The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 3 · Section 38
SECT. XXXVIII.
TWo years after Pharoah himſelf dreamed a Dream, that much affected him. He thought he ſtood by the River Nile, and ſaw ſeven fat and well-favoured Kine come out of it, and feed in a Meadow, and behold ſeven lank and lean and ill-favoured Kine came up after them, and devoured thoſe ſeven fat ones. (r)Nothing could be more fit to repreſent the plenty and ſcarciry of a Land, than this Viſion of Kine and Ears of Corn. Thus we ſee how God can ſcare the ſpirits of Princes with Dreams, and terrifie them with Viſions. See Dan. 2.1, 2.So he awoke. Then he dreamed again that he ſaw ſeven Ears of Corn come up out of the Stalk, fair and good; and then ſeven lank thin Ears (like thoſe blaſted with a ſtrong and drying Eaſt-wind) come up after them, and they devoured the former. In the Morning Pharaoh's ſpirit was mightily troubled about theſe Dreams, and he ſent for the Magicians and Southſayers of Egypt to Interpret them to him, but they could not do it. Thus God ſometimes cauſeth the wiſdom of wiſe men to periſh, Iſa. 29.14. The King having tri'd theſe, and receiving no ſatisfaction from them, the chief Butler then ſtept in, and ſaid, Sir, I do remember my faults this day; ſome years ſince your Majeſty being offended with me and your chief Baker, you caſt us both into Priſon, and we there dreamed both of us in one Night; each of us a different Dream, and of different Import, as the Interpretation manifeſted. And there was with us in the Priſon a young man, an Hebrew, Servant to the Captain of the Guard, who did interpret our Dreams to us; whoſe Interpretation proved exactly true. For by his Interpretation he declared that I ſhould be reſtored to my Place, and that the chief Baker ſhould be hanged; both which accordingly came to paſs. Pharaoh hearing this, preſently ſent for Joſeph, who having before (as it ſeems) let his hair grow in a neglected manner, in ſign of ſorrow, (as Mephiboſheth did, 2 Sam. 19.24.) now being to appear before the King, he trim'd himſelf and ſhaved his Beard, and changed his Raiment. When he came into the Kings Preſence, Pharaoh told him he had dreamed a Dream which much troubled his ſpirit, and he could meet with no man among all his Magicians and Wiſe-men that could Interpret it; and he had heard of him, that he could underſtand a Dream and interpret it. Joſeph humbly anſwered, That he durſt not aſſume ſo much wiſdom to himſelf, (s)Non mihi tribuo, a Deo expectandum eſt.[ſee Dan. 2.30.] but doubted not but God (who is the Revealer of Secrets) would give to Pharaoh ſuch an Anſwer as ſhould quiet his troubled mind concerning his Dream. Then Pharaoh told him both his Dreams, viz. That of the Kine, and that of the Ears of Corn. Joſeph making as 'tis probable a little Pauſe, told him, Both his Dreams ſignifi'd one and the ſame thing, and that God did thereby intend to ſhew and declare unto him what he was about to do. The ſeven fat Kine, and ſeven good Ears ſignifi'd ſeven years of wonderful and incredible plenty, and the ſeven lean Kine and ſeven lank Ears ſignifi'd ſeven years that ſhould ſucceed them of very ſore and extreme Famine; in ſo much that the plenty of the former years ſhould be forgotten, and it ſhould conſume many both men and beaſts in the Land; And for that the Dream was doubled, it was to aſſure Pharaoh that the thing was firmly decreed of God, (t)Quod firmiſſimum ſit coeleſte decretum. Vatab.and that he would certainly and ſhortly bring it to paſs. Then (by the guidance and direction of the Spirit of God) he humbly adviſes Pharaoh to look out a wiſe and diſcreet man, and to ſet him over the Land of Egypt, and to appoint faithful Officers under him, who in the ſeven years of plenty ſhould take up a fifth part of the Fruits of the Land, and of all manner of Proviſion the Ground afforded, which might ſerve for Food, (u)'Tis like that other great Men and private perſons in the Land, did reſolve to be Buyers and Storers in the years of Plenty, and all little enough as appeared afterwards.which they ſhould lay up in Granaries, at the Kings Charge, and ſell it again afterwards to his Subjects in the time of Dearth, at a reaſonable price, that ſo the Land periſh not throw Famine. What Joſeph ſaid was highly pleaſing and acceptable to Pharaoh and all his Court. And he ſaid to his Servants, Where can we find ſuch another man as this is, (x)Thus God wrought upon and diſpoſed the Heart of Pharaoh for the executing his own Counſel.a man of ſuch Wiſdom, and Prudence, and Sagacity, which I perceive God by his Spirit (y)It is the ſame Spirit that maketh holy that maketh wiſe.hath beſtowed on him in an extraordinary manner. Then turning to Joſeph (he ſaid) Foraſmuch as I ſee that God hath indowed thee with extraordinary Gifts, I know no man ſo wiſe and diſcreet as thou art. Therefore thou ſhalt be over my Houſe, yea I ſet thee over all the Land of