A Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scriptures, Genesis · Chapter 46
CHAP. XLVI.
Verſ. 3. FEar not to go down into Egypt.]
There might be many cauſes of Jacobs fear: 1. becauſe in the like neceſſitie Iſaac was forbidden to go thither, Gen. 26. 2. And the Lord appeared unto him, and ſaid, Go not down into Egypt. Again, becauſe this removall was a kind of forſaking the land of promiſe, which muſt needs be the more bitter, becauſe the land of Canaan was alſo a ſacramentall pledge of the heavenly Canaan. 3. Becauſe he might remember that which God had ſaid to Abraham, Gen 15. 13. That his ſeed ſhould be afflicted in Egypt many years. 4. Becauſe he might fear leſt his ſeed ſhould be infected with the idolatry or other ſinnes of Egypt; all theſe the Lord removes in this comfortable viſion.
Verſ. 4. And I will alſo ſurely bring thee up again.]
Though the dead body of Jacob wore brought back out of Egypt into Canaan, Gen. 50. 7. And Joſeph went up to bury his father, &c. yet the return of the Iſraelites his ſeed is principally meant.
And Joſeph ſhall put his hand upon t…ine eyes.]
Herein is couched a promiſe that he ſhould die in peace, in the preſence of Joſeph and the reſt of his children.
Verſ. 6. And came into Egypt, Jacob and all his ſeed with him.]
To wit, beſides his ſervants, who alſo no doubt went with him, though they be not named. And now was that accompliſhed which God had ſaid unto Abraham, Gen. 15. 13. Thy ſeed ſhall be a ſtranger in a land that is not theirs.
Verſ. 10. And Shaul, the ſonne of a Canaanitiſh woman.]
That curſed ſtock with whom the Iſraelites might not ordinarily marry, Gen. 28. 1. Thou ſhalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.
Verſ. 12. And the ſonnes of Pharez were Hezron and Hamul.]
Theſe grandchildren of Judah are here numbred with the reſt, becauſe of Hezron Chriſt came, though it be moſt probable that they were born in Egypt, as is before noted upon the firſt verſe of the thirtie eighth chapter.
Verſ. 15. All the ſouls of his ſonnes and his daughters were thirtie and three.]
Counting Jacob for one, and leaving out Er and Onan, who died in Canaan.
Verſ. 26. All the ſouls were threeſcore and ſix.]
The ſeverall numbers before particularly mentioned ariſe to a greater ſumme: for three and thirtie, verſ. 15. and ſixteen, verſ. 18. and fourteen, verſ. 22. and ſeven, verſ. 25. being put together make up ſeventie, which is indeed the full number mentioned in the following verſe. But therefore we muſt know that in this ſumme of threeſcore and ſix, 1. Jacob is left out, becauſe here he ſummes up onelyonly his poſterity that came out of his loins; and 2. Joſeph and his two ſonnes are here left out, becauſe they were in Egypt before Jacob came thither, and his purpoſe is here to ſumme up onelyonly the number of thoſe of his poſteritie that went down with him into Egypt. Indeed it cannot be well conceived that Hezron and Hamul, the ſonnes of Pharez, and grandchildren of Judah, went down with Jacob into Egypt, but that they were born in Egypt, as is before noted, chap. 38. 1. But firſt they were the poſteritie of thoſe that did go down into Egypt with Jacob, and were numbred amongſt Jacobs family whileſt Jacob was yet living; and then there was not the ſame reaſon for mentioning all the reſt that were born of Jacobs family, becauſe of Hezron Chriſt the Meſſiah deſcended; and therefore the ſonnes of Pharez are added to the reſt.
Verſ. 27. All the ſouls of the houſe of Jacob which came into Egypt were threeſcore and ten.]
Here the whole family before particularly ſet down are ſummed up together, and even Jacob and Joſeph and his two ſonnes are here included, that were left out in the totall ſumme in the former verſe. The whole family of Jacob were ſeventie ſouls, which is purpoſely noted, that we might take notice what a miraculous work of God it was, that this family of Jacob ſhould within the compaſſe of two hundred and fifteen years multiply ſo exceedingly, that at their departure there ſhould be of them ſix hundred thouſand that bore arms, beſides the Levites, old men, women and children. It was indeed a ſtrange and miraculous increaſe, and therefore we ſee Moſes reckons it as one of the moſt wonderfull works which God had done for that people, Deut. 10. 22. Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threeſcore and ten perſons, and now the Lord thy God hath made thee as the ſtarres of heaven for multitude. The greateſt difficultie concerning this place, is, how it may be reconciled with that relation which Stephen makes of this, Acts 7. 14. that when Jacob went down into Egypt, he and his kindred, there were of them threeſcore and fifteen ſouls. But to this there are two anſwers given by Expoſitours, either of which may give ſatisfaction, to wit, 1. That Stephen, or S. Luke relating the words of S. Stephen, did purpoſely follow the tranſlation of the Septuagint in this place, who have here indeed ſeventie five, and not ſeventie ſouls; and that becauſe the Greek tranſlation of the Septuagint was moſt frequently uſed in thoſe times, and though it were corrupt in this place, and not according to the Hebrew originall, yet he would not therefore in a matter of ſo ſmall conſequence ſet down the number of Jacobs family otherwiſe then it was there, eſpecially conſidering that in ſome ſenſe alſo it was a truth, that there went down of Jacobs family at leaſt ſeventie five ſouls, to wit, if their wives alſo ſhould be added to the number: or 2. That S. Stephen ſpeaks of the whole family of Jacob that are here mentioned by Moſes; and indeed leaving out Jacob, and numbring all of his family that are named here by Moſes, to wit, Er and Onan, the ſonnes of Judah that died in Canaan, and the foure wives which are mentioned here by Moſes, though not caſt up in the totall ſumme, it is clearly true that there are here named of his family or kindred ſeventie and five ſouls.
