Commentary on the Pentateuch, Commentary 1 · Chapter 43
CHAP. XLIII. Verſ. 1. And the famine was ſore in the Land]
IN the promiſed Land. Druſ. in Adag.Hold out faith and patience. Os quod in ſorte tua cecidit, rodas: Bear thy croſs, and be content.
Verſ. 2. Buy us a little food] They had learned to live with a little, which is a great skill; nature is content with a little, grace with leſs. Paratum ſe eſſe cum jove de falicitate coutendere, fi aquam haberet & offam. A…lian.Epicurus himſelf was wont to ſay, if he might have but aquam & offam, a draught of water, and a morſell of meate, he could live happily.
Verſ. 3. Ye ſhall not ſee my face, &c.] No acceptation without Benjamin, that ſon of ſorrow: So, neither with God, without ſound repentance. This is the rainbow, which if God ſeeth ſhining in our hearts, he will never drown our ſouls.
Verſ. 6. And Iſrael ſaid, &c.] Here he begins to outwreſtle his fears, by reſting upon God; and is therefore called Iſrael.
Verſ. 7. Could we certainly know, &c.] Inferences many times are made, upon what we ſay or do, ſuch as we never thought of, Aug. lib. 1. de Trint. c. 3. ad ſinem.Arbitror nonnullos in quibuſdam locis librorum meorum opinaturos, me ſenſiſſe quod non ſenſi, aut non ſenſiſſe quod ſenſi, faith Auguſtine: And it fell out accordingly. For as Baronius witneſſeth, after Saint Auſtins death, there aroſe up divers, who out of his writings wreſted and inconſtructed, Quiex ejus ſcriptis male perceptis complures invexerunt errores. Annal. tom 6. ad Ann. 450.brought in many errours; which they endeavoured to maintain, by the name and authority of Saint Auguſtine. And the like may be ſaid of Luther.
Verſ. 8. Send the lad] A large lad, that was thirty year old, and had ten children. But he is ſo called, becauſe the yongeſt ſon of them, and the fathers darling.
Verſ. 9. I will be ſurety for him] Herein he was a type of Chriſt, (that came of him) who is both our ſurety to God, for the diſcharge of our debt, and duty; and Gods ſurety to us, for the performance of his promiſes, Heb. 7.22.
Verſ. 10. For except we had lingered, &c.] In the words of God there is not any hyperbole to be found. In the words of men, related by the Scripture, if we meet with ſuch kind of expreſſions, as this, and that, Joh. 21.25. it nothing derogates from the authority of the Scripture: as Pareus here noteth.
Verſ. 11. If it muſt be ſo now, &c.] Perplexity is blind, and untractable. Let the mind but ſettle, and it will ſoon yeeld to a reaſonable motion, if ſeaſonable, eſpecially; as this of Iudah was: for, beſides the weightineſs of his words, neceſſity now ſpake for him, that moſt powerfull Oratour. Ex carmine, vel melodia vel modulatione, vel dentque Pſalme, Eſay 65.8.… [Take of the beſt fruits] De laudatiſſimis rebus, ſaith Junius; Of the verſe or melody, ſaith the Original; that is, of the moſt praiſe-worthy fruits; ſuch as deſerve to be commended in verſe, and ſung of, to the praiſe of God, the Giver.
A little balme, and a little honey] Great men regard not the worth of the gift, but the will of the giver. If I had had more, foreign. Aelian.I would have given more, ſaid that Greek to Auguſtus; and it was accepted. The poor Perſian that met Artaxerxes with a handfull of water, out of the river Cyrus, went away well rewarded. So did the gardener, that preſented the Duke of Burgundy with a rape-root; which when the maſter of his houſe obſerved, he preſented his Lord with a brave palfrey, looking for like liberality, but was diſappointed.
Verſ. 12. And take double-money] Invaluerat enim fames, verſ. 1. ideoque annonae pretium auctum erat, ſaith Junius: It went hard with the inhabitants of Samaria, when an aſſes head, was worth four pounds. [Peradventure it was an over-ſight] Which called for reſtitution; we muſt buy and ſell by that ſtandard, Mat. 7.12. Whatever ye would that men ſhould do unto you, do you the ſame to them. Now no man would be cozened. Woe be to him that cryes, Qui neſcit diſſimulare, neſcit vivere.caveat emptor; He that cannot lye, cannot live, &c. 1 Theſſ. 4.8. God is the avenger of all ſuch.
Verſ. 14. And God Almighty give you mercy] Heb. give you bowells, the ſeat of mercy. Here God not only grants Jacob's prayer, but fulfills his counſel, gives him the very particular he prayes for; ver. 30. Joſeph's bowels yerned upon Benjamin.
If I be bereaved, I am bereaved] This is like that of Eſther, committing her ſelf and her attempt to God, Eſth. 4.16.If I periſh, I periſh; and like that of thoſe Saints in the Acts, The Will of the Lord be done; which is, ſaith One, Vox verè Chriſtianorum. Iacob prayes for Benjamins ſafety, but will be content his own will be croſſed, ſo that Gods Will may be accompliſhed. This is the right way of praying; this is to draw near with à true heart, Heb. 10.22. Hypocrites ſeek God only out of ſelf-love; which is as little pleaſing to him, as if a woman ſhould ſtrive to content to her husband, not out of love to him, but to another.
