Genesis 38 "in the beginning" 38
Levirate Marriage:
"Tamar has been widowed while still young and has no children. Judah, who had given her as wife to his son, is now responsible for her, i.e., for the continuation of the family of the prematurely deceased. The custom of the Levirate marriage meets this situation." (Westermann, 51,2)
Levirate "marriage" is the custom whereby, if childless, the brother (or other male relative) of a deceased man is required to marry or father a child with the deceased's wife. A son begotten by the brother is then considered son and heir of the deceased. Otherwise, as a widow, the wife would return to her father's family (Von Rad, 358). This custom is an emergency measure with a stamp of family law, found not only inside Israel and Canaan, but also outside in similar circumstances (Westermann, 52). In the Old Testament, this family law custom is found only three times: Genesis 38, Ruth, and Deuteronomy 25:5-10. The duty of Levirate (as shown in Ruth) is not binding only on the brother-in-law, but also other male relatives (Von Rad, 359).
The meaning of the custom is explained in Deu. 25:6: "that his name may not be blotted out of Israel." Secondary economic factors are also present. The widow cannot inherit her husband's property. Only her children can, so she is reliant on them (Niditch, 145). If she has a child by the Levirate custom, the property of the deceased then passes on to that child. (Westermann, 52).
Susan Niditch sees the Levirate custom as playing a very important societal role. According to her argument, women in ancient Near Eastern society gained their status from males to whom they were attached. Women not in the category of daughter, wife, or mother are without patriarchal protection and "in a sense are misfits in the social structure." Through Levirate duty, the male relative helps society to avoid one sociological misfit, the young childless widow. In a sense, the Levirate duty reaffirms the young widow's place in the home of her husband's people (Niditch, 145,6).
In the narrative in question, Judah following custom requires Onan to sleep with Tamar, but Onan rejects his obligation toward his dead brother. Judah should have given Tamar to his youngest son according to the regulation and paternal obligation (Von Rad, 358). He does do not do so, however, and Tamar seizes initiative - she will procure for herself her right to have a son from husband's family. It is Genesis 38 which shows that originally the widow had right only to a descendent, not marriage. Tamar doesn't marry Onan, nor is that her intent with Judah (Westermann, 52). When Tamar's pregnancy is discovered and Judah shown to be the father, this unusual adherence to the Levirate law takes precedence over an incest law (Niditch, 148). While the commentators sometimes speak of the Levirate custom as "law", it should be noted that this time period was long before the formal giving of the law at Sinai.
Judah and Tamar
1 And it came to pass at that time, that Judah left his brothers and went to stay with a man named Hirah from Adullam.
At that time: The same time of Joseph's being sold. Judah must have been so guilt-ridden that he left his father and the tribe because he could not face him.
2 There Judah met a Canaanite girl, the daughter of a man named Shua, and married her. Judah had sex with her,
This means that she is a descendent of Cain and black! See Duet 7:1-3.
3 and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, whom Judah named Er.
4 Later she gave birth to another son and named him Onan.
5 Still later she had another son and named him Shelah. She was at Kezib when this third son was born.
6 Judah chose a girl named Tamar to be the wife of his first son Er.
7 But Er, Judah's oldest son, did what the LORD (Yahweh)said was evil, so the LORD (Jesus) killed him.
In verses 7 and 10 the LORD (Jesus) "took the life of", "slew", or "put to death" both Er and Onan. Exactly how these men died at the LORD (Jesus)'s hand would be interesting to know. Again the Hebrew text itself is inconclusive, muwth meaning simply to kill or put to death. Rabbinic tradition says that Tamar was sobeautiful, that Er didn't want to see her pregnant and God commands us to be fruitful and multiply.
8 Then Judah said to Er's brother Onan, "Go and have sex with your dead brother's wife.It is your duty to provide children for your brother in this way."
Levirate marriage is a type of marriage in which a widow is required to marry one of her husband's brothers after her husband's death.Go . . . wife It was a custom in Israel that if a man died without children, one of his brothers would marry the widow. If a child was born, it would be considered the dead man's child. See note on polygamy. Onan wanted the sex, but he did not want his dead brother to have the child! Selfishness.
9 But Onan knew that the children would not belong to him, so when he was supposed to have sex with Tamar he did not complete the sex act. This made it impossible for Tamar to become pregnant and for Er to have descendants.
The narrative implies that Onan didn't mind having the sex, but performed coitus interruptus (early withdrawal before ejaculation) so that there wouldn't be any offspring he couldn't claim as his own, so God killed him. Many view this as an ordnance against masturbation. It is not. There isn't a Bible law against masturbation, only lusting. Judah is portrayed as viewing Tamar to be cursed, and is therefore reluctant to giveher to his remaining son, Shelah; he first tells Tamar to act like a widow, until Shelah, the youngest son, has grown up, and then when he finally does, he still won't give Tamar to Shelah in marriage. The Hebrew word yabam is translated alternately as "marry" and "perform your duty as a brother-in-law." Literally it means to perform Levirate marriage or duty as a brother-in- law. It is significant here whether the brother-in-law (or other male relative) was actually required to marry the widow or just to father a child by her. The latter seems to be supported in verse 9 where Tamar is referred to as "his [Onan's] brother's wife."
Several different euphemisms for sex are used in the English accounts: "know", "come into", "sleep with", and "lay with". The Hebrew bow' shares the euphemism of one of the English translations, literally meaning: "go in, enter, come in".
10 The LORD (Jesus) was displeased by this wicked thing Onan had done, so the LORD (Jesus) killed Onan also.
11 Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Go back to live in your father's house, and don't marry until my young son Shelah grows up." Judah was afraid that Shelah also would die like his brothers. So Tamar returned to her father's home.
12 After a long time Judah's wife, the daughter of Shua, died. After Judah had gotten over his sorrow, he went to Timnah to his men who were cutting the wool from his sheep. His friend Hirah from Adullam went with him.
