Genesis · Chapter 43

THE SECOND JOURNEY TO EGYPT FOR FOOD, 1-15.

1. The famine was sore — Or, heavy. It had now continued two years. Genesis 45:6.

THE SECOND JOURNEY TO EGYPT FOR FOOD, 1-15.

1. The famine was sore — Or, heavy. It had now continued two years. Genesis 45:6.

3. Did solemnly protest — He had sworn by the life of Pharaoh. Genesis 42:15, 16.

THE SECOND JOURNEY TO EGYPT FOR FOOD, 1-15.

1. The famine was sore — Or, heavy. It had now continued two years. Genesis 45:6.

THE SECOND JOURNEY TO EGYPT FOR FOOD, 1-15.

1. The famine was sore — Or, heavy. It had now continued two years. Genesis 45:6.

THE SECOND JOURNEY TO EGYPT FOR FOOD, 1-15.

1. The famine was sore — Or, heavy. It had now continued two years. Genesis 45:6.

THE SECOND JOURNEY TO EGYPT FOR FOOD, 1-15.

1. The famine was sore — Or, heavy. It had now continued two years. Genesis 45:6.

Verse 8. Send the lad with me] As the original is not dly yeled, from which we have derived our word lad, but נער naar, it would have been better had our translators rendered it by some other term, such as the youth, or the young man, and thus the distinction in the Hebrew would have been better kept up. Benjamin was at this time at least twenty-four years of age, some think thirty, and had a family of his own. See Genesis 46:21.

That we may live, and not die] An argument drawn from

self-preservation, what some have termed the first law of nature. By your keeping Benjamin we are prevented from going to Egypt; if we go not to Egypt we shall get no corn; if we get no corn we shall all perish by famine; and Benjamin himself, who otherwise might live, must, with thee and the whole family, infallibly die.

Verse 8. Judah said unto his father — He, on account of his age, prudence, and penitent carriage for his youthful follies, was much beloved and regarded by his father, and, on this occasion, was likely to have the greatest influence in persuading him. Send the lad with me — So he terms him, because he was the youngest of all, though he was now thirty years old, and a father of divers children.

8. Judah said — The eloquent plea of Judah seems to have had more weight with Jacob than the expressed wishes of all his other sons.

V. 9. Judah’s conscience had lately smitten him for what he had done a great while ago against Joseph; and as an evidence of the truth of his repentance, he is ready to undertake, as far as a man could do it, for Benjamin’s security. He will not only not wrong him but will do all he can to protect him. This is such restitution as the case will admit: when he knew not how he could retrieve Joseph, he would make some amends for the irreparable injury he had done him, by doubling his care concerning Benjamin.

Verse 9. Let me bear the blame for ever] הימים lk Ël ytacjw vechatathi lecha col haiyamim, then shall I sin against thee all my days, and consequently be liable to punishment for violating my faith.

Verse 9. Let me bear the blame for ever — Hebrew, Be an offender to thee: let me bear the guilt, and shame, and punishment due to so great an offender — Judah’s conscience had lately smitten him for what he had done a great while ago against Joseph; and as an evidence of the truth of his repentance, he is ready to undertake, as far as a man could do it, for Benjamin’s security. He will not only not wrong him, but will do all he can to protect him. This is such restitution as the case will admit: when he knew not how he could retrieve Joseph, he would make some amends for the irreparable injury he had done him, by doubling his care concerning Benjamin.

THE SECOND JOURNEY TO EGYPT FOR FOOD, 1-15.

1. The famine was sore — Or, heavy. It had now continued two years. Genesis 45:6.

THE SECOND JOURNEY TO EGYPT FOR FOOD, 1-15.

1. The famine was sore — Or, heavy. It had now continued two years. Genesis 45:6.

V. 11. If it must be so now, take your brother-If no corn can be had but upon those terms, as good expose him to the perils of the journey, as suffer ourselves and families, and Benjamin among the rest, to perish for want of bread: it is no fault, but our wisdom and duty, to alter our resolutions when there is a good reason for so doing: constancy is a virtue, but obstinacy is not: it is God’s prerogative to make unchangeable resolves.

