the Life of Joseph – Jacob was one hundred thirty (130) years old when he went to Egypt.
Gen 47:9, “And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.”
Jacob died at the age of 147.
Gen 47:28, “And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years.”
Joseph became ruler in Egypt at the age of 30.
Gen 41:46, “And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.”
Joseph had two sons by the age of 37.
Gen 41:50, “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.”
Joseph was 39 when his family comes to Egypt.
Gen 45:11, “And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty.”
Therefore, Jacob was 91 when Joseph was born.
Also, Joseph died at the age of 110 (Gen 50:22; Gen 50:26)
Gen 50:22, “And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father’s house: and Joseph lived an hundred and ten years.”
Gen 50:26, “So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.”
Joseph as a Type and Figure of Christ Jesus In many ways we can see Joseph as a type and figure of the Lord Jesus Christ. Note some comparisons:
1. Joseph was Jacob’s beloved son, just as Jesus was the Heavenly Father’s beloved son.
Mat 3:17, “And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
2. Joseph was given a coat of many colours, which was similar to the seamless robe worn by Jesus Christ, of which the Roman soldiers cast lots (Joh 19:23-24).
Joh 19:23-24, “Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.”
3. Joseph took bread to his brothers, just like Jesus was sent as the bread of life to His people.
Mat 15:24-26, “But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.”
4. Joseph was rejected by his brothers like Jesus was rejected by His people, the Jews.
5. Joseph was thrown in the pit in Gen 37:24. This is like Jesus’ death on the cross (Psa 16:10)
Gen 37:24, “And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.”
Psa 16:10, “For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.”
6. When Joseph was betrayed by his brethren and sold as a servant. Jesus was betrayed by Judas Iscariot for thirty pieces of sliver.
7. Joseph became a servant in the house of Potiphar, just like Jesus Christ took form of a servant (Php 2:7) and (Psa 105:17).
Gen 37:36, “And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, and captain of the guard.”
Gen 39:1, “And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither.”
Psa 105:17, “He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant:”
Php 2:7, “But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:”
8. Joseph was sent to Egypt to deliver the house of Jacob (Israel) (Gen 45:7-8) like Jesus was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel to deliver them.
Gen 45:7-8, “And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.”
Mat 15:24, “But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
9. Joseph was lifted up by Potiphar, then brought down into prison, then raised up by Pharaoh at his right hand. This is like Jesus being brought down to the grave, and then being raised to the right hand of the Father.
10. Joseph was exalted as ruler under Pharaoh, like Christians at the right hand of the Father in heaven today.
11. Some scholars suggest that Joseph’s marriage to the Egyptian is a type of Christ’s marriage to the church (especially to the Gentile church). He had two sons, which symbolizes the salvation of the Gentiles as well as the Jews.
12. Joseph’s brothers bowed down to Joseph during the famine (Gen 42:6) like Israel will bow down to Jesus one day (Rom 11:26). Israel shall be saved through the Deliverer.
Gen 42:6, “And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph’s brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.”
Rom 11:26, “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:”
13. Joseph revealed himself to his brothers on their third trip to Egypt. The ten brothers finally coming to Joseph and recognising him and receiving an inheritance is like Israel turning to and recognising Jesus and all being saved.
Rom 11:26, “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:”
Jesus will reveal Himself to the Jews after the Church is raptured at His Second Return, thus, a third return.
14. All nations came and bowed down to Joseph, as all nations will someday come and bow down at the throne of the Lord Jesus.
15. Joseph was ruler over Egypt and the whole world, just as Jesus will reign in Zion as king of kings over the earth.
The Preparations for the Journey
v. 1. And the famine was sore in the land.
v. 2. And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food. v. 3. And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face except your brother be with you. v. 4. If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food; v. 5. but if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down; for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face except your brother be with you. v. 6. And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother? v. 7. And they said, The man asked us straitly of our state, v. 8. And Judah said unto Israel, his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones. v. 9. I will be surety for him: of my hand shalt thou require him; if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame forever. v. 10. For except we had lingered, surely now we had returned this second time. EXPOSITION
Gen 43:1, Gen 43:2
And the famine was sore (literally, was heavy) in the land (sc. of Canaan). And it came to pass, when they had eaten upliterally, had finished to eat up, i.e. not nearly (Mercerus, Bush), but entirely consumedthe corn which they had brought out of Egypt,it is probable that only Jacob’s family partook of the Egyptian corn, the slaves supporting themselves on roots, vegetables, and milk (Calvin, Rosenmller, Gerlach)their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food. What they could buy would be little in proportion to their needs.
Gen 43:3
And Judah spake unto him, saying,Judah now becomes the spokesman, either because Reuben’s entreaty had been rejected, and Levi, who followed Reuben and Simeon in respect of age, had forfeited his father’s confidence though his treachery to the Shechemites (Keil, Murphy); or because he could speak to his father with greater freedom, having a freer conscience than the rest (Lange); or because he was a man possessed of greater prudence and ability than the rest (Lawson), if indeed the suggestion is not correct that they all endeavored to persuade their father, though Judah’s eloquence alone is recorded (Calvin)the man (i.e. the Egyptian viceroy) did solemnly protest (literally, protesting did protest, i.e. did earnestly protest) unto us, saying,with an oath which is not here repeated (Gen 42:15)Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.
Gen 43:4, Gen 43:5
If thou wilt sendliterally, if thou art sending, i.e. if thou art agreeable to send (cf. Gen 24:42, Gen 24:49; Jdg 6:36)our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food: but (literally, and) if thou wilt not send him (a similar form of expression to the above, the two words , being, and , not being, including the substantive verb, and being conjoined with a participle for the finite verb), we will not go down: for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you. Judah’s peremptory language receives sufficient justification from the fact that he believed the Egyptian governor to be in thorough earnest when he declared that without Benjamin they should sue a second time in vain.
Gen 43:6
And Israel said,this is the second time that Jacob is so designated in the history of Joseph, the first time being in Gen 37:1-36; which recites the sad account of Joseph’s disappearance from the family circle. The recurrence of what may eventually prove another breach in the theocratic family is probably the circumstance that revives the name Israel, which besides seems to prevail throughout the chapter (vide Gen 37:8, Gen 37:11)Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother! literally, whether yet to you a brother (sc. there was).
Gen 43:7
And they said, The man asked us straitly of our state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? Though not appearing in the preceding narrative of the historian (Gen 42:13, Gen 42:32), it must yet be held as accurate that the information given to Joseph about Jacob and Benjamin was supplied in answer to direct inquiries, since Judah afterwards gives the same account of it (Gen 44:19) when pleading before Joseph in behalf of Benjamin. And we told him according to the tenor of these wordsliterally, according to these words, i.e. either in conformity to his questions (Ainsworth, Rosenmller, Keil), (LXX.), juxta id quod fuerat sciscitatus (Vulgate), or like those words we have told thee (Kalisch). Could we certainly know (literally, knowing could we know) that he would say, Bring your brother down?
Gen 43:8-10
And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me (Benjamin, though styled a lad, must have been at this time upwards of twenty years of age), and we will arise and go; that we may (literally, and we shall) live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones. I will be surety for him (the verb conveys the idea of changing places with another); of my hand shalt thou require him (vide Gen 9:5): if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee,the words are even more emphatic than those of Reuben (Gen 42:37)then let me bear the blame for everliterally, and I shall be a sinner (i.e. liable to punishment as a sinner) against thee all the days (sc. of my life). The thought is elliptical. Judah means that if he does not return with Benjamin he shall both have failed in his promise and be guilty of a dire transgression against his father (cf. 1Ki 1:21). For except we had lingered, surely now we had returned this second timeliterally, these two times. The nobility of character which shines out so conspicuously in Judah’s language is afterwards signally illustrated in his pathetic pleading before Joseph, and goes far to countenance the suggestion that a change must have taken place in his inner life since the incidents recorded of him in Gen 37:1-36 and Gen 38:1-30.
Gen 43:11
And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now (literally, if so now), do this; take of the best fruits in the land (literally, of the song of the land, i.e. of its choicest and most praised productions) in your vessels, and carry down the man a present. That Jacob could propose to send a handsome present of rich fruits to the Egyptian viceroy has been regarded as inconsistent with the prevalence of a famine in the land of Canaan for over two or three years (Bohlen); but
(1) the failure of the cereal crops does not necessarily imply a like absence of fruit, and
(2) it does not follow that, though Jacob selected the under-mentioned articles for his gift, they existed in abundance, while
(3) if the fruit harvest was small, an offering such as is here described would only be all the more luxuriant and valuable on that account (Kurtz, Kalisch). A little balm,balsam (vide Gen 37:25)and a little honey,, grape honey, called by the Arabians dibs, and the Persians dushab, was prepared by boiling down must or new wine to a third or half; hence called by the Greeks , and by the Romans sapa, defrutum. It is still imported into Egypt from the district of Hebron. That it was not the honey of bees, , (LXX.), mel (Vulgate), is rendered probable by the circumstance that Egypt abounds in this excellent production of naturespices, and myrrh (wide Gen 27:25), nuts,, an oblong species of nut, so called from its being fiat on one side and bellying out on the other (the pistacia vera of Linnaeus), having an oily kernel which is most palatable to Orientals (vide Kalisch in loco)and almonds. The or almond tree, so called because of all trees it is the first to arouse from the sleep of winter, the root being , to be sleepless, (Gesenius), does not seem to have been indigenous in Egypt, while it flourishes in Syria and Palestine (Kalisch).
Gen 43:12
And take double money (literally, money of a second, i.e. of the same, amount; not twice as much as the first time, but simply as much as the first time) in your hand; and the money that was brought again (or returned) in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight (literally, a something caused to wander, a mistake, from a root signifying to go astray).
Gen 43:13, Gen 43:14
Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man: and God AlmightyEl Shaddai, the covenant God of Abraham (Gen 17:1), and of Jacob himself (Gen 35:11)give you mercy (literally, bowels, hence very tender affection, the inward parts being regarded as the seat of the emotions) before the man, that he may send awayliterally, and he shall send with you {Kalisch), or for you (Keil)your other brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereavedliterally, and if I am bereaved, I am bereaved, an expression of the patriarch’s acquiescence in the Divine will (cf. 2Ki 7:4; Est 4:16).
Gen 43:15
And the men took that present (which Jacob had specified), and they took double money (literally, a doubling of the money, i.e. the first money, and as much again for the new purchase; the phrase is different from that used in Gen 43:12, though the words are the same) in their hand, and Benjamin (so. they took with them); and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph (i.e. in the corn-market).
Gen 43:16
And when (literally, and) Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he literally, and he) said to the ruler of his house,literally, to him who was over his house, i.e. the steward (cf. Gen 24:2; Gen 39:4; Gen 44:1)Bring these men home (i.e. conduct these men to my house, which was probably at some distance), and slay,literally, slay a slaughter. The assertion that the narrator is here guilty of an inaccuracy in representing Joseph as having animal food prepared for himself and his guests (Bohlen) is refuted by Herodotus (2.37, 40) and by Wilkinson, who says that “beef and goose constituted the principal part of the animal food throughout Egypt,” and that according to the sculptures “a considerable quantity of meat was served up at those repasts to which strangers were invited.’ “Though there was scarcely an animal which was not held sacred in some province, there was, perhaps with the only exception of the cow, none which’ was not killed and eaten in other parts of the land” (Kalisch)and make ready; for these men shall dine with me at noonliterally, at the double lights (), i.e. at mid-day, the time of greatest splendor.
Gen 43:17, Gen 43:18
And the man did as Joseph bade; and the man brought the men into Joseph’s house. And the men were afraid, because they were brought into Joseph’s house. “A more natural picture of the conduct of men from the country, when taken into the house of a superior, cannot be drawn. When they are told to go inside they at once suspect that they are about to be punished or confined. And they said (sc. To themselves), Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in; that he may seek occasion against us,literally, that he may roll himself upon us (cf. Job 30:14; Psa 22:8; Psa 37:5; Pro 26:3). “To say a man rolls himself upon another is the Eastern way of saying he falls upon him” and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses. The brethren of Joseph were clearly apprehensive of some serious stratagem to deprive them of liberty.
Gen 43:19-22
And they came near to the steward of Joseph’s house (literally, the man who was over Joseph‘s house), and they communed (or spake) with him at the door of the house (i.e. before they entered), and said, O sir,literally, Pray, my lord; (LXX.)we came indeed down at the first time to buy food: and it came to pass, when we came to the inn,or halting-place (vide Gen 42:27)that we opened our sacks,this was not strictly accurate, as only one sack had been opened at the wayside khan, while the others were not examined till they had reached home; though, as an explanation of the difficulty, it has been suggested that all the sacks may have been, and probably were, opened at the inn, but that only one man found his money in his sack’s mouth, as the next clause explainsand, behold, every man’s money was in the mouth of his sack,literally, a man‘s money in the mouth of his sack, i.e. one of them found his money there, while the others discovered their money, which was not “in the sack’s mouth,” but “in the sack” (Gen 42:35), only on emptying their sacks at homeour money in full weight (literally, according to its weight): and we have brought it again in our hand. And other money (i.e. the second silver of Gen 43:12) have we brought down in our hands to buy food: we cannot tell who put our money in our sacks.
Gen 43:23
And he said, Peace be to you, fear not: your God (Elohim), and the God of your father,an indication that Joseph’s steward had been taught to fear and trust the God of the Hebrews (Wordsworth, Murphy)hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your money (literally, your money came to me). And he brought Simeon out unto them.
Gen 43:24
And the man (Joseph’s steward) brought the men into Joseph’s house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet (of. Gen 18:4; Gen 24:32); and he gave their asses provender.
Gen 43:25
And they made ready the present against Joseph came at noon: for they heard that they should eat bread there. This must have been communicated to them after they had entered Joseph’s palace, since they had obviously not learnt it upon the way thither (vide supra, Gen 43:18).
Gen 43:26
And when Joseph came home (after the dispatch of public business), they brought him the present which was m their hand (vide Gen 43:11) into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth. Thus they fulfilled the dream of the sheaves (Gen 37:7; cf. Gen 18:2; Gen 19:1).
Gen 43:27
And he asked them of their welfare (literally, peace), and said, Is your father well (literally, Is there peace to your father?), the old man of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive?
Gen 43:28
And they answered, Thy servant our father is in good health, he is yet alive. And they bowed down their heads, and made obeisance.
Gen 43:29
And he (i.e. Joseph) lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, is this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And he said (without waiting for an answer), God be gracious unto thee, my son. The tenderness of this language was much fitted to encourage the brethren.
Gen 43:30
And Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn (literally, were becoming warm, from intensity of tore) upon his brother: and he sought where to weep;the second occasion on which Joseph is represented as overcome by the strength of his inward emotion, the first having been when his brethren were speaking about their cruelty towards himself (Gen 42:24)and he entered into his chamber, and wept there.
Gen 43:31
And he washed his face (an indication of the violence of his weeping), and went out (from his chamber), and refrained himself (keeping his tears in check), and said, Set on breadan expression used at the present day in Egypt for bringing dinner.
Gen 43:32
And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves. “Joseph eats apart from his brethren, keeping strictly to the Egyptian mode; and the history does not omit to remark that in this point he adhered to the custom of the country” (Havernick, 21). Because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews. Herodotus (2.41) affirms that the Egyptians would neither use the knife, spit, or basin of a Grecian, nor taste the flesh of a clean cow if it happened to be cut with a Grecian knife. For that is an abomination unto the Egyptians. The reason for this separation from foreigners being that they dreaded being polluted by such as killed and ate cows, which animals were held in high veneration in Egypt.
Gen 43:33
And they sat before him,that the Egyptians sat at meals is in exact accordance With the representations on the monuments, in which they are never exhibited as reposing on couches, but always as seated round a circular table resembling the monopodium of the Romansthe firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marveled one at anotherprobably thinking that Joseph must have been supernaturally enlightened to discover so exactly the ages of strangers.
Gen 43:34
And he took and sent (literally, and he sent) messesmaseoth, from nasa, to take or lift up, i.e. things taken or lifted up, hence portions or gifts (2Sa 11:8)unto them from before him (cf. 1Sa 9:23). The practice of thus honoring guests was also observed among other nations (vide ‘Iliad,’ 7:321). But Benjamin’s mess (or portion) was five times so much as any of theirsliterally, exceeded the portions of all of them five hands, i.e. five times. Herodotus (6.57) mentions that among the Spartans the king received a double portion. The unusually large portion assigned to Benjamin was designed as an expression of his strong fraternal affection, and perhaps also as a test of his brethren to ascertain if they were now free from that spirit of envy which had prompted their former cruelty to him. And they drank, and were merry with himliterally, and drank largely with him. Though the verb sometimes signifies to drink to the full (Hag 1:6; So 5:1), and though intoxication was not unusual at Egyptian entertainments, there is no reason to suppose that either Joseph or his brethren were inebriated (Vulgate, Alford), or that more is meant than simply that their hearts became exhilarated “because their cares were dissipated by the kindness they were receiving, the presence of Simeon, and the attention paid to Benjamin” (Murphy).
HOMILETICS
Gen 43:1-34
The second visit of Joseph’s brethren to Egypt.
I. The. SCENE IN JACOB‘S HOUSE AT HEBRON (Gen 43:1-15).
1. The second journey proposed. “Go again, buy us a little food.” It was necessitated by the long continuance of the famine, and the complete consumption of the corn they had brought from Egypt on the previous occasion.
2. The second journey agreed on.
(1) The difficulty started. As explained by Judah, it was useless to go to Egypt unless accompanied by Benjamin, since the governor had solemnly protested and sworn that without him they should not only not obtain a grain of corn, but they should not even be admitted to his presence. But to speak of taking Benjamin to Egypt, as Jacob had already testified, and now again declared, was like driving a poniard into the old man’s heart. As he thinks of it he can hardly forbear reproaching his stalwart sons for having heaped upon him one more unkindness in even mentioning the fact of Benjamin’s existence.
(2) The difficulty removed. Skillfully the eloquent Judah reasons with his aged sire, first pointing out that it was only in reply to the grand vizier’s interrogations that they had referred to Benjamin at, all, that, not suspecting any sinister motives on the part of their noble questioner, they had never dreamt of attempting concealment or evasion in their answers; urging the imperative necessity for Benjamin’s going down with them if either they or their little ones were to be kept from starvation, solemnly engaging to be surety for the safe convoy of the beloved youth, and lastly delicately hinting that but for the delay occasioned by his (their father’s) reluctance they might have been to Egypt and back since he first spoke of their going.
3. The second journey prepared for (Gen 43:11-13). Since it was inevitable that Benjamin must go, Jacob recommended them along with him to take
(1) a present in their vessels for the great man whose favor they desired to secure;
(2) second money, or money for the purchase of the grain they wished, to show that they came not as beggars, but as buyers;
(3) the silver that had been returned in their sacks, to prove that they were honest, and regarded the matter simply as an oversight. It is well always to put the best construction on a dubious matter, and in particular to let not our good be evil spoken of.
4. The second journey began (Gen 43:14, Gen 43:15). Listening to their father’s prayer,”God Almighty give you mercy before the man,”witnessing their father’s sorrowful resignation,”If I be bereaved I am bereaved,”and observing faithfully their father’s instructions, carrying a present of “the song of the land” and double money in their hands, the men rose up and went down to Egypt.
5. The second journey completed (Gen 43:15). In the providence of God they reached the land of Egypt and stood before Joseph. It is a special mercy to travelers when, escaping all the perils of the way, they arrive at their desired destinations in peace.
II. THE SCENE IN JOSEPH‘S HOUSE IN EGYPT (Gen 43:16-34).
1. The reception of the brethren (Gen 43:16, Gen 43:17). Scarcely had the brethren arrived at the public mart than they were observed by Joseph. Directing his eyes eagerly in search of Benjamin, he is gratified by noticing that he has not been left behind. Preserving as before his incognito, he gives instructions to his steward to convey them to his palace, and prepare a dinner for him and them at the hour of noon.
2. The apprehensions of the brethren (Gen 43:18-24).
(1) The nature of them. They feared lest Joseph was only seeking occasion to fall upon them and take them for bondmen.
(2) The ground of them. This was the money which had been discovered in their sacks, and for which as they imagined they were now being arrested.
(3) The expression of them. Without directly saying what they dreaded, they begin to deprecate the wrath of the steward, and to offer explanations concerning the money (Gen 43:20-22).
(4) The removal of them. Although the steward was not yet aware that the strangers were his master’s brethren, he was perfectly cognizant of their innocence in the matter of the money, and of his master’s desire to show them kindness. Accordingly he seeks to reassure them by encouraging them to dismiss their apprehensions”Peace be to you fear not;” by telling them to regard the treasure in their sacks as a Divine gift, since it was indubitable that he had received their money”Your God hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your money;” by producing Simeon before them, no doubt in the enjoyment of perfect health and happiness”and he brought Simeon out unto them;” by exercising towards them the rights of hospitality”the man gave them water, and they washed their feet;” and by providing for the wants of their beasts”and he gave their asses provender.”
