Annotations on the Pentateuch, Psalms, Song of Songs, Biblical commentary 1 · Chapter 42
CHAP. XLII.
1, Iakob sendeth his ten sonnes to buy corne in Egypt. 6, They are imprisoned by Ioseph for spies▪ 18, They are set at liberty, on condition to bring Benjamin. 21, They have remorse for the injurie they had done to Ioseph. 24, Symeon is kept bound for a pledge. 25, They returne home with corne and their money. 29, They relate unto Iakob the hard things befallen them. 36, Iakob refuseth to send Benjamin, though Ruben would ingage his two sons for him.
ANd Iakob saw; that there was corne-tosell in Egypt: and Iakob sayd unto his sons; why looke yee one-upon▪ another? And he said, Behold I have heard; that there is corne-to-sell, in Egypt: go-ye-down thither, and buy▪ corn for us from thence; that we may live, and not die. And Iosephs ten brethren went-downe; to buy corne, in Egypt. But Benjamin, Iosephs brother; Iakob sent not with his brethren: for he said, lest mischiefe befall him. And the sons of Israel came; to buy corn, among those that came: for the famine was, in the land of Canaan. And Ioseph, he was the ruler over the land; he it was that sold corne to all the people of the land: and Iosephs brethren came, and bowed downe-themselves unto him, with their faces to the earth. And Ioseph saw his brethren, and knew them: and hee madehimselfe-strange unto them, and spake with them hard words; & said unto them, whence come ye? And they said, from the land of Canaan, to buy food. And Ioseph, knew his brethren: but they, knew not him. And Ioseph remembred, the dreams, which hee had dreamed of them: and hee said unto them, ye are spies; to see the nakednes of the land, you are come. And they said unto him, Nay my lord: but thy servants are come, to buy food. We all of us, are sons of one man: we are true-men; thy servants, are not spies. And he said, unto them: Nay, but yee are come to see, the nakednesse of the land. And they said; We thy servants, were twelve brethren, the sons of one man, in the land of Canaan: and behold, the yongest, is with our father this day; and one, is not. And Ioseph said, unto them; That is it, that I spake unto you, saying, ye are spies. By this, ye shall be proved: as Pharaoh liveth, if ye go-forth from hence; except, when your yongest brother come, hither. Send one of you, and let him …etch your brother: and you, be ye in bonds; that your words may be proved, whether truth be in you: and if not, as Pharaoh liveth surely ye are spies. And he put them all together, into ward, three dayes. And Ioseph said unto them, in the third day; This do, and live: I, feare God. If yee be true▪ men; let one of your brethren, be bound in the house of your ward: and goe you, bring ye corne, for the famine of your houses. And bring your yongest brother, unto mee; and your words shall be verified, and ye shall not dye: and they did so. And they said, each-man unto his brother; Verily, we are guilty, concerning our brother: in that we saw the distresse of his soule, when he besought us-forgrace, & we heard him not: therfore, this distresse; is come upon us. And Reuben answered them, saying; did not I say vntounto you, saying, do not sin against the child, and ye heard not? & his blood also, behold it is required. And they, knew not; that Ioseph heard: for an interpreter was betweene them. And he turned about from them and wept: and hee returned unto them, and spake unto them; & tooke from them Sime on; and bound him, before their eies. And Ioseph commanded, that they should fill their vessels with corne; and to restore, every mans money into his sack; & to give them, provision, for the way: and thus, did he unto them. And they tooke up their corne, upon their asses: and went, from thence. And one opened his sacke to give provender, to his asse, in the Inne: and he saw his money, and behold it was, in his bags mouth. And he said unto his brethren, my money is restored; and also, behold it is in my bag: and their heart went-forth; and they trēbled, ech-man to his brother, saying; what is this, that God hath done, unto us? And they came, unto Iakob their father, unto the land of Canaan: and told him, all that befell them, saying. The man, the lord of the land, spake with us, hard-words: & took us, as spies of the land. And we said unto him, we are true men: we are not spies. We were 12. brethren, sons of our father: one is not, & the yongest is this day, with our father, in the land of Canaan. And the man, the lord of the land said unto us; By this shall I know, that ye, are true men: leave one of your brethrē, wth me; and take for the famine of your houses; & go. And bring your yongest brother, unto me; and I shall know, that yee are not spies; but that yee are true men: I wil give you, your brother; and yee shall trafficke, in the land. And it was, they emptying their sacks; that behold, every mans bundle of money, was in his sacke: and they saw the bundles of their money, they and their father, and they feared. And Iakob their father, sayd unto them; Me, have ye bereaved-of children … Ioseph is not, and Simeon is not; and Benjamin ye will take away; all these things, are against me. And Reuben sayd unto his father, saying; Slay, my two sonnes; if I bring him not, unto thee: give him, into my hand; & I, will bring him againe unto thee. And he sayd, my son shall not goe down, with you: for his brother is dead, and he, is left himselfe alone; and mischiefe shall befall him, by the way, in the which ye goe; and ye shall bring-downe my gray-hayres, with sorrow, unto hell.