13 Tamar learned that Judah, her father-in-law, was going to Timnah to cut the wool from his sheep.
14 So she took off the clothes that showed she was a widow and covered her face with a veil to hide who she was. Then she sat down by the gate of Enaim on the road to Timnah. She did this because Judah's younger son Shelah had grown up, but Judah had not made plans for her to marry him.
the Authorized Version says Tamar sat "in an open place," while other translations say she sat "in the gateway [or entrance] to Enaim." These are quite different translations and possibly of importance as it establishes the setting of the action. The Hebrew phrase is 'ayin pethach. 'Ayin is either an unknown primitive word or a proper noun, while pethach means "entrance, opening." The more popular interpretation and that used in the later translations is as the proper noun Enaim, corresponding to a known city in the lowlands of Judah, 'Eynayim, mentioned in Joshua 15:34 (Westermann, 53).
15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, because she had covered her face with a veil.
16 So Judah went to her and said, "Let me have sex with you." He did not know that she was Tamar, his daughter-in-law. She asked, "What will you give me if I let you have sexual intercourse with me?"
17 Judah answered, "I will send you a young goat from my flock." She answered, "First give me something to keep as security until you send the goat."
18 Judah asked, "What do you want me to give you as security?" Tamar answered, "Give me your seal and its cord, and give me your walking stick." So Judah gave these things to her. Then Judah and Tamar had sexual relations, and Tamar became pregnant.
seal . . . cord A seal was used like a rubber stamp, and people ran a string through it to tie around the neck. They wrote a contract, folded it, put wax or clay on the contract, and pressed the seal onto it as a signature. Three insignia are often found in Ugaritic literature. The seal, cord, and staff are the insignia of a prominent man in Babylon as well as Canaan and Israel. "The signet ring or cylinder seal is used to sign contracts; the staff has markings carved on it which are particular to the owner." (Westermann, 53) The seal was carried on a cord around the neck and used by rolling it over a soft clay document (Von Rad, 360). The insignia are very valuable to their owner (Westermann, 54).
19 When Tamar went home, she took off the veil that covered her face and put on the clothes that showed she was a widow.
20 Judah sent his friend Hirah with the young goat to find the woman and get back his seal and the walking stick he had given her, but Hirah could not find her.
21 He asked some of the people at the town of Enaim, "Where is the prostitute who was here by the road?"
They answered, "There has never been a prostitute here."
22 So he went back to Judah and said, "I could not find the woman, and the people who lived there said, 'There has never been a prostitute here.' "
23 Judah said, "Let her keep the things. I don't want people to laugh at us. I sent her the goat as I promised, but you could not find her."
24 About three months later someone told Judah, "Tamar, your daughter-in-law, is guilty of acting like a prostitute, and now she is with child."
Then Judah said, "Bring her out and let her be burned to death."
when Judah is alerted of Tamar's pregnancy, she is said to be pregnant variantly by "prostitution" or by "fornication", two words with different meaning in English. The Hebrew for the phrase, however, zanah, has a broader meaning and can be translated as prostitution, fornication, or adultery.
25 When the people went to bring Tamar out, she sent a message to her father-in-law that said, "The man who owns these things has made me pregnant. Look at this seal and its cord and this walking stick, and tell me whose they are."
26 Judah recognized them and said, "She is more righteous than I am. She did this because I did not give her to my son Shelah as I promised." And Judah did not have sexual relations with her again.
27 When the time came for Tamar to give birth, there were twins in her body.
28 While she was giving birth, one baby put his hand out. The nurse tied a red string on his hand and said, "This baby came out first."
29 But then he pulled back his hand, and out came his brother! “What!” the midwife exclaimed. “How did you break out first?” So he was named Perez.
Perez means “breaking out.” Perez is listed as an ancestor of Jesus. The fact that Tamar is an ancestor of Jesus, and that she got pregnant after one time shows DIVINE intervention. God wanted this to happen. He wanted Jesus to come from Judah and he didn't want Canaanite blood in this line! This entire story is a story of God changing history and undoing something that He did not want to happen!
30 After this, the baby with the red string on his hand was born, and they named him Zerah.
Zerah means “scarlet” or “brightness.”
Prostitution
"Religious prostitution had played a role among the peoples of the Near East from ancient times." (Westermann, 54) It is unknown exactly what the widow's costume was like, but they were apparently unveiled, while married and unmarried women were veiled in public (Von Rad, 359). In the ancient Near East, it was customary in many places for married women to give themselves to strangers because of some kind of religious oath. This is slightly different than ordinary prostitution. Both types were strictly forbidden by Israelite law (again, not formally given until after this time) however (Von Rad, 359). Prostitutes seem to have an accepted, outcast place in society. A prostitute belongs to a special class of women who can "play the harlot" without being condemned. You could fall between the proper categories of society and survive, because that in-between status had itself become institutionalized. "Once a girl is not seen in the role of daughter, virgin, and nubile woman, she is, in effect, outside the rules." (Niditch, 147)
"Judah saw her and thought her to be a harlot because she covered her face." (38:15) Tamar stands dressed as a prostitute by the road where Judah will pass (Westermann, 53). It is twice emphasized that Judah believes Tamar to be a prostitute (vv. 15 and 16). The appearance on the road of a "temple prostitute" was obviously not surprising. Tamar is not pretending to be a prostitute in the modern sense of the word, but rather a married woman indulging this practice of cult prostitution. Judah also sees her in this way. The text uses the expression "devoted one," q'desa of Tamar (Von Rad, 359,60). There would, however, have been no clear distinction between a normal prostitute and a cult prostitute in the rural setting of this narrative (Westermann, 54).