Verse 11. Carry down the man a present] From the very earliest times presents were used as means of introduction to great men. This is particularly noticed by Solomon: A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men, Proverbs 18:16. But what was the present brought to Joseph on this occasion? After all the labour of commentators, we are obliged to be contented with probabilities and conjecture. According to our translation, the gifts were balm, honey, spices, myrrh, nuts, and almonds.

Balm] yrx tsori is supposed to signify resin in general, or some kind of gum issuing from trees.

Honey] vbd debash has been supposed to be the same as the rob of grapes, called in Egypt dibs. Others think that honey, in the common sense of the term, is to be understood here: we know that honey was plentiful in Palestine.

Spices] takn nechoth is supposed to mean gum storax, which might be very valuable on account of its qualities as a perfume. Myrrh] cl lot, supposed by some to mean stacte; by others to signify an ointment made of myrrh.

Nuts] µyncb botnim, by some rendered pistachio nuts, those produced in Syria being the finest in the world; by others, dates; others, walnuts; others, pine apples; others, the nuts of the terebinth tree. Almonds] µydqv shekedim, correctly enough translated, and perhaps the only article in the collection of which we know any thing with certainty. It is generally allowed that the land of Canaan produces the best almonds in the east; and on this account they might be deemed a very acceptable present to the governor of Egypt. Those who wish to see this subject exhausted must have recourse to the Physica Sacra of Scheuehzer.

Verse 11. If it must be so now, take your brother — If no corn can be had but upon those terms, as good expose him to the perils of the journey, as suffer ourselves and families, and Benjamin among the rest, to perish for want of bread: it is no fault, but our wisdom and duty, to alter our resolutions, when there is a good reason for so doing: constancy is a virtue, but obstinacy is not: it is God’s prerogative to make unchangeable resolves.

11. Take of the best fruits — Hebrews, take of the song of the land; the products celebrated in song. This suggests the answer to the objection that these fruits should be had in Canaan in such a time of dearth. The items of the present here named were luxuries, which might have been preserved from previous years. “Almost all of them,” says Kalisch, “require for their growth heat rather than moisture; and some develop themselves to the greatest advantage in dry years and in a dry soil.” So these may have grown and been abundant when the grains all failed. On balm, spices, and myrrh, see note on Genesis 37:25, where it will be noticed that the Ishmaelite caravan carried these same articles into Egypt. The honey (vbr) here mentioned was probably the grape honey, manufactured by art, not by the bees; a sort of molasses or syrup, called by the modern Arabs dibs. Nuts — Probably the nuts of the pistachio tree, which somewhat resembles the terebinth. The Septuagint here translates the word by terebinth. The pistachio nut is said to be of an aromatic taste, and a favourite but not common fruit in the East. The almond tree was common in Palestine, but not in Egypt; its blossoms and fruit much resemble those of the peach tree.

V. 12. Take double money-As much again as they took the time before, upon supposition that the price of corn might be risen, or that, if it should be insisted upon, they might pay a ransom for Simeon. And he sent a present of such things as the land afforded, and were scarce in Egypt, the commodities that Canaan exported.

Verse 12. Double money] What was returned in their sacks, and what was farther necessary to buy another load.

Verse 12. Take double money — As much again as they took the time before, upon supposition that the price of corn might be risen, or that, if it should be insisted upon, they might pay a ransom for Simeon: And he sent a present of such things as the land afforded, and were scarce in Egypt, the commodities that Canaan exported.

THE SECOND JOURNEY TO EGYPT FOR FOOD, 1-15.

1. The famine was sore — Or, heavy. It had now continued two years. Genesis 45:6.

THE SECOND JOURNEY TO EGYPT FOR FOOD, 1-15.

