Annotations on the Pentateuch, Psalms, Song of Songs, Biblical commentary 1 · Chapter 45
CHAP. XLV.
1. Ioseph maketh himselfe knowne to his brethren. 5, Hee comforteth them in Gods providence. 9, Hee sendeth for his father. 16, Pharach confirmeth it. 21, Ioseph furnisheth them for their journey, and exhorteth them to concord. 25, Iakob is revived with the newes.
ANd Ioseph could not refraine himselfe, before all that stood by him; and he cryed, Cause every man to goe-out from mee: and there stood not a man with him, when Ioseph made himselfe knowne, unto his brethren. And he gave forth his voice, with weeping: and the Egyptians heard, and the house of Pharaoh heard. And Ioseph said unto his brethren, I am Ioseph; is my father yet living? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were suddenly troubled at his presence. And Ioseph said unto his brethren; Come neere to mee I pray you, and they came neere: and he said, I, am Ioseph your brother; hee whom you sold, into Egypt. And now, bee not grieved; neither let there be anger in your eyes, that ye sold mee hither: for God did send me before you, for preservation-of-life. For these two yeeres hath the famine beene in midst of the land: and yet, (there are) five yeeres; in which there shall be no earing, or harvest. And God sent me, before you; to put for you a remnant, in the earth: and to preserve life unto you, by a great escaping. And now, not-you send me hither, but God: and he hath put me, for a father to Pharaoh; and a Lord, to all his house; and a ruler, in all the land of Egypt. Haste you, and goe up to my father; and say unto him: thus saith thy sonne Ioseph; God hath put me for a Lord, of all Egypt: come downe unto mee, stand not still. And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be neere unto me; thou, and thy sonnes, and thy sonnes sonnes: and thy flocks and thy herds, and all that thou hast. And I will nourish thee, there; for yet, (there are) five yeeres of famine: lest thou be impoverished, thou and thy house, and all that thou hast. And behold, your eyes see; and the eyes of my brother Benjamin: that it is my mouth, that speaketh unto you. And you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt; and of all that ye have seene: and ye shall haste, and bring-downe my father; hither. And he fell upon his brother Benjamins necke, & wept: and Benjamin, wept upon his necke. And hee kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and afterward, his brethren spake with him. And the voyce was heard, in Pharaohs house, saying; Iosephs brethren, are come: and it was good in the eyes of Pharaoh: and in the eyes of his servants. And Pharaoh said unto Ioseph; say unto thy brethren, this doe ye; lade your beasts, and goe get ye, to the land of Canaan. And take our father, & your houses, and come unto me: and I will give you, the good of the land of Egypt; and yee shall eate, the fat of the land. And thou art commanded, this doe ye: take unto you out of the land of Egypt, wagons, for your little ones, and for your wives; and take-up your father, and come. And your eye, let it not spare your stuffe: so the good of all the land of Egypt, is yours. And the sonnes of Israel did so; and Ioseph gave them wagons, according to the mouth of Pharaoh: and gave them provision, for the way. To all of them hee gave, to ech man changes of garments: and to Benjamin he gave, three hundred (shekels) of silver; and five changes of garments. And to his father, he sent after this manner, tenne hee-asses; carying of the good things of Egypt: and tenne shee-asses, carying corn and bread, and victuals for his father, by the way. And hee sent away his brethren, and they departed: and hee said unto them, bee not stirred (one against another) by the way. And they went-up, out of Egypt: and came, to the land of Canaan; unto Iakob their father. And they told him, saying; Ioseph is yet alive; and that he is ruler over all the land of Egypt: and his heart fainted, for he beleeved them not. And they spake unto him, all the words of Ioseph, which hee had spoken unto them; and hee saw the wagons, which Ioseph had sent, to cary him: and the spirit of Iakob their father revived. And Israel said; it is enough, Ioseph my sonne is yet alive: I will goe and see him, before I dye.
Annotations.