A clear deduction from the Tamar story is that all harlots were not destroyed in the Israelite society described (Niditch, 147). The narrative is straightforward. Only the bare facts are given and prostitution is taken as normal, with no moral judgment passed (Westermann, 53). The situation up until the disclosure appears as an everyday occurrence. Tamar, disguised as an ordinary prostitute, is not condemned or threatened and the narrator does not regard Judah going to a prostitute as disreputable (Westermann, 53,4) (Niditch, 147).
What then is the purpose of the Judah and Tamar narrative? And what theology does it imply? Part of its purpose is to simply report on one of the sons of Jacob. One important aspect of the passage is that is establishes the line of Judah (described later in Ruth) which then leads to David and eventually to Christ. It is remarkable that the line of Christ includes such a colorful story!
One of the major themes of the story is prostitution, an institution that is later condemned in Israel, as has been shown above. Is prostitution accepted herein? Was not Tamar's sexual relationship with Judah also incestuous? As for the issue of incest, it is clear from the above statements regarding Levirate marriage that male relatives other than the brother were bound by the custom, and this would include Judah. Tamar's prostitution also seems to be justified in this case, but not in general, because she was pursuing her rights according to Levirate custom which Judah had denied her by withholding his youngest son. The narrator certainly paints Tamar in a favorable light and Judah explicitly states that she is righteous. If Tamar had not been excused by her extenuating circumstances, though, she would have been burned to death for her prostitution.
What of God killing Er and Onan? On the one hand this shows God's justice in dealing with those who are wicked and/or disobey His laws. Er's sin is left unnamed - it is only stated that he was wicked. Onan on the other hand is punished as a direct result of his refusal to honor his dead brother and sister-in-law. It can be suggested that the narrative only concludes that Yahweh was displeased with the brothers because of their early deaths (Von Rad, 358), but the text if taken literally clearly describes Yahweh's anger as the cause of their deaths. In Israel's later history intermarriage with Canaanites is forbidden, leading to the question of whether the evil of Judah's sons is due to his marriage (and Er's) to a foreign woman. No antagonism of this nature is present in the text however.
What does this passage imply for Christians today? This is the difficult question. Levirate marriage is not practiced today, at least in Western culture. Certainly this text cannot legitimately be used to condone prostitution. Two implications do arise from the story. One is that, on one hand, God punishes injustice and wickedness while rewarding those who, on the other hand, do their best to live under His laws. The second is that in many cases it is not the person in the position of authority (Judah, the patriarch and son of Israel) but someone quite unexpected (Tamar, a widow and a foreigner) who is found to be righteous. A label of righteousness is earned and preserved by being such, not given because of social status. http://www.theropps.com/papers/Winter1997/Genesis38exegesis.htm
Genesis 39 "in the beginning 39"
The Story of Joseph:
Joseph or Yosef is a major figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). He was Jacob's eleventh son and Rachel's first.He is also mentioned favorably in the Qur'an. Jacob, before he died, blessed all his sons and included blessings for Joseph's sons. He first blessed Joseph's sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Though Manasseh was the older brother (Great Britain), Jacob blessed Ephraim (The USA) with a greater ambition than his older brother. Thus one of the greatest mysteries of the Bible is solved, where is Joseph today? The Tribe of Joseph was one of the Tribes of Israel, though since Ephraim and Manasseh together traditionally constituted the tribe of Joseph, it was often not listed as one of the tribes, in favor of Ephraim and Manasseh being listed in its place; consequently it was often termed the House of Joseph At its height, the territory of Joseph spanned the Jordan River, the eastern portion being almost entirely discontinuous from the western portion, only slightly touching at one corner - north east of the western portion and the south west of the eastern portion. The western portion was at the center of Canaan, west of the Jordan, between the Tribe of Issachar on the north, and Tribe of Benjamin on the south; the region which was later named Samaria. As head of Kingdom of Israel, the territories of Manasseh and Ephraim were conquered by the Assyrian Empire, Assyrian and the tribe exiled; the manner of their exile lead to their further history being lost. However, despite an ethnic connection to Ephraim, Benjamin instead associated with the southern tribes and became part of the Kingdom of Judah, and as a result was subjected to the Babylonian captivity; when the captivity ended, the distinction between Benjamin and the other tribes in the kingdom of Judah were lost in favor of a common identity as Jews.
He then gave his blessing upon all his sons. Though he blessed them in order by their age, the blessing he gave Joseph was greater than the others:
'Joseph is a fruitful tree by a spring, whose branches climb over the wall. The archers savagely attacked him, shooting and assailing him fiercely, but Joseph's bow remained unfailing and his arms were tireless by the power of the Strong One of Jacob, by the name of the Shepherd of Israel, by the God of your father--so may he help you! By God Almighty--so may he bless you with the blessings of heaven above, and the blessings of the deep that lies below! The blessings of breast and womb and the blessings of your father are stronger than the blessings of the eternal mountains and the bounty of the everlasting hills. May they rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of him who was prince among his brother.' (Genesis 49:22-26)
One last point that needs to be mentioned about Joseph. There is not an hint, that he ever spoke to God, Yahweh. He did speak with an Angel once, but his ability to interpret dreams, although a gift from God, does not imply that he spoke to God directly. He is one of the most important figures of all the Bible, yet God does not make a personal relationship with him as he did Abraham, Jacob or Moses. I have no idea why, but we must be aware of this fact.
1 And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought Joseph from the Ishmaelites, who had brought him down there.
Potiphar--This name, Potiphar, signifies one "devoted to the sun," the local deity of On or Heliopolis
2 The LORD (Jesus) was with Joseph, and he became a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
3 Potiphar saw that the LORD (Jesus) was with Joseph and that the LORD (Jesus) made Joseph successful in everything he did.
4 So Joseph found favor with Potiphar and he allowed him to be his personal slave. He put Joseph in command of the house, trusting him with everything he owned.
