The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 3 · Section 43 – Section 44
SECT. XLIII.
JAcob being at this time in the 130 year of his Age, and having prepar'd himſelf for this great Journey, He, with his whole Family, now ſet forth for Egypt; And coming to Beerſheba, (which was the South-border of the Land of Canaan, Ch. 21.31.) he there offers Sacrifices to God, whom his Father Iſaac did ſolemnly adore and worſhip, thereby teſtifying his ſtedfaſt Faith in the Promiſes of God, and his thankfulneſs for all his Mercies; and particularly for the good tydings of his dear Son Joſeph's being alive; humbly praying unto the Lord for Counſel and Direction for his Bleſſing, and Protection, in this his Journey. The Lord was pleaſed to anſwer him, and to ſpeak to him in the Viſions of the Night, viz. by ſome kind of Dream; And calling him twice by his name Jacob, (a)Here Jacob is mentioned twice for Iſrael once. Therefore the name Jacob was but comparatively ſorbidden.(to make him mind it the more) He ſays, I am God the God of thy Fathers: fear (b)Jacob might poſſibly have many grounds of fear. 1. Becauſe in the like neceſſity, Iſaac was forbidden to go thither, Gen. 26.2. 2. Becauſe this removal, with his whole Family, was a kind of forſaking the Land of Promiſe, which muſt needs be the more grievous, becauſe the Land of Canaan was a Sacramental Pledge of the heavenly Canaan. 3. He might remember what God had foretold to Abraham, Gen. 15.13. That his Seed ſhould be afflicted in Egypt many years. 4. He might fear his Children might be infected with the Idolatry, or other Sins of Egypt. However Gods bids him not to fear to go down thither.not to go down into Egypt; I will there make of thee (which I have not promiſed thee before) a great Nation. (c)This was wonderfully fulfilled, in that of 70 Souls that went down, in the ſpace of 210 years there came out 600000 men, Exod. 12.37. Deut. 10.22.I will go down with thee, and will guide and conduct thee; and will aſſuredly bring thee up again; that is, thy dead body ſhall be brought out of Egypt, and buried in the Land of Canaan, and I will afterwards bring thy Poſterity out of that Land. (d)Viz. By the Hand of Moſes, Exod. 12.37. and by Joſhua ſhall bring them into Canaan.And he further tells him, That his Son Joſeph ſhould cloſe his eyes, and ſo he ſhould die in peace, in Joſeph's life time, and preſence, and in the preſence of his other Children. Jacob having received this Encouragement from the Lord, with his Sons, and their Wives, and their Children, travailed towards Egypt; They taking with them their Cattel, and the Goods(e)No doubt but they had ſome Servants, with them. they had got in the Land of Canaan. Their Names, and number, are carefully ſet down here, and elſewhere by Moſes. 1. That he might ſhew God's wonderful Power, and Mercy, in multiplying the Seed of Abraham, as he had promiſed. 2. To diſtinguiſh the Tribes, in regard of the Royal Dignity and Prieſthood. 3. To ſhew the deſcent of the Meſſiah, according to the Fleſh. All the Souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, viz. that came out of his Loins, were 66, [verſ. 26.] But if we reckon in himſelf, and Joſeph, and his two Sons, they were altogether (when in Egypt) 70 Souls, as we read Deut. 10.22. Thy Father went down into Egypt, with threeſcore and ten Perſons. The Septuagint have added five more, 1 Chron. 7.14. Namely the five Grandchildren that were born to Joſeph *Hi hic numerantur propter honorem Joſephi, & quia nati ſunt, vivente Joſepho avo.in Egypt; to wit, Shutelah, and Tachon, (the Sons of his Son Ephraim) and Hadan, the Son of Shutelah, [Numb. 26.36.] And Machir the Son of Manaſſeh, and Gilead, Manaſſeh's Grandchild, 1 Chron. 7.14. Which reckoning the Evangeliſt Luke follows, and reckons them in all, ſeventy five Perſons. (f)Compare the Names, in this Genealogy, with the Repetitions hereof, Numb. 26. 1 Chron. 