3. The homage of the brethren (Gen 43:25-31).
(1) Its presentation: with precious giftsthe delicacies of the land of Canaan; with dutiful obeisance”they bowed themselves to him to the earth.”
(2) Its acceptance; which was indicated by the friendly inquiries of the governor”Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive?” “Is this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me?” by the warm,, benediction, he pronounced on Benjamin”God be gracious unto thee, my son; by the rising emotion which he could with difficulty repress”his bowels did yearn upon his brother, and he sought where to weep;” and by the order which he issued to his servants”Set on bread.”
4. The entertainment of the brethren.
(1) The separation of the guests, first from the host, and then from one another, the Egyptians from the Canaanites, and both from Joseph, the reason being that the Egyptians might not eat with foreigners in case of contracting pollution.
(2) The order of the brethren, each being arranged before the governor in accordance with their ages, a circumstance which appears to have simultaneously evoked their wonder”and the men marveled one at another.”
(3) The portions from the host, one to each of the nine oldest, and five to the youngest, which were designed as marks of special favor.
(4) The hilarity of the company. The fears of the brethren disappearing, and their enjoyment rising, as they talked and drank with the gracious governor who had brought them to his palace.
HOMILIES BY R.A. REDFORD
Gen 43:1-34
Lessons of life.
I. The chief lesson of this chapter is the MINGLING TOGETHER OF THE PROVIDENTIAL GOVERNMENT OF GOD WITH HIS PURPOSE OF GRACE. It was part of the Divine plan that Jacob and his family should be settled for a long period in Egypt. It could only be brought about by the transference in some way of the point of attraction to Jacob’s heart from Canaan to the strange land. Hence c, Jacob” is now “Israel,” reminding us how the future is involved in all the events of this time. “Judah” is the chief agent in this matter. The very names are significant of Divine promises”Judah,” “Israel,” “Joseph,” “Benjamin.” The conduct of Joseph cannot be explained except on the ground of his inspiration. He is not acting. He is not trifling with human feelings. He is not merely following the dictate of his own personal affections. He is, under Divine direction, planning for the removal of his father’s house to Egypt that the people of God may pass through their season of trial in the house of bondage. Another point
II. God’s blessing on a TRUE HUMANITY THE THOROUGHLY HUMAN CHARACTER OF THE NARRATIVE. The tenderness, the pathos, the simplicity, the truthfulness, especially in the case of Joseph himself. How little he had been spoiled by prosperity! That is the criterion of real greatness. The Bible histories help us to keep in mind that real religion does not suppress the human, but preserves and develops all that is best and noblest in the man.
III. THE GRACIOUS WISDOM OF THE GOOD MAN IN HIS CONDUCT TOWARDS OTHERS. Joseph’s dealing with his brethren gradually preparing their minds for the great announcement which was soon to be made. Both his kindness to them and his particular inquiries after Jacob, and affectionate salute of Benjamin, must have roused their curiosity and disarmed their terrors. As they “drank and were merry” with the great Egyptian ruler, and their youngest brother rejoiced in the special mark of favor, which was favor to all, they must have felt the bondage of their previous apprehensions slipping away from them, and have anticipated some good thing in preparation for them. Moreover, there may have been the intention working in Joseph’s mind of accustoming the Egyptians to the sight of those Hebrew people, and so opening the way to their subsequent elevation when as his brethren he should settle them in Goshen. There was great wisdom in all this lingering in divulging the great secret.
IV. THE MARK OF FAITH IS A SINGLE EYE TO GOD‘S GLORY. We should endeavor to blend the personal with the larger interests of God’s kingdom, Family life should be based upon religious foundations.R.
HOMILIES BY J.F. MONTGOMERY
Gen 43:18
Distrust the fruit of sin.
Why should they be afraid? The invitation was an honor not unusual. Abraham was received at Pharaoh’s court (Gen 12:15). And the brethren were evidently people of large possessions with a considerable retinue, as they were to carry food for so many; and they had brought the proof required that they were true men. Had Joseph intended to do them harm he might have done it before. It was conscious guilt that made them fear. What they had done to their brother suggested similar treatment being meted to them. Perhaps they had almost forgotten it. But God left not himself without witness to bring their sin to remembrance. The stain of sin on the conscience is indelible. Time cannot remove it. Occupation may turn the thoughts from it, but it returns again and again. The act of wrong may be little thought of at the time. Only afterwards is it felt that it cannot be undone (cf. 1Co 15:9). This explains the attitude of so many toward God. Why is there such slowness to receive the gospel just as it is offered? When men are bidden to their brother’s table; when his will is declared they shall sup with me (cf. Rev 3:20), why is there such shrinking as if they were being led into danger; as if God were laying some obligation on them which they cannot fulfill, to bring them into bondage for ever? It is because of sin in the heart; perhaps unfelt, unthought of; but it is there, the fact of a self-chosen life. And if these are invited to closer communion with God, straightway they are afraid; suspicious of God. And hence, when the gospel invitation is pressed, and the Lamb of God held up, and the power of the blood of Christ and the welcome for all proclaimed, and they are bidden to trust, to accept salvation, men try to fortify their position: “O sir, we have done this or that (cf. Mat 18:26), clinging to distrust instead of striving against it.
I. THIS DISTRUST AND SUSPICION OF GOD ARISES FROM THE PRESENCE OF SIN NOT FULLY RECOGNIZED AS SIN; while the man is still trying to set good deeds against bad ones, or to find. excuses for faults. It is the effect of sin before conviction by the Holy Spirit. Real conviction brings to God (Psa 51:4; Luk 18:13). It is unacknowledged sin that separates.
II. DISTRUST IS REMOVED BY A REAL BELIEF IN THE ATONEMENT (Heb 9:25), God’s plan for reconciling the sinful to himself (Rom 3:26). Hence this is the turning point of the spiritual life (Joh 3:18); the great work (Joh 6:29) out of which, as from a germ, the whole Christian life must grow.M.
SEVENTH SECTION
The second journey. Benjamin accompanying. Joseph maketh himself known to his brethren. Their return. Jacobs joy.
Genesis 43-45
A. The trial of the brethren. Their repentance and Josephs reconcilableness. Joseph and Benjamin.
Gen 43:1 to Gen 44:17
1And the famine was sore in the land. 2And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food. 3And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you. 4If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food; 5But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down; for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face [again], except your brother be with you. 6And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother? 7And they said, The man asked us straitly of our state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him, according to the tenor of these words; could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother down? 8And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones. 9I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him; if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever; 10For except we had lingered, surely now we had returned this second time. 11And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds; 12And take double money in your hand; and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight; 13Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the Man 1:14 And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin.1 If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved. 15And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin, and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph. 16And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ruler of his house, Bring these men home, and slay, and make ready; for these men shall dine with me at noon. 17And the man did as Joseph bade; and the man brought the men into Josephs house. 18And the men were afraid, because they were brought into Josephs house; and they said, Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in; that he may seek occasion against us,2 and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses. 19And they came near to the steward of Josephs house, and they communed with him at the door of the house. 20And said, O sir, we came indeed down at the first time to buy food; 21And it came to pass, when we came to the inn, that we opened our sacks, and, behold, every mans money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight; and we have brought3 it again in our hand. 22And other money have we brought down in our hands to buy food; we cannot tell who put our money in our sacks. 23And he said, Peace be to you, fear not; your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them. 24And the man brought the men into Josephs house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their asses provender. 25And they made ready the present against Joseph came at noon; for they heard that they should eat bread there. 26And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth. 27And he asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive? 28And they answered, Thy servant our father is in good health, he is yet alive. And they bowed down their 29heads, and made obeisance. And he lift up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mothers son, and said, Is this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And he said farther [without waiting for an answer] God be gracious unto thee, my son. 30And Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother; and he sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber and wept there. 31And he washed his face, and went out, and refrained himself, and said, Set on bread. 32And they set en for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves; because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews: for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians. 33And they sat before him, the first born according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth; and the men marvelled one at another. 34And he took and sent messes unto them from before him; but Benjamins mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him.
Gen 44:1 :And Joseph commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the mens sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every mans money in his sacks mouth. 2And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sacks mouth of the youngest, 3and his corn-money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. As 4soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses. And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore 5have ye rewarded evil for good? Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth? Ye have done evil in so doing. 6And he overtook them, and he spake unto them these same words. 7And they said unto him, Wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing; 8Behold, the money which we found in our sacks mouths, we brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan; how then should we steal out of thy lords house silver or gold? 9With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die, and we also will be my lords bondmen. 10And he said, Now also let it be according unto your words; he with whom it is found shall be my servant; and ye shall be blameless. 11Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack. 12And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamins sack. 13Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city. 14And Judah and his brethren came to Josephs house; for he was yet there; and they fell before him on the ground. 15And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? Wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine? 16And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants; behold, we are my lords servants, both we, and he also with whom the cup is found. 17And he said, God forbid that I should do so; but the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father.
B. The narrative of the reconciliation and the recognition. Judah and Joseph.
Chap. Gen 44:18 to Gen 45:28
18Then Judah came near unto him, and said, O my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lords ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant; for thou art even as Pharaoh. 19My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother? 20And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him. 21And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him. 22And we said unto my lord, The lad can not leave his father; for if he should leave his father, his father would die. 23And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more. 24And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. 25And our father said, Go again, and buy us a little food. 26And we said, We can not go down; if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down; for we may not see the mans face, except our youngest brother be with us. 27And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons; 28And the one went out from me [and did not return], and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not since; 29And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye 30shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave [sheol]. Now, therefore, when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us, seeing that his life is bound up in the lads life; 31It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die; and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave. 32For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to 33my father for ever. Now, therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad, a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren. 34For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father.
Gen 45:1 Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. 2And he wept aloud; and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard. 3And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence. 4And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye 5sold into Egypt. Now, therefore, be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me thither; for God did send me before you to preserve life. 6For these two years hath the famine been in the land; and yet there are five years in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. 7And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity 8in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God; and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. 9Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt; come down unto me, tarry not; 10And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen [East district of Egypt; the name is of Koptic origin. Uncertain: district of Hercules], and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy childrens children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast; 11And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty. 12And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you. 13And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither. 14And he fell upon his brother Benjamins neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. 15Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them; and after that his brethren talked with him.
C. The glad tidings to Jacob, Gen 44:16-28.
16And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaohs house, saying, Josephs brethren are come; and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants. 17And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye; lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan; 18And take your father, and your households, and come unto me; and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land. 19Now thou art commanded, this do ye; take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. 20Also regard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours. 21And the children of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way. 22To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment. 23And to his father he sent after this manner; ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she-asses laden with corn, and bread, and meat for his father by the way. 24So he sent his brethren away, and they departed; and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way. 25And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father. 26And told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacobs heart fainted, for he believed them not. 27And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them; and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived. 28And Israel said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive I will go and see him before I die.
PRELIMINARY REMARKS
Contents: a. The trial of the brethren. Their repentance and Josephs forgiveness. Joseph and Benjamin. Gen 43:1 to Gen 44:17 : 1. Judah as surety for Benjamin unto his father, Gen 43:1-14; Genesis 2. Joseph and Benjamin, Gen 43:15-30; Genesis 3. the feast in honor of Benjamin, Gen 43:31-34; Genesis 4. the proving of the brethren in respect to their disposition towards Benjamin, especially after the great distinction shown to him, Gen 44:1-17 b. The story of the reconciliation, and of the recognition, as presented under the antithesis of Judah and Joseph, Gen 44:18; Gen 45:13. 1. Judah as surety and substitute for Benjamin, Gen 44:18-34; Genesis 2. Josephs reconciliation and making himself known to them, Gen 45:1-5; Genesis 3. Josephs divine peace and divine mission, Gen 43:5-13; Genesis 4. the solemnity of the salutation, Gen 43:14-15. c. The glad tidings to Jacob, Gen 43:16 to Gen 28:1. Pharaohs message to Jacob, Gen 43:16-20; Genesis 2. Josephs presents to Jacob, Gen 43:21-24; Genesis 3. the return of Josephs brethren; Pharaohs wagons and Jacobs revivification, Gen 43:25-28.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
a. The proving of the brothers. Their repentance and Josephs forgiveness. Joseph and Benjamin, Gen 43:1; Gen 44:17. 1. Gen 43:1-14; Judah as surety for Benjamin unto the father.Buy us a little bread.In death and famine a rich supply is but little; so it was especially in Jacobs numerous family, in regard to what they had brought the first time.And Judah spake.Judah now stands forth as a principal personage, appearing more and more glorious in his dignity, his firmness, his noble disposition, and his unselfish heroism. He, like Reuben, could speak to his father, and with even more freedom, because he had a freer conscience than the rest, and regarded the danger, therefore, in a milder light. Judah does not act rashly, but as one who has a grand and significant purpose. His explanation to the wounded father is as forbearing as it is firm. If they did not bring Benjamin, Simeon was lost, and they themselves, according to Josephs threatening, would have no admittance to himyea, they might even incur death, because they had not removed from themselves the suspicion of their being spies.Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me?Knobel: His grief and affliction urge him on to reproach them without reason. Unreasonable, however, as it appears, it becomes significant on the supposition that he begins to read their guilty consciences, and, especially, when, with the one preceding, we connect the expression that follows: Me have ye bereaved of my children.The man asked us straitly.[Lange translates the Hebrew literally, or nearly so: er fragte und fragte uns aus; or, as it might be rendered, still closer to the letter, he asked to ask; or, if we take the infinitive in such cases as an adverb, he asked inquisitively, and then proceeds to remark]: This expressive connection of the infinitive with the indicative in Hebrew must not be effaced by grammatical rules; we hold fast to its literalness here. They did not speak forwardly of their family relations, but only after the closest questioning. By this passage and Judahs speech (Genesis 44), the account in the preceding chapter (Gen 43:32) is to be supplemented. They owed him an answer, since the question was to remove his suspicion; and, moreover, they had no presentiment of what he wanted.Send the lad with me. (with me) says the brave Judah. He presents himself as surety; he will take the guilt and bear the blame forever. The strong man promises all he can. To offer to the grandfather his own grandchildren, as Reuben offered his sons, that he might put them to death, was too unreal and hyperbolical to occur to him. We become acquainted with him here as a man full of feeling, and of most energetic speech, as Gen 43:3, and Genesis 33 had before exemplified. He eloquently shows how they are all threatened with starvation. The expression, too: Surely now we had returned the second time, promises a happy issue.If it must be so now.Jacob had once experienced, in the case of Esau, that presents had an appeasing effect on hostile dispositions. From this universal human experience there is explained the ancient custom, especially in the East, of rendering rulers favorably disposed by gifts (see 1Ki 10:25; Mat 2:11; Pro 18:16; Pro 19:6).Of the first fruits of the land.(Lange translates: Of that which is most praiseworthy.) Literally, of the song; i.e., that which was celebrated in song. The noblest products of nature are, for the most part, celebrated and symbolized in poetry. In presents to distinguished persons, however, the simple money-value of the things avails but little; it is the peculiar quality, or some poetic fragrance attached to them, that makes them effective. Delitzsch doubts this explanation, but without sufficient reason. They are especially to take balm, the pride of Canaan, but in particular of Gilead. Then honey. Knobel and Delitzsch suppose it to be the honey of grapes, Arab., dibs. Grape syrup; i.e., must boiled down to one third, an article, of which, even at the present day, there are sent yearly three hundred camel-loads from Hebrons vicinity to Egypt. Delitzsch. But this very abundance of the syrup of grapes would lead us to decide rather for the honey of bees, were it not for the consideration, that in the Egypt of to-day great attention is given to the raising of bees, and that it is no wine country, although not wholly without the culture of the vine (Gen 40:10).Spices.(Lange, tragacanth-gum.) A kind of white resinous medicament (see Winer, Tragacanth).Myrrh.Frankincense, salve medicament (see Winer, Ladanum).Nuts.The Hebrew word occurs here only, but by the Samaritan translation it is interpreted of the fruit of the Pistacia vera, a tree similar to the terebinthoblong and angular nuts of the size of a hazel-nut, containing an oily but very palatable kernel, which do not, however, grow any more in Palestine (as is stated in Schuberts Travels in the East, ii. p. 478; iii. 114), but are obtained from Aleppo (comp. Rosen., in the German Orient. Magazine, xii. p. 502). Keil.Almonds.(See Winer, Almond-tree.) On the productions of Palestine in general, see CalwerBibl. Natural History, etc.And take double money.(Lit. second money. They are not to take advantage of the mistake, even though no unfavorable construction should be put upon it, or it should occasion them no harm.And God Almighty.Here, when some strong miraculous help is needed, he is again most properly designated by the name El Shadai.If I be bereaved of my children.Be it so. An expression of resignation (Est 4:16). As his blessing here is not a prayer full of confidence, so the resignation has not the full expression of sacrifice; for Jacobs soul is unconsciously restrained by a sense of the ban resting upon his sons. He is bowed down by the spiritual burden of his house.
2. Gen 43:15-30. Joseph and Benjamin.And stood before Joseph.Knobel justly states that the audience they had with Joseph did not take place until afterwards. The meaning here is that they took their place in front of Josephs house, together with Benjamin and the presents, and so announced to him their arrival.Bring these men home.With joy had Joseph observed Benjamin with them, and concludes from thence that they had practised no treachery upon him, through hatred to the children of Rachel, the darlings of their father. Benjamins appearance sheds a reconciling light upon the whole group. He intends, therefore, to receive them in a friendly and hospitable manner. His staying away, however, until noon, characterizes not only the great and industrious statesman, but also the man of sage discretion, who takes time to consult with himself about his future proceeding.And stay.Bohlens assertion that the higher castes in Egypt ate no meat at all, is refuted by Knobel, p. 326.At noon.The time when they partook of their principal meal (Gen 18:1).And the men were afraid.Judging from their former treatment they know not what to make of their being thus led into his house. If a distinction, it is an incomprehensibly great one; they, therefore, apprehended a plan for their destruction. Some monstrous intrigue they, perhaps, anticipate, having its introduction in the reappearance of the money in their sacks, whilst the fearful imagination of an evil conscience begins to paint the consequences (see Gen 43:18). A thief, if unable to make restitution, was sold as a slave (Exo 22:3). Therefore they are not willing to enter until they have justified themselves about the money returned in their sacks. They address themselves, on this account, to Josephs steward, with an explanatory vindication.When we came to the inn.In a summary way they here state both facts (Gen 42:27; Gen 42:35) together. For afterwards they might have concluded that the money found in the sack of one of them was a sign that that money had been returned in all the sacks.In full weight.There was, as yet, no coined money, only rings or pieces of metal, which were reckoned by weight.Peace be to you.It can hardly be supposed that the steward was let into Josephs plan. He knew, however, that Joseph himself had ordered the return of the money, and might have supposed that Josephs course toward them, as his countrymen, had in view a happy issue. In this sense it is that he encourages them.Your God and the God of your father.The shrewd steward is acquainted with Josephs religiousness, and, perhaps, has adopted it himself. He undoubtedly regards them as confessors of the same faith with Joseph. Knobel: His own good fortune each man deduces from the God he worships (Hos 2:7).Has given you treasure.Thus intimating some secret means by which God had given it to them; but for all this they still remain uneasy, though sufficiently calmed by his verbal acknowledgment of receipt: I had your money, but more so by the releasing of Simeon. It is not until now that they enter the house which they had before regarded as a snare. Now follow the hospitable reception, the disposition of the presents, Josephs greeting, and their obeisance.And he asked them of their welfare.This was his greeting. See the contrast, Gen 37:4. For the inquiry after their fathers welfare they thank him by the most respectful obeisance, an expression of their courtesy and of their filial piety. They represent their father, just as Benjamin represents the mother, and so it is that his dream of the sun and moon fulfils itself (Gen 37:9). If we suppose Benjamin born about a year before Josephs sale, he would be now twenty-three years of age. Knobel does not know how to understand the repeated expressions of his youth (, etc.). But they are explained from the tender care exercised towards him, and from the great difference between his age and that of his brothers.And he said.It is very significant that Joseph does not wait for an answer. He recognizes him immediately, and his heart yearns.My son.An expression of inner tenderness, and an indication, at the same time, of near relationship.And Joseph made haste.His overwhelming emotion, the moment he saw his brethren, like Jacobs love of Rachel, has a gleam of the New-Testament life.4 It is not, however, to be regarded as a simple feeling; it is also an emotion of joy at the prospect of that reconciliation which he had, for some time, feared their hatred towards Rachels children might prevent, and so bring ruin upon Benjamin, upon Jacobs house, and upon themselves. No emotions are stronger than those arising from the dissolution of a ban, with which there is, at the same time, taken away the danger of a dark impending doom, and the old hardening of impaired affection.