5 When Joseph was put in command of the house and everything Potiphar owned, the LORD (Jesus) blessed the people in Potiphar's house because of Joseph. Furthermore, the LORD (Jesus) blessed everything that belonged to Potiphar, both in the house and in the field.
We do not know in what capacity Joseph entered into the service of Potiphar; but the observant eye of his master soon discovered his superior qualities and made him his chief, his confidential servant (compare Ephesians 6:7, Colossians 3:23). The advancement of domestic slaves is not uncommon, and it is considered a great disgrace not to raise one who has been a year or two in the family. However, this extraordinary advancement of Joseph was the doing of the Lord, though on the part of Potiphar it was the consequence of observing the astonishing prosperity that attended him in all that he did.
6 So Potiphar left Joseph in command of everything he owned and was not concerned about anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well built and a very handsome guy.
No other man in the Bible, including David is called well built and very handsome. Joseph must have really been the hunk of his day.
7 After some time the wife of Joseph's master began to lust after Joseph, and one day she said to him, "Have sex with me."
The term is no where else used in the Bible that a woman uses such a brazen term. It's like when Leah and Rachel were talking about Jacob, being vulgar. This could well be translated using the F word! Egyptian women were not kept in the same secluded manner as females are in most Oriental countries now. They were treated in a manner more worthy of civilized people--in fact, fact, enjoyed much freedom both at home and abroad. Hence Potiphar's wife had constant opportunity of meeting Joseph. But the ancient women of Egypt were very loose in their morals. Intrigues and intemperance were vices very prevalent among the them, as the monuments too plainly attest [WILKINSON]. Potiphar's wife was probably not worse than many of the same rank, and her infamous advances made to Joseph arose from her superiority of station...Egyptian women were not kept in the same secluded manner as females are in most Oriental countries now. They were treated in a manner more worthy of a civilized people--in fact, enjoyed much freedom both at home and abroad. Hence Potiphar's wife had constant opportunity of meeting Joseph. But the ancient women of Egypt were very loose in their morals. Intrigues and intemperance were vices very prevalent among the them, as the monuments too plainly attest [WILKINSON]. Potiphar's wife was probably not worse than many of the same rank, and her infamous advances made to Joseph arose from her superiority of station.
8 But Joseph refused and said, "My master trusts me with everything in his house. He has put me in charge of all he owns.
9 There is no one in his house greater than I. He has not kept anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How can I do such an evil thing? It is a sin against GOD (Elohim-The God Family)."
Joseph uses the name for God Elohim and not Yahweh. It may be because he is talking to a pagan.
10 The woman asked Joseph daily, but he refused to have sexual relations with her or even spend time with her.
11 One day Joseph went into the house to do his work as usual and being the only man there at the time,
12 His master's wife grabbed his clothes and said to him, "Come and have sex with me." But Joseph left his clothes in her hands, and fled, and got out of there.
13 When she saw that Joseph had left his clothes in her hands and had ran away,
14 she called to the slaves in her house and said, "See! This Hebrew slave he brought here has shamed us. He came in and tried to rape me, but I screamed.
15 My scream scared him and he ran away, but he left his clothes with me."
16 She kept his clothes until her husband came home,
17 and she said to him "This Hebrew slave you brought here came in to rape me!
18 When he approached me, I screamed. He ran out, but he left his clothes."
19 When Joseph's master heard this, he became very angry.
Joseph's master believed the accusation. Potiphar, it is likely, chose that prison, because it was the worst; but God designed to open the way to Joseph's honour. Joseph was owned and righted by his God. He was away from all his friends and relations; he had none to help or comfort him; but the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy. Those that have a good conscience in a prison, have a good God there. God gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison; he trusted him to manage the affairs of the prison. A good man will do good wherever he is, and will be a blessing even in bonds and banishment. Let us not forget, through Joseph, to look unto Jesus, who suffered being tempted, yet without sin; who was slandered, and persecuted, and imprisoned, but without cause; who by the cross ascended to the throne. May we be enabled to follow the same path in submitting and in suffering, to the same place of glory. (Matthew Henry)
20 So Potiphar arrested Joseph and put him into the prison where the king's prisoners were placed. Joseph stayed there in the prison.
21 Now the LORD (Jesus) was with Joseph and showed him mercy and caused the prison warden to like Joseph.
22 The prison warden chose Joseph to take care of all the prisoners, and he was responsible for whatever was done in the prison.
23 The warden paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph's care because the LORD (Jesus) was with Joseph and made him successful in all he did.
It is likely, see (Genesis 40:3), that the keeper might have been previously known Joseph and have had access to know his innocence of the crime laid on him, as well as with all the integrity of his godly character. That may partly account for his showing kindness and confidence in him. There was a higher influence at work here... "The Lord was with Joseph, and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper." (Jamieson)
Genesis 40 "in the beginning" 40
Joseph Interprets Two Dreams
1 Some time later, two of the Pharaoh's officers offended the Pharaoh—his wine-server and then his baker.
2 Pharaoh was furious with his two officials who served him wine and bread,
3 so he put them into prison in the home of the captain of the guard, the same prison where Joseph was kept.
4 The captain of the guard placed the two in Joseph's care, and they stayed in prison for awhile.
5 One night both the Pharaoh's men who served him wine and bread had a dream, and each dream had a meaning of their own.
6 When Joseph came the next day at dawn, he saw that they were sad.
7 He asked the Pharaoh's officers who were with him, "Why do you look so sad?"
8 Both answered, "We both had dreams last night, but no one can tell us their meaning."
Joseph said to them, "God (Elohim/Theos) is the only One who can explain the meaning of dreams. Tell me your dreams."
9 So the man who served wine to the Pharaoh told Joseph his dream. He said, "I dreamed I saw a vine, and,
10 on the vine were three branches. I watched the branches sprount and blossom, and then the grapes matured.