Annotations.
COrne-to-sell] or sale of corne: so the Hebrew Sheber, (which is breaking,) is here translated in Greeke, the selling of wheat: the Chaldee also so expresseth it. See Gen. 41 56. Iakob saw, that is, understood this, by the report of others; he heard it, vers. 2. So the people saw the voyces, Exod. 18. 20. one on another] or, on your selves: as negligent, or as men helplesse, none knowing what to doe. The Greeke translateth, why are ye slothfull: By the famine that came over all Egypt and Canaan, there was great affliction, that our fathers found no sustenance: Act. 7. 11. In Abrams dayes, Canaan was vexed with famine, Gen. 12. 10. againe in Isaaks time, Gen. 26. 1. and now in Iakobs. So God exercised the faith and patience of the Saints, in the common calamities of the world. The like was in Act. 11. 28.
Vers. 4. lest mischiefe] understand, I must take heed lest, &c. see Gen. 3. 22. For mischiefe, the Chaldee putteth death: the word implyeth it, and lesser evill also, as appeareth by Exod. 21. 22. 23. 24. The Greeke calleth it, sicknesse.
Vers. 6. the ruler] he that had authority and power, in his hand; as the originall word signifieth, Eccles. 8. 8. 4. and David confirmeth, Psal. 105. 22. Of the Hebrew Shallet, and Shilton, is made in Arabike the name Sultan, a title whereby the chiefe rulers of Egypt and Babylon are still called. bowed downe] so fulfilling the Oracle, in Gen. 37. 7. 8.
Vers. 7. made himselfe strange] in Greeke, he was allenated from them. The Chaldee expounds it, hee bethought him what hee should speake with them. with them] or, unto them: for the scripture useth these phrases indifferently, as speake not with us in the Iewes language, 2 Kings 18. 26. or speake not unto us, Esay 36. 11. and, spake with him, 2 Chron. 10. 10. or, spake unto him, 1 King. 12. 10. and in Greeke, as, he spake with them, Mark. 6. 50. or, he spake unto them, Mat. 14. 27.
Vers. 9. spies] The Hebrew hath the signification of footing, or going from place to place. The Apostle in Greeke translateth it spies, Heb. 11. 31. nakedues] that is, the naked, weake, or ruined places; as the Chaldee explaineth it. The Greeke translateth it footsteps. Ioseph dealeth with his brethren in sinne, as God doth with his children: who often estrangeth himselfe from them, dealeth roughly, and counteth them unto him as his enemies, Iob. 19. 11. and 13. 24.
Vers. 11. true] or upright, honest men. The Greeke saith, peaceable.
Vers. 13. is not] that is, he is dead: as the phrase signifieth, Matt. 2. 16. 18. and so it is expounded in Gen. 44. 20.
Vers. 15. as Pharoah liveth] a kind of asseveration or swearing, (as the like phrase of God manifesteth, Ier. 5. 2.) which sometime is joyned with the name of God, as 1 Sam. 20. 3. as the Lord liveth, and as thy soule liveth: so 2 Kings 2. 2. 4. 6. 2 Sam. 15. 21. 1 Sam. 25. 26. And to sweare by the kings-life, was a great oath in Egypt. The Greeke translateth, by the health of Pharaoh. It may also be read as a wish; so Pharaoh live: and is likewise an earnest asseveration. if ye goe] that is, yee shall not goe; as the Greeke explaineth it: see Gen. 14. 23. yongest] Hebrew, little: so after, in vers. 20. 32. 34.