3. Gen 43:31-34. The banquet in honor of Benjamin.And he washed his face.A proof of the depth of his emotion. It was still hard for him to maintain a calm and composed countenance.And they set on for him by himself.Three tables, from two different causes. Josephs caste as priest, and in which he stood next to the king, did not allow him to eat with laymen. And, moreover, neither Josephs domestics, nor his guests, could, as Egyptians, eat with Hebrews. Concerning the rigidness of the Egyptian seclusion, see Knobel, p. 328. Besides, the Hebrews were nomads (Gen 46:34). On the Egyptian castes, see Von Raumer, Vorlesungen ber die alte Gesch, i. p. 133.And they set.They were surprised to see themselves arranged according to their age. But the enigma becomes more and more transparent; whilst strange presentiments are more and more excited. The transaction betrays the fact that they are known to the spirit of the house, and that it can distinguish between their ages. The Egyptians sat at table, instead of reclining; as appears from their pictures.And he took and sent messes.They were thus distinguished by having portions sent to them; whilst, as yet, they were hindered by no laws from eating of Josephs meat.But Benjamins mess.This is a point not to be overlooked in the proving of the brethren; it is an imitation, so to say, of the coat of many colors. It would determine whether Benjamin was to become an object of their jealousy, just as his fathers present had before been to him the cause of their hatred (so also Keil, p. 264). His mess is five times larger than the rest. Such abundance was an especial proof of respect. To the guest who was to be distinguished there were given, at a meal, the largest and best pieces (1Sa 9:23; Hom.Il. vii. 321, etc.). Among the Spartans the king received a double portion (Herod, vi. 57, etc.); among the Cretans the Archon received four times as much (Heraclid. Polit. 3). Five was a favorite number among the Egyptians (Gen 41:34; Gen 45:22; Gen 47:2; Gen 47:24; Isa 19:18). It may be explained, perhaps, from the supposed five planets.And they drank and were merry with him.Intoxication is not meant here (see Hag 1:6), but a state of exhilaration, in which they first lose their fear of the Egyptian ruler. Benjamin was sitting as a guardian angel between them, and it was already a favorable sign, that the distinction showed to him did not embitter their joy. Nevertheless, whether Joseph had reached the zenith of an inexpressible rapture, as Delitzsch says, may be questioned. In all this happy, anticipation, we may suppose him still a careful observer of his brethren, according to the proverb invino veritas. At all events, the effect of the present to Benjamin was to be tested, and their disposition towards him was to undergo a severe probing.
4. Gen 44:1-17. The trial of the brothers disposition towards Benjamin, especially after his great distinction.And he commanded the steward of his house.The return of money does not belong to this trial, but only the cup in Benjamins sack. Knobel is incorrect in calling this also a chastisement. So also is Delitzsch, in holding that a surrender of Benjamin by his brethren loses all authentic support, in the fact that in all the sacks something was found that did not belong to them. Rather is Benjamin the only one who must appear as guilty, and as having incurred the doom of slavery (Gen 44:17).Up, follow after the men.The haste is in order that they may not anticipate him in the discovery, and so defeat the accusation by their voluntary return. The steward is to inquire only for the silver cup.And whereby indeed he divineth.In Egypt, the country of oracles (Isa 19:3), hydromancy also was practised, i. e., to predict events from appearances presented by the liquid contents of a cup, either as standing or as thrown. This mode of divination is still practised.5 It was called , lit., whispering (in magic formulas or oracles), divinare. Delitzsch. Compare also Knobel, p. 329. The indicating signs were either the refraction of the rays of light, or the formation of circles on the water, or of figures, or of small bubbles, whenever something was thrown in. According to Bunsen, however, the aim was, by fixing the eyes of the diviner upon a particular point in the cup, to put him into a dream-like or clairvoyant state. Concerning this kulikomancy, or cup-divination, see Schrder. The cup is, therefore, marked, not only as a festive, but also as a most sacred, utensil of Joseph; and, on this account, to take it away was considered as a heinous crime. Knobel, in his peculiar way, here tries to start a contradiction. According to the Elohist (he says), Joseph gets his knowledge of the future from God (Gen 40:8); whilst here he derives it from hydromancy, as practised by one received into the caste of the priests. So, too, did he swear, in all earnestness, by the life of Pharaoh; and the older exegetes would relieve us from the apprehension that in so doing he might have taken a false oath! In a vigorous denial, and with eloquent speech, do the accused repel the charges of the steward and give strong expression to the consciousness of their innocence.With whomsoever it be found, let him die.Whilst consenting to their proposal, the steward moderates it in accordance with the aim of the prosecution. The possessor of the cup alone is demanded, and he, not to die, but to become Josephs slave. He presents this forthwith, so that the discovery again of the money may not be taken into consideration, and that temporary fear of death may not harm Benjamin. Benjamin only is to appear as the culprit, and this is in order to find out whether or not his brethren would abandon him. For these reasons the money found in the sacks is not noticed at all.And began at the eldest.This was in order to mask the deception.They rent their clothes.This was already a favorable sign; another, that they would not let Benjamin go alone, but returned with him to the city; third, that they put themselves under the direction of Judah, who had become surety for Benjamin; and fourth, that they, together with Benjamin, prostrated themselves as penitents before Joseph.Wot ye not?Josephs reproach was not so much for the vileness, as for the imprudence, of the act; since he intends to conduct the severe trial as sparingly as possible. The Hebrew , etc., denotes here a divinely-derived or supernatural knowledge, to which Joseph lays claim, not only as a member of the caste of priests, but as the well-known interpreter of the dreams, owing his reception into this caste to his remarkable clear-sightedness.That such a man as I.He puts on the appearance of boasting, not to represent them as mean persons, but only as inferior to himself in a contest of craftiness. Thus he meets the supposed improbability that he could still divine although the cup was taken from him.And Judah said, What shall we say?Judah considers Benjamin as lost, and without inquiring how the cup came into his sack, he recognizes in this dark transaction the judgment of God upon their former guilt. This appears from his declaration: We are my lords servants.Benjamin, it is true, had no part in that old guilt; neither had Reuben and Judah directly, but concerning this no explanation could be given in the court of the Egyptian ruler. In a masterly manner, therefore, he so shapes his speech ambiguously that the brethren are reminded of their old guilt, and admonished to resign themselves to the divine judgment, whilst Joseph can understand it only that they are all interested in the taking of the cup, and he especially, as the one confessing for them. I, above all, am guilty, says the innocent one, in order that he might share the doom of slavery with the apparent criminal. In this disguised speech the reservatio mentalis appears in its most favorable aspect. For his brethren he utters a truth: Jacobs sons have incurred the divine judgment. For Joseph his words are a seeming subterfuge, and yet a most magnanimous one. Thus the two noble sons of Jacob wrestle with each other in the emulation of generosity, one in the false appearance of a despot and boaster, the other forced to a falsity of self-accusation that seems bordering on despair.And he said, God forbid that I should do so.Here is the culmination of the trial. Benjamin is to be a slave; the others may return home without him. Will they not be really glad to have got rid of the preferred and favorite child of Rachel, in such an easy way? But now is the time when it comes true: Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise (see Gen 49:8).
b. History of the reconciliation, of the recognition, and of their meeting each other again under the antithesis of Judah and Joseph, Gen 44:18 to Gen 45:15.1. Gen 44:18-34. Judah as surety and substitute for Benjamin before Joseph. Judahs speech is not only one of the grandest and fairest to be found in the Old Testament (connecting itself, as it does, with an increased significance, to those of Eliezer and Jacob), but, at the same time, one of the most lofty examples of self-sacrifice contained therein.Then Judah came near unto him and said.Peclus facit disertum, the heart makes eloquent. Necessity, and the spirit of self-sacrifice, give the inspiring confidence ().In my lords ears.He presses towards him, that he may speak the more impressively to his ear and to his heart (Gen 50:4; 1Sa 18:23). And yet, with all his boldness, he neglects not the courteous and prudent attitude.For thou art as Pharaoh.In this Judah intends to recognize the sovereignty which could not be affronted with impunity. For Joseph, however, there must have been in it the stinging reminder that the acme of severity was now reached. The vivid, passionate style of narration, as the ground of treatment in the cases presented, is ever the basis of all Bible speeches.And his brother is dead.Joseph has here a new unfolding of the destiny to which God had appointed him; especially does he begin to perceive its meaning in relation to his father Jacob (Gen 44:28). This language strengthens what is said about Benjamin, as the one favorite child of an aged fatherdoubly dear because his brother is dead.And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father.From this it appears why Joseph confined them three days in prison. They had refused to bring Benjamin. It appears, too, that they had consented to bring him only because Joseph had especially desired it, and had intimated a favorable reception (that I may set mine eyes upon him, see Jer 39:12). Judah gently calls his attention to this as though it were a promise. And, finally, they are brought to this determination on account of the pressure of the famine. It had cost them, too, a hard struggle with the father. The quotation of Jacobs words (Gen 44:27-29) shows how easily they now reconcile themselves to the preference of Rachel and her sons in the heart of Jacob.That my wife.Rachel was his wife in the dearest sense of the word, the chosen of his heart. Therefore, also, are her two sons near to him.And the one went out from me.Here Joseph learns his fathers distress on his own account. His mourning and longing for him shows how dear Benjamin must be, now the only child of his old age.When he seeth that the lad is not is with us.With the utmost tenderness Benjamin is sometimes called the youngest child, sometimes the lad. Out of this a frigid criticism, that has no heart to feel or understand it, would make contradictions. If Joseph has his way, Jacob will die of sorrow. And now Judah speaks the decisive word,one which the mere thread of the narration would not have led us to anticipate, but which springs eloquently from the rhetoric of the heart.For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father.Therefore the passionate entreaty that Joseph would receive him as a substitute of the one who had incurred the sentence of slavery. In all this he makes no parade of his self-sacrifice. He cannot, and will not, return home without Benjamin. He would even regard it as a favor that he should be received in his place. He would rather die as a slave in Egypt, than that his eyes should behold the sorrows of his father. So stands he before us in his self-humiliation, in his self-sacrifice, equal in both with Joseph, and of as true nobility of soul.
2. Gen 45:1-5. Josephs reconciliation and making himself known.Then Joseph could not refrain.The brethren had not merely stood the trial; Judahs eloquence had overpowered him. Reconciliation never measures itself by mere right; it is not only full but running over. Thus is it said of Israel: he wrestled with God and prevailed. We must distinguish, therefore, between two elements in Josephs emotion: first, his satisfied reconciliation, and, secondly, his inability to restrain any longer, though in presence of all the beholders, the strong agitation of his swelling heart. See a full representation of this as given by Delitzsch (p. 558). When, however, he says, that Benjamins brothers, do not press him (Benjamin) with reproaches, notwithstanding they had reason to regard him as guilty, and as having, by his theft, plunged them into misfortunes, there must be borne in mind their earlier suspicions as expressed Gen 43:18. Doubtless they now conjectured that they were the victims of some Egyptian intrigue; still they recognized it as a divine judgment, and this was the means of their salvation. In their resignation to suffering for Benjamins sake, in their sorrow for their fathers distress, Joseph saw fruits for repentance that satisfied him. He beheld in them the transition from the terror of judgment to a cheerful courage of self-sacrifice, in which Judah offers himself as a victim for him, inasmuch as he does it for his image. This draws him as with an irresistible power to sympathize with their distress, and so the common lot becomes the common reconciliation.Cause every man to go out from me.He wished to be alone with his brethren at the moment when he made himself known to them. The Egyptians must not see the emotion of their exalted lord, the deep abasement of the brethren, and the act of holy reconciliation which they could not understand. Neither was the theocratic conception of the famine, and of his own mission, for Egyptian ears.And he wept aloud.With loud cryings he began to address them; so that his weeping was heard by all who were without, and even by the people in the house of Pharaoh. It follows that Josephs dwelling must have been near the palace; his residence was at Memphis. (Knobel.)I am Joseph.This agitating announcement, for which, however, their despair may have prepared them, he knows not better how to mitigate than by the question: Doth my father yet live?He had already heard this several times, yet he must ask again, not because he doubted, but that, in the assurance of this most joyful news he may show them his true Israelitish heart, and inspire them with courage. Nor are we to forget that Judahs words had vividly pictured to him the danger that the old man might die on account of Benjamins absence, and that it now began painfully to suggest itself to him, how much he might have imperilled his fathers life by the trial of his brethren.For they were troubled.In their terror they seem to draw back.Come near to me, I pray you.I am Joseph your brother whom ye sold into Egypt.It seems as if he had to confess for them the thing they most dreaded.Now therefore be not grieved.Seeing their sorrow and repentance, he would now raise them to faith. The one portion of them, namely, those who were conscious of the greater guilt, must not mar this favorable state of soul, and render faith more difficult by their excessive mourning, nor should the guiltless (Reuben, Judah, Benjamin) produce the same effect by angry recriminations.To preserve life.To this they are now to direct their attention.
3. Gen 45:5-13. Josephs divine peace, and divine mission.To preserve life did God send me.What they had done for evil God had turned to good. And now, having repented and been forgiven, as God had shown to them in his dealings, they are now in a state to understand his gracious purposes. A closer explanation of these words, which would require the giving of his whole history, he, for the present, discreetly waives.And yet there are five years.This shows already the point towards which his mind is aimingto draw them down to Egypt.Neither earing nor harvest.A vivid representation of the years of famine.Before you to preserve you.The preservation of Jacobs house seems now of more importance than that of the Egyptians, and the surrounding peoples.By a great deliverance.The question was not one of assistance merely, however great, but of deliverance from death and famine. It may, however, be so called in reference to the great future, and as containing in it the final deliverance of the world.So now it was not you,but God.Here he makes a pointed contrast: not you; in this is contained: first, his forgiveness; secondly, his declaration of the nullity of their project, and its disappearance before the great decree of God. Thrice does he make these comforting declarations. But in what respects was it God? He made him, first, a father unto Pharaoh, that is, a paternal counsellor (2Ch 2:12; 2Ch 4:16). It was an honorary distinction of the first minister, and which also existed among the Persians (Appendix to Est 2:6; Est 6:10), and the Syrians (1 Maccab. Gen 11:32). Knobel. These words also refer to the interpretation of Pharaohs dreams, and the advice connected with it. The consequence was, that he obtained this high position which he can now use for the preservation of his fathers house.Come down unto me.The immediate invitation given without any conference with Pharaoh shows his firm position; but it was, nevertheless, a hazardous undertaking of his agitated, yet confident heart.In the land of Goshen.(Gen 47:11).Raamses.A district of Lower Egypt, north of the Nile, and very fruitful (Gen 47:6; Gen 47:11), especially in grass (Gen 46:34). Even at this day the province of Scharkijah is considered the best part of Egypt (Robinson. Palst., 1:96). Knobel. See The same, p. 333, and the Biblical Dictionaries. See also Bunsen.And there will I nourish thee.The expression may mean, that thou mayest not become a possession, that is, fall into slavery through poverty, and thus Knobel interprets it with reference to Gen 47:19, etc.; but it may also mean, that thou mayest not be deprived of thy possessions, so as to suffer want,an interpretation which is to be preferred.And behold your eyes.If their father in his distrust (see Gen 45:25) should not credit their testimony, he will undoubtedly believe the eyes of Benjamin.All my glory.He perceives that his aged father, oppressed by sorrows, can only be revived again through vivid representations (see Gen 45:27).
4. Gen 45:14-15. The solemnity of the salutation.And he fell upon his brother Benjamins neck.Benjamin is the central point whence leads out the way to reconciliation.Kissed all his brethren.The seal of recognition, of reconciliation, and of salutation.And wept upon them.Delitzsch: While he embraced them. But of Benjamin it is said, he wept upon his neck. Benjamin would seem to remain standing whilst the brothers bow themselves; so that Joseph, as he embraced, wept upon them.And after that his brethren talked with him.Not until now can they speak with him,now that they have been called, and been forgiven, in so solemn and brotherly a manner. The joy is gradually brought out by an assurance, thrice repeated, that he did not impute their deed to them, but recognized in it the decree and hand of God.
c. The joyful message to Jacob. Gen 45:16-28.Pharaohs commission to Jacob.And the fame thereof was heard.At the recognition Joseph was alone with his brethren; now that he has made known their arrival, he avows himself as belonging to them.And it pleased Pharaoh well.Recognitions of separated members of the same family have an extraordinary power to move the human heart, and we already know that Pharaoh was a prince of sound discernment, and of a benevolent disposition. But what was pleasing to Pharaoh was also pleasing to his courtiers, and his servants. Besides, Joseph had rendered great service, and had, therefore, a claim to Egyptian sympathy. Thus far a dark shadow had rested on his descent; for he had come to Egypt as a slave. Now he appears as a member of a free and noble nomadic family.And Pharaoh said unto Joseph.First, he extends an invitation to the brethren agreeing with Josephs previous invitation. Then follows a commission to Joseph, the terms of which bear evidence of the most delicate courtliness.The good of the land.This is generally taken as meaning the best part of the land, that is, Goshen (Raschi, Gesenius, and others). Knobel, according to Gen 45:20; Gen 45:23, interprets it, of the good things of Egypt: whatever good it possesses shall be theirs. The connection with the following: the fat of the land, would seem to point to a leasing of possession, but, of course, not in the sense of territorial dominion. It is not an argument against this that the leasing of places is afterwards asked for (Gen 46:34; Gen 47:4). On the contrary, the petition there made rather rests on a previous general promise.Now thou art commanded.Pharaoh had refrained from using the form of command towards Joseph, but now in adopting it, in a case of his own personal interest, it must be regarded as, in fact, a refined courtesy. It is the very strongest language of authorization.This do ye.He regards the cause of Joseph, and his brethren, as one and inseparable. The sense, therefore, is not: cause thy brethren so to do (Knobel); for they, of themselves, could not take wagons from Egypt.For your little ones.Egypt was rich in wagons and horses; they are not mentioned among the nomadic Hebrews. The small two-wheeled wagons of the Egyptians could be also used on the roadless wastes of the desert. Keil.Also regard not your stuff.They should not grieve over the articles of furniture they would have to leave behind; since they would have everything abundantly in Egypt.The children of Israel.A decisive step for the house of Israel.Joseph gave them wagonsand provision for the way.Changes of raiment.Lange: Lit., festival habits (holiday clothing) as a change for the usual dress.But to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment.He makes amends to this guiltless brother after the well-meant alarm which he had given him.And to his father.In these presents love seems to surpass the measure of its aim, since Jacob had been invited to come speedily to Egypt; but there might possibly be hindrances to the journey. Besides the ten asses were for the common transportation, and the occasion of their dismission is employed to send along with them costly things of various kinds from the land.See that ye fall not out by the way.The old explanation: do not quarrel by the way, is held by Knobel, Delitzsch and Keil, in opposition to Michaelis, Gesenius, and others, who make it an admonition: fear not. But the language, and the situation, both favor the first interpretation.6 The less guilty ones among them might easily be tempted to reproach the others, as Reuben had done already.Joseph is yet alive.In this message his heart lost its warmth7 and joy. He had not full trust in them. It was by no means the incredulity of joy (Luk 24:44), because the news seemed too strangely good to be true; rather had his suspicion, in its reciprocal working with their long consciousness of guilt, made him fundamentally mistrustful. And now that dreadful shalit of Egypt turns out to be his son Joseph! Even Benjamins witness fails to clear up his amazement.And when he saw the wagons.Not until they had told him all the words of Joseph, and added, perhaps, their own confessionhow they had sold him, how Joseph had forgiven them, how he had referred them to the divine guidanceis Jacob able to believe fully their report; and, now, in connection with all this, there come the Egyptian wagons, as a seal of the storys truth, as a symbol of Josephs glory, a sign, in fact, from God, that the dark enigma of his old years is about to be solved in the light of a golden sunset.It is enough.His longing is appeased, he has as good as reached the goal.I will go.The old man is again young in spirit. He is for going immediately; he could leap, yes, fly.
Now purified at last, with hope revived, DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
(Gen 43:1 to Gen 44:17)
The great trial: 1. Its inevitableness; 2. its need; 3. its apparent end (the banquet); 4. its acme; 5. its glorious issue. 2. Judahs confidence. A lions whelp (Gen 49:9). This confidence he would not have had, if he had not formerly proposed to sell Joseph in order to save him, or had be not been willing to sacrifice himself for Benjamins safe return: The spirit of self-sacrifice is the great source of courage.