11 I was holding the Pharaoh's cup, so I took the grapes and squeezed the juice into the cup. Then I gave it to the Pharaoh."
12 Then Joseph said, "I will interpret the dream to you. The three branches stand for three days.
13 Before the completion of three days the Pharaoh will free you, and he will permit you to return to your job. You will look after the Pharaoh's wine just as you did before.
14 But think on me and show me kindness, I beg of you, and tell the Pharaoh about me, so I can get out of this prison.
15 I was taken by force from the land of the Hebrews, and I have done nothing here to deserve to be put in prison."
16 The baker saw that Joseph's interpretation of the dream was good, so he said to him, "I also had a dream. I dreamed there were three bread baskets on my head.
17 In the top basket were all kinds of baked food for the Pharaoh, but the birds were eating this food out of the basket on my head."
18 Joseph answered, "I will tell you what the dream means. The three baskets stand for three days.
19 Before the end of three days, the Pharaoh will cut off your head! He will hang your body on a stake, and the birds will eat your flesh."
20 Three days later, on his birthday, the Pharaoh gave a banquet for all his officers. In front of his officers, he set free from prison the chief officer who served his wine and the chief baker.
21 The Pharaoh gave his chief official who served wine his old position, and once again he put the Pharaoh's cup of wine into the Pharaoh's hand.
22 But the Pharaoh hanged the baker on a pole. Everything happened just as Joseph had said it would,
23 but the officer who served wine forgot Joseph. He didn't remember him at all.
Genesis 41 "in the beginning" 41
The Pharaoh's Dreams, Joseph's Rise to Power
1 After another two years the Pharaoh dreamed he was on the bank of the Nile River.
"Pharaoh," from an Egyptian word Phre, signifying the "sun," was the official title of the kings of that country.
2 He saw seven fat and beautiful cows come up out of the river, and they stood there, grazing on river grass.
3 Then another seven cows came up out of the river, but they were skinny and ugly. They stood beside the seven beautiful cows on the bank of the Nile.
4 The seven skinny and ugly cows ate the seven beautiful fat cows. Then the Pharaoh awoke.
5 The Pharaoh went back to sleep again and dreamed a second time. In this dream he saw seven full and good heads of grain growing on one stalk.
6 After that, seven more heads of grain sprang up, but they were thin and burned by the hot east wind.
7 The thin heads of grain devoured the seven full and good heads. Then the Pharaoh woke up again, and he realized it was only a dream.
8 The next morning Pharaoh was troubled about these dreams, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. The Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could explain their meaning to him.
It is not possible to define the exact distinction between "magicians" and "wise men"; but they formed different branches of a numerous body, who laid claim to supernatural skill in occult arts and sciences, in revealing mysteries, explaining portents, and, above all, interpreting dreams. Long practice had rendered them expert in devising a plausible way of getting out of every difficulty and framing an answer suitable to the occasion. But the dreams of Pharaoh baffled their united skill. Unlike their Assyrian brethren (Daniel 2:4), they did not pretend to know the meaning of the symbols contained in them, and the providence of God had determined that they should all be nonplussed in the exercise of their boasted powers, in order that the inspired wisdom of Joseph might appear the more remarkable.(Jamieson)
9 Then the chief officer who served wine to the Pharaoh said to him, "Now I remember something I promised to do, but I forgot!
10 Back when you were angry with the baker and me, and you put us in prison in the house of the captain of the guard.
11 In prison we each had a dream one night, and each dream had different meanings.
12 A young Hebrew, a servant of the captain of the guard, was in the prison with us. When we told him our dreams, he interpreted their meanings to us. He told each of us the meaning of our dream, and
13 everything happened exactly as he said! I was given back my old job, and the baker was hanged."
14 So Pharaoh called for Joseph. The guards quickly brought him out of the prison, and he shaved, put on clean clothes, and went before the Pharaoh.
Egyptians were clean shaven, so Joseph had to be shaved to meet the Pharaoh. (Psalms 105:19)
15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I have had a dream, but no one can explain its meaning to me. I have heard that you can interpret dreams when someone tells them to you."
16 Joseph answered Pharaoh, "I am not able to explain the meaning of dreams, but GOD (Elohim-The God Family) can do this for Pharaoh."
17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile.
18 I saw seven fat and beautiful cows that came up out of the river and eat the grass.
19 Then I saw seven more cows come out of the river that were skinny, lean and ugly—the worst cows I have seen in the land of Egypt.
20 And these lean and ugly cows devoured the first seven fat cows,
21 but after they had eaten the seven cows, no one could tell they had eaten them. They looked just as thin and ugly as they did in the beginning. Then I woke up.
22 "Then I had another dream. I saw seven full and good heads of grain growing on one stalk.
23 Then seven more heads of grain sprang up after them, but these heads were thin and ugly and were burned by the hot east wind.
(compare Ezekiel 19:12, Hosea 13:15).
24 Then the thin heads devoured the seven good heads. I told this dream to the magicians, but no one could explain its meaning to me."
devoured is a different word from that used in Genesis 41:4 and conveys the idea of destroying, by absorbing to themselves all the nutritious virtue of the soil around them. Genesis 41:25-36.
25 Then Joseph said to the Pharaoh, "Both of these dreams mean the same thing. GOD (Elohim-The God Family) is telling you what he is about to do.
26 The seven good cows stand for seven years, and the seven good heads of grain stand for seven years. Both dreams mean the same thing.
27 The seven lean and ugly cows stand for seven years, and the seven thin heads of grain burned by the hot east wind stand for seven years of hunger.
28 This will happen as I told you. GOD (Elohim-The God Family) is showing Pharaoh what he is about to do.
29 You will have seven years of good crops and plenty to eat in all the land of Egypt.
30 But after those seven years, there will come seven years of famine, and all the food that grew in the land of Egypt will be gone. The time of hunger will eat up the land.
