The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 3 · Section 45
SECT. XLV.
THe Famine now grew very ſore in the Land of Egypt, and in the Land of Canaan alſo, ſo that there was an extream want of all kind of ſuſtenance, eſpecially among the common people, who were forc'd (generally) to part with all the money they Had to buy Corn for themſelves, and their Families, of Joſeph. Theſe monies Joſeph faithfully diſpos'd into the Kings Treaſury, not inriching Himſelf thereby, nor converting any part of them to his own uſe, as ſome unfaithful Courtiers would have done. When the Peoples money fail'd, Joſeph requir'd they ſhould bring their Cattel to Him,(k)Pecora alibant Aegyptii, ut patet, v. 16. Si non ad eſum, ſaltem ad utilitatem ex lacte, lana, labore, & venditione capiendam. Janſon. and He would give them Corn for them. And ſo for this year He fed them with Bread for their Cattel, which He could maintain by the vaſt quantities of Straw and Chaff He had preſerved. When that year was ended (which ſeems to be the ſixth year of the Famine, and ſecond of their extremity) they came to Him again, viz. in the ſeventh and laſt year of the Famine, and told Him, they had parted with their Money and their Cattel, they had now nothing left but their Perſons and their Lands, and why ſhould they die, and their Land become barren, waſt, and deſolate. They deſire him therefore to buy them and their Land for Food, and for Seed to ſow their Land with: and they themſelves would become Servants, and their Lands ſhould be tributary to Pharaoh. So Joſeph bought their Lands for Pharaoh's uſe. Then he tranſplanted them from one Place or Town to another,(l)Ut ſeſe Pharaonis agnoſcerent feudatarios. not leaving them in that which was their own before, to gain the right of Propriety and Poſſeſſion, from the People, to Pharaoh. The people mutiny not in all theſe Extremities, nor break open the Granaries of Pharaoh, but by Joſeph's Prudence, and God's over-ruling Providence, keep themſelves quiet. But the Lands aſſigned for the maintenance of the Prieſts, (m)Some by Prieſts underſtand Pharaoh's chief Officers of State. See Ch. 41. — 45.or ſuch as were employed about their publick Heatheniſh Worſhip, or were Profeſſors, or Teachers of Philoſophy, or of the Wiſdom and natural Knowledge that then had the Vogue among them, he bought not.(n)Hinc elicit Bellarminus immunem a Vectigalibus eſſe clerum, Exer. 7.24. Verum pro lege, non eſt habenda Principum beneficentia. For though thoſe Lands, in that extream Dearth, fail'd of producing any thing, as other Lands did, yet thoſe Prieſts having a Portion aſſigned to them out of the Kings Stores, were not neceſſitated to ſell their Lands, as others were that had no ſuch Proviſion. Then Joſeph told the People, he had now bought them, and their Land for Pharaoh. But he would deal mercifully with them, and not make his utmoſt Advantage of their Neceſſity. He would therefore furniſh them with Seed wherewith to ſow their Land, and of the increaſe, they ſhould pay only the fifth part to Pharaoh: the other four parts ſhould be their own. And it is probable, he reſtored to them their Cattel alſo, elſe how could they have tilled their Land. This being granted them, with a great Acclamation they applaud his Generoſity and Beneficence, declaring, That he had ſaved their lives; and ſeeing they had found ſo much favour in his Eyes, they would willingly ſerve Pharaoh, and be his Farmers and Tenants, on thoſe conditions before mentioned. Joſeph hereupon ſetled it for a Law and Statute in Egypt, (which remained ſtill in force among them, when this was written,) That the Land ſhould be all the King's own (excepting the Land of the Prieſts) and that the People ſhould pay a fifth part, (o)Moderate quintam donat, corporibus interim liberatio; Regem prudenter locupletat ne Jacobi ſumptus aegre ferat. Anonym. in loc.of the yearly Increaſe conſtantly to him, as a Tribute and Acknowledgment. And thus Joſeph ſhewed himſelf a Prudent, Faithful, and very profitable Servant to Pharaoh, by ſo greatly increaſing his Revenue, and without the Regret or Murmuring of the People; ſo that Pharaoh had no reaſon to think much of thoſe Lands and Poſſeſſions he had given to Joſeph's Brethren in Goſhen.
Thus Jacob dwelt very comfortably in the Land of Goſhen, He and his Sons having Poſſeſſions therein; and they grew and multiplied exceedingly. And Jacob lived after his firſt ſettlement there ſeventeen years, ſo that his whole Age was 147 years. The time of his Death now drawing nigh, which he perceived, either by the decay of Nature in him, or ſome Revelation from God, he ſent for his Son Joſeph, and deſired him, as he loved him, to ſwear to him, by putting his hand under his Thigh, (ſee Ch. 24. 2.) that he would not bury him in Egypt, but carry him and bury him in Canaan with his Fathers, Abraham and Iſaac, in their burying place, in the Cave of Macpelah, in Hebron, ſee Ch. 23. 19. and 25. 8. and 35 29. Whereby he teſtifi'd his Faith in God's Promiſes, that his Seed ſhould return thither, and poſſeſs that Land. (p)And for this reaſon Joſeph alſo ordered his own bones to be carried thither, Ch. 50.25.Joſeph ſwears to him, that he would perform his deſire. Then Jacob raiſing himſelf up, and turning himſelf towards his Beds-head, (and to help himſelf herein, poſſibly leaning upon the top of his Staff, which he had in his hand, (ſee Heb. 11.21.)(q)The LXX read it leaning upon the top of his Staff. The Hebrew word without pricks may be read either Mitteh a Bed, or Matteh a Staff. Scipione nixus Jacob, ad ſpondae caput, Deum moribundus adorat. Anonym. he bowed himſelf to God by way of Thankfulneſs, both for thoſe Promiſes of the Land of Cannaan (in the expectation whereof he deſired there to be buried) as alſo becauſe he was aſſured by Joſeph he ſhould be buried there.
Gen. 47. from verſ. 13. to the end.