A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Genesis · Chapter 43
CHAP. XLIII.
Verſ. 3. THe man did ſolemnly protest unto us, ſaying, Ye ſhall not ſee my face, &c.]
Both theſe words of Joſeph here repeated by Judah, and other paſſages mentioned verſ. 7. were no where before expreſſed; whereby is manifeſt that many things paſſed particularly betwixt Joſeph and his brethren which are not ſo expreſly related in the ſtory.
Verſ. 8. Send the lad with me, &c.]
That is, Benjamin: it is manifeſt that Benjamin was not above ſeven years younger then Joſeph: for Joſeph was born in the end of Jacobs foureteen years ſervice with his uncle Laban, Gen. 30. 25. 26. And it came to paſſe when Rachel had born Joſeph, that Jacob ſaid unto Laban, Send me away, &c. and when Jacob had ſerved ſix years longer for his cattle, the next year as they were returning into Canaan Benjamin was born, Gen. 35. 16, 17, 18. So that Joſeph being now nine and thirty years old (the ſeven plenteous years, and two years of famine being paſſed ſince his exaltation, when it is expreſſed that he was thirty years old, Gen. 41. 46. Joſeph was thirty years old when he ſtood before Pharaoh) it muſt needs follow that Benjamin was now above thirty years old; yet Judah here calles him the lad, according to the phraſe of the Scripture, to vvit▪ comparatively, becauſe he was the youngeſt of all his brethren. See alſo the former note upon Gen. 21. 15.
Verſ. 12. And take double money in your hand, &c.]
Not treble money, as ſome hold, that is, thrice as much as they carried before (namely, the money which was brought back in their ſacks, and twice as much to buy new proviſion, for fear the price was raiſed) but double money, that is, that which they ſhould have paid for their former corn, and the ſame quantity again for new proviſion; for that clauſe which followeth, And the money that was brought again in the mouth of your ſacks carry that again in your hand, is added to explain what he meant by double money, to wit not onelyonly money for a preſent ſupply of corn, but alſo that which they found in their ſacks.
Verſ. 14. If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.]
As if he had ſaid, Send him I muſt, and therefore I ſhall reſigne him into Gods hands; if it be his will to bereave me of my children, I muſt and will be content, Though he kill me, yet will I put my trust in him.
Verſ. 21. Every mans money was in the mouth of his ſack.]
In the former chapter we find that in the inne one of them onelyonly is ſaid to open his ſack, and find his money, chap. 42. 27. As one of them opened his ſack, &c. he eſpied his money; and the reſt at home in preſence of their father, chap. 42. 35. And it came to paſſe as they …mptied their ſacks, that behold every mans bundle of money was in his ſack, where alſo it is ſaid that ſeeing it they were afraid. Here they report it otherwiſe, that they all opened their ſacks in the inne: Some therefore conceive that they all opened their ſacks, & found their money in the inne (as here they ſay) but that alſo they knit up their ſacks again, that ſo their father when they came home might ſee how it was. But rather we may think, that here they ſpeak as men in haſte, and ſo joyn together both what was done in the inne, and what was diſcovered at home; every mans money indeed was in the mouth of their ſacks when they were in the Inne, but they ſaw it onelyonly in one of their ſacks, till they came home, and poured out their corn before their father, and then they found that it was ſo in all their ſacks; and therefore it is added there, that when both they and their father ſaw the bundles of money, they were afraid.
Verſ. 26. They brought him the preſent which was in their hand into the houſe, and bowed themſelves.]
This bowing of themſelves before Joſeph, when they came with their preſents, was not onelyonly in their own name, but alſo in the name of their father, who had ſent thoſe preſents to him, whom therefore alſo they term his ſervant, verſ. 28. Thy ſervant our father is in good health. And thus was Joſephs dream accompliſhed concerning the ſunne, and the moon, and the eleaven ſtarres, making obeiſance, chap. 37. 9.
Verſ. 32. Becauſe the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews.]
Becauſe the Hebrews were known to be keepers of ſheep, and ſo to kill, eat, and ſacrifice ſuch cattel as the Egyptians worſhipped: Gen. 46. 34. For every ſhepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians. Exod. 8. 26. And Moſes ſaid, It is not meet ſo to do; for we ſhall ſacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians unto the Lord our God.
Verſ. 33. And the men marvelled one at another.]
That is, they looked upon one another, as men uſe to do when any thing that is ſtrange befalls them, with wonder and aſtoniſhment, to wit, marvelling why the Governour of Egypt ſhould ſhew them that were ſtrangers ſo great favour, and ſhould feaſt them ſo royally, eſpecially having a while before entertained them ſo roughly: others referre their wondring to that which is before mentioned in the foregoing words, concerning their ſitting at the table, conceiving that Joſeph had placed them in that manner, every man according to his age, and that they wondred how he could place them in that order that were ſtrangers unto him. But becauſe it is not expreſſed that Joſeph did ſo order them, but that themſelves rather ſat down in that manner, the former expoſition is farre more probable.
Verſ. 34. And he took and ſent meſſes unto them, from before him, &c.]
It was it ſeems, the cuſtome of thoſe times, that great men would ſend ſome choice thing' from their table to thoſe whom they meant to grace and honour. Again they uſed not in thoſe times to ſet proviſion on the table for all the gueſts in common, as we nowadayes are wont to do, but to ſet a portion for every gueſt by himſelf, as many ancien… …riters do witneſſe, and may be gathered from other places of Scripture, as 1. Sam. 1. 4, 5. He gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her ſonnes and her daughters portions: but unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion. 1. Sam. 9. 23, 24. And Samuel ſaid unto the cook, Bring the portion which I gave thee, of which I ſaid unto thee▪ Set it by thee. And the cook took up the ſhoulder, and ſet it before Saul, &c. 2. Sam. 6. 19. And he dealt unto all the people, &c. to every one a cake of bread, and a good piece of fleſh, and a flagon of wine, &c. and thence it was that Joſephs brethren had every one their meſſe apart and by themſelves, and ſo Benjamins meſſe was five times ſo much as any of theirs; which was purpoſely ſo ordered by Joſeph, both to teſtifie thereby his ſingular affection to him, and to make tryall wh…ther his brethren would envy him for it.