1. The famine was sore — Or, heavy. It had now continued two years. Genesis 45:6.

V. 14. God almighty give you mercy before the man!-Jacob had formerly turned an angry brother into a kind one with a present and a prayer, and here he betakes himself to the same tried method. Those that would find mercy with men must seek it of God. He concludes all with this, if I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved-If I must part with them thus one after another, I acquiesce and say, The will of the Lord be done.

Verse 14. This verse may be literally translated thus: “And God, the all-sufficient, shall give you tender mercies before the man, and send to you your other brother, and Benjamin; and I, as I shall be childless, so I shall be childless.” That is, I will submit to this privation, till God shall restore my children. It appears that this verse is spoken prophetically; and that God at this time gave Jacob a supernatural evidence that his children should be restored.

Verse 14. God Almighty give you mercy before the man! — Jacob had formerly turned an angry brother into a kind one with a present and a prayer, and here he betakes himself to the same tried method. Those that would find mercy with men must seek it of God. He concludes all with this, If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved — If I must part with them thus, one after another, I acquiesce, and say, The will of the Lord be done.

Verse 14. If I be bereaved. The patriarch Jacob having at length consented to the second journey, discovered very great wisdom in the instructions he gave to his sons; nor were his piety and submission less in commending them to God, and suffering Benjamin to go.

14. God Almighty — Hebrews, El Shaddai. Jacob uses the divine name so sacredly associated with the covenant and promises. Compare Genesis 17:1; 35:11.

THE SECOND JOURNEY TO EGYPT FOR FOOD, 1-15.

1. The famine was sore — Or, heavy. It had now continued two years. Genesis 45:6.

Verse 16. Slay, and make ready] jbc jbc teboach tebach, slay a slaying, or make a great slaughter-let preparations be made for a great feast or entertainment. See a similar form of speech, Proverbs 9:2; 1 Samuel 25:11; and Genesis 31:54.

RECEPTION AND FEAST AT JOSEPH’S HOUSE, 16-34.

16. The ruler of his house — His steward, who had oversight of his domestic affairs.

RECEPTION AND FEAST AT JOSEPH’S HOUSE, 16-34.

16. The ruler of his house — His steward, who had oversight of his domestic affairs.

Verse 18. And the men were afraid] A guilty conscience needs no accuser. Every thing alarms them; they now feel that God is exacting retribution, and they know not what the degrees shall be, nor where it shall stop.

Fall upon us] wnyl[ llgth hithgolel alainu, roll himself upon us. A metaphor taken from wrestlers; when a man has overthrown his antagonist, he rolls himself upon him, in order to keep him down.

And our asses.] Which they probably had in great number with them; and which, if captured, would have been a great loss to the family of Jacob, as such cattle must have constituted a principal part of its riches.

18. The men were afraid — Their cold and severe treatment on the former occasion filled them with a dread of Joseph, and they were predisposed to construe every thing that looked like danger into a plot against them and their property.

19. Communed at the door — Before they will enter the house, they resolve to have an understanding about the money that was returned in their sacks.

Verse 20. O sir, we came indeed-to buy food] There is a frankness now in the conduct of Joseph’s brethren that did not exist before; they simply and honestly relate the whole circumstance of the money being found in their sacks on their return from their last journey. Afflictions from the hand of God, and under his direction, have a wonderful tendency to humble the soul. Did men know how gracious his designs are in sending such, no murmur would ever be heard against the dispensations of Divine Providence.

RECEPTION AND FEAST AT JOSEPH’S HOUSE, 16-34.

16. The ruler of his house — His steward, who had oversight of his domestic affairs.

RECEPTION AND FEAST AT JOSEPH’S HOUSE, 16-34.

16. The ruler of his house — His steward, who had oversight of his domestic affairs.

RECEPTION AND FEAST AT JOSEPH’S HOUSE, 16-34.