3. It is in the name of Israel that Jacob treats with his sons in the giving up of Benjamin. His reproach, too (Gen 43:6), is in the name of Israel. It seems to come, indeed, from Jacobs weakness, and to be, therefore, wrongly used; but behind the mere sound there lies the hidden announcement of a suspicion that they were dealing unfairly with the sons of Rachel. We now recognize Israels character, especially in the following traits: 1) Not to his other sons does he entrust Benjamin, not even to Reuben, whose weakness he knows, but only to Judah, whose frankness, honesty, and strength seem to inspire him with confidence. 2) He again employs the old weapon, the giving of presents to a threatening antagonist; yet well knowing that the Egyptian would not, like Esau, look to the quantity so much as the quality of the things offered, and so he sends him the most highly prized or celebrated products of the land. 3) With a severe uprightness does he require his sons to return the money found in their sacks, and thus disarm the suspicion of the Egyptian. 4) He entrusts to them Benjamin as their brother. 5) He commits himself to the protection of Almighty God, i. e., the delivering and protecting God of the patriarchs, who wrought miracles on their behalf. 6) He resigns himself to Gods providence, even at the risk of becoming entirely childless.
4. The prized fruits of the land of Canaan. In Jacobs words there appears an objective poetry, or the poetry of the lands, as it may be called. First of all, it consists in their noblest products, not as they serve the common wants of life, but rather its healing, adornment, and festivity. When he selected them, however, Jacob could have had but little thought how mighty the influence these noble gifts of Canaans soil would have upon the great Egyptian ruler,how they would impress him as the wonders of his youth, the glories of his native land.
5. Josephs state of soul at the appearance of Benjamin: 1) His joy; 2) his deep emotion; 3) his doubt, and the modes of testing it: a. the feast; b. the cup; c. the claim to Benjamin. If at the first meeting with his brethren Joseph had to struggle with his ill-humor, he now has to contend with the emotions of fraternal love.
6. The agitating changes in the trial of Josephs brethren: 1) From fear to joy: 2) from joy to sorrow; 3) and again from sorrow to joy. (Gen 44:18 to Gen 45:16. Joseph and Judah.)
1. Judahs speech. Delitzsch: Judah is the eloquent one among his brethren. His eloquence had carried the measure of Josephs sale; it had prevailed on Jacob to send Benjamin with them; and here, finally, it makes Joseph unable to endure the restraint which he wished to put upon himself. The end, however, is attained, not more by his touching eloquence than by his heroic deed, when lie offers himself as surety for Benjamin, and is willing to sacrifice himself by taking his place.
2. And I said. This citing of Jacobs language, in Judahs speech, must have had something especially agitating for Joseph,all the more so because the speaker is not aware of the deep impression it must have made upon him. In this citation of Jacobs last words in respect to that old event, there is reflected, as Schrder rightly remarks, Jacobs doubt. I said, that is, I thought at that time.
3. The moral requisites of reconciliation, whether human or divine, are quite obvious in our narrative. Reuben represents the better element in the moral struggle, Benjamin the innocent party, Judah the surety, who takes upon himself the real guilt of his brethren and the factitious guilt of Benjamin. Repentance, faith, and the spirit of sacrifice, severally appear in these representatives. Through three stages do these elements prepare the reconciliation to Josephs heart and to the brethren as opposed to him. It has for its foundation a religious ground, though only in an Old-Testament measure. The thrice-repeated declaration of Joseph: Ye have not sent me, but God has done it, is the strongest expression of restored peace and forgiveness. As Benjamin, so to speak, had taken his place, the conclusion avails: Whatever ye have done to him, ye have done it even unto me. 5. Josephs kiss of peace reminds us of Christs greeting to his disciples and to the world. 7. The recognitions of relatives, friends, lovers, long lost to each other, are among the most important occurrences in human life, especially as they appear in their reality, and in the poetry of antiquity8 (see Langes History of the Apostolic Times, i. p. 42). In the most conspicuous points, however, of outward recognitions, are reflected the spiritual (Luk 15:20), and, in both, those of the world to come.
8. The ambiguous forms that present themselves in the history of Joseph, and in which, at last, Judah and Joseph stand opposed to each other, lose themselves entirely in the service of truth, righteousness, and love. At the same time they appear as imperfections of the Old-Testament life in comparison with the joy of confession that appears in the New Testament. What they represent, of the things that last forever, is the caution and the prudence of the New-Testament wisdom. Be ye wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
(Gen 45:18-27. Joseph and Jacob.)
1. The joyful news: 1) The announcers: Joseph, Pharaoh, Egyptians, the sons of Jacob. 2) Their contents: Joseph lives; his glory in Egypt; come down. 3) Jacobs incredulity; the chill of his heart at the words of his sons, whom he does not credit. 4) The evidences and the tokens: Josephs words, Pharaohs wagons. 5. Jacob becomes again Israel in the anticipation of the serene clearing up of his dark destiny, in the discharging his house of an old ban. Josephs life restores to him the hope of a happy death. HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
See Doctrinal and Ethical. Forms of character. Forms of reconciliation. The types in our history. Taube: Josephs revelation to his brethrena type of. Him who rose to his disciples.
(Gen 43:10 to Gen 44:17.)
Starke: Gen 43:10. Bibl. Tub.: A less evil should justly be preferred to a greater.The same: A Christian must bear with resignation the troubles that God ordains.At the door of the house. Perhaps that they might leave in time. The guilty conscience interprets everything in the worst way (Luther). [Sitting at a meal is more ancient than lying (Exo 32:6); the latter mode came much later into use, among the delicate and effeminate Persians.]Osiander: Let every land keep its own customs, unless they are in themselves indecent and godless. [Gen 44:15; Joseph is said to have learned magic in Egypt; but this is hardly credible.][Gen 43:9; that was said very rashly (?).]Gen 44:16. Cramer: God knows how to reveal secret sins in a wonderful manner (Psa 50:21).Calwer Handbuch: In suffering for Benjamin, they were to atone for their sins toward Joseph.Schrder: Conscience is greater than heaven and earth. If this did not exist hell would have no fire and no torment.
(Gen 44:18 to Gen 45:18.)
Starke: When God has sufficiently humbled his faithful children, he makes a way for their escape (1Co 10:13).Gen 45:5. Luther: A poor weak conscience, in the acknowledgment of its guilt, is filled with anguish. We must hold up and counsel, open heaven, shut hell, whoever can, in order that the poor soul may not sink into despair. When a Christian has been exalted by God to high worldly state, he must not be ashamed of his poor parents, brothers, sisters, and other relations, nor despise them (Rom 8:28).The same: I wonder how Joseph must have felt when he came to kiss Simeon, the ringleader in the crimes committed against him; and yet he must have kissed him, too.Comparison of Christ and Joseph, according to Luther and Rambach.Mat 5:24. Calwer Handbuch: That is the most rational view in all cases, especially in the dark dispensations of human life, not to halt at human causes, or stay there, but to look at Gods ways, as Joseph does here; and to trace his leading, like a golden thread drawn through all the follies and errors of men.Schrder: Here (at the close of Judahs speech) is the time that the cord breaks (Luther).The thoughts and feelings of Jacobs sons are all directed intently to this one thing: Benjamin must not be abandoned; everything else ceases to trouble them.Judah is bold because he speaks from the strong impulse of his heart.Luther, on Judahs speech: Would to God that I might call upon God with equal ardor.Judah shows that he is the right one to be surety (Richter).Judah may have closed with tears, and now Joseph begins with them (Richter).Joseph shows himself a most affectionate brother, while, as a genuine child of God, he points to him, away from himself and his people.In God all discords are resolved. Grace not only makes the sin as though it had never been, but throws it into the sea (Mic 7:19); without abolishing sin as sin, that is, as unexpiated, it makes the scarlet dyed as white as snow (Isa 1:18)Heim: Jerem. Risler, is section 40. of his historical extracts from the books of the Old Testament, presents not less than twenty-two points of resemblance between Joseph and Jesus. Such a gathering, however, of separate resemblances may easily divert us from the main features. Each essential homogeneity is always reflected in many resemblances. Yet Rislers parallel is quite full of meaning (see Heim, p. 540). As yet we have had before us the fulfilment of the type in the course of history; the fulfilment of the other half still lies in the future (namely, that Jesus makes himself known to the Jews, the brethren who rejected him), Zec 12:10; Mat 23:38-39; Rom 11:25-26.
(Gen 45:17-28.)
Starke: Egypts great honor and glory; its showing hospitality to the whole Church, that is, the house of Jacob. After dark and long-continued storms, God makes again to shine upon his people the sun of gladness. The joy of pious parents and children at seeing each other again in the life to come.Schrder: (Three hundred pieces of silver, equal to two hundred dollars.) He not only wished to show his love to his brethren, but also, to induce the absent members of the family to undertake the journey (Calvin). On the journey to eternity we must not become angry, either with our companions, or with God (Berl. Bib.). Christians, as brethren, ought not to quarrel with each other on the way of life.Heim: The first impression that the joyful news made upon the aged and bowed-down Jacob, was to chill his heart. Cases are not unfrequent of apoplexy and sudden death arising from the reception of glad tidings. It was somewhat like the joy of Simeon (Luk 2:29-30).
Footnotes:
[1][Gen 43:14. . Rendered: If I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved. Our translators, by putting in children, would seem to have regarded it as emphatic, thus: If I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved of all. It may be taken, however, as a declaration of submission to what appears inevitable, as in Est 4:16, . Or it may be regarded as a passionate exaggeration in view of Josephs supposed death, Simeons confinement, and the demand for Benjamin: I am bereaved of all my children, one after the other.T. L.]
[2][Gen 43:18.. The here is servile. Compare Mal 2:13 and Gen 28:6. In Gen 30:15, we have both forms of the infinitive ( and ) in immediate connection. See it explained in the Sepher Harikma, or Hebrew Grammar, of Ben Gannach, p. 30, line 30. He regards both alike as infinitives.T. L.]
[3][Gen 43:20. . Gesenius regards in this and some similar cases (see Jos 7:8), as a contraction for , from the root , a very rare word in Hebrew, though very common in the Chaldaic and Syriac. In the sense of entreaty, occurs only Isa 21:12, and of inquiry, Oba 1:6. Abbreviations are made only of words that are much used, and we cannot, therefore, regard it as a forma precationis (, my prayer), having such an origin. The Targum of Onkelos interprets it in this way, but this is owing to its being written in the Chaldaic language. A much better view is that of Aben Ezra, who regards it as the preposition and pronoun, with an ellipsis of the word , as in 1Sa 25:24, , on me my Lord be the guilt. Or it may be a sort of ejaculatory phrase, with an ellipsis of the precatory verb,as would seem to be confirmed by Jdg 6:13, , come tell me, my lord, if Jehovah is with us, why, etc. See Ben Gannach, Sepher Harikma, 32, 31. The view of Gesenius was suggested, probably, by the Syriac rendering of this passage, Jdg 6:13, . In Jos 7:8, where the same phrase occurs, the Syriac has left it out entirely.T. L.]
[4] [A glimpse of the New-Testament life. It is very common to represent the Old Testament as containing the harsher dispensation, and as presenting the sterner attributes both of God and man. This is often done without much thought, or discrimination of the respects in which it may be false or true. The Old Testament is, indeed, a less full revelation of mercy as a doctrine, or a scheme of salvation, but the mercy itself is there in overflowing measure, and expressed in the most pathetic language. It is peculiarly the emotional part of Holy Scripture, presenting everything in the strongest manner, and in strongest contrast, whether it be wrath or tenderness, indignation against apostasy or love for the oft-times apostate and rebellious people. It may even be maintained that the New Testament, though more didactic, is less tender in its language, less abounding in pictures of melting compassion on the part of God, and of devoted affection of one human heart to another. What more moving, in this respect, than the language of the prophets (compare Isa 49:15; Isa 54:8-10; Isa 57:15-16; Psa 103:13-15; Gen 8:21; Deu 10:12; Deu 10:19; Deu 24:14-22; Eze 16:60-63; Hos 11:8-9; Mic 6:8; Mic 7:18-19), so full of Gods pathetic yearning, we might style it, towards humanity! On the other hand, what more exquisite pictures can there be found of human tenderness, than those of David and Jonathan, Ruth and Naomi, the pathetic meeting of Joseph and his brethren as here described, Davids forgiving tenderness towards Saul, and even Esaus reception of Jacob (Gen 33:4-15) after all the wrong he had apparently, or in reality, received from him. In this latter case, we may regard Esau as one who had but little if any grace, and yet the feeling here, viewed as growing out of the patriarchal life and religious ideas, may well be compared with any general influence of our nominal Christianity in arousing men to deeds of tenderness and heroism. This false view of the Old Testament, which ignorance of the Bible is causing more and more to prevail, is a great wrong to the whole cause and doctrine of revelation. Even the most tender dialect of the New Testament, is drawn from the Old. Its Hebraisms are its most pathetic parts. Of this there is a good example in the very style of language here employed. The expression , rendered, his bowels did yearn (rather, warmed), has been naturalized in the New-Testament Greek, where is used for . It may be said, however, that both the Hebrew and the Greek are marred for the English reader by the rendering bowels, especially if taken in the sense of intestina, instead of the larger meaning that belongs to the Latin viscera. It may be doubted whether does ever, of itself, denote any part of the body, either more or less interior. When the singular is used for the womb, it is rather to be regarded as a metaphorical use of its primary sense of cherishing, or as that which loves and cherishes. The Greek counterpart, , denotes the most vital parts, such as the heart, the lungs, and the liver, the parts which, in the case of animals slain, were regarded as the choicest eating, and were given as an honorary portion to the guest. See Homer everywhere. They included the , with the , or prcordia, and the , or liver. Another word was , which was used exactly as is used here, and with a similar verb signifying to be warm, or burn; as Odyss. i. Genesis 48 :
, .
My heart is burning for the brave Ulysses; with an evident paronomasia in and . Compare Psa 39:4 , my heart grows hot within me, , the fire is burning; also Luk 24:32, , was not our heart burning within us? Instead of bowels, it would be more in accordance with the spirit of the Hebrew word to render it here, his heart yearned, or warmed. Rosenmller, on this passage, makes one of his wise remarks about the ancient men (prisci homines), and their great simplicity in regarding these parts of the body as the seat of the affections. It has, however, always been so, more or less, in all languages. In the ancient tongues even intellect is generally assigned to these middle regions, and but rarely, or comparatively so, to the head. With us it seems almost a matter of consciousness that we think with our heads, but this is an effect rather than a cause of the change of language. In the Latin, cor is used for wisdom, prudence, and cordatus is equivalent to , a wise and prudent man. The Greek popular language placed thought in the , not in the , or brain, although the latter is sometimes referred to in this light, especially by Aristotle. Demosthenes once makes a popular allusion to some such notion in the oration De Haloneso; but the poetical language, the best representative of the popular feeling, is all the other way. So in the Hebrew, the seat of thought, is in the reins, , Latin renes, Greek (with digamma) : try the hearts and the reins, Psa 7:10; in the night season my reins instruct me, Psa 16:7. Only once in the Bible is the head so referred to; and that is in the Chaldaic of Dan 4:7, where Nebuchadnezzar says: the visions of my head upon my bed, . Everywhere else it is the heart, , or the reins , or the inward part , or sometimes expressions denoting something still more interior, as and , rendered the hidden part, Psa 51:8 : In the hidden part make me to know wisdom. The practice of divination, by the inspection of these parts in sacrifice shows the same mode of thinking, and a similar verbal consciousness.T.L.]
[5][See in the text notes, p. 323 (5, Gen 9:6), another interpretation of this by that acute Jewish grammarian, Ben Gannach. The in he renders concerning it, instead of by it,that is, as a means of divination. Could not such a man find out by divination who had his cup?T. L.]
[6][The old rendering is supported by the fact that the primary sense of is not fear, but excitement of mind in any way, like Greek , , by which the LXX translate it, Psa 4:5 (see, also, Eph 4:26, Be ye angry, yet sin not), and which is one of the places referred to by Rosenmller for the sense of fear. In the other places cited by him the sense of anger, or excitement, suits the context best; as Exo 15:14; Deu 2:25. In all other places the sense of rage or anger () is beyond doubt. There is no intimation of anything on the way which should cause fear (in the sense of terror, commotion) any more than in any of their previous goings and comings. The fear of apprehension, or anxiety, such as might be felt on account of the mishap of the money found in the sacks, would be expressed by a very different word. Whereas everything in the context renders this advice of Joseph, that they should get into no disputes with one another, very probable. LXX, , Syriac, , do not quarrel on the road. So the Targum.T. L].
[7] [Hebrew, and his heart grew chill. It is the same idea as the Greek , , , an onomatopic word of the second class, denoting some resemblance between the sound and the effect producedhardness, solidness, compactness; hence solidity, coldness. The heart stopping in chill and amazement. It is interesting, too, to note how common in language is this metaphor, or secondary sense, expressing hope and joy by warmth, distrust and despair by a chill. As in the Odyssey, i. 167
,
.
No warmth to us,that is, no warming hope, should any one on earth declare that he would come again,forever gone, the day of his return. This is very much as old Jacob felt. Compare, also, the Iliad, vi. 412, where , warmth, in this sense, is opposed to chilling grief. , cold, is used in the opposite way.T. L.]
[8][The dramatic power of such recognitions appears in their having been made the effective points in some of the noblest Greek tragedies. Aristotle has a special section upon the , as it is technically named, in his Ars Poetica, ch. xi., defining it as , . He cites as examples the recognitions in the Odyssey, and especially that of Orestes and Iphigenia, from Euripides. He might have cited, as a still more striking example, that of Orestes and Electra, in Sophocles. This story of Joseph, had it been known to him, would have furnished the great critic with the best illustration of what he calls the pathetic, , as the chief clement of power in the dramatic exhibition.T. L.]
CONTENTS
The patriarchal history is continued throughout this Chapter. The pressing claims of hunger compel Jacob, however reluctantly, to send his children again into Egypt for more food: and Benjamin must go with them: their arrival is particularly noticed, and the reception which Joseph gave them: he is apparently much kinder to them than before; they are brought into his house, which though the idea at first alarmed them, yet as Simeon is brought, out to them, and they are told that Joseph means to entertain them at his table, their fears subside, and they begin to be merry. Gen 43:1
Very sore are bodily wants unsatisfied. But what are these to soul distresses? See Psa 88 .
Gen 43:2
What a deeply interesting life was that of Jacob the supplanter! It is a life full of incident. And in that life the story of Joseph is perhaps the most illuminative. The dreaming days are over. The house of Potiphar, with its subtle temptation, and the prison with its dark despair are for ever gone, and Joseph sits a ruler, the ruler of Egypt. Famine drives his brothers, at their father’s request, to seek his face, known only to them as the great Egyptian governor. They bow themselves before the brother whom they had wronged and he recognizes them. They knew him not, but he knew them, and was moved towards them. He would have them all before him, and in the presence of them all he desired to make himself known to them. But Benjamin, the son of his own mother, was not with them. He must be brought, and so they are sent back for him, with the instruction that they should see his face no more unless he were with them. When the brothers begin preparations for their return to Egypt, having obtained a very reluctant permission for Benjamin to accompany them, Jacob suggests that in addition to taking double money they ‘should carry down the man a present’ to propitiate him, and thereby gain his favour. That was the old Jacob of a former day who would rely upon his own resources, his own cunning, his own artfulness.
I. Notice, then, this characteristic relapse. It is generally the presence of untoward circumstances which causes this relapse. We are thrown back upon our own resources, as it were, and the first question we ask is this, ‘What shall we do’? And the answer is almost invariably a relapse to a former type, to the embracing of a former stratagem. We have all yet to learn the philosophy of inactivity. ‘What shall we do’ seems to be the first question uppermost in all minds when confronted with difficulty and danger. When in the straight betwixt two, in the difficult place, contending with circumstances and events over which we have no control, for the existence of which we cannot be responsible, our salvation rests in the Divine revealing, and not in our own plans and schemes. ‘Carry down the man a present’ if you like, but remember it will have no effect upon the issue of the day.
II. Having regard then to this important truth that God determines the issue and that none of our plans and schemes are at all necessary, that God is first and must always be first, it may become a gracious and courteous act to ‘carry down the man a present’. It may be well for us to consider this. A little sympathy, a little attention, a little consideration, these are the things which sweeten life for us all. God is so often wounded in the house of His friends by the utter neglect of those little presents, the little courtesies, the little tokens of love. Every man, woman, and child has something they can give. Society is enriched or impoverished by the individual gifts or negligences of its members. The home is made happy, or dull and miserable, upon the same principle. Give! Don’t think so much about what you can get, but more about what you can give. Remember that your salvation is the free gift of God, ‘Without money and without price’.
J. Gay, Common Truths from Queer Texts, p. 137.
References. XLIII. 27. S. Baring-Gould, Village Preaching for a Year, vol. i. p. 350. XLIII. 30, 31. C. J. Vaughan, Lessons of Life and Godliness, p. 98. XLIII. F. W. Robertson, Notes on Genesis, p. 156.
XXX
JOSEPH IN EGYPT
Genesis 42-45
The history of Joseph in Egypt is exquisitely charming in style, the most beautiful story of any language, and so plain that anybody can understand it. There are no critical questions to discuss, but I will emphasize some points.