31 People will forget what it was like to have plenty of food, because the hunger that will come will be great.
32 The two dreams mean the same thing. This shows that GOD (Elohim-The God Family) has determined that this will happen. God will bring it to pass soon.
33 "So let the Pharaoh choose a wise man full of understanding and put him over the land of Egypt.
34 And let the Pharaoh also appoint officers over the land, who should take a fifth of all the food that is grown during the seven good years.
35 And let them gather all the food of those good years that will come, and under the Pharaoh's authority they should store the grain in the cities and watch over it.
36 That food should be stored for use during the seven years of hunger that will come on the land of Egypt. Then the people in Egypt will not perish during the seven years of hunger."
37 This seemed like a good idea to the Pharaoh, and his officers all agreed.
38 And Pharaoh asked them, "Can we find one as he is, a man in whom the Spirit of God lives?"
This is the first mention in the Bible of God's Spirit, The Holy Spirit, living in a person.
39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "GOD (Elohim-The God Family) has shown you all of this. There is no one as wise and understanding as you are, so
40 I will put you in command of my nation. All the people will obey your orders, and only I will be greater than you."
41 Pharaoh further said to Joseph, "See, I have set you over the land of all Egypt."
42 Then the Pharaoh took off his ring from his finger, with the royal seal on it, and he put it on Joseph's finger. He gave Joseph a wardrobe of fine linen clothes to wear, and he put a gold chain around Joseph's neck.
43 Pharaoh had Joseph ride in the second royal chariot, and people walked ahead of his chariot calling, "Bow down!" By doing these things, the Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of all of Egypt.
abrech, an Egyptian term, not referring to prostration, but signifying, according to some, "father" (compare Genesis 45:8); according to others, "native prince"--that is, proclaimed him naturalized, in order to remove all popular dislike to him as a foreigner.
44 Pharaoh then said to him, "I am the Pharaoh, and I say that no one in all the land of Egypt may lift a hand or a foot without your permission."
45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah. He also gave Joseph a wife named Asenath, who was the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. So Joseph traveled through all the land of Egypt.
Zaphnath-paaneah--variously interpreted, "revealer of secrets"; "saviour of the land"; and from the hieroglyphics, "a wise man fleeing from pollution"--that is, adultery. This is a symbol of Joseph as Savior! Potipherah, like Jethro, priest of Midian, might be a worshipper of the true God; and thus Joseph, a pious man, will be freed from the charge of marrying an idolatress for worldly ends. On--called Aven (Ezekiel 30:17) and also Beth-shemesh (Jeremiah 43:13). In looking at this profusion of honors heaped suddenly upon Joseph, it cannot be doubted that he would humbly yet thankfully acknowledge the hand of a special Providence in conducting him through all his checkered course to almost royal power; and we, who know more than Joseph did, cannot only see that his advancement was subservient to the most important purposes relative to the Church of God, but learn the great lesson that a Providence directs the minutest events of human life.
46 Joseph was thirty years old when he began serving the Pharaoh of Egypt. And he left the Pharaoh's court and traveled through all the land of Egypt.
Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh--seventeen when brought into Egypt, probably three in prison, and thirteen in the service of Potiphar. About the same age as Jesus when he began his ministrey.
47 During the seven good years, the crops in the land grew abundantly.
48 And Joseph gathered all the crops produced in Egypt during the seven years and stored them in the cities. In every city he stored grain that had been grown in the fields around that city.
49 And Joseph gathered grain as the sand of the sea,—so much so, that he could not measure it.
50 Joseph's wife was Asenath daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On. Before the years of hunger came, Joseph and Asenath had two sons.
51 Joseph named the first son Manasseh and said, "GOD (Elohim-The God Family) has made me forget all the troubles I have had and all my father's family."
Manasseh This name sounds like the Hebrew word for "made me forget."
52 Joseph named the second son Ephraim and said, "GOD (Elohim-The God Family) has given me children in the land of my troubles."
Ephraim This name sounds like the Hebrew word for "given me children."
53 Then the seven years of good crops came to an end in the land of Egypt.
54 And seven years of hunger began, just as Joseph predicted. In all the lands people had nothing to eat, but in the land of Egypt there was food.
55 The time of famine became terrible in Egypt, and the people cried to Pharaoh for food. He said to the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you."
56 The hunger was everywhere. Joseph opened the storehouses and sold the grain to the people of Egypt, because the time of hunger was terrible in Egypt.
57 And all nations came into Egypt and to Joseph to buy grain because that the famine was terrible everywhere.
Genesis 42 "in the beginning" 42
1 Now when Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, "Why do you just keep looking at each other?"
2 I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy grain for us to eat, so that we will live and not die."
3 So ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.
4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with them, because he was afraid that something terrible might happen to him.
5 And the sons of Israel came to buy grain from Egypt, along with the others, for their was a famine in the land of Canaan.
6 Now Joseph was governor of the land. He was the one who sold the grain to those who came to buy it. So Joseph's brothers came to him and bowed face down on the ground before him.
7 When Joseph saw his brothers, he knew them, but he acted as if he didn't know them. He asked rudely, "Where do you come from?"
They answered, "We have come from the land of Canaan to buy food."
8 Joseph knew they were his brothers, but they didn't recognize him.
9 And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said to them, You are spies. You have come to see where our land is unprotected."
10 But his brothers said to him, "No, my lord (adown). We come as friends just to buy food.
11 We are all sons of the same father. We are honest men, not spies."
12 Then Joseph said to them, "No! You have come to learn where this nation is weak!"
13 But they replied, "Your servants were twelve brothers, the sons of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is dead."
14 Joseph said to them, "I can see I was right! You are spies!
15 But this is how I will test you to see if you are telling the truth. As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.