REfraine] or containe himselfe by force, from crying out and manifesting himselfe, as hitherto he had done, Gen. 43. 31. This word, the Prophet applyeth also unto God, who having long refrained himselfe in the afflictions of his people; will in the end for their deliverance, crie out like a travelling woman, &c. Esa. 42. 14.
Vers. 2. gave forth his voyce] that is, cried-aloud, An Hebrew manner of speaking often used, as Numb. 14. 1. 2 Chron. 24. 9. Psal. 46. 7. and 68. 34. and 77. 18. So the Greeke, Hee sent forth his voyce with weeping.
Vers. 3. suddenly troubled] or appalled, with feare, and hasty troubled thoughts. Occasioned by the conscience of their former wickednesse, and the beholding of Iosephs present glory. So when the spirit of grace shall be powred upon the Israelites, they shall see Iesus whom they have pierced; and shall mourne for him, &c. Zach. 12. 10. Rev. 1. 7.
Vers. 4. he whom] Hebr. me: which word either may be omitted, (as that observed on Gen. 5. 29.). or expressed in English, he: added for vehemencie sake, and to assure his brethren, that he was Ioseph.
Vers. 5. anger] or displeasure, griefe, as Gen. 4. 5. that is, be not angry (or displeased) with your selves. Hee would have them-moderate the sorrow for their sin, with consideration of Gods providence, that turned it unto good. The Greeke translateth, let it not seeme bad unto you. Here Ioseph is farre from revenge, or insulting against his troubled brethren: so Christ prayed for his crucifiers, Luke 23. 34. and by his Apostles comforted them with hope of the blotting out of their sinnes, when the times of refreshing should come from the presence of the Lord, Acts 3. 14. 15. 17: 18. 19.
Vers. 6. earing] that is, ploughing, or tillage of the land: the Chaldee saith, sowing. This seemeth to be for lacke of corne, which therefore in the last yeere, Ioseph supplied: Gen. 47. 23.
Vers. 7. to put for you a remnant] that is, to preserve for (or unto) you, a remainder, that you and yours might remaine alive. The contrary whereof is in 2 Sam. 14. 7. The Greeke translateth, that there might be left unto you a reminant. to preserve-life unto you] that is, to keepe you and yours alive. Or, to preserve alive unto you: as the Greeke turneth it, to nourish up of you a great remnant. by a great escaping] or, evasion; that is, by a great deliverance; or, (according to the Greeke interpretation) by a great multitude-that-escape: having respect to the great multiplication of them in Egypt according to Gods promise, Gen. 15. 13. 14. The Hebrew escaping or Evasion, is used for a company or remnant that escape danger, 2 Chron. 30. 6. Esa. 10. 20. (as captivitie, is a company of captives, Numb. 21. 1. Deut. 21. 10.) and so the Greeke here translateth it a remnant.
Vers. 8. but God] whose wisedome and providence ruleth all, and his goodnesse turneth the evill actions of men, oftentimes to good events: therefore is this ascribed to GOD rather then to them, Gen. 50. 20. Psal. 105. 17. So Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles & the people of Israel, did against Iesus, whatsoever Gods hand, and his counsell determined before to be done; Act. 4. 27. 28. put mee for] or, as the Greeke explaineth it, made me as a father; so acknowledging God to bee his exalter, as he had beene his afflicter. A father, is used for any teacher, guide, counceller, &c. Iudg. 17. 10. 11.
Vers. 10. Goshen] in Greeke Gesem: a province in the land of Egypt, fat and fertile, good for to feed cattell, lying next to the land of Canaan: see Gen. 46. 28. 29. and 47. 1. 6. 27.
Vers. 11. impoverished] Greeke, worne-out: that is, perish with povertie. thy house] that is, houshold: in Greeke, thy sonnes.
Vers. 12. my mouth] and not an interpreter, as did before, Gen. 42. 23. for an interpreter is an other mans mouth, Exod. 4. 16. The Chaldee saith; in your tongue I speake with you.
Vers. 14. wept] through joyfull passion of mind. See Gen. 29. 11.