Stephen, in Acts, says that this famine extended over Egypt and Canaan; other references indicate that it was much more extensive. Anyhow, it came to Jacob at Hebron, and he sent his ten sons to buy wheat. Corn in the Old Testament does not mean Indian corn, or maize, which was not known until the discovery of America. Many other things were not known until that time. The world had no sugar, molasses, coffee, tobacco, or potatoes. When Sir Walter Raleigh first carried Irish potatoes to England, they ate the tops like salad, not knowing the roots were good. So Jacob sends his sons to Egypt to bring back a caravan load of corn, and Joseph recognizes them. As they did not recognize him, he affected to consider them as spies. But he had a purpose in view. His heart was very kind and generous to them, but he wanted to impress some very solemn lessons on them. He put them in ward for three days. On the third day he took them out and said that by leaving one of their brethren as a hostage they could take corn home to their father, and if they had told the truth and were not spies, when they returned they must bring the youngest brother, about whom they had spoken.
Now follows this language, which I have often made the occasion of a sermon: “And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he besought us, and would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us. And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; but ye would not hear? therefore also, behold, his blood is required.” The point is that they were convicted of the sin of having sold Joseph into Egypt. Joseph had not said anything to them about it. The crime had been committed a long time back) and they had never shown any compunction of conscience. A circumstance comes up in a strange land, and all at once every one of them is convicted of sin. The use I make of that in preaching is this: I begin at the first of Genesis and go through the entire Bible, making a digest of every case of conviction of sin mentioned. I write that case out, stating what the sin was, how long after the sin before conviction came, and the causes of conviction. The object of the study is to prepare me to preach to the unconverted. If you cannot convict people of sin, they do not want a Saviour. Their own consciences convicted these men. A sinner becomes apprehensive; he flees when nobody pursues. He will construe any sudden judgment as a punishment for that sin. Unless you know that about human nature, you won’t know how to deal with conviction. That was exactly the effect that Joseph wanted to bring about, but not by open accusation or denunciation. He wanted to treat them in such a way that they would get into a tight place and their consciences would do the rest. Other remarkable cases of conviction are where Nathan convicted David; Jonah the Ninevites; and the cases on the day of Pentecost. After studying the Bible through, I go to my experience to find the first thing that made me feel that I was a sinner, and the other times I have felt conviction of sin. From my own experience I learn how to deal with others in their experience. That I regard as the most important thought in this lesson.
Before these boys get home, they find the money paid for the wheat in their sacks. See how that conviction creeps out again: “Behold, my money is returned, and their hearts went out, and they turned trembling one to another, saying, What is this that God has done unto us?” When they got home they had to explain to their father the absence of Simeon, the return of their money, and that they must take Benjamin with them on their return. Jacob said, “Me have you bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me.” I used to treat that this way: that in our pessimism we are apt to construe things against us that ultimately prove good for us. I illustrate it by: “All things work together for good to them that love God.” But from the translation: “On me are all these things,” you get an entirely different and very suggestive sermon. Jacob hints that they had killed Simeon, or disposed of him some way like they had Joseph. The thought is this: no man can commit a sin that terminates in himself. It always breaks some other heart. If a boy steals, it hurts his mother worse than it hurts him. If a man commits a murder, his wife may say, “On me is this thing.” If he is a drunkard, on her and her children are all those things. In the social order no human being is independent of others, but bound by indissoluble ties of blood and society; nor stands by himself, and cannot sin by himself. Preaching on that subject once, I drew a picture of a North Carolina boy who went away from home and left his widowed mother in sorrow. While traveling he took a religious furlough; played cards, drank whiskey, became dissipated, finally had delirium tremens, spent all his money, got into debt, lost his reputation, and determined to commit suicide. I drew a picture of him standing on the brow of a precipice, ready to jump. I called attention to a cord around him which went back, and I followed that cord back to North Carolina, and found it knotted around his mother’s heart. When he jumped it tore her heart also. “On me are all these things.”
We come to the generous proposition of Reuben: “My two eons shalt thou slay if I bring him not to thee.” Since Reuben was not guilty of selling Joseph, it was very generous on his part. But his father could not trust Reuben: “My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he only is left: if harm befall him by the way in which ye go, then will ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave [Sheol].” But Jacob did not take into account the pressure of the famine. We stand against many things, sometimes, to which after awhile we yield. Judah now proposes to become a surety for the lad: “My life and everything I have is in thy hands, if I don’t bring this boy back.” That has often been used as a representation of Christ’s becoming surety for this people. Jacob most reluctantly gives his consent, and with his usual wisdom takes every precaution to guard against trouble: “Take of the choice fruits of the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, a little honey, spicery and myrrh, nuts and almonds.” He has done all that he could; now he is going to pray: “And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release unto you your other brother and Benjamin.”
We have an account of their reception in Egypt, and I want you to note the working of that conviction again. Joseph made ready a feast for them, released Simeon to them, “And the men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph’s house, and they said: Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in: that he may seek occasion against us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses.” How easy it is for an apprehensive heart to suppose that every seeming sinister thing is a messenger of God and of judgment. So they stepped out to the man who had charge of Joseph’s house and explained about the matter. They supposed that accusation was going to be made against them, and sought to defend themselves beforehand. Shakespeare in Hamlet thus refers to the queen: “The lady protests too much, I think.” Whenever anybody gives you an explanation of a thing before there is an accusation and keeps on explaining, it instantly creates a thought in the minds of others that something needs explaining.
Here in Gen 43:27 , is a very touching thing, and in studying literature you ought always to notice pathetic and delicately expressed things: “And he asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he yet alive? And they said, Thy servant, our father, is well, he is yet alive.” Now, when he asked that question how must his heart have stood still until he got the answer, and how much he was touched at the sight of Benjamin. Notice in Gen 43:32 , that Joseph could not eat with his brethren, because Egyptians could not eat with strangers. The Jew to this day will not eat with Gentiles. A Jewish drummer has to get a dispensation from his Rabbi to eat at hotels. The Egyptians required certain precautions in order to escape ceremonial defilement, and would not eat with those who ate certain animals. They would not eat with any one who would kill a cow, a crocodile, a beetle, or sacred animal. The Jews once brought complaint against Peter because he had eaten with uncircumcised Gentiles. Notice Gen 43:34 : “And he took and sent messes to them from before him: but Benjamin’s mess was five times so much as any of theirs.” That has become a proverb. Old Baptists used to say, “Have you prepared a feast for us today?” “Yea, a Benjamin’s mess.”
The next chapter tells how Joseph sent them out again and put their money back; and how he had his silver cup inserted in Benjamin’s sack. When they had gone, he sent men after them with this question: “Wherefore have ye requited evil for good? Is not this that in which my lord drinketh, and whereby he indeed divineth?” What is meant by divining with a cup? When I was a little fellow they used to divine this way: They would take a cup of muddy coffee and let the coffee escape, leaving the grounds (dregs) in the bottom of the cup, and would whirl the cup around, and tell a fortune by the position the dregs assumed. That was a very simple Arkansas method of divining, but it was exactly in line with this Egyptian method. Gipsy women divine with cards, or by the lines of one’s hands. They denied having the cup, but when the bags were opened it was found in Benjamin’s bag. In v. II notice that conviction of sin again. When they got back Judah said, “What shall we say unto my lord? What shall we speak? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants,” still carrying everything back to that crime they had committed. It is that response of human conscience that enables criminal lawyers, who understand human nature, to become mighty prosecutors of crime. Daniel Webster used to say, when they were morally sure of the guilt of a man and he had no legal evidence, ‘”Never mind, I will get the testimony.” Then he would begin his speech. He would draw a supposititious picture of the crime; how the man crept in at the window, etc., and if he did not tell it exactly right the fellow would cry out: “It was not that way”, which would betray him. If he would follow the crime to the line, the criminal would show the fear in his face. Webster always had an ally in the conscience of the criminal.
Now we come to one of the greatest pieces of oratory in the world, the speech of Judah before Joseph. Analyze the power of Judah’s speech. In Scott’s Heart of Midlothian , in Jeanie Deans’ speech before the queen of England, you will find the only thing in literature which I think compares with this speech of Judah. Effie Deans, sister of Jeanie, had been convicted of a crime; Jeanie walked most of the way from Scotland to make a petition for her sister’s pardon. The Duke of Argyll befriended her, and managed that she should have an interview with the queen, and told her just to speak her heart, and not to fix up anything to say. This noble Scottish girl and that part is history as well as romance delivered one of the most impressive, affecting, pathetic little speeches that ever fell from the lips of mortal. I will glance at this speech of Judah’s and show you what I think constitutes its elements of power. “And Judah came near to him, and said, O my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord’s ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant, for thou art even as Pharaoh.” Notice two elements of power: the humility of the speaker and the conciliation of the one whom he addressed: “Thou art even as Pharaoh.” The next element of power is that he most delicately makes Joseph responsible for the situation: “My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father or brother? And we said unto my lord, we have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother.” “His mother is dead and his father loves him, and you made us bring him.” Having made that point clear, he introduces the father, “Thy servant, my father, said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons and one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces, and I saw him no more, and if you take this one also from my presence, and harm befall him, ye will bring my gray hairs in sorrow to the under-world. Now, when I go to my father, and the lad is not with us, it will come to pass that he will die.” And he comes to the last point of power, and that is his proposition of substitution: “Now, therefore, let thy servant remain instead of the lad, and let the lad go to his father.” When Judah reached the climax it had power with Joseph. Judah was a father himself and many times had made that generous proposition to go into bondage in place of the boy.
Whereupon Joseph makes himself known to his brethren. And Joseph said, “Come near, I am Joseph, your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Be not grieved nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me, for God sent me before you to preserve life.” That brings up the question: Who sent Joseph into Egypt? Their consciences told them they had done it, and they knew it. But they sent him for evil, but God sent him for good. That will enable you to get a principle by which the hardest doctrines in the Bible will be reconcilable. We are all the time conscious of doing from our own will. AB Peter said to the Jews: “What God had predetermined to be done, ye with wickedness have done.” There is predestination on God’s part, and action on their part, which did not exculpate them from blame, on account of free moral agency and predestination.
Alexander Carson, one of the greatest Baptist writers, a Presbyterian, converted in North Ireland, has written a book on the providence of God, and illustrates his theme by the case of Joseph, showing that while the father had his care, the boys their sin, and Joseph wept at being put into the pit and sold into bondage, and that Potiphar’s wife intervened with her lust, and that the prison held Joseph, yet over all these intermingling human feelings and devices and persecutions, far beyond human sight, the government of God was working. An examination question will be: “Who wrote a book on the providence of God, and illustrated it by the life of Joseph?” After this reconciliation Joseph sends his brothers back home to bring their father back. We will take up the story there in our next discussion.
QUESTIONS 1. What can you say of the story of Joseph in Egypt?
2. What the extent of the famine in Egypt?
3. What did Jacob send to Egypt after, and what several products were then unknown to the people in the Orient?
4. How did Joseph treat his brothers on their first trip, and why?
5. What inner nature of history does the narrative of his brethren disclose?
6. Show the workings of the consciences of his brothers.
7. What direction for a study of conviction?
8. What was the second step of Joseph in convicting them of sin?
9. What explanation did they have to make to Jacob?
10. What was his reply and the lessons therefrom? Illustrate.
11. What was the proposition of Reuben and Jacob’s reply?
12. Who finally prevailed with Jacob, and how?
13. What evidence of the workings of conviction on their return to Egypt and how did they try to excuse themselves?
14. What of Shakespeare’s statement in point and its lesson?
15. What touching incident of their meeting Joseph on the second trip?
16. Why did Joseph not eat with them?
17. What expedient did Joseph adopt to get Benjamin?
18. What is meant by divining with the cup?
19. What evidence of conviction here?
20. What advantage of this principle to criminal lawyers? Illustrate.
21. What is the expositor’s estimate of Judah’s speech before Joseph in behalf of Benjamin?
22. With what speech in the works of Sir Walter Scott may it be compared?
23. Give an analysis of the power of Judah’s speech.
24. Who sent Joseph into Egypt, and what part of the divine government is most strikingly illustrated in his history?
25. What noted Baptist author has written a book on this subject?
Gen 43:1 And the famine [was] sore in the land.
Ver. 1. And the famine was sore in the land. ] In the Promised Land. Hold out faith and patience. Os quod in sorte tua cecidit, rodas: Bear thy cross, and be content. a
a Drus., in Adag.
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Gen 43:1-10
1Now the famine was severe in the land. 2So it came about when they had finished eating the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, “Go back, buy us a little food.” 3Judah spoke to him, however, saying, “The man solemnly warned us, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ 4If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. 5But if you do not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.'” 6Then Israel said, “Why did you treat me so badly by telling the man whether you still had another brother?” 7But they said, “The man questioned particularly about us and our relatives, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?’ So we answered his questions. Could we possibly know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?” 8Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the lad with me and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, we as well as you and our little ones. 9I myself will be surety for him; you may hold me responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame before you forever. 10For if we had not delayed, surely by now we could have returned twice.”
Gen 43:2 The text does not say how long the first installment of grain lasted, but Simeon is in prison the whole time and Jacob has not acted!
Finally when the grain ran out Jacob took action.
1. go back, BDB 996, KB 1427, Qal IMPERATIVE
2. buy us a little food, BDB 991, KB 1404, Qal IMPERATIVE
Gen 43:3 “Judah spoke to him” At this point in the narrative Judah will become the significant son. The leadership of Reuben has been diminished.
“solemnly warned” This is an intensified grammatical structure (i.e., the INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE and PERFECT VERB of the same root which is also found in Gen 43:7 [twice] and Gen 43:20). The VERB (BDB 996, KB 1427, Hiphil PERFECT) means to bear witness (cf. Exo 19:21; Deu 32:46) or warn (cf. Exo 21:29; 1Ki 2:42; Neh 13:15; Neh 13:21).
“see my face” This is an idiom for an audience with Joseph (cf. 2Sa 14:24). He supervised the sale of grain. If they could not see him, they could not buy grain (cf. Gen 43:5).
Gen 43:4-5 Judah continued to address his father, Jacob/Israel.
1. we will go down, BDB 432, KB 434, Qal COHORTATIVE
2. we will buy you food, BDB 991, KB 1404, Qal COHORTATIVE
Judah’s (and the brothers) actions are dependant on Jacob’s decision about sending Benjamin.
Gen 43:6 Jacob criticizes them for sharing too much information about the family.
Jacob uses a strong VERB (BDB 949, KB 1269, Hiphil PERFECT). Its basic meaning in the Hiphil stem is “to do harm” (cf. Gen 19:9; Gen 31:7; Exo 5:22-23; Num 11:11; Num 20:15; Jos 24:20).
Gen 43:7 The brothers defend themselves emphatically.
1. The man questioned particularly about us and our relatives, BDB 981, KB 1371, Qal INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE and the Qal PERFECT VERB of the same root
2. How could we possibly know. . ., BDB 393, KB 390, Qal INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE and the Qal IMPERFECT VERB of the same root
3. That he would say, “bring your brother down,” BDB 432, KB 434, Hiphil IMPERATIVE
Gen 43:8-10 Judah (fourth and last son of Leah, cf. Gen 29:35) becomes the spokesman again for the nine older brothers (cf. Gen 44:14-34; Gen 46:25-34).
1. Send the lad with me, BDB 1018, KB 1511, Qal IMPERATIVE
2. We will arise, BDB 877, KB 1086, Qal COHORTATIVE
3. We will go, BDB 229, KB 246, Qal COHORTATIVE
4. That we may live, BDB 310, KB 309, Qal IMPERFECT used in a COHORTATIVE sense
5. And we may not die, BDB 559, KB 562, Qal IMPERFECT used in a COHORTATIVE sense (cf. Gen 42:2)
When the bread was eaten it was time to make a decision. Judah’s pragmatism is to the point (cf. Gen 43:10). If they do not go for bread, all of them will die, including Benjamin and Jacob. The rationale is overwhelming. They had to go to Egypt for more food and the condition for more food was the presence of Benjamin. Judah again tries to assure his father in Gen 43:9, which seems to imply a belief in an afterlife.
Gen 43:9 “I myself will be surety for him” The word “surety” (BDB 786 II, KB 876, Qal IMPERFECT, cf. Gen 44:32) links this chapter with chapter 38 (cf. Gen 43:17). Judah is becoming more and more a central figure (cf. Gen 49:8-12).
Chapter 43
So that was it. But time went on. The famine continued and they used up all of the grain that they had purchased in Egypt.
And so it came to pass, when they had eaten up the wheat which they had bought, their father said to them, Go on down and get us a little food. And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly swear to us, saying, You’re not going to even see my face, unless your brother is with you. Now if you will send our brother with us, we’ll go down and buy the food: But if you will not send him, we’ll not go down: for the man said unto us, You’re not going to see my face, unless your brother is with you ( Gen 43:2-5 ).
Judah is just squaring off with his dad now and saying, “Hey, look, you don’t understand that guy down there. He meant it. He swore to us. He’s mean. He’s rough. And if you want to send your son, fine. We’ll go. If you don’t want to send him, then no way are we going to go down there and face that guy again ’cause he swore to us we’re not going to see his face unless we have our brother.”
So Israel said, Why did you deal with me like this, why did you tell the man that you had a brother? And they said, The man asked us plainly how our dad was, and if we had any other brothers at home. And he said, what could we do? We didn’t know he was going to say bring your brother down here ( Gen 43:6-7 ).
If you’ve ever seen these people and their arguments, it must have been a very animated thing. They can’t even trade sheep with a lot without a lot of screaming and yelling and waving of hands and the whole thing. You think they’re going to kill each other. You’re waiting for them to pull their knives as they’re bartering over sheep. And so here was a real issue. Oh, it would have been fun to have seen them going through this one as they were really going at it with each other.
And so Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and you, and our little ones. And I will be surety for him; of my hand you will require him: and if I bring him not to you again, and set him before you, then let me bear the blame for ever: Now look, if we hadn’t lingered so long, we could have been back already ( Gen 43:8-10 ).
In other words, you know, we’re getting low. It’s time we go. We’ve been messing around too long. We could have been back by now if we hadn’t had all this hassle. So I’ll be the surety for him. I’ll take full responsibility. If I don’t bring him back to you, then require it at my hand.
And so their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this ( Gen 43:11 );
But then Jacob still the old schemer. You know, the wise old shrewd Jacob. He said,
Now take of the best fruits of the land in your vessels, and carry down to the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, and some spices, and myrrh, and nuts, and almonds: And take double money in your hand; and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight ( Gen 43:11-12 ):
So Jacob being the shrewd fellow that he was sends now some presents and all to the man in Egypt to sort of, you know, appease him and to cause him to think well of them. And then double money, plus the money that was returned in their sacks; in case that it was an oversight that they put it in the sacks.
And take also your brother, and arise, and go again unto the man: and God Almighty ( Gen 43:13-14 )
Using now the covenant name of God, El Shaddai , God Almighty.
give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin. And if I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved ( Gen 43:14 ).
Jacob had to come to that place of a commitment. It’s more or less the same commitment of Esther, “If I perish, I perish” ( Est 4:16 ). If that’s the way, you know, if I’m bereaved, I’m bereaved. It’s the facing of your circumstances as you commit yourself to God. All right, we’ll just trust in God Almighty to have the man give mercy unto you and if I’m bereaved, I’m bereaved. Facing up to the facts of life.
That’s a position that many people just can’t come to. They refuse to face up to the facts of life. They refuse to accept things. They continue to fight. But there comes a time when what can you do? You’ve just got to take and commit yourself into God’s hands and say, “Well, whatever; it’s in God’s hands. And whatever comes, I just am going to have to accept it because I belong to Him and my life belongs to Him and thus, whatever happens I just must accept it.”
And so Jacob came to this place of commitment. It is an important place to come. And notice when he came to this place of commitment, they didn’t call him Jacob but they called him Israel, governed by God. Okay, this is it. I’m Israel again. It’s interesting how he jumped from Jacob to Israel and Israel to Jacob. He had his moment. Jacob said, “Now take a little fruit” and on and on and on. And Israel said, “Well, if I’m bereaved, I’m bereaved”. I mean, it’s that difference of taking things into my own hands and then committing my ways unto God. Now God Almighty give you mercy, if I’m bereaved, I’m bereaved.
And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and they rose up, and went down to Egypt, and they stood before Joseph. And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ruler of his house, Bring these men home, and slay, and make ready a feast; for these men will dine with me at noon. And the man did as Joseph bid him; and the man brought Joseph’s brothers into his house. And the men [that is, Joseph’s brothers] were afraid, because they were brought into Joseph’s house; and they said, Because of the money that was in our sacks at the first time we’ve been brought in; that he might seek an occasion against us, and fall on us, and take us all for his slave ( Gen 43:15-18 ).