16 One of you must go and get your brother. The rest of you will stay here in prison. We will see if you are telling the truth. If not, as surely as the Pharaoh lives, you will be considered spies."
17 Then Joseph put them all in prison for three days.
The same word is used for the prison were Joseph was put. Giving them a taste of what they did to him.
18 And Joseph said to them the third day, "I am a God-fearing man. Do this and live for I fear GOD (Elohim-The God Family)
19 If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison while the rest of you go and carry grain back to feed your hungry families.
20 Then bring your youngest brother back here to me. If you do this, I will know you are telling the truth, and you will not die." And they did so.
21 They said to each other, "We are being punished for what we did to our brother. We saw his anguish and he begged us to save him, but we refused to listen. That is why we are in this trouble now."
22 Reuben replied, "Didn't I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn't listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood."
23 When Joseph talked to his brothers, he used an interpreter, so they did not know that Joseph understood what they were saying.
24 He turned away from them and began to weep, but then turned back and spoke to them again. He had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes.
25 Joseph told his servants to fill his brothers' bags with grain and to put the money the brothers had paid for the grain back in their bags. The servants were also to give them what they would need for their trip back home. And the servants did this.
26 So the brothers put the grain on their donkeys and left.
27 At the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack.
28 "My silver has been returned," he said to his brothers. "Here it is in my sack."
The brothers were very frightened. They said to each other, "What has God done to us?"
29 And they came back to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan, and told him all that had happened to them; saying,
30 The man, that's the master (lord- from Hebrew 'adown') of the land, spoke harshly to us, and took us for spies,
31 but we told him that we were honest men, not spies.
32 We told him that we were ten of twelve brothers—sons of one father. We said that one of our brothers was dead and that our youngest brother was with our father in Canaan.
33 "Then the master (lord- from Hebrew 'adown') of the land told us, 'Here is a way I can test you to see if you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain to feed your hungry families, and go.
34 Then bring your youngest brother to me so I will know you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give you back your brother whom you leave with me, and you can move about freely in our land.' "
35 As they were emptying their sacks, there in each man's sack was his pouch of silver! When they and their father saw the money pouches, they were frightened.
36 Their father Jacob said to them, "You are robbing me of all my children. Joseph is gone, Simeon is gone, and now you want to take Benjamin away, too. Everything is against me."
37 Then Reuben said to his father, "You may put my two sons to death if I don't bring Benjamin back to you. Trust him to my care, and I will bring him back to you."
38 But Jacob said, "I will not allow Benjamin to go with you. His brother is dead, and he is the only son left from my wife Rachel. I am afraid something terrible might happen to him during the trip to Egypt. Then I would be sad until the day I die."
Genesis 43 "in the beginning" 43
SECOND JOURNEY TO EGYPT
1 And the famine was bad in the land.
2 And in time, when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food.
3 But Judah said to him, "The man warned us solemnly, 'You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.'
4 If you will send Benjamin with us, we will go down and buy food for you.
5 But if you refuse to send Benjamin, we will not go, for the man said that we would not see him if we didn't bring Benjamin with us."
6 Israel said, "Why did you tell the man you had another brother? You have caused me a lot of trouble."
It was no easy matter to bring Jacob to agree to the only conditions on which his sons could return to Egypt ( Genesis 42:15 ). The necessity of immediately procuring fresh supplies for the maintenance of themselves and their families overcame every other consideration and extorted his consent to Benjamin joining in a journey, which his sons entered on with mingled feelings of hope and anxiety--of hope, because having now complied with the governor's demand to bring down their youngest brother, they flattered themselves that the alleged ground of suspecting them would be removed; and of apprehension that some ill designs were meditated against them.
7 The brothers answered, "The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. 'Is your father still living?' he asked us. 'Do you have another brother?' We simply answered his questions. How were we to know he would say, 'Bring your brother down here'?"
8 Then Judah said to his father, "Send the lad with me, and we will go at once so that we, you, and our children may live and not die.
9 I will guarantee you that he will be safe, and you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I don't bring him back to you, you can blame me for the rest of my life.
10 If we had not wasted all this time, we could have already made two trips."
11 And their father Israel said to them, "If it has to be that way, then do this: Take some of the best of our foods in your packs. Give them to the man as a gift. Balm, honey, spices, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and some almonds.
12 Take twice as much money with you this time, and take back the money that was returned to you in your sacks last time. Perhaps it was a mistake.
13 And take Benjamin with you. Now leave and go to the man.
14 May God Almighty (El Shaddai) cause the man to be merciful to you and that he will allow Simeon and Benjamin to come back with you. As for me, if I am robbed of my children, I am bereaved of them"
15 So the brothers took the gifts. They also took twice as much money as they had taken the first time, and they took Benjamin. They hurried down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.
16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the servant in charge of his house, "Bring those men into my house. Kill an animal and prepare a meal. Those men will dine with me today at noon."
17 The servant did as Joseph told him and brought the men to Joseph's house.
18 The brothers were fearful when they were brought to Joseph's home and thought, "We were brought here because of the money that was put in our sacks on the first trip. He wants to attack us, make us slaves, and take our donkeys."
19 So they came near the servant in charge of Joseph's house and spoke to him at the door of the house.
20 They said, we came down the first time to buy food,
22 And we have brought more money to pay for the food we want to buy this time. We don't know who put that money in our sacks."
23 But the servant answered, "It's all right. Don't be afraid. Your GOD (Elohim-The God Family), the GOD (Elohim-The God Family) of your father, must have put the money in your sacks. I got the money you paid me for the grain last time." Then the servant brought Simeon out to them.
24 The servant led the men into Joseph's house and gave them water, and they washed their feet. Then he gave their donkeys food to eat.
25 When Joseph came home, they presented to him the gifts they had brought into the house, and they bowed down before him to the ground.
26 When Joseph came home, the brothers gave him the gift they had brought into the house and bowed down to the ground in front of him.