16. The ruler of his house — His steward, who had oversight of his domestic affairs.

V. 23. Your God, and the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks-Hereby he shews that he had no suspicion of dishonesty in them: for what we get by deceit we cannot say God gives it us. He silences their farther enquiry about it: ask not how it came thither, providence brought it you, and let that satisfy you. It appears by what he said, that by his master’s instructions he was brought to the knowledge of the true God, the God of the Hebrews. He directs them to look up to God, and acknowledge his providence in the good bargain they had. We must own ourselves indebted to God as our God, and the God of our fathers, (a God in covenant with us and them) for all our successes and advantages, and the kindnesses of our friends; for every creature is that to us, and no more, than God makes it to be.

Verse 23. And he said] The address of the steward in this verse plainly proves that the knowledge of the true God was in Egypt. It is probable that the steward himself was a Hebrew, and that Joseph had given him intimation of the whole affair; and though he was not at liberty to reveal it, yet he gives them assurances that the whole business would issue happily. I had your money.] yla ab µkpsk caspechem ba elai, your money comes to me. As I am the steward, the cash for the corn belongs to me. Ye have no reason to be apprehensive of any evil; the whole transaction is between myself and you; receive therefore the money as a present from the God of your father, no matter whose hands he makes use of to convey it. The conduct of the steward, as well as his words, had a great tendency to relieve their burdened minds.

Verse 23. And he said, Peace be to you — No harm shall come to you for that matter. God hath given you treasure in your sacks — By his power and providence secretly putting it there. He speaks thus, because Joseph had instructed him, as well as others of his family, in the knowledge and worship of the true God. By this he meant to show that he had no suspicion of dishonesty in them: for what we get by deceit we cannot say God gives it us. He silences their further inquiry about it: ask not how it came thither; Providence brought it you, and let that satisfy you. We must own ourselves indebted to God as our God, and the God of our fathers, (a God in covenant with us and them,) for all our successes and advantages, and the kindnesses of our friends; for every creature is that to us, and no more, than God makes it to be.

Ver. 23. Your God, and the God of your father. Joseph’s steward speaks in the character of an Egyptian, and conformably to the best theology of that ancient nation, the Egyptians having had the knowledge of the true God as taught by Noah. The Greek word EI was written in front of the temple of Minerva at Saïs in Upper Egypt. Professor Michaelis of Gottingen says, “They worshipped one supreme and first god, whom they call in Greek EIS, the one. Iamblicus says of this deity, that before all things that existed, and before the first original beings, there is One God, qeov, EIS. He is prior to the first God, [meaning the Son] and to the king; he is immoveable, and continues in the solitude of his unity. They call him Adad, or rather Ahad; that is, one, as appears from Macrobius. Saturnalia, lib. 1. cap. 23; Euseb. Præp. lib. 10. cap. 38; the dja Achad of Isaiah 66:17. They believed further, that this god was quite incomprehensible, on which account they call him eternal darkness; in opposition to which St. Paul affirms, that he dwells in light unto which no man can approach.” See on Isaiah 66:17.

Iamblicus adds, “From this One, that God who is the original autarkhv, kindled himself, eauton exelamye. Wherefore he is called also his own father, and his own origin. A christian cannot assert the eternal divinity of the Son in stronger terms, for he is the original being, and the God of gods; One of one, before any thing existed; prousiov, and before the beginning of existence. For from him came the possibility of being, and being itself. Whence he is called also, the beginning of things imaginable, nohtarkhv. The reader may be referred to a passage of Porphyry, which Cyril has preserved in his book against Julian. Of this god the Egyptians believed that he was the image of that God who only could be known in him. St. Paul, in Hebrews 1:3, and Colossians 1:15, 16, exactly attributes to Christ, what the oriental philosophers taught concerning the Son of God.” I had your money. Joseph was a devout man, and therefore upright in Pharaoh’s interests. He had paid the treasurer for the corn his brethren took, and did not dare to give away the property of his sovereign. And he brought out Simeon unto them, who appears to have had a lenient confinement.

23. Peace be to you — The steward’s words were admirably adapted to quiet the fears of these men. Especially would the words your God and the God of your father assure them that no harm was intended against them, and that their religion was known and respected. I had your money — Or, your money came to me. This same steward thus acknowledges the receipt of their money, and assures them that that is not charged against them.