Egypt, and according to thy word and direction ſhall all my People be governed, only in the Throne I will be greater than thou. Then Pharaoh took off his Ring from his Hand, and put it upon Joſeph's, and arrayed him in Silk and fine Linnen, and put a Gold Chain about his Neck, and appointed him to ride in the ſecond Chariot to His own, and they cryed before him, Bow the Knee, (z)Mira Aulicorum modeſtia qui Juveni ſuccumbant Inquilino.and ſo he was made Ruler (a)As Dreams before were the occaſion of his Bondage, ſo now they are of his Exaltation.under Pharaoh over all the Land of Egypt. (b)He continued in his Government and Honour 80 years.Thus Joſeph was made the ſecond Man in the Kingdom, as Daniel was the third Man upon ſomething a like occaſion, Dan. 5.29. Further the King ſaid, I am Pharoah, and as ſure as I am King, ſo ſure without thy adviſe and authority not the leaſt thing ſhall be done in matter of Government; no man ſhall do any thing, or go any whither without thy Order; and Pharaoh gave him a new Name, and called him Zaphnath paaneah; that is, a Revealer of Secrets, [ſee Dan. 1.7.] And he gave him to Wife Aſenah the Daughter of Potipherah, Prieſt of On, *Called alſo Aven, Ezek. 30.17. and Heliopolis, the City of the Sun, now probably Damiata.and ſo matched him into an honourable Family. As for Joſeph's marrying with this Egyptian Woman, it muſt be conſidered, it was an extraordinary Caſe, there being no other in the Land of Egypt to marry with, neither could he go elſewhere to ſeek a Wife without deſerting that great Office whereto (for the benefit of the Church) God had advanc'd him. And beſides he might poſſibly by ſome ſpecial inſtinct or revelation from God be moved to accept Pharaoh's favour therein, as the like might be in Heſters marrying with Ahaſuerus, and poſſibly by Joſeph's wiſe and pious Inſtructions his Wife might ſoon become a Proſelyte to her Husbands Religion, as his Steward (in all likelihood) was, of whom we read Ch. 43.23. And we ſee the Children of this marriage were afterwards by Jacob accounted as the Fathers of two Tribes in Iſrael, Ch. 48.16. Joſeph being now inſtaled by Pharaoh in his Government over all the Land of Egypt at the 30th year of his age, thirteen years after he was ſold by his Brethren, Ch. 37.2.) He now went forth from the face of Pharaoh, and went thorow the Land in purſuance of the Kings Command, to appoint Officers every where, and to prepare Store-houſes to lay up Corn conveniently in. And the ſeven years of plenty beginning, the Earth brought forth wonderfully, even by handfuls; that is, they had inſtead of one grain (as it were) as many as would fill the hand. During theſe ſeven years Joſeph gathered together very carefully the fifth part of all the Fruits of the Earth, and beſtowed them in convenient Granaries in the ſeveral Cities, and Places fit for receipt of them. And the quantity of Corn that was gathered was ſo immenſe, that it was even like the Sand of the Sea, not to be counted or numbred. Joſeph had two Sons by his Lady the Daughter of Potipherah, before the years of Famine began; the firſt-born he called Manaſſeh (that is, making to forget) for ſays he, God hath made me now forget all the Troubles and Hardſhips I have undergone, here in Egypt, and all the Injuries I received from my Fathers Houſe, which I do not now think of by way of Offence, but as a merciful Diſpenſation to me, ſeeing they have been the means of my Advancement. And he called His ſecond Son Ephraim, viz. fruitful; For ſays he, God hath made me fruitful, even in this very Land where I have been before much oppreſſed. (c)That Joſeph neither in the 13 years of his Affliction, nor in the 8 years of his Exaltation, ſhould ever ſend to his Father, may ſeem ſtrange, the City Memphis, where he abode ſometime, not being, as is computed, above fifty miles from Hebron, where his Father and his Family dwelt; but we may probably conceive that Joſeph having that extraordinary Gift of interpreting Dreams, might ſo far underſtand the meaning of his own Dreams, that his Brethren ſhould at one time or other bow themſelves before him, and that he was to wait for the accompliſhment of what God had foretold.The ſeven years of plenty being ended, the ſeven years of Famine began. And this Famine reached to the Neighbouring Countries, viz. Canaan, Arabia, &c. But in all the Land of Egypt, by reaſon of particular perſons ſtoring up great quantities of Corn, there was bread ſufficient for a good while; but yet at laſt when the particular Proviſions of the Inhabitants were ſpent, the people cried to Pharoah for Bread, [2 Kings 6.26.] and he ſent them to Joſeph. And the Famine growing ſore all over that Land. Joſeph opened the Kings Store-houſes, and ſold to the Egyptians. And the Neighbouring Countries alſo being ſore preſt with the Famine, came down into Egypt to Joſeph to buy Corn, not knowing where elſe to be ſupply'd.
Gen. 41. whole Chapter.