Verſ. 28. And he ſent Iudah before him unto Ioſeph, to direct his face unto Goſhen.]
That is, to give him notice of his coming, that he might come to Goſhen, and meet him there; which doubtleſſe he did both out of an earneſt deſire to ſee Joſeph ſo ſoon as poſſibly he could, and likewiſe that by Joſephs authoritie both he and his family might be there diſpoſed of, to prevent any grudge or diſcontent amongſt the native inhabitants.
Verſ. 29. And he fell on his neck, &c.]
That is, Jacob fell on Joſephs neck, and wept on his neck a good while; Joſephs carriage of himſelf at their meeting is expreſſed in the former words, to wit, that he preſented himſelf before his father, falling down before him in a lowly manner, and that the rather to manifeſt thereby that his honour and advancement in Egypt did not make him forget the duty which, as a ſonne, he did owe to his father; and now in theſe words is expreſſed what Jacob did, to vvit, that he fell on the neck of Ioſeph, thus bovving before him, and wept on his neck a good while, and then brake into thoſe vvords recited in the following verſe.
Verſ. 30. Now let me die, ſince I have ſeen thy face, &c.]
As before, vvhen he heard of Joſeph, he ſaid, I vvil go and ſee him before I die, chap. 45. 28. ſo novv having ſeen him, he breaks out into this expreſſion of joy, Now let me die, ſince I have ſeen thy face; for though ordinarily men are moſt deſirous to live vvhen things go vvell vvith them, and moſt deſirous to die vvhen they live in affliction and ſorrovv; yet it vvas not thus vvith Jacob, he vvas alvvayes deſirous to be vvith God in heaven, and therefore though ſince the time that he heard of Joſephs ſafetie and advancement in Egypt (vvhereto theſe vvords have chiefly reference) he deſired earneſtly no doubt that he might live to ſee his face, yet novv having to his great comfort received ſatisfaction, herein he profeſſeth his vvillingneſſe to die vvhenſoever God ſhould be pleaſed to call for him, even as old Simeon did vvhen he had ſeen Chriſt, vvhichwhich he had long vvaited for, Lord, now letteſt thou thy ſervant depart in peace according to thy word, Luke 2. 29.
Verſ. 32. And the men are ſhepherds.]
There vvere many reaſons vvhy Joſeph might deſire to have his father and brethren dvvell together in the land of Goſhen: 1. Becauſe it vvas a fruitfull paſture-countrey, fit for breeding cattel; 2. That they might not be corrupted vvith the idolatrie and ſuperſtition of the Egyptians; 3. That they might not be an offenſe to the Egyptian… vvho abhorred all keepers of ſheep; 4. Becauſe Goſhen, being the neareſt part of Egypt tovvards Canaan, ſtood moſt commodiouſly for the Iſraelites return out of Egypt vvhenſoever God ſhould be pleaſed to call them back again into the land of Canaan. Novv though Joſeph had promiſed his brethren before that they ſhould dvvell in Goſhen, yet he vvould not ſettle them there vvithout the Kings expreſſe conſent; and though he doubted not of procuring his conſent, yet the more eaſily to effect it, h… reſolves to acquaint Pharaoh that they vvere ſhepherds, that ſo he might think it moſt convenient to diſpoſe of them by themſelves in the land of Goſhen, the outmoſt parts of Egypt, that they might not be an eyeſore to the Egyptians that could not endure men of their occupation.
Verſ. 34. For every ſhepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.]
To wit, becauſe ſuch people did uſually eat and ſacrifice thoſe cattel which the Egyptians worſhipped as their gods, as is befo…e noted, Gen. 43. 32. It is evident indeed that the Egyptians had flocks of ſheep, both the king and people: for, chap. 47. 6. Pharaoh profers Joſeph to make his brethren rulers over his cattel: and Exod. 9. 3. we reade of a grievous murrain that God ſent among the Egyptians cattel, and amongſt the reſt upon their ſheep; but it ſeems they kept them rather for their wool and milk then any thing elſe, and happely thoſe that kept them were ſtrangers rather then Egyptians.