Verse 24. Brought the men into Joseph’s house, &c.] This is exactly the way in which a Hindoo receives a guest. As soon as he enters, one of the civilities is the presenting of water to wash his feet. So indispensable is this, that water to wash the feet makes a part of the offering to an image.

RECEPTION AND FEAST AT JOSEPH’S HOUSE, 16-34.

16. The ruler of his house — His steward, who had oversight of his domestic affairs.

RECEPTION AND FEAST AT JOSEPH’S HOUSE, 16-34.

16. The ruler of his house — His steward, who had oversight of his domestic affairs.

V. 26. When they brought him the present, they bowed themselves before him, and again, when they gave him an account of their father’s health, they made obeisance, and called him,

Thy servant, our father-Thus were Joseph’s dreams fulfilled more and more; and even the father, by the sons, bowed before him. Probably Jacob had directed them, if they had occasion to speak of him to the man, the Lord of the land, to call him his servant.

26. Bowed themselves — Another act fulfilling Joseph’s dream — all the eleven of his brethren now bowing down. Genesis 42:6-9; 37:5-9.

Verse 27. And he asked them of their welfare] This verse may be thus translated: “And he asked them concerning their prosperity; and he said, is your father prosperous, the old man who ye told me was alive? And they said, Thy servant our father prospers; he is yet alive.”

RECEPTION AND FEAST AT JOSEPH’S HOUSE, 16-34.

16. The ruler of his house — His steward, who had oversight of his domestic affairs.

Verse 28. When they brought him the present, they bowed themselves before him, and again, when they gave him an account of their father’s health, they made obeisance, and called him, Thy servant, our father — Thus were Joseph’s dreams fulfilled more and more; and even the father, by the sons, bowed before him. Probably Jacob had directed them, if they had occasion to speak of him to the man, the lord of the land, to call him his servant.

RECEPTION AND FEAST AT JOSEPH’S HOUSE, 16-34.

16. The ruler of his house — His steward, who had oversight of his domestic affairs.

V. 29. God be gracious unto thee, my son-Joseph’s favour, though he was the lord of the land, would do him little good, unless God were gracious to him.

Verse 29. He lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin] They were probably introduced to him successively; and as Benjamin was the youngest, he would of course be introduced last.

God be gracious unto thee, my son!] A usual salutation in the east from the aged and superiors to the younger and inferiors, which, though very emphatic and expressive in ancient times, in the present day means no more than “I am your humble servant,” or “I am exceedingly glad to see you;” words which among us mean-just nothing. Even in David’s time they seem to have been, not only devoid of meaning, but to be used as a cloak for the basest and most treacherous designs: They bless with their mouths, but they curse inwardly. Hence Joab salutes Amasa, kisses him with apparent affection, and stabs him in the same moment! The case of Judas, betraying the Son of man with a kiss, will not be forgotten.

Verses 29, 30. God be gracious to thee, my son — So he terms him, not from special affection, which he did not yet intend to discover; but because it is a courteous appellation, whereby superiors were wont to salute those below them. Joseph’s favour, although he was the lord of the land, would do Benjamin little good, unless God were gracious to him. His bowels did yearn — His heart and inward parts were vehemently moved, as they commonly are upon occasion of any excessive passion of love, pity, grief, or joy.

RECEPTION AND FEAST AT JOSEPH’S HOUSE, 16-34.

16. The ruler of his house — His steward, who had oversight of his domestic affairs.

Verses 29, 30. God be gracious to thee, my son — So he terms him, not from special affection, which he did not yet intend to discover; but because it is a courteous appellation, whereby superiors were wont to salute those below them. Joseph’s favour, although he was the lord of the land, would do Benjamin little good, unless God were gracious to him. His bowels did yearn — His heart and inward parts were vehemently moved, as they commonly are upon occasion of any excessive passion of love, pity, grief, or joy.