So they start figuring out, you know. They start fearing again. “Oh-oh, it’s because of the money in the sacks. Now he’s just going to take us to his house and then he’s going to accuse us and just make slaves out of all of us.”
And so they came near to the steward of Joseph’s house, and they communed with him at the door of the house, and they said, Sir, we came indeed down the first time to buy food: and it came to pass, when we came to the inn, that when we opened our sacks, behold, every man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight: and we’ve brought it again in our hands. And other money have we brought down in our hands to buy food: we cannot tell who put our money in our sacks. And the steward said, Peace be unto you, don’t be afraid: your God, and the God of your fathers, has given you treasure in your sacks: I have your money. And so he brought Simeon out to them ( Gen 43:19-23 ).
Now the mystery thickens. You know, they figured they had it all figured out, they thought. It’s because of money and all. And the guy says, “What are you talking about? I’ve got your money. Your God must have given you some treasure. I don’t know. I’ve got your money.” And so it immediately dispels what they had figured out and so must be something else.
And so they made ready the present to give to Joseph as he came in at noon: for they heard that he was going to eat bread there. And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand, and they bowed themselves to him to the earth. And he asked them of their welfare, he said, Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake? Is he still alive? And they answered, Thy servant our father is in good health, he is still alive. And they bowed down their heads, and made obeisance ( Gen 43:25-28 ).
So they were just bowing down before him and doing this obeisance.
And he lifted up his eyes, and he saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and he said, Is this your younger brother, of whom you spake unto me? And he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son ( Gen 43:29 ).
Actually he was starting getting carried away now. He said, “Is this the brother?” Before they could answer, say “yeah”, he said, “God be gracious unto thee, my son”. Again sort of carrying off a thing, not that I’m your older brother, sort of a father and you’re still a kid kind of a thing. “And God be gracious unto you, my son.”
But Joseph made haste; for within him he was yearning to just grab his brother and hug him: and he sought where to weep; and so he entered into his chamber, and wept there ( Gen 43:30 ).
He just couldn’t take it. Emotions were just ripping him up. Here’s his brother Benjamin. He thought he’d never see him again and here he is. Oh, he yearns so much to just take hold of him and grab him and all. And he just started weeping and so he turned and ran out of the room into his own private chamber. And he just wept for the joy and the excitement of the reunion.
And so he washed his face, and he went out, and he was able to control himself, and he said, Set on the bread. And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves ( Gen 43:31-32 ):
So there were three tables. Joseph because of his position had his own table by himself. The Egyptians that were eating there had their separate table and his brothers had their separate table because the Egyptians did not want,
it was an abomination for them to eat with the Hebrew. And so they sat before him, and so they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled at one another ( Gen 43:32-33 ).
So he set them in order around the table from the oldest right around to the youngest. And they noticed that he had set them in the order of their birth. And they marvelled because there was only one chance in thirty-nine million, nine hundred and seventeen thousand that this could have happened. You can figure that out mathematically. The chances of laying all ten in order to their birth only one in about forty million; thirty-nine million, nine hundred and seventeen thousand. So the mathematical probabilities are really against his doing it. So they’re looking around saying, “Wow, what’s going on here?” All set in order to our birth around the table from the oldest to the youngest. “
All the old characteristics of Jacob are manifest in this account of his proposed method of dealing with the governor of Egypt with whom his sons had had to do. If things were against him, he did not lose confidence in his own ability to manipulate them to his own advantage. He would send a present and so appease the man.
In this action Jacob unconsciously revealed himself. It was his perpetual method of attempting to deal with other men. Always he seems to have thought that the great end of all men was to gain something, and so he imagined that the Egyptian ruler might be bribed into complacency. It is often so that we reveal ourselves in our estimates of others.
The picture of Joseph here is full of beauty. In the sense of worldly power he was now a great man. His position was one of national and even international power and influence. Notwithstanding this, the springs of true life were not dried up. His emotional nature was still quick and active. This is another evidence that he was living in fellowship with God? In some senses the perils of powerful position are subtler and graver than those of slavery and prison. Too often advancement and the ease and luxurious circumstances attendant on it serve to deaden the finer emotions of the soul. Even in such circumstances, however, a man is safe if Jehovah is with him. The rush of emotion which drove Joseph into secrecy for weeping is as sure an evidence of his true greatness as the statesmanlike qualities which had served him in the administration of the affairs of Egypt.
the Brothers Return with Benjamin
Gen 43:1-15
Joseph, in giving corn to save his own brethren and the Egyptians from starvation, is a type of our Lord, who gives the bread of life to Jew and Gentile-to all that come to Him in their hopeless need. And in this return of the full money in the sacks we are reminded that salvation is without money and without price. Whatever we bring to enrich Christ He returns to us. His gifts are all of His unmerited grace and favor. Very often we move forward with dread into the unknown; but that dread is the child of ignorance. If only we realized that love is waiting for us there, which does not ask for balm and honey, for spices and myrrh, but just for ourselves, how much happier life would become! Lift up your hearts; a feast awaits you!
Gen 43:30-31
The text exhibits the contrast between the secret life and the outward life of each one of us; between the chamber and the banqueting-room; between the man whom God sees and the man whom the world sees, in each one of us. It is to the thought of secret sorrows that the text directs us; sorrows which, however keenly felt in secret, must be disguised and suppressed in the presence of others.
I. The trouble of Joseph, on this occasion, was one of the heart or affections. His pent-up love was overwhelming; it could only be relieved by a burst of tears; he entered into his chamber and wept there. Where is the house in which affection is not the source of some secret trouble? Loneliness of heart, unrequited love, is a calamity; God sees it, God pities it; but be brave in His strength to endure it, and do not put aside, in perverseness or self-will, that offer of Divine love which, in the long run, will be worth all else to you.
II. It is but a step from this to the next example-that of anxiety about the souls of others. What words could more aptly designate such a life of anxious watching than those which speak of a weeping in the chamber and a refraining oneself below-a couch watered with tears, yet a face which must smile by day that it may not tell its tale? Well is it written of such a sufferer, that he went out and refrained himself that he might not reveal, that he might not betray!
III. Think next of those distresses which come to us from the inward strivings of sin; from those restless workings of inward corruption which make the life of so many one long toil and conflict. These, too, above all, are secret things. They are our secrets, but they exist. They make a large part of our existence, and we have to refrain ourselves not to show them. (1) To some I would say, Do not nurse your secret sorrows. Sorrows of affection grow by pondering. They are loud calls to work. (2) To stronger men, who have no experiences of secret sorrow, I would say, Beware of disregarding and despising those who have. Make room for others. Recognise the existence of secret sorrow as an explanation of many phenomena of character.
C. J. Vaughan, Lessons of Life and Godliness, p. 98.
References: Gen 44-F. W. Robertson, Notes on Genesis, p. 161; M. Dods, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, p. 231; W. M. Taylor, Joseph the Prime Minister, p. 122.
CHAPTER 43 The Second Visit to Joseph
1. The journey to Egypt with Benjamin (Gen 43:1-15)
2. The kindness of Joseph (Gen 43:16-34)
famine
(See Scofield “Gen 12:10”).
Gen 18:13, Gen 41:54-57, Gen 42:5, Ecc 9:1, Ecc 9:2, Lam 5:10, Act 7:11-13
Reciprocal: Gen 12:10 – was a Gen 42:19 – carry corn Gen 47:4 – for the famine Deu 26:5 – ready Rth 1:1 – a famine 2Sa 21:1 – a famine
Peace and Pardon
Gen 43:1-14
INTRODUCTORY WORDS
By way of introduction we wish to present to you some succinct statements in Gen 42:36.
As the famine gripped the land, there was but one recourse open to Jacob, and that was to send to Egypt for corn. This entailed certain things obnoxious to the great Patriarch.
First, he had already been deprived of Simeon, whom Egypt’s ruler had kept as a hostage against the day of his brother’s return.
Secondly, the ruler in Egypt had demanded that Benjamin should be in the party if Jacob’s sons came again for corn. Thus it was that Jacob said, “Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me.”
Now, for the time, let us let Jacob drop out of the picture as we study Jacob’s words, “All these things are against me.”
1. The spirit of murmuring too frequently dominates saints. When the Children of Israel were coming through the great and howling wilderness, water was scarce, meat was a thing of the past, and many difficulties came upon them by the way. The result was that the people began to murmur and to charge Moses with the blame of “their hunger and thirst. God also was under their displeasure.
In I Corinthians we read, “Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.”
2. The spirit of murmuring is often, due to a lack of true knowledge of things. “Now we see through a glass, darkly.” Think you that Jacob knew that Joseph was not dead? He knew not. He even had good proof of his death in the blood-sprinkled robe of many colors, and in the words of his sons. He wept and complained where he would have rejoiced, had he only known.
Thus it is with us. If we could turn our clouds about and see their silver lining it would be different. If we knew the end of the Lord, and how all things are working for our good, it would be different. If we could realize that our present afflictions were working out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, it would be different.
Our murmuring lies In our shortsightedness. The things which we believe to be against us may, in truth, have been our chiefest joy-had we but known and understood.
Think of the women at the tomb weeping because the stone was gone and Christ was not there. They had been asking “Who shall roll us away the stone?” but when they found the stone gone they fretted. Mary Magdalene even said to the supposed gardener, “If thou have borne Him hence, tell me where thou hast laid Him.” When Christ said, “Mary,” immediately her forebodings were changed to the most exquisite joy, as she said, “Rabboni.” Her ignorance caused her grief, while knowledge gave her joy.
3. The spirit of murmuring is built on our unbelief. It seems to us that all murmuring is due to a lack of trust in God. We fail to believe that He lives to work for us. We believe not in His personal care for His own.
The lack of knowledge and failure to comprehend our difficulties had not caused us to complain if we had possessed perfect trust.
Jacob said, “All these things are against me” when all of it was for him, because He did not have faith in God. God’s Name is Jehovah-Jireh, yet we fear He will not provide. His Name is Jehovah-shalom, yet we have no peace. He is our Jehovah-ropheca, yet we have not healing. He is Jehovah-rohi, yet we wander shepherdless and without a guide.
Instead of our extremities leading us into God’s opportunities, we allow them to cause us to struggle and despair.
We write to ourselves as well as you. We profess no higher trust than you. We do urge ourselves and you to have faith in God. We do say that all murmuring is black with the frown of God.
I. THE FAMINE IN THE DAYS OF JOSEPH (Gen 43:1)
1. The famine was Divinely prophesied. We remember reading in Gen 41:1-57 of Pharaoh’s dream of the fat and lean fleshed kine, and of the one stalk with seven full ears, followed by the stalk with thin ears. Joseph had been called in, and he had told Pharaoh, in interpreting the dream, that there were seven years of plenty to come, followed by seven years of famine.
The seven years of plenty had come and gone, and now the seven years of famine were on the earth.
What did this pretold prophecy mean? Did it mean that God was working out a plan of His own, and that He was using all nature to perfect His will? This seems to be the case. However, what was the purpose of God? Did God seek to send the famine after the years of plenty merely to penurize the people and to enrich the king? Or did God do all this for the purpose of vindicating His servant Joseph, by setting him on high in Egypt?
The latter, even the vindication of Joseph, seems to us to be the underlying purpose of God-that, including the welfare of Jacob and his sons and their coming down to Joseph.
2. God did watch over Joseph, and He did hear his prayers. We remember how Joseph had been sold to Potiphar, of how Potiphar’s wife plotted against him, and caused him to be placed into prison. Even in prison God was with Joseph, and he was placed over the other prisoners. Yet how he must have prayed, again and again, unto the Lord his God for deliverance.
It was not in a moment that God could, or did, work out Joseph’s release. God not only took Joseph out of prison, but also He placed Joseph in the place of power over his brethren.
We must keep in mind how Joseph’s brethren had sold him to some Ishmaelites, and had reported his decease to Jacob, their father.
We must also keep in mind how God was therefore, impelled by His faithfulness to His own, to punish the wayward brethren on the one hand, and on the other hand to fulfill the dreams which He had given to Joseph in the days of his youth.
God never forsakes His own; nor does He forsake His promises; nor does He fail His saints. He will move Heaven and earth to work out His will.
II. THE MINISTRY OF SUFFERING (Gen 43:2)
1. The famine forced the sinning sons of Jacob to go to Joseph. The sons knew it not, yet God’s net was daily encircling them, and slowly but surely forcing them to make their way to Egypt, and to the discovery of their sin.
Think you that these men would have easily been driven to the feet of the one whom they had so grievously wronged? Nay. Joseph was the last person on earth to whom they had willingly gone. God knew this; therefore He, in His great love, was hedging them in, and shutting them up to but one course. That course led them to Joseph. Oh, that they had willingly repented of their sin toward Joseph and gladly gone on a tour to Egypt, whither the Ishmaelites had taken him, in order to find him!
Alas, alas, too oft men refuse to go to the Saviour until they are driven into His arms by their very need. Let us then not complain at our “famine” when it comes. Whatever comes from the hand of God, comes with ultimate benefactions. Even the seemingly hurtful and destructive things often work out God’s will and way in our lives.
2. The famine forced the sinning sons of Jacob to hasten their going to Joseph. The sons even urged their going to Egypt upon Jacob. To whom else could they go? Egypt (and Joseph) only had corn, and corn they must have.
Dear friends, to whom can we go? Christ only has the Bread of Life. If we would live, He only is the Giver of life. There is none other name tinder heaven and given among men whereby we must be saved.
In the hands of Joseph was all they needed, and in his hands alone; thus, to Joseph they made their way. Would that, anew, the sense of need might fall upon the lost, that they might seek the Lord. Even now we hear Him saying, “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Christ pleads, “If. any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink.” What say you? Shall we not arise and go to Him, the Bread of Life and to the Water of Life?
“Come to the Saviour, make no delay,
Here, in His Word, He shows us the way”;
Come, in your sins no longer delay,
Come, for He calleth for you.
III. HOW SIN ENTAILS OTHERS (Gen 43:3-4)
1. No man liveth unto himself. Alas, sin always affects others. Even if Satan had whipped the waves into madness merely to engulf the one ship wherein the Lord Jesus lay asleep, there were “other little ships” caught in the same storm. There are always those other little ships. There are father, mother, brother, wife, son, daughter, neighbor, friend, and all others.
Thus we have the words, “If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down.” Yes, dear Benjamin, the joy of Jacob’s fond heart, had to be a party to the suffering which the sons of Jacob caused.
For their sins, Joseph had suffered many years in prison; years of servitude and sorrow.
For their sins Jacob had aged, and gone sorrowing toward the grave.
For their sins all Egypt, and many lands, were in famine at that very moment.
2. It was our sins that dragged our Lord from Glory and nailed Him to the Tree. He came not only to seek and to save the lost, but to be made sin for them. He bore our shame, our pains, our stripes.
No sinner can stand by the old rugged Cross, and say “The Jews did it.” Nor can he say, “The Romans did it,” or, “The Father did it, making His soul an offering for sin.” All those things are true; yet let the sinner say, “I did it.” It was my sin that drove those nails; it was my sin that pierced that side; it was my sin that crowned that head with thorns; it was my sin that made Him cry, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” It was all done by me-by my sins.
Shall we seek to cover the sweep of our sins? Shall we think that we alone have suffered for our wrong? God forbid! We may have sown to the wind, yet our sins reap the whirlwind. When Adam sinned, death passed upon all men. Stop and consider: “What shall the harvest be?”
IV. SIN WILL OUT (Gen 43:5-6)
We have several significant questions before us.
1. Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me? Jacob seemed to feel that he was suffering because of his sons’ folly. Where is the sinner that has not felt that everything was against him? He feels he has been wronged. He cries, “Someone hath done this.”
Even so it is. Someone, or else ourselves, or perhaps someone and ourselves, has done this. Here we are under the throes of sins, for which we are not, personally, responsible. We have just shown that sin always entails its woes on others. Now we hear the cry of those who suffer for the sins of others.
It was under this awful burden of the sins of others, that Christ cried, “Why hast Thou forsaken Me?” Must the children bear the sins of the father, unto the third and fourth generation? Why? There is a dear babe covered with inherited sores, before he personally knew to do either good or evil? Why?
2. Why did ye tell ye had a brother? The sons said, “The man asked us straitly, * * Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother?” Yes, sin will out. Hearken to Christ as He said to the Samaritan woman, “Go, call thy husband.” He knew she had no husband, and that she was living with a man who was not her husband. Yes, He forced her sin to the front. And so did Joseph, and so does God. Shall we think to cover our sins? It cannot be done. God knows it all. No man can hide himself where God cannot find him, and where God cannot command His serpents to bite him.
The years that had passed had by no means annihilated their sin. Those years had been lived by them with their sins ever before them. This we shall discover shortly. Their sins had also been always before the Lord.
Sin in its sowing may seem light; sin in its reaping will prove heavy. Hell itself, to the unregenerate, will be greatly augmented by the memory of one’s sins. “Oh, memory, why dost thou not forsake us?” “Son, remember!”
V. THE DOCTRINE OF SUBSTITUTIONARY SECURITY (Gen 43:8-9)
How considerate it was for Judah to say of Benjamin: “I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever.”
1. Jesus Christ has said as much of us who trust in Him. Judah was surety for Benjamin; Christ is surety for us. Hear our Lord saying, “Because I live, ye shall live also.” Judah gave Benjamin only the protection of a frail humanity. Christ gives unto us the protection of an all-powerful Deity. No power can take us from His protecting arms. He Himself says: “I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand.”
Let us weigh well our security in Him: “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” It seems to us that words could not be made more powerful or more assuring.
2. A vow of security is not conducive of rashness. We mean this: When Judah swore that he would be surety for Benjamin, it by no means made Benjamin want to run away, nor did it gender in his spirit a desire to ingratitude against Judah. To the contrary, the pledge of Judah made Benjamin cling the closer to Judah; and it made him love Judah the more.
Think you that Christ’s pledge to us, and our security in Him, can by any means incite us to grieve Him, to break connections with Him, or to seek in any way to separate ourselves from His love and care? This is impossible. Those who use the blessed promise of security in Christ Jesus the Lord, as an excuse for deviltry and sin, have never known saving grace. Christ not only said, “Neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand,” but He also said, “My sheep hear My voice, and * * they follow Me.”
Inborn in the believer’s new nature is an undying loyalty to his Lord.
VI. TAKING BOUNTIFUL GIFTS TO JOSEPH (Gen 43:11-12)
1. Gifts cannot suffice for an atonement for sin. Jacob said to his sons, “Take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds.”
This was all well meant. However, two things are paramount. First, A little of this, and a bit of that, could hardly bear much weight with a man who sat enthroned in Egypt, next to Pharaoh. Secondly, a few paltry gifts could by no means settle the account of their sins against Joseph.
What folly for a sinner to try to secure forgiveness and pardon from God by his own puny gifts. Salvation cannot be bought. In truth, any effort at “gifts” is no more than an effort to belittle grace. The gift of God is eternal life, and all that eternal life includes. All the values of the earth could not pay for one little corner on the streets of gold. How silly, then, must man’s paltry “doings” appear to God as a pretense of payment for eternal life.
2. Penance cannot repay for the heartlessness or crime and shame against God. Jacob added, “And take double money in your hand.” Beloved, when we stop to weigh the anguish which Christ bore on Calvary because of our sins, let us cease to imagine we can erase the sorrows and the shame of that Cross by a double payment of some lesser debt. No, man stands helpless before God. His mouth is stopped, and he, as guilty, is shut up to grace, and mercy, and love.
Let us then go to God, saying,
“Nothing in my hands I bring,
Simply to Thy Cross I cling.”
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.”
VII. A CRY FOR MERCY (Gen 43:14)
How plaintive is the cry of the aged Patriarch: “And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin.”
1. Suppose, for one moment, that Joseph had meted unto his brethren the due reward for their deeds. What then? Remember, Joseph had them in his power. He was no longer the young stripling, against whom they could, with ease, lift up their hand. He was now clothed with autocratic power, and backed by all the legions of Egypt. He knew the wickedness of his brethren. What would he do?
Spiritual meanings break forth at every turn. Christ, in flesh, may have seemed an easy victim to the tyranny of men; but Christ, exalted at the Father’s right hand, clothed with all authority and power, is another matter. No hand lifted against Him can prosper. With the breath of His lips He can easily slay the wicked. Suppose that God should deal in justice; not in mercy, and not in grace. Then what?
2. Jacob spoke better than he knew. He said, “And God Almighty give you mercy before the man.” If Jacob had known that “the man” was Joseph his son, whom his brethren had cast into the pit and afterward sold to the Ishmaelites; if Jacob had known of the great sufferings that his sons had caused Joseph to undergo, he would have known better the need of the mercy of which he spoke.
