A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Genesis · Chapter 44 – Chapter 45
CHAP. XLIV.
Verſ. 2. ANd put my cup, &c. in the ſacks mouth of the youngest.]
This he doth to humble them yet more, and withall eſpecially to make tryall how they ſtood affected to his father and brother Benjamin, as conceiving that if they envied Benjamin▪ as they had formerly envied him, they would be glad to ſee him apprehended for theft and caſt into priſon.
Verſ. 5. Is not this it in which my Lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth?]
Becauſe he was ſo famous for his propheticall interpretation of dreams, the common opinion of the Egyptians was that he uſed divination, as their Magicians and Wiſemen did: Joſeph therefore appoints his ſteward to ſay thus according to the opinion the Egyptians had of him, 1. That he might the better conceal himſelf from his brethren; 2. That he might make their fault ſeem more hainous, little leſſe then ſacriledge, to ſteal ſo ſacred a thing; 3. To intimate that it was not ſtrange that their theft was diſcovered ſo ſoon after they were gone. Neither is it any wonder that the beſt of Gods ſervants ſhould diſcover (as Joſeph did in this) ſome mixture of humane infirmitie in all their actions.
Verſ. 15. Wote ye not that ſuch a man as I can certainly divine?]
See verſ. 5.
Verſ. 16. God hath found out the iniquitie of thy ſervants.]
Becauſe Judah had particularly ingaged himſelf to his father for the bringing home of Benjamin, chap. 43. 8, 9. Send the lad with me, &c. I will be ſuretie for him, of my hand ſhalt thou require him, &c. therefore he amongſt all the reſt undertakes to ſpeak in this cauſe: and though doubtleſſe he was at firſt reſolved to plead for Benjamin, and to diſcover to Joſeph the great ſtraits they were in, yet firſt he wiſely beginnes with an ingenuous acknowledgement of that which was plainly diſcovered, and a yielding up of themſelves to the puniſhment of bondage, to which, when ſearch was made for the cup, they had formerly conſented: for though it is not likely that he was convinced that Benjamin had ſtolen the cup (not onelyonly his brothers known fidelity and honeſty, but alſo their former finding of their money in their ſacks, which was put there they knew not how, might well perſwade him it was not ſo) and therefore afterwards he ſpeaks ſo warily in this regard, We are all my Lords ſervants, both we and he alſo with whom the cup is found, not, he that hath ſtolen the cup; yet becauſe they had no way to clear themſelves before men, nor could object any ſuſpicion of wrong ſecretly done them, without danger of provoking him who had power to do with them what he pleaſed, he deemed it beſt to yield and ſubmit, which is the ſureſt means to procure favour from a generous ſpirit. God, ſaith he, hath found out the iniquitie of thy ſervants: in which words though Judah might have reſpect to Gods juſt bringing this upon them for their former iniquitie, yet doubtleſſe withall he ſpake them by way of acknowledging that iniquitie which was now charged upon them; as if he ſhould have ſaid, Not onelyonly he in whoſe ſack it was found, but generally all of us deny the ſtealing of it: but alas though each man knows his own innocency, nor have we any cauſe to ſuſpect one another, yet plain it is that the cup was found with us, and God hath thereby taken away all excuſe from us, we muſt therefore yield our ſelves as guilty to the puniſhment deſerved.
Verſ. 28. And I ſaid, Surely he is torn in pieces.]
Hereby might Joſeph now perceive by what means his brethren had kept his father from knowing what they had done to him, to wit, by pretending that ſome wild beaſts had devoured him.
Verſ. 30. Seeing that his life is bound up in the lads life.]
That is, his life depends upon Benjamins life, and unleſſe therefore he knows it be well with Benjamin he will not be able to endure it, it will be his death. So in regard of the like ſtrong affection it is ſaid, 1. Sam. 18, 1. that the ſoul of Jonathan was knit with the ſoul of David, and that he loved him as his own ſoul.
CHAP. XLV.
Verſ. 1. CAuſe every man to go out from me.]
This he did, both becauſe he thought it not ſeemly for a man in his place to diſcover his paſſion before any but his brethren, as alſo leſt any mention of his brethrens crueltie to him ſhould make that fact known to their diſcredit, which might alſo have cauſed Pharaoh not to think ſo well of them as Joſeph deſired he ſhould.
Verſ. 3. And his brethre… could not anſwer him, &c.]
To wit, being aſtoniſhed at that which they heard, partly becauſe it was a thing ſo wonderfull that their brother Jo…eph, whom they had ſold for a ſlave, ſhould be the governour of Egypt; and partly by reaſon of terrour of conſcience which now ſtruck them for the wrong they had done him, and the fear of his power who might now revenge himſelf as he pleaſed upon them.
Verſ. 4. I am Joſeph your brother, whom ye ſold into Egypt.]
He mentions that they ſold him into Egypt, not to upbraid them with the injury they had done him, but to aſſure them thereby that he was indeed their brother Joſeph, by telling them that which no body knew but themſelves onelyonly.
Verſ. 5. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with your ſelves.]
Be not ſo farre dejected as not to your comfort to look up to the providence of God, which hath turned your very ſinne to good.
Verſ. 6. Yet there are five years in the which there ſhall neither be earing nor harvest.]
That is, there are five years of famine behind, wherein there ſhall be neither ploughing, ſowing nor reaping, neither tillage nor harveſt: vvhereby muſt needs be intended, either that throughout the land of Egypt there ſhould be no tillage nor ſowing, to wit, for lack of corn, which Joſeph ſupplyed them with in the laſt year, chap. 47. 23. Lo, here is ſeed for you, and ye ſhall ſow the land; or that it ſhould be little or nothing that ſhould be done in this regard, there being few that vvould attempt to ſovv their land in thoſe years of famine, vvhichwhich Joſeph had foretold, and little or nothing there vvould grovv up of that vvhichwhich vvas ſovvn.
Verſ. 8. And he hath made me a father to Pharaoh.]
That is, a counſeller or a guide. The like is ſaid of Mi…hah's Levite, Judg. 17. 10, 11. And Michah ſaid unto him, Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a priest, &c. and the young man was unto him as one of his ſonnes: & the drift therefore of theſe vvords here is to ſhevv that by his advice and counſel Pharaoh had yielded himſelf to be directed, as a ſonne follovvs the direction of his father.
Verſ. 15. And after that his brethren talked with him.]
Having novv overcome their former aſtoniſhment and fear, they talk vvith him about all things vvherein either he or they might deſire to be ſatisfied.
Verſ. 22. He gave each man changes of rayment.]
That is, robes or upper garments vvhichwhich they uſed in thoſe countreys often to change, as vve our cloaks and govvns; or elſe by change of rayments is meant, choice garments, called ſo, to diſtinguiſh them from ſuch as are vvorn every day. And theſe vvith other gifts he conferres upon them, not onelyonly to ſhevv his love, but alſo that they might confirm the truth of their meſſage, and make both vvives and others the more vvilling to come dovvn into Egypt.
Verſ. 28. It is enough.]
That is, Here is proof enough that Joſeph is alive: or elſe he ſpeaks it to expreſſe his joy that he was alive; be he in ſo happy a condition or not, this is enough for me that he is alive.