Verſ. 16. Slay, and make ready] Heb. ſlay a ſlaughter of beaſts, as at feaſts is uſual. Sen.Quaere nunc cur ſubitò moriamur? ſaith Seneca; quia mortibus vivimus; What wonder we dye ſuddenly, that live by the death of others?
Shall dine with me at noon] After ſerlous buſineſs diſpatcht in the morning. Ariſtotle diſpoſed of the morning in ſtudying Philoſophy; Of the afternoon, in Eloquence, or whatever elſe he made his recreation.
Verſ. 18. And the men were afraid] Where no fear was; but that an ill conſcience haunted them, Levit. 26.36.and ſo the ſound of a ſhaken leaf put them into a fright: As every body hath its ſhadow, ſo hath every ſin its fear; and fear, torment, 1 Ioh. 4.18.
Verſ. 20. O ſir, we came indeed, &c.] We muſt not lye wretchleſly, under ſuſpition of diſhoneſty; but carefully clear our ſelves, as there is opportunity.
Verſ. 23. Peace be to you, fear not] The feeble-minded muſt be comforted; 1 Theſſ. 5.14.not cruſhed, or caſhiered, as the wounded Deer is by the whole heard. David, in the ſpirit of Prophecy, pronounceth a bitter curſe upon thoſe that perſecuted him whom God hath ſmitten, Pſal. 69.26.and talked to the grief of thoſe whom he had wounded. Ioſeph's Steward had learned better things of his maſter.
Verſ. 25. And they made ready the Preſent.] For, a mans giſt makes roomth for him, and bringeth him before great men, Prov. 18.16. So it doth alſo before God, who looks for a Prſent, Pſal. 72.10. and loves to hear from us, Praiſe waiteth for thee, Pſal. 65.1.O God, in Sion, and unto thee ſhall the vow be performed.
Verſ. 29. God be gracious unto thee, my ſon] Governours ſhould temper clemency with ſeverity, ſo as to be at once loved & feared. Mercy is the brighteſt ſtar in the ſphere of Majeſty. Q. Elizabeth, next to the bible, took ſpecial delight in Seneca's tract, de Clementia.
Verſ. 30. And Joſeph made haſte, &c.] He hid his affection, as a wiſe and valiant man, till he had once more beaten vehemently upon their guilty conſciences; and ſo brought them to a more ſound and ſerious ſight of their ſin, that they might repent, and make ſure work for their ſouls.
Verſ. 31. Set on bread] Which the Latines call Panis of foreign, either becauſe all covet it, or becauſe whatever elſe the chear be, Iſidor. l. 20.men alwayes ſet on bread.
Verſ. 32. Becauſe the Egyptians might not eat, &c.] Such was their pride and ſuperſtition. Such was the hatred between the Jews and Samaritans: as is little at this day, between Papiſts and Proteſtants. If a Proteſtant give thanks at his meat, though this chaſeth not a Catholick from his dinner, (which were to his loſs) yet he muſt forbear to ſay Amen to it. As on the other ſide, ſome Romane Catholicks will not ſay grace, though it be at their own table, when a Proteſtant is preſent; Sand's his Relation of Weſt Relig. Sect. 32.thinking it better to leave God unſerved, then that a Proteſtant joyn in ſerving him. They hold us no better then dogs; worſe then Turks or Jews; damned Hereticks, curſed caytiffes, unworthy to live on Gods ground, fit for nothing but fire and fagot. Certain it is, that whoſoever in this new faith and ſervice hath ended this life, is in hell moſt certainly, ſaith Briſtow, in his 36. Motive. It cannot be, that a Lutheran ſo dying, can eſcape the damnation of hell, (ſaith Coſter the Jeſuite) If I lye, let me be damned with Lucifer. Coſter. reſp. ad Enchirid. Oſiand. propoſ. 8.Are not Gods Hebrews an utter abomination now, to theſe Romiſh Egyptians?
Verſ. 33. And they ſate before him, &c.] He marſhalled them in their right rank and degree; and this amazed them. He made them an abſolute feaſt, ſuch as Varro deſcribes with theſe conditions; Si belli conveniant homines, ſi temporis ſit habita ratio, In veter. fragm.ſo locus ſit non ingratus, ſi non negligens apparatus. This feaſt is of that ſort in uſe among the Romanes, that were called foreign, Val. Max. lib. 2. cap. 1.to which were invited none but kinsfolks, to continue love, and ſeek reconciliation, where had been any breach.
Verſ. 34. And he took and ſent meſſes] So did Cyrus in Xenophon, to ſuch as he favoured,
But Benjamins meſſe, &c.] Love will creep where it cannot go; and good blood will never belie it ſelf. Ambroſe makes it a type and token of S. Pauls excellent parts and gifts, above the reſt of the Apoſtles, &c.