Ver. 30. He sought where to weep. Here was a conflict between his judgment and his feelings. He would gladly have discovered himself to them: but they being only just arrived, nothing was farther known concerning the reality of their repentance except the acknowledgment in the first journey, that their brother’s blood was required. Therefore Joseph wisely persevered in seeking that test; and through the whole of life, he preferred piety to every other consideration.

RECEPTION AND FEAST AT JOSEPH’S HOUSE, 16-34.

16. The ruler of his house — His steward, who had oversight of his domestic affairs.

RECEPTION AND FEAST AT JOSEPH’S HOUSE, 16-34.

16. The ruler of his house — His steward, who had oversight of his domestic affairs.

Verse 32. They set on for him by himself, &c.] From the text it appears evident that there were three tables, one for Joseph, one for the Egyptians, and one for the eleven brethren.

The Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews] There might have been some political reason for this, with which we are unacquainted; but independently of this, two may be assigned. 1. The Hebrews were shepherds; and Egypt had been almost ruined by hordes of lawless wandering banditti, under the name of Hycsos, or King-shepherds, who had but a short time before this been expelled from the land by Amasis, after they had held it in subjection for 259 years, according to Manetho, committing the most wanton cruelties. 2. The Hebrews sacrificed those animals which the Egyptians held sacred, and fed on their flesh. The Egyptians were in general very superstitious, and would have no social intercourse with people of any other nation; hence we are informed that they would not even use the knife of a Greek, because they might have reason to suspect it had cut the flesh of some of those animals which they held sacred. Among the Hindoos different castes will not eat food cooked in the same vessel. If a person of another caste touch a cooking vessel, it is thrown away. Some are of opinion that the Egyptian idolatry, especially their worship of Apis under the figure of an ox, was posterior to the time of Joseph; ancient monuments are rather against this opinion, but it is impossible to decide either way. The clause in the Alexandrian Septuagint stands thus, bdelugma estin tois aiguptiois [pas poimhn

probatwn,] “For [every shepherd] is an abomination to the Egyptians;” but this clause is probably borrowed from Genesis 46:34, where it stands in the Hebrew as well as in the Greek. See Clarke on “Genesis 46:34”.

Verse 32. That is an abomination to the Egyptians — The most generally received opinion has been, according to the paraphrases of Onkelos and Jonathan, that the reason of this was the Hebrews eating the animals which the Egyptians held sacred. To this must be added, however, that the Egyptians were addicted to such superstitious ceremonies in dressing and eating their victuals, that they could not endure to sit at table with persons of other nations. According to Herodotus, it was not only to the Hebrews that they had such an aversion, for he assures us they would not use the pots or knives of the Grecians about their food, lest these utensils should have been defiled with cutting or containing the flesh of those animals which they accounted sacred. There is some reason, notwithstanding, to think that these superstitions had not begun to prevail in Joseph’s days, and that the cause of this abhorrence must be sought for in the difference of the civil rather than the religious manners of the two nations.

Ver. 32. An abomination. Because the Hebrews were shepherds who would eat bulls, which the Egyptians adored under the name of Apis. Critics do not give us any account of the origin of this idol. Herodotus narrates at large how Cambyses on being introduced with apparent reluctance on the part of the priests, found a bull richly decorated, and uttering many exclamations against the brutishness of the Egyptians, ran his sword into the bowels of the animal, and thus killed their god. Bullocks offered in sacrifice had been accepted with fire from heaven, Genesis 15:2, and that might give rise both to this idolatry, and to the Persian custom of worshipping fire. Exodus 8:26.—Of the hatred of the Egyptians to shepherds we have two accounts, which are both probably true. Josephus, out of Manetho, says, that 200,000 Phœnician shepherds had been driven out of Egypt by king Amasis, after they had oppressed the country with the most bloody cruelties for 259 years. The other account is from the same Manetho by Eusebius, Præp. lib. 10. cap. 13, who says that shepherds, whom he calls king-shepherds, had invaded Egypt from the Grecian shores, and describes the disaster in two columns. It is not improbable that both the Greeks, and the Phœnician chieftains, were united in those cruel disasters.