Justice was the last thing for those brethren to plead, and it is the last thing for which any sinner should ever plead. We do not want justice, we want mercy. Justice would land us in hell, and its torments. Justice would demand our utter undoing. Linger not, O sinner, near by the mount of the Law, with its lightnings and thunderings, and its great earthquake. The rather fall down at the Cross, with its dying Son of God. Stay not at Sinai with its, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die”; but stay at Calvary, with its, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”
Thank God for the Mercy Seat where sins may be done away.
AN ILLUSTRATION
Thank God for His peace and plenty, “At a missionary meeting on the island of Raratonga, in the Pacific Ocean, an old man rose, and said, ‘I have lived during the reign of four kings. In the first we were continually at war, and a fearful season it was. During the reign of the second we were over-taker, with a severe famine, and then we ate rats and grass and wood. During the third we were conquered, and became the peck and prey of the two other settlements of the island. But during the reign of this third king we were visited by another King-a great King, a good King, a peaceful King, a King of love, Jesus, the Lord from Heaven. He has gained the victory. He has conquered our hearts; therefore we now have peace and plenty in this world, and hope soon to dwell with Him in Heaven.’ ‘These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also’ (Act 17:6).”
Joseph Gets to See Benjamin
All of their sacks were filled with grain along with their money. Having already been accused of being spies, they were horrified when one brother discovered their money was in the mouth of their sacks. When they arrived back home, the brothers told Jacob everything that had happened. He felt he had now lost Simeon as well as Joseph and would lose Benjamin if he returned with them to Egypt. He would not allow them to go back, perhaps thinking the famine would end before the fresh supply of grain had been exhausted.
When the grain had been eaten, Jacob told his sons to return to Egypt to buy more. Judah reminded his father there was no need to go without Benjamin since the grand vizier, Joseph, had said they would not see his face without bringing their younger brother. Judah pledged to bring Benjamin back safely to him. Jacob relented, sending Benjamin along with double money and a gift of the best fruits of the land ( Gen 42:25-38 ; Gen 43:1-14 ).
Joseph, upon seeing his brothers return with Benjamin, directed that they be taken to his house and an animal slaughtered for a feast. They fearfully approached the servant explaining they had found their money in their sacks. He told them their God had given them the money because he had received the purchase price. Then, he brought Simeon out to be with them.
When Joseph came, he asked concerning his father’s health. Then, he could barely contain himself when he saw Benjamin. He went to his quarters and wept. Joseph had each brother seated according to his age, which surprised them. Each brother was served, with Benjamin receiving five times as much as any other ( Gen 43:15-34 ).
Gen 43:14. If I be bereaved. The patriarch Jacob having at length consented to the second journey, discovered very great wisdom in the instructions he gave to his sons; nor were his piety and submission less in commending them to God, and suffering Benjamin to go.
Gen 43:23. Your God, and the God of your father. Josephs steward speaks in the character of an Egyptian, and conformably to the best theology of that ancient nation, the Egyptians having had the knowledge of the true God as taught by Noah. The Greek word was written in front of the temple of Minerva at Sas in Upper Egypt. Professor Michaelis of Gottingen says, They worshipped one supreme and first god, whom they call in Greek , the one. Iamblicus says of this deity, that before all things that existed, and before the first original beings, there is One God, , . He is prior to the first God, [meaning the Son] and to the king; he is immoveable, and continues in the solitude of his unity. They call him Adad, or rather Ahad; that is, one, as appears from Macrobius. Saturnalia, lib. 1. cap. 23; Euseb. Prp. lib. 10. cap. 38; the Achad of Isa 66:17. They believed further, that this god was quite incomprehensible, on which account they call him eternal darkness; in opposition to which St. Paul affirms, that he dwells in light unto which no man can approach. See on Isa 66:17.
Iamblicus adds, From this One, that God who is the original , kindled himself, . Wherefore he is called also his own father, and his own origin. A christian cannot assert the eternal divinity of the Son in stronger terms, for he is the original being, and the God of gods; One of one, before any thing existed; , and before the beginning of existence. For from him came the possibility of being, and being itself. Whence he is called also, the beginning of things imaginable, . The reader may be referred to a passage of Porphyry, which Cyril has preserved in his book against Julian. Of this god the Egyptians believed that he was the image of that God who only could be known in him. St. Paul, in Heb 1:3, and Col 1:15-16, exactly attributes to Christ, what the oriental philosophers taught concerning the Son of God. I had your money. Joseph was a devout man, and therefore upright in Pharaohs interests. He had paid the treasurer for the corn his brethren took, and did not dare to give away the property of his sovereign. And he brought out Simeon unto them, who appears to have had a lenient confinement.
Gen 43:30. He sought where to weep. Here was a conflict between his judgment and his feelings. He would gladly have discovered himself to them: but they being only just arrived, nothing was farther known concerning the reality of their repentance except the acknowledgment in the first journey, that their brothers blood was required. Therefore Joseph wisely persevered in seeking that test; and through the whole of life, he preferred piety to every other consideration.
Gen 43:32. An abomination. Because the Hebrews were shepherds who would eat bulls, which the Egyptians adored under the name of Apis. Critics do not give us any account of the origin of this idol. Herodotus narrates at large how Cambyses on being introduced with apparent reluctance on the part of the priests, found a bull richly decorated, and uttering many exclamations against the brutishness of the Egyptians, ran his sword into the bowels of the animal, and thus killed their god. Bullocks offered in sacrifice had been accepted with fire from heaven, Gen 15:2, and that might give rise both to this idolatry, and to the Persian custom of worshipping fire. Exo 8:26.Of the hatred of the Egyptians to shepherds we have two accounts, which are both probably true. Josephus, out of Manetho, says, that 200,000 Phnician shepherds had been driven out of Egypt by king Amasis, after they had oppressed the country with the most bloody cruelties for 259 years. The other account is from the same Manetho by Eusebius, Prp. lib. 10. cap. 13, who says that shepherds, whom he calls king-shepherds, had invaded Egypt from the Grecian shores, and describes the disaster in two columns. It is not improbable that both the Greeks, and the Phnician chieftains, were united in those cruel disasters.
Gen 43:34. Benjamins mess. Joseph sent this to mark his superior love to his own brother. So Elkanah gave Hannah a worthy portion of the sacrifice. 1Sa 1:5. Samuel also reserved the shoulder for Saul. 1Sa 9:24. But it is probable, that Benjamins mess contained five portions, to equalize him with the sons of Leah.
REFLECTIONS.
Josephs brethren, returning home, would have a multitude of thoughts respecting their eventful journey. The conduct of the chief ruler in Egypt must have appeared to them singularly wise and upright, though in some respects severe. Still more extraordinary must it have appeared that Simeon, who had conspired against the life of Joseph when he was sold into Egypt, should now be fixed upon as the hostage for their return. Very singular also that one brother should formerly have been sold into slavery, and another now detained with scarcely any hope of his deliverance; for their father Jacob they were sure would not suffer Benjamin to go. Ah, Simeons sins, they would say, have now found him out; and it will be our turn to suffer next, because we consented to the deed. Thus time was given for reflection, and for repentance to soften their hearts. Theirs was a chronic complaint, an obstinate case, which did not admit of immediate cure. Our case as sinners too much resembles theirs, and no wonder if we meet with similar treatment; yet if the Lord should speak roughly to us, as Joseph did to his brethren, it is that we may be humbled in his sight, and afterwards be exalted.
Let us cast our eyes on the new troubles and encreasing sorrows of good old Jacob, whose whole pilgrimage was chequered with distinguished blessings and with sore afflictions. Long since he had been bereaved of Joseph, now Simeon is detained in Egypt, and Benjamin is next demanded. The day was dark and portentous, and amidst his grief and sorrow he concluded that all these things were against him. In the course of a few months the supply of corn was all consumed; famine and death, the most terrific ministers of vengeance, once more threatened destruction to the house of Israel. But when the crisis arrived, the venerable patriarch, finding himself in the power of imperious circumstances, calmly submitted to be deprived of his children, and rested the issue with his fathers God. In like manner the Lord may require of the aged christian the surrender of all that is most dear to him; but let him be assured notwithstanding, that all these afflictions and vicissitudes are not making against him, but are working together for his present and eternal good.
From the character and conduct of Joseph we may see the propriety of moderating our resentments, of mixing mercy with judgment, of overcoming evil with good, and waiting the openings of providence to promote the best interests of the offender. Joseph, with equal kindness and magnanimity, returned the money of his brethren, as though they had never wronged him; and after all his seeming rigour his heart was full of relentings towards them. Let us do likewise; let us constantly cherish those benevolent affections which adorn religion, and are beneficial to society.
Genesis 37 – 50
On which we shall dwell more particularly. There is not in scripture a more perfect and beautiful type of Christ than Joseph. Whether we view Christ as the object of the Father’s love, the object of the envy of His own, – in His humiliation, sufferings, death exaltation, and glory, in all we have Him strikingly typified by Joseph.
In Gen. 37 we have Joseph’s dreams, the statement of which draws out the enmity of his brethren. He was the object of his father’s love, and the subject of very high destinies, and inasmuch as the hearts of his brothers were not in communion with these things, they hated him. They had no fellowship in the father’s love. They would not yield to the thought of Joseph’s exaltation. In all this they represent the Jews in Christ’s day. He came to His own and his own received him not.” He had “no form nor comeliness in their eyes.” They would neither own Him as the Son of God, nor king of Israel. Their eyes were not open to behold “his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of “grace and truth.” They would not have Him; yea, they hated Him.
Now, in Joseph’s case, we see that he, in no wise, relaxed his testimony in consequence of his brethren’s refusal of his first dream. “And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brethren;” and they hated him yet the more….And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brethren.” This was simple testimony founded upon divine revelation; but it was testimony which brought Joseph down to the pit. Had he kept back his testimony, or taken off ought of its edge and power, he might have spared himself; but no; he told them the truth, and therefore they hated him.
Thus was it with Joseph’s great Antitype. He bore witness to the truth – He witnessed a good confession He kept back nothing – He could only speak the truth because He was the truth, and His testimony to the truth was answered, on man’s part, by the cross, the vinegar, the soldier’s spear. The testimony of Christ, too, was connected with the deepest, fullest, richest grace. He not only came as “the truth,” but also as the perfect expression of all the love of the Father’s heart:” grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” He was the full disclosure to man of what God was. Hence man was left entirely without excuse. He came and showed God to man, and man hated God with a perfect hatred. The fullest exhibition of divine love was answered by the fullest exhibition of human hatred. This is seen in the cross; and we have it touchingly foreshadowed at the pit into which Joseph was cast by his brethren.
“And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh; come now, therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit; and we will say, some evil beast hath devoured him; and we shall see what will become of his dreams.” These words forcibly remind us of the parable in Matthew 22. “But, last of all, he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir, come let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.” God sent His Son into the world with this thought, “They will reverence my son;” but, alas! man’s heart had no reverence for the “well beloved” of the Father. They cast him out. Earth and heaven were at issue in reference to Christ; and they are at issue still. Man crucified Him; but God raised Him from the dead. Man placed Him on a cross between two thieves; God set Him at His own right hand in the heavens. Man gave Him the very lowest place on earth; God gave Him the very highest place in heaven, in brightest majesty.
ALL this is shown out in Joseph’s history. “Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well, whose branches run over the wall. The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him; but his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob, (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel;) even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breast and of the womb; the blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors, unto the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills; they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.” (Gen. 49: 22-26)
These verses beautifully exhibit to our view “the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.” “The archers” have done their work; but God was stronger than they. The true Joseph has been shot at and grievously wounded in the house of his friends; but “the arms of his hands have been made strong” in the power of resurrection, and faith now knows Him as the basis of all God’s purposes of blessing and glory in reference to the Church, Israel, and the whole creation. When we look at Joseph in the pit, and in the prison, and look; at him afterwards as ruler over all the land of Egypt, we see the difference between the thoughts of God and the. thoughts of men; and so when we look at the cross, and at “the throne of the majesty in the heavens,” we see the same thing.
Nothing ever brought out the real state of man’s heart toward God but the coming of Christ. “If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin.” (John 15: 22) It is not that they would not have been sinners. No; but “they had not had sin.” So He says, in another place, “If ye were blind, ye should have no sin.” (John 9: 41) God came near to man in the Person of His Son, and man was able to say, “this is the heir;” but yet he said, “come, let us kill him.” Hence, “they have no cloak for their sin.” Those who say they see, have no excuse. confessed blindness is not at all the difficulty, but professed sight. This is a truly solemn principle for a professing age like the present. The permanence of sin is connected with the mere profession to see. A man who is blind, and knows it, can have his eyes opened; but what can be done for one who thinks he sees, when he really does not?
Genesis 43. The Brothers Return to Egypt with Benjamin.It is generally held that this chapter is from J except for the references to Simeon in Gen 43:14 and Gen 43:23 b. According to J, Simeon seems to have played no special part, and there is not the same urgency for return as in E; the discussion as to Benjamin is postponed till the corn is spent. Gen 42:38 perhaps originally stood after Gen 43:2. In the conversation Judah takes the part taken by Reuben in E (as in the discussion as to the killing of Joseph), and we learn that Joseph had ascertained Benjamins existence by inquiry. Arrived in Egypt, they are taken into Josephs house for dinner, since they have brought Benjamin and cleared their characters. But they suspect that Joseph intends to accuse them of theft and seize them for slaves. They put themselves right with the steward, who bids them be at peace. On Josephs return for dinner, they prostrate themselves once more, and give him the present sent by Jacob. The sight of Benjamin over powers him, and he retires to weep. Mastering his emotion he returns to them. Joseph eats by himself, the Egyptians and the brothers also in separate groups, since the Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews without violating their religious scruples (Gen 46:34). To their astonishment, the brothers were seated according to their age. How, they would ask, could the governor arrange it so accurately? And while all were honoured with tit-bits from his table, Benjamins portion was five times as much as any of theirs.
Gen 43:14. El Shaddai (mg.) occurs nowhere else in JE. It is characteristic of P, and is probably due to the redactor here.
THE BROTHERS RETURN TO EGYPT
The famine continued until Jacob and his family had eaten up all the provision they had gotten from Egypt. Then Jacob urged his sons to go again and bring more food from Egypt (v.2).
This time Judah (the one who had taken the lead in selling Joseph) protest to his father that the governor of Egypt had absolutely decreed that if they returned without Benjamin they would be refused. Therefore he said they would not go unless they could take Benjamin. He offered to be surety for Benjamin (v.9), saying that if he did not bring Benjamin safely back again he (Judah) would bear the blame forever. He adds also that if they had delayed so long they could have made the second journey and returned by this time.
All of this does not allay Jacob’s apprehensions, but the pressure of hard circumstances finally decided him to allow Benjamin to go. Yet he wanted to do all he could to dispose the governor of Egypt favorably toward his sons. He would send a present to him of balm, honey, spices, myrrh, nuts and almonds (v.11). These things would not be so quickly affected by the famine as would the grain crops, yet it would no doubt demand some sacrifice to send these. Besides this Jacob instructs his sons to both take back the money that was returned in their sacks and to add to this double the amount of money that was required for the food they wanted to buy (v.12). In sending Benjamin also, he invokes the name of God Almighty, desiring His compassion in the sight of Egypt’s governor, that Simeon might be released and Benjamin also be returned safely. As to himself, Jacob bows to the possibility of his being bereaved of Benjamin also (v.14).
The brothers then go down the second time to Egypt and were brought before Joseph. Before Joseph even speaks to them, seeing that Benjamin was with them, he orders his house steward to bring all those men into his own house, and have an animal killed to provide food for them, for they were to dine with Joseph at noon (v.16). Not only did they see Joseph’s face, but were made his favored guests. But this only awakened their fear and suspicion. Grace does this in those who want matters on legal bases. They were afraid that Joseph was showing such kindness with the motive of finding a pretext for which to steal all they had. How little they knew Joseph’s heart! Many there are also who remain unsaved only because they are suspicious of God’s grace in Christ Jesus.
Before eating in Joseph’s house, the brothers speak to the steward, telling him of their coming the first time and on departing some distance had found in their sacks the money they had brought to buy food. Not knowing how the money had been put there, they tell him they have brought it back, together with money to buy further provisions (vs.20-22).
The steward responded kindly to them to set them at rest about this matter. “Peace be to you.” he says, “fear not.” They ought only to thank their God, the God of their father, for the money, for he tells them, “I had your money.” This was true: he had it, but had restored it, though he does not tell them this. Then he brought Simeon out to them.
Every kindness was shown them for their comfort, even to the feeding of their donkeys. Hearing that Joseph was to eat with them, they prepare to give him the present they had brought. When he came in they gave it to him, bowing themselves before him to the ground (v.26).
Of course Joseph was vitally interested in knowing about their father: was he still alive? Yes, they tell him, their father was both alive and in good health. Typically this tells us that in the tribulation period the Jewish remnant will have their thoughts exercised as to their relationship to the living God. Men may say that God is dead, but is only because they themselves are dead toward God. This has been true for years in communist countries, but now many are awakened to have to deal with a living God. Again the brothers bowed their heads in homage to Joseph, not realizing he was the brother whom they had rejected. The living Son of God will be dealing with Israel during their tribulation, though they will not realize that is the same One whom they rejected who is exercising their souls.
But Bemjamin, the younger son of Rachel is of vital interest to Joseph too, far more so than the brothers could guess (v.29). We have seen that he is a type of Christ the Messiah of Israel reigning in power and glory. Israel must learn to connect a reigning Messiah with a suffering Messiah, as they have never done before. Of course both are one and the same person, the blessed Lord Jesus, but it takes more than one man to form any adequate picture of that which is perfectly seen in Christ. Joseph asks, “Is this your youngest brother of whom you spoke to me?” To Benjamin he said, “My God be gracious to you, my son.”
But the sight of his brother moved him with such a surge of emotion that he had to immediately leave them and go to his bedroom to weep (v.30). We can well understand this, for he had not seen Benjamin for well over 20 years. After weeping he returned to his normal self-control, washed his face and came out to eat with his brothers.
Yet even in the house there was a division carefully maintained between them. Joseph ate by himself, the Egyptian servants by themselves, and Joseph’s brothers by themselves (v.32). Here is a reminder that the Lord Jesus is alone in authority over all, while Israel and Gentiles are distinct companies. This will be true in the millennium. The church of God stands in great contrast to this, for all believers (Jewish and Gentile) are fully united in one body: there is no division between them; and Christ is in their midst as Head, not only as Lord. The Egyptians considered it loathsome to eat with Hebrews. Later, Peter said it was unlawful for a Jew to have company with Gentiles (Act 10:28). Peter had to learn then that God had intervened in marvelous grace, to make all believers in this present dispensation of time members of one body, whether Jews or Gentiles. This unity stands therefore in wonderful contrast to the divisions in the Old Testament between Jew and Gentile, and also in contrast to the distinct companies of Jews and Gentiles in the millennial earth.
The brothers were astonished when they found they were seated in order of their ages (v.33). Israel will be astonished when they find that the Lord Jesus knows them as well as they know themselves — in fact better than they know themselves.
But as they were served, Benjamin was given five times as much as any of the others. One wonders if he did not have difficulty eating it! However, in this the brothers were taught that a younger brother was given greater recognition than those older. They had before rejected a younger brother, and both younger brothers (Joseph and Benjamin) are types of the Lord Jesus in distinct ways, as we have seen. This was the first time all the sons of Jacob had eaten together for well over twenty years, yet only Joseph realized this! The special favor Joseph showed to Benjamin was intended to emphasize to the brothers that God, for from despising a younger brother, gives him a place of honor. Too often the older look down on one younger, but according to natural birth, the Lord Jesus was a younger brother in Israel, and the pride of the older must be brought down.
43:1 And the {a} famine [was] sore in the land.
(a) This was a great temptation to Jacob to suffer such a great famine in the land where God had promised to bless him.
Judah evidently took the lead and spoke for his brothers because Jacob had already refused Reuben (Gen 42:37-38), Simeon was in Egypt, and Levi had previously forfeited his father’s confidence (ch. 34). As Reuben had done (Gen 42:37), Judah offered to bear responsibility in Jacob’s place, but in contrast to Reuben, Judah took personal responsibility for Benjamin’s safety (Gen 43:9). From this point on, Judah becomes the leader of Jacob’s sons (cf. Gen 49:8-10; Mat 1:2; Mat 1:17; Luk 3:23; Luk 3:33).
Facing a crisis like his meeting with Esau (chs. 32-33), Jacob again prepared a lavish present to appease "the man," Joseph (cf. Pro 18:16).
"Jacob has no guarantee El Shaddai will do anything. His if I am to be bereaved, bereaved I shall be is the same construction as Esther’s ’if I perish, I perish’ (Est 4:16) . . ." [Note: Hamilton, The Book . . . Chapters 18-50, p. 545. See also S. B. Berg, The Book of Esther: Motifs, Themes, and Structure, pp. 123-42, for linguistic and thematic parallels between the Esther story and the Joseph story.]