Vers. 16. be ye in bonds] you shall be bound, or prisoners. In Greeke, be ye led-away, untill your words be manifest, whether ye speake-truth or not.
Vers. 17. put them altogether] Hebrew, gathered them. ward] or prison: called the house of ward (or custodie) vers. 19. and so by the Chaldee here. Here God by tribulation, calleth the Patriarchs to repentarice for their sinnes: he chasteneth us for our profit, that we might bee partakers of his holinesse; Heb. 12. 10.
Vers. 18. the third day] of which number, divers things are observed, on Gen. 22. 4.
Vers. 19. bring] to your families. corne] for the famine: or, after the Hebrew phrase, the breaking of the famine; meaning corne: as Gen. 41. 56. The Chaldee saith, corne which wanteth in your houses.
Ver. 21. guilty] the Greeke translateth in sinne. our brother] Ioseph they meane, who besought them when they sold him into Egypt, Gen. 37. Thus by afflictions they are brought to acknowledge their sinne committed about 13. yeeres before, which their consciences did now accuse them of. So God saith, I will goe and returne to my place, till they acknowledge their guiltinesse, and seeke my face: in their affliction they will seeke mee earely: Hos. 5. 15. distresse] or anguish, the Greeke translateth, we despised the tribulation.
Vers. 22. is required] that is, God punisheth us for killing our brother: as is threatned, Gen. 9. 5. After may yeeres, the guilt of innocent blood could not be remoued out of their hearts; but the memory is renued upon this their trouble.
Verse 23. heard] that is, understood: as Gen. 11. 7.
Vers. 24. weps] shewing his love and naturall affection, which yet he hid from his brethren, till they were throughly humbled. So God in mens afflictions often hideth himselfe, Esay 46. 15. Psal. 10. 1. yet in all their affliction, he is afflicted, Esay 63. 9. Simeon] who seemeth by this, to have been the chiefe procurer of Iosephs trouble; he was by nature, bold and fierce, as his fact against the Sichemites doth manifest; Gen. 34. 25. & 49. 7.
Vers. 25. vessells] meaning, their sacks. money] Hebr. their silvers. provision,] or food: the Greeke addeth, food inough. did he] or, as the Greeke translateth, it was done, meaning by Iosephs servant. See the like phrases noted, on Gen. 2. 20. and 16. 14. The holy Ghost observeth this kindnesse of Ioseph, who was farre from revenge, and did good for evill. Thus we should doe, Rom. 12. 17. 19. Mat. 5. 44.
Vers. 28. went forth] or, was gone, that is, fayled them: or (as the Greeke translateth) was astonied; A like speech is in Song. 5. 6. My soule went forth, that is, fayled: fainted. The Chaldee translateth, the knowledge of their heart departed. trembled] or, (as the Greeke saith) were troubled: and so manifested it one to another, See Gen. 27. 33.
Vers. 30. tooke us] Hebrew, gave us: that is, esteemed and counted. Or used us; as the Greeke translateth, hee put us in prison. A like phrase is in 1 Sam. 1. 16.
Verse 33. for the famine] understand from the 19. verse, corne for the famine. And so the Gr. expresseth it here, as there. The Chaldee also saith, corne that wanteth in your houses. Such defects are often in scripture: as, he slew Goliath, 2 Sam. 21. 19. for, the brother of Goliath, as is expressed in 1 Chro. 20. 5.
Vers. 36. against me] or upon me, as a heavie burden, hastening my death.
Vers. 37. my two sonnes] so the Greeke translateth, and the Hebrew is elsewhere so used, Exod. 18. 3. But it may also be Englished, two of my sons: he having foure in all, Gen. 46. 9. This condition being unnaturall and sinfull, Iakob would not admit of: but continueth his purpose, not to let Benjamin goe, ver. 38.
Vers. 38. himselfe alone] meaning of Rachels children, as is explained, Gen. 44. 20. 27. 28. and] or, if mischiefe; in Chaldee, death: see vers. 4. my gray haires] Hebrew, my grainesse, or, hoarinesse: that is, me who am gray headed. unto hell] to the grave, or state of death. See Gen. 37. 35. Iakob in these doubts and feares, bewrayeth weaknesse of faith; which afterwards he overcommeth, resting in the providence of God: and then Moses nameth him Israel, Gen. 43. 11.