32. For him by himself — He thus maintained his distinction of rank and caste, and conformed to Egyptian ideas and customs. Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews — Herodotus (ii, 41) says: “No Egyptian, man or woman, will kiss a Grecian on the mouth, or use the knife, spit, or caldron of a Greek, or taste the flesh of a pure ox that has been divided by a Grecian knife.” This same fear of contamination was doubtless held with regard to other nations as well as the Greeks. The Egyptians held in abomination those who slaughtered cows and oxen, animals which they held in highest reverence. Hence it was that they despised shepherds. Genesis 46:34.

V. 33. He placed his brethren according to their seniority, as if he could certainly divine. Some think they placed themselves so according to their custom; but if so, I see not why such particular notice is taken of it, especially as a thing they marvelled at.

Verse 33. The first-born according to his birthright] This must greatly astonish these brethren, to find themselves treated with so much ceremony, and at the same time with so much discernment of their respective ages.

Verse 33. The men marvelled one at another — They were greatly surprised how he should know their respective ages, so as to place them, or cause them to sit down, exactly according to their seniority, as if he could certainly divine. Some, indeed, think they placed themselves so, according to their custom; but if so, why should particular notice be taken of it? And why should they marvel at it? This was, as it were, a preparative to the discovery of himself.

33. According to his birthright — Well might the men marvel at being arranged at the table thus according to their ages. Joseph thus prepared the way for an open recognition, and sought to impress them with the idea that he knew them better than they imagined.

V. 34. They drank and were merry-Their cares and fears were now over, and they eat their bread with joy, concluding they were now upon good terms with the man, the lord of the land. If God accept our works, our present, we have reason to be chearful.

Verse 34. Benjamin’s mess was five times so much as any of theirs.] Sir John Chardin observes that “in Persia, Arabia, and the Indies, there are several houses where they place several plates in large salvers, and set one of these before each person, or before two or three, according to the magnificence of each house. This is the method among the Hindoos; the dishes are not placed on the table, but messes are sent to each individual by the master of the feast or by his substitute. The great men of the state are always served by themselves, in the feasts that are made for them; and with greater profusion, their part of each kind of provision being always DOUBLE, TREBLE, or a LARGER proportion of each kind of meat.” The circumstance of Benjamin’s having a mess FIVE times as large as any of his brethren, shows the peculiar honour which Joseph designed to confer upon him. See several useful observations on this subject in Harmer’s Observ., vol. ii., p. 101, &c., Edit. 1808.

1. THE scarcity in Canaan was not absolute; though they had no corn, they had honey, nuts, almonds, &c. In the midst of judgment, God remembers mercy. If there was scarcity in Canaan, there was plenty in Egypt; and though his providence had denied one country corn, and accumulated it in the other, his bounty had placed in the former money enough to procure it from the latter. How true is the saying, “It is never ill with any but it might be worse!” Let us be deeply thankful to God that we have any thing, seeing we deserve no good at his hands.

2. If we examine our circumstances closely, and call to remembrance the dealings of God’s providence towards us, we shall find that we can sing much both of mercy and of judgment. For one day of absolute unavoidable want, we shall find we had three hundred and sixty-four, if not of fulness, yet of a competency. Famines, though rarely happening, are everywhere recorded; innumerable years of abundance are scarcely ever registered! Such is the perverseness and ingratitude of man!

GENESIS

Ver. 34. Benjamin’s mess. Joseph sent this to mark his superior love to his own brother. So Elkanah gave Hannah a worthy portion of the sacrifice. 1 Samuel 1:5. Samuel also reserved the shoulder for Saul. 1 Samuel 9:24. But it is probable, that Benjamin’s mess contained five portions, to equalize him with the sons of Leah.

34. Five times so much — This was a special mark of honour, and furnished opportunity for Joseph to observe if his brethren envied Benjamin as they once did himself.