Compare also Rebekah’s complaint when she thought she might lose both Jacob and Esau (Gen 27:45).
"The ’and Benjamin’ [Gen 43:15] hangs like the resigned sigh of a father trapped between the need to live and the possibility of a life made utterly empty through another loss." [Note: W. L. Humphreys, Joseph and His Family: A Literary Study, p. 45.]
VISITS OF JOSEPHS BRETHREN
Gen 42:1-38; Gen 43:1-34; Gen 44:1-34
“Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good.”- Gen 50:19-20.
THE purpose of God to bring Israel into Egypt was accomplished by the unconscious agency of Josephs natural affection for his kindred. Tenderness towards home is usually increased by residence in a foreign land; for absence, like a little death, sheds a halo round those separated from us. But Joseph could not as yet either revisit his old home or invite his fathers family into Egypt. Even, indeed, when his brothers first appeared before him, he seems to have had no immediate intention of inviting them as a family to settle in the country of his adoption, or even to visit it. If he had cherished any such purpose or desire he might have sent down wagons at once, as he at last did, to bring his fathers household out of Canaan. Why, then, did he proceed so cautiously? Whence this mystery, and disguise, and circuitous compassing of his end? What intervened between the first and last visit of his brethren to make it seem advisable to disclose himself and invite them? Manifestly there had intervened enough to give Joseph insight into the state of mind his brethren were in, enough to satisfy him they were not the men they had been, and that it was safe to ask them and would be pleasant to have them with him in Egypt. Fully alive to the elements of disorder and violence that once existed among them, and having had no opportunity of ascertaining whether they were now altered, there was no course open but that which he adopted of endeavouring in some unobserved way to discover whether twenty years had wrought any change in them.
For effecting this object he fell on the expedient of imprisoning them, on pretence of their being spies. This served the double purpose of detaining them until he should have made up his mind as to the best means of dealing with them, and of securing their retention under his eye until some display of character might sufficiently certify him of their state of mind. Possibly he adopted this expedient also because it was likely deeply to move them, so that they might be expected to exhibit not such superficial feelings as might have been elicited had he set them down to a banquet and entered into conversation with them over their wine, but such as men are surprised to find in themselves, and know nothing of in their lighter hours. Joseph was, of course, well aware that in the analysis of character the most potent elements are only brought into clear view when the test of severe trouble is applied, and when men are thrown out of all conventional modes of thinking and speaking.
The display of character which Joseph awaited he speedily obtained. For so new an experience to these free dwellers in tents as imprisonment under grim Egyptian guards worked wonders in them. Men who have experienced such treatment aver that nothing more effectually tames and breaks the spirit: it is not the being confined for a definite time with the certainty of release in the end, but the being shut up at the caprice of another on a false and absurd accusation; the being cooped up at the will of a stranger in a foreign country, uncertain and hopeless of release. To Josephs brethren so sudden and great a calamity seemed explicable only on the theory that it was retribution for the great crime of their life. The uneasy feeling which each of them had hidden in his own conscience, and which the lapse of twenty years had not materially alleviated, finds expression: “And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.” The similarity of their position to that in which they had placed their brother stimulates and assists their conscience. Joseph, in the anguish of his soul, had protested his innocence, but they had not listened; and now their own protestations are treated as idle wind by this Egyptian. Their own feelings, representing to them what they had caused Joseph to suffer, stir a keener sense of their guilt than they seem ever before to have reached. Under this new light they see their sin more clearly, and are humbled by the distress into which it has brought them.
When Joseph sees this, his heart warms to them. He may not yet be quite sure of them. A prison-repentance is perhaps scarcely to be trusted. He sees they would for the moment deal differently with him had they the opportunity, and would welcome no one more heartily than himself, whose coming among them had once so exasperated them. Himself keen in his affections, he is deeply moved, and his eyes fill with tears as he witnesses their emotion and grief on his account. Fain would he relieve them from their remorse and apprehension-why, then, does he forbear? Why does he not at this juncture disclose himself? It has been satisfactorily proved that his brethren counted their sale of him the great crime of their life. Their imprisonment has elicited evidence that that crime had taken in their conscience the capital place, the place which a man finds some one sin or series of sins will take, to follow him with its appropriate curse, and hang over his future like a cloud-a sin of which he thinks when any strange thing happens to him, and to which he traces all disaster-a sin so iniquitous that it seems capable of producing any results however grievous, and to which he has so given himself that his life seems to be concentrated there, and he cannot but connect with it all the greater ills that happen to him. Was not this, then, security enough that they would never again perpetrate a crime of like atrocity? Every man who has almost at all observed the history of sin in himself, will say that most certainly it was quite insufficient security against their ever again doing the like. Evidence that a man is conscious of his sin, and, while suffering from its consequences, feels deeply its guilt, is not evidence that his character is altered.
And because we believe men so much more readily than God, and think that they do not require, for forms sake, such needless pledges of a changed character as God seems to demand, it is worth observing that Joseph, moved as he was even to tears, felt that common prudence. forbade him to commit himself to his brethren without further evidence of their disposition. They had distinctly acknowledged their guilt, and in his hearing had admitted that the great calamity that had befallen them was no more than they deserved; yet Joseph, judging merely as an intelligent man who had worldly interests depending on his judgment, could not discern enough here to justify him in supposing that his brethren were changed men. And it might sometimes serve to expose the insufficiency of our repentance were clear-seeing men the judges of it, and did they express their opinion of its trustworthiness. We may think that God is needlessly exacting when He requires evidence not only of a changed mind about past sin, but also of such a mind being now in us as will preserve us from future sin; but the truth is, that no man whose common worldly interests were at stake would commit himself to us on any less evidence. God, then, meaning to bring the house of Israel into Egypt in order to make progress in the Divine education He was giving to them, could not introduce them into that land in a state of mind which would negative all the discipline they were there to receive.
These men then had to give evidence that they not only saw, and in some sense repented of, their sin, but also that they had got rid of the evil passion which had led to it. This is what God means by repentance. Our sins are in general not so microscopic that it requires very keen spiritual discernment to perceive them. But to be quite aware of our sin, and to acknowledge it, is not to repent of it. Everything falls short of thorough repentance which does not prevent us from committing the sin anew. We do not so much desire to be accurately informed about our past sins, and to get right views of our past selves; we wish to be no longer sinners, we wish to pass through some process by which we may be separated from that in us which has led us into sin. Such a process there is, for these men passed through it.
The test which revealed the thoroughness of his brothers repentance was unintentionally applied by Joseph. When he hid his cup in Benjamins sack, all that he intended was to furnish a pretext for detaining Benjamin, and so gratifying his own affection. But, to his astonishment, his trick effected far more than he intended; for the brothers, recognising now their brotherhood, circled round Benjamin, and, to a man, resolved to go back with him to Egypt. We cannot argue from this that Joseph had misapprehended the state of mind in which his brothers were, and in his judgment of them had been either too timorous or too severe; nor need we suppose that he was hampered by his relations to Pharaoh, and therefore unwilling to connect himself too closely with men of whom he might be safer to be rid; because it was this very peril of Benjamins that matured their brotherly affection. They themselves could not have anticipated that they would make such a sacrifice for Benjamin. But throughout their dealings with this mysterious Egyptian, they felt themselves under a spell, and were being gradually, though perhaps unconsciously, softened, and in order to complete the change passing upon them, they but required some such incident as this of Benjamins arrest. This incident seemed by some strange fatality to threaten them with a renewed perpetration of the very crime they had committed against Rachels other son. It threatened to force them to become again the instrument of bereaving their father of his darling child, and bring about that very calamity which they had pledged themselves should never happen. It was an incident, therefore, which, more than any other, was likely to call out their family love.
The scene lives in every ones memory. They were going gladly back to their own country with corn enough for their children, proud of their entertainment by the lord of Egypt; anticipating their fathers exultation when he heard how generously they had been treated and when he saw Benjamin safely restored, feeling that in bringing him back they almost compensated for having bereaved him of Joseph. Simeon is revelling in the free air that blew from Canaan and brought with it the scents of his native land, and breaks into the old songs that the strait confinement of his prison had so long silenced-all of them together rejoicing in a scarcely hoped-for success; when suddenly, ere the first elation is spent, they are startled to see the hasty approach of the Egyptian messenger, and to hear the stern summons that brought them to a halt, and boded all ill. The few words of the just Egyptian, and his calm, explicit judgment, “Ye have done evil in so doing,” pierce them like a keen blade-that they should be suspected of robbing one who had dealt so generously with them; that all Israel should be put to shame in the sight of the stranger! But they begin to feel relief as one brother after another steps forward with the boldness of innocence; and as sack after sack is emptied, shaken, and flung aside, they already eye the steward with the bright air of triumph; when, as the very last sack is emptied, and as all breathlessly stand round, amid the quick rustle of the corn, the sharp rattle of metal strikes on their ear, and the gleam of silver dazzles their eyes as the cup rolls out in the sunshine. This, then, is the brother of whom their father was so careful that he dared not suffer him out of his sight! This is the precious youth whose life was of more value than the lives of all the brethren, and to keep whom a few months longer in his fathers sight Simeon had been left to rot in a dungeon! This is how he repays the anxiety of the family and their love, and this is how he repays the extraordinary favour of Joseph! By one rash childish act had this fondled youth, to all appearance, brought upon the house of Israel irretrievable disgrace, if not complete extinction. Had these men been of their old temper, their knives had very speedily proved that their contempt for the deed was as great as the Egyptians; by violence towards Benjamin they might have cleared themselves of all suspicion of complicity; or, at the best, they might-have considered themselves to be acting in a fair and even lenient manner if they had surrendered the culprit to the steward, and once again carried back to their father a tale of blood. But they were under the spell of their old sin. In all disaster, however innocent they now were, they saw the retribution of their old iniquity; they seem scarcely to consider whether Benjamin was innocent or guilty, but as humbled, God-smitten men, “they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city.”
Thus Joseph in seeking to gain one brother found eleven-for now there could be no doubt that they were very different men from those. brethren who had so heartlessly sold into slavery their fathers favourite-men now with really brotherly feelings, by penitence and regard for their father so wrought together into one family, that this calamity, intended to fall only on one of their number, did in falling on him fall on them all. So far from wishing now to rid themselves of Rachels son and their fathers favourite, who had been put by their father in so prominent a place in his affection, they will not even give him up to suffer what seemed the just punishment of his theft, do not even reproach him with having brought them all into disgrace and difficulty, but, as humbled men who knew they had greater sins of their own to answer for, went quietly back to Egypt, determined to see their younger brother through his misfortune or to share his bondage with him. Had these men not been thoroughly changed, thoroughly convinced that at all costs upright dealing and brotherly love should continue; had they not possessed that first and last of Christian virtues, love to their brother, then nothing could so certainly have revealed their want of it as this apparent theft of Benjamins. It seemed in itself a very likely thing that a lad accustomed to plain modes of life, and whose character it was to “ravin as a wolf,” should, when suddenly introduced to the gorgeous Egyptian banqueting-house with all its sumptuous furnishings, have coveted some choice specimen of Egyptian art, to carry home to his father as proof that he could not only bring himself back in safety, but scorned to come back from any expedition empty-handed. It was not unlikely either that, with his mothers own superstition, he might have conceived the bold design of robbing this Egyptian, so mysterious and so powerful, according to his brothers account, and of breaking that spell which he had thrown over them: he may thus have. conceived the idea of achieving for himself a reputation in the family, and of once for all redeeming himself from the somewhat undignified, and to one of his spirit somewhat uncongenial, position of the youngest of a family. If, as is possible, he had let any such idea ooze out in talking with his brethren as they went down to Egypt, and only abandoned it on their indignant and urgent remonstrance, then when the cup, Josephs chief treasure according to his own account, was discovered in Benjamins sack, the case must have looked sadly against him even in the eyes of his brethren. No protestations of innocence in a particular instance avail much when the character and general habits of the accused point to guilt. It is quite possible, therefore, that the brethren, though willing to believe Benjamin, were yet not so thoroughly convinced of his innocence as they would have desired. The fact that they themselves had found their money returned in their sacks, made for Benjamin; yet in most cases, especially where circumstances corroborate it, an accusation even against the innocent takes immediate hold and cannot be summarily and at once got rid of.
Thus was proof given that the house of Israel was now in truth one family. The men who, on very slight instigation, had without compunction sold Joseph to a life of slavery, cannot now find it in their heart to abandon a brother who, to all appearance, was worthy of no better life than that of a slave, and who had brought them all into disgrace and danger. Judah had no doubt pledged himself to bring the lad back without scathe to his father, but he had done so without contemplating the possibility of Benjamin becoming amenable to Egyptian law. And no one can read the speech of Judah-one of the most pathetic on record-in which he replies to Josephs judgment that Benjamin alone should remain in Egypt, without perceiving that he speaks not as one who merely seeks to redeem a pledge, but as a good son and a good brother. He speaks, too, as the mouth-piece of the rest, and as he had taken the lead in Josephs sale, so he does not shrink from standing forward and accepting the heavy responsibility which may now light upon the man who represents these brethren. His former faults are redeemed by the courage, one may say heroism, he now shows. And as he spoke, so the rest felt. They could not bring themselves to inflict a new sorrow on their aged father; neither could they bear to leave their young brother in the hands of strangers. The passions which had alienated them from one another, and had threatened to break up the family, are subdued. There is now discernible a common feeling that binds them together, and a common object for which they willingly sacrifice themselves. They are, therefore, now prepared to pass into that higher school to which God called them in Egypt. It mattered little what strong and equitable laws they found in the land of their adoption, if they had no taste for upright living; it mattered little what thorough national organisation they would be brought into contact with in Egypt, if in point of fact they owned no common brotherhood, and were willing rather to live as units and every man for himself than for any common interest. But now they were prepared, open to teaching, and docile.
To complete our apprehension of the state of mind into which the brethren were brought by Josephs treatment of them, we must take into account the assurance he gave them, when he made himself known to them, that it was not they but God who had sent him into Egypt. and that God had done this for the purpose of preserving the whole house of Israel. At first sight this might seem to be an injudicious speech, calculated to make the brethren think lightly of their guilt, and to remove the just impressions they now entertained of the unbrotherliness of their conduct to Joseph. And it might have been an injudicious speech to impenitent men; but no further view of sin can lighten its heinousness to a really penitent sinner. Prove to him that his sin has become the means of untold good, and you only humble him the more, and more deeply convince him that while he was recklessly gratifying himself and sacrificing others for his own pleasure, God has been mindful of others, and, pardoning him, has blessed them. God does not need our sins to work out His good intentions, but we give Him little other material; and the discovery that through our evil purposes and injurious deeds God has worked out His beneficent will, is certainly not calculated to make us think more lightly of our sin or more highly of ourselves.
Joseph in thus addressing his brethren did, in fact, but add to their feelings the tenderness that is in all religious conviction, and that springs out of the consciousness that in all our sin there has been with us a holy and loving Father, mindful of His children. This is the final stage of penitence. The knowledge that God has prevented our sin from doing the harm it might have done does relieve the bitterness and despair with which we view our life, but at the same time it strengthens the most effectual bulwark between us and sin-love to a holy, over-ruling God. This, therefore, may always be safely said to penitents: Out of your worst sin God can bring good to yourself or to others, and good of an apparently necessary kind; but good of a permanent kind can result from your sin only when you have truly repented of it, and sincerely wish you had never done it. Once this repentance is really wrought in you, then, though your life can never be the same as it might have been had you not sinned, it may be, in some respects, a more richly developed life, a life fuller of humility and love. You can never have what you sold for your sin; but the poverty your sin has brought may excite within you thoughts and energies more valuable than what you have lost, as these men lost a brother but found a Saviour. The wickedness that has often made you bow your head and mourn in secret, and which is in itself unutterable shame and loss, may, in Gods hand, become food against the day of famine. You cannot ever have the enjoyments which are possible only to those whose conscience is laden with no evil remembrances, and whose nature, uncontracted and unwithered by familiarity with sin, can give itself to enjoyment with the abandonment and fearlessness reserved for the innocent. No more at all will you have that fineness of feeling which only ignorance of evil can preserve; no more that high and great conscientiousness which, once broken, is never repaired; no more that respect from other men which for ever and instinctively departs from those who have lost self-respect. But you may have a more intelligent sympathy with other men and a keener pity for them; the experience you have gathered too late to save yourself may put it in your power to be of essential service to others. You cannot win your way back to the happy, useful, evenly-developed life of the comparatively innocent, but the life of the true-hearted penitent, is yet open to yon. Every beat of your heart now may be as if it throbbed against a poisoned dagger, every duty may shame you, every day bring weariness and new humiliation, but let no pain or discouragement avail to defraud you of the good fruits of true reconciliation to God and submission to His lifelong discipline. See that you lose not both lives, the life of the comparatively innocent and the life of the truly penitent.
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary
For lifes new goal he starts.
(See the close of the dipus Coloneus.) Delitzsch: Thus Jacobs spirit lives again.And Israel said.It is Israel now that speaks. How significant this change of name.
1. The pressure of want, and its power in the hand of providence: 1) How inexorable in its demands. Jacob is to deliver up Benjamin. 2) How full of grace in its designs. By it alone can Jacobs house be delivered from the burden of deadly guilt.
7. Their negotiation with the steward, or the delusions of fear. They are innocent (respecting the money), and yet guilty (in respect to their old crime). Having once murdered confidence, there lies upon them the penalty of mistrust, compelling them to regard even Josephs house as a place of treachery. They could have no trust whilst remaining unreconciled.
8. The steward. Josephs spirit had been imparted to his subordinates.
9. Good fortune abounding (the money given to them; Simeon set free; the honorable reception; the banquet; the messes); and yet they had no peace, because the pure foundation for it was not yet laid.
10. Josephs deep emotion, a sign of reconciliation.
11. The banquet, and Egyptian division of castes. (The distinction of caste is here recognized as custom interpenetrated by dogma, and this gives the method of the struggle. Joseph sends messes from his table. The true tendency of the caste doctrine is to absorb everything into that of the priesthood.) Egyptian forms (honorary dishes; the number five). An Israelitish meal. As the banquet of Josephs joy, of his hope, of his trying watch. As the feast of reviving hope in Josephs brethren; their participation without envy in the honoring of Benjamin. As an introduction to the last trial, and a preparation for it.
12. The successful issue in the fearful proving of Israels sons.
4. It is an especial New-Testament trait in Josephs mode of thinking, that he so fully recognizes how the sin of his brethren, after having been atoned for, is entirely taken away; the divine providence having turned it to good. This truth, which he so promptly read in his mission, many Christians, and even many theologians, are yet spelling out in the letter. Joseph, however, recognizes, as the central point of the divine guidance, his mission to save Israels house from starvation, and to preserve it for a great deliverance. In this thought there lies enclosed the anticipation of a future and an endless salvation. For this end the treachery of the brethren is first turned away, as guilt expiated, and then, under the divine guidance, turned to good. Thus Josephs mission becomes a type of the cross of Christ; though the expiating points, which are found separated in Josephs history, are wholly concentrated in the person of Jesus. Here they appear in divers persons: It is Reuben the admonisher, Benjamin the innocent, Judah the surety, Joseph the betrayed and the forgiving, Jacob the father of a family pressed down by the guilt of his house.
6. Benjamin, by the way, became in after times, a wild and haughty tribe, then deeply humbled (in the days of the Judges), then Judahs rival, in the opposition of Saul and David, then Judahs faithful confederate and protege; in the New-Testament time, Paul again, its great descendant, connects himself in faithful devotion, with the lion of the tribe of Judah.
2. Delitzsch: In Josephs history the sacred record maintains all its greatness; here, in this scene of recognition, it celebrates one of its triumphs. It is all nature, all spirit, all art. These three here become one; each word is bathed in tears of sympathy, in the blood of love, in the wine of happiness. The foil, however, of this history, so beautiful in itself, is the , the glory, of Jesus Christ, which, in all directions, pours its heavenly light upon it. For as Judah (?) delivered up Joseph, so the Jewish people delivered Jesus into the hands of the heathen, and so, also, does the antitypal history of this betrayal lose itself in an adorable depth of wisdom and divine knowledge. The same: This Jacob, over whom comes again the spirit of his youth, is Israel. It is the name of the twelve-tribed people, whose migration to Egypt, and new-birth out of it, is decided by the , I will go, of the hoary patriarch.
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Expositor’s Dictionary of Text by Robertson
Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Fuente: Through the Bible Commentary
Fuente: An Exposition on the Whole Bible
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
Fuente: The Sermon Bible
Fuente: Gaebelein’s Annotated Bible (Commentary)
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Neighbour’s Wells of Living Water
Fuente: Gary Hampton Commentary on Selected Books
Fuente: Sutcliffe’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Mackintosh’s Notes on the Pentateuch
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
Fuente: Grant’s Commentary on the Bible
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Expositors Bible Commentary