Vers. 15. spake] being refreshed by his words, from their-amazed feare, which keepeth men from speaking, Psal. 77. 5. By speaking may also be implied the confession of their sinne, and feare for the same. So Moses spake, Exod. 19. 19. that is, acknowledged his feare and infirmity, Heb. 12. 21.
Vers. 16. the voice] that is, the fame, or rumour of this thing. good in the eyes] that is, pleasing: they liked well of it. See Gen. 16. 6. The Greeke here translateth, Pharaoh was glad.
Vers. 18. Your houses] that is, your housholds, as v. 11. The Chaldee saith, the men of your houses: the Greeke, your goods. the good] that is, the good things: the Greeke addeth, of all the good things. So after in verse 20. and 23. the fat] the Chaldee translateth, the good; the Greeke, the marrow: that is, the best fruits: see Gen. 27. 28.
Vers. 19 thou art commanded] thou (Ioseph) hast authority from me and full power. The Greeke expresseth it thus: and thou command, thou these things, that they take wagons, &c. As Pharaoh here sheweth himselfe bountifull and gracious to Iakobs house, for Iosephs sake: so God hath promised for Iesus sake: to make Kings the nursing fathers of Israel, Esa. 49. 1.—23.
Vers. 20. let it not spare] that is, not regard your stuffe (or vessels:) or, let it not be grieved, to leave your stuffe behinde you. The eye-sparing (or pittying) is a common phrase, see Deut. 7. 16. and 19. 13. 21. Ezek. 7. 4 9. and 16. 5. and 20. 17. &c.
Vers. 21. the mouth] that is, the commandements, verse 19. or words, as the Greeke explaineth it. So in Iob 39. 30. Eccles. 8. 2. See Gen. 24. 57. provision] or food, as the Greeke hath.
Vers. 22. changes of garments] robes, or upper garments, which they used in those countries often to shift, putting off and on: as wee doe clokes or gownes. The Chaldee translateth them stoles (or robes:) and the Gr…ere double stoles: & after to Benjamin changeable stoles. Such were wont to be given for honor, or reward, Iudg. 14. 12. 19. So in Rev. 6. 11. white stoles, (or robes) are given to the soules under the altar. Also Rev. 7. 9. 14. shekels] or shillings: this word the Chaldee also addeth: see Gen. 20. 16.
Vers. 23. after this manner] as many robes and shekels, as he gave Benjamin: so the Greek translateth, according to the same things. Or, as this that followeth: viz. tenne asses, &c.
Vers. 24. be not stirred] or, make no stirre: that is, as the Greeke translateth, be not angry: the Chaldee contend not; or, fall not out by the way, The word signifieth stirring with anger and rage, as Prou. 29. 9. 2 King. 19. 27. or with griefe, as 2 Sam. 18. 33. This he spake, because some perswaded, and the rest (save Ruben) consented to the selling of him into Egypt: Gen. 37. that now, they should make no stirre about these and the like things; and Rubens former words, in Gen. 42. 22. occasioned this charge.
Vers. 26. and that he] or, leaving out the word that, as superfluous, as the Greeke translateth, and he ruleth all Egypt. For in the Hebrew, words sometime are redundant, as is observed on Gen. 7. 17. and 17. 4. fainted] or, was weakened, with unbeliefe; that is, doubted of that they said: yet daunted with the newes they brought. So the Chaldee interprets it doubting, or wavering; and the Greeke, astonishment. For unbeliefe and doubting, weakeneth the heart, Rom. 4. 19. 20. Mat. 14. 31. See also Gen. 15. 6.
Vers. 27. revived] the Greeke expresseth it by a word (anezopurese) which signifieth the reviving or stirring-up of fire that is buried under ashes; which word Paul useth in 2 Tim. 1. 6. for stirring-up the gift of God. The Chaldee also here translateth, the holy spirit restod upon Iakob.
Vers. 28. enough] or much. The Greeke translateth, It is a great-thing to mee, if my sonne. Ioseph yet live: and the Chaldee faith, it is great joy unto me.