27 Joseph asked them how they were doing. He said, "How is your aged father you told me about? Is he still living?"
28 The brothers answered, "Your servant, our father, is well. He is still alive." And they bowed low before Joseph to show him respect.
29 When Joseph saw his brother Benjamin, who had the same mother as he, Joseph asked, "Is this your youngest brother you told me about?" Then he said to Benjamin, "GOD (Elohim-The God Family) be good to you, my son!"
30 Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to cry. He went into his private room and wept there.
31 Then he washed his face and came out. He controlled himself and said, "Serve the meal."
32 So they served Joseph at one table, his brothers at another table, and the Egyptians who ate with him at another table. This was because Egyptians did not like Hebrews and never ate with them.
33 Joseph's brothers were seated in front of him in order of their ages, from oldest to youngest. They looked at each other because they were so amazed.
34 When portions were served to them from Joseph's table, Benjamin's portion was five times as much as anyone else's. So they feasted and drank freely with him.
Genesis 44 "in the beginning" 44
1 Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house: "Fill the men's sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man's silver in the mouth of his sack.
2 Then put my personal silver cup at the top of the youngest brother’s sack, along with the money for his grain.” So the manager did as Joseph instructed him.
3 The brothers were up at dawn and were sent on their journey with their loaded donkeys.
4 And when they had gone out of the city, a little ways, Joseph said to his palace manager, “Go after them and stop them. When you catch up with them, ask them, ‘Why have you repaid my kindness with such evil?
5 Why have you stolen it, he uses it to predict the future? What a wicked thing you have done!’”
The servant is not to mention the cup and the original manuscripts do not contain the world "cup." This is to make the brothers more worried by the vagueness of the question.
6 When the palace manager caught up with the men, he spoke to them as he had been instructed.
7 But they said to him, "Why does my lord(adown) say such things? “We are your servants and would never do such a thing!
8 Didn’t we return the money we found in our sacks? We brought it back all the way from the land of Canaan. Why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house?
9 If you find his cup with any one of us, let that man die. And all the rest of us, my lord(adown), will be your slaves.”
It is because of this verse that later writers assumed that the steward asked about the cup. How did they know?
10 "Very well, then," he said, "let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it will become my slave; the rest of you will be free from blame."
11 They all quickly took their sacks from the backs of their donkeys and opened them.
12 The palace manager searched the brothers’ sacks, from the oldest to the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack!
13 When the brothers saw this, they tore their clothing in despair. Then they loaded their donkeys again and returned back to the city.
14 Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, for he was still there: and they fell before him on the ground.
15 “What have you done?” Joseph demanded. “Don’t you know that a man like me can predict the future?”
16 Judah answered, “Oh, my lord (adown), what can we say to you? How can we explain this? How can we prove our innocence? GOD (Elohim-The God Family) is punishing us for our sins. My lord (adown), we have all returned to be your slaves—all of us, not just our brother who had your cup in his sack.”
17 “No,” Joseph said. “I would never do such a thing! Only the man who stole the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may go back to your father in peace.”
18 Then Judah came near him and said, "Please, sir (lord- from Hebrew 'adown'), let your servant speak a word to my lord (adown). Do not be angry with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself.
19 “Sir (lord- from Hebrew 'adown'), previously you asked us, your servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’
20 And we responded, ‘Yes, sir (adown), we have a father who is an old man, and his youngest son is a child of his old age. His full brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother’s children, and his father loves him very much.’
21 “And you said to us, ‘Bring him here so I can see him with my own eyes.’
22 But we said to you, ‘Sir (adown), the boy cannot leave his father, for his father would die.’
23 But you told us, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes with you, you will never see my face again.’
24 “So we returned to your servant, our father, and told him what you had said.
25 "Later, our father said, 'Go again and buy us a little more food.’
26 we replied, ‘We can’t go unless you let our youngest brother go with us. We’ll never get to see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’
27 Then my father said to us, 'You know that my wife gave me two sons.
28 and one of them went away and never returned. Doubtless he was torn to pieces by some wild animal. I have never seen him since.
29 Now if you take his brother away from me, and any harm comes to him, you will send this grieving, white-haired man to his grave.’
30 “And now, master (lord- from Hebrew 'adown'), I cannot go back to my father without the boy. Our father’s life is bound up in the boy’s life.
31 If he sees that the boy is not with us, our father will die. We, your servants, will indeed be responsible for sending that grieving, white-haired man to his grave.
32"I gave my father a guarantee that the young boy would be safe. I said to my father, 'If I don't bring him back to you, you can blame me all my life.'
33 “So please, my sir (adown), let me stay here as a slave instead of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers.
34 For how can I return to my father if the boy is not with me? I couldn’t bear to see the anguish this would cause my father!”
This address needs no comment--consisting at first of short, broken sentences, as if, under the overwhelming force of the speaker's emotions, his utterance were choked, it becomes more free and copious by the effort of speaking, as he proceeds. Every word finds its way to the heart; and it may well be imagined that Benjamin, who stood there speechless like a victim about to be laid on the altar, when he heard the magnanimous offer of Judah to submit to slavery for his ransom, would be bound by a lifelong gratitude to his generous brother, a tie that seems to have become hereditary in his tribe. Joseph's behavior must not be viewed from any single point, or in separate parts, but as a whole--a well-thought, deep-laid, closely connected plan; and though some features of it do certainly exhibit an appearance of harshness, yet the pervading principle of his conduct was real, genuine, brotherly kindness. Read in this light, the narrative of the proceedings describes the continuous, though secret, pursuit of one end; and Joseph exhibits, in his management of the scheme, a very high order of intellect, a warm and susceptible heart, united to a judgment that exerted a complete control over his feelings--a happy invention in devising means towards the attainment of his ends and an inflexible adherence to the course, however painful, which prudence required.