6.7, 8. Chapt.Jacob being now come into ſome part of the Land of Egypt, he ſent his Son Judah to Joſeph, to give him notice thereof, and to intreat Him to direct his face; that is, to give him directions how he ſhould ſet his face, and whether he ſhould next march. Joſeph hearing of his being come, forthwith gave Command, that his Chariot ſhould be made ready, and ſo he haſted to meet, and wait upon his Father. When he was come to the place where Jacob was, with a lowly Reverence he preſented himſelf to him; Jacob fell on his Neck and kiſſed Him, and wept with tears of Joy and Raviſhment to ſee his dear Joſeph alive, who he thought had been dead many years before. And now ſays the good old man, I am willing to die, having ſeen the face of my beloved Joſeph in the Land of the living. When theſe endearing Careſſes were over, and Joſeph had ſtayed a convenient time with his Father, and Brethren, he told them he would go and acquaint Pharaoh that they were come: and would intimate to Him, that their Trade had been about Cattel, and that they had brought their Flocks and their Herds along with them. Thus we ſee that Joſeph in all his height and greatneſs was not aſhamed of his Kindred, nor of their mean Trade and Condition. Joſeph alſo gave Inſtructions to his Brethren, that when they came before Pharaoh, and he ſhould inquire, What their Occupation was, they ſhould ſay, Thy Servants Trade hath been about Cattel from our Youth, to this day. And this, he intimates, would be a means to diſpoſe and incline Pharaoh to order their dwelling in the Land of Goſhen, which was a fruitful Paſture-Country. And further 'tis like he told them, that by their living there together they would be leſs in danger of being corrupted with the Idolatry and Superſtition of the Egyptians, and leſs offenſive to them by their Trade of Shepherdy; Every Shepherd(g)See Notes on Gen. 43.32. It is evident the Egyptians had Flocks of Sheep, both the King and People. For Chap. 47.6. Pharaoh proffers Joſeph to make his Brethren Rulers over his Cattel, and among the reſt, over their Sheep. But it ſeems, they kept them rather for their Wooll and Milk, than any thing elſe; and haply thoſe that kept them were Strangers rather than Egyptians. (as the Hebrews generally were) being an abomination to the Egyptians, on the account before mentioned, Sect. 39.
Gen. 46. whole Chapter.
SECT. XLIV.
JOſeph being come to Pharaoh, he acquaints him, That his Father, and his Brethren were come into Egypt; that their Occupation and Trade being about Cattel, they had brought their Flocks and Herds with them, and for the preſent they were ia the Land of Goſhen, and whether they ſhould ſtay there, or how they ſhould be diſpoſed of, he humbly deſires to know his Majeſties Pleaſure. Then he preſents five of his Brethren to Pharaoh, who inquiring of what Profeſſion they were, They ſaid, Thy Servants are Shepherds, both we, and our Fathers; and the Famine being ſore in Canaan, we had no Paſture there for our Flocks, and ſo have brought them hither. Wherefore, we humbly beſeech thee, Let thy Servants dwell in the Land of Goſhen. Pharaoh turning unto Joſeph, told him, That the Land of Egypt was before him; In the beſt of the Land he might place his Father and his Brethren, and if they liked the Land of Goſhen better than any other, they might freely dwell there. And underſtanding they were Shepherds, he gives order to Joſeph, that if any among them were men of activity, he ſhould make them Rulers over his own Cattel. Shortly after Joſeph brought his Father, and preſented him before Pharaoh. The good old man, having made his lowly Reverence to the King, began to bleſs him, praying the God of Heaven, to accumulate all manner of Mercies and Bleſſings upon him, who had been ſo munificently bountiful to his Son Joſeph, and ſo kind and gracious to him and the reſt of his Children. Pharaoh then asked Jacob, How old he was? He humbly anſwered, That the years of his Pilgrimage were an hundred and thirty. (h)Abraham lived 175 years, Iſaac 180, Jacob died at the age of an 147.Few and evil (ſays he) have they days of the years of my life been; and full of labour and toil, trouble and vexation; neither have I attained to the years of my Fathers. And many more things 'tis like He ſaid to Him, not here related, and ſo humbly took his leave of Him. And as He had bleſſed Pharaoh at his firſt coming to Him, ſo He does now again at his departure from Him. When Jacob was gone from the preſence of Pharaoh, Joſeph gave to his Father and his Brethren Habitations in the beſt part of the Land of Egypt, viz. in Goſhen, (i)Afterwards the Children of Iſrael multiplied and ſpread further, and had Egyptian Families among them, and about them, ſo that their Doors were diſtinguiſhed from the Doors of the Egpytians, by the ſprinkling of the blood, Exod. 12.7, 23. and verſ. 35, 36. and being near them, they ſoon borrowed Jewels of them.where afterwards their Poſterity built the City Rameſes, Exod. 1.11. And Joſeph nouriſhed his Father, and all his Fathers Family with bread, and other neceſſaries, expreſſing all manner of love and kindneſs to them, and a very great Care of them.
Gen. 47. from 1. to 13.