them, that they were to dine with his lord, who would be back by noon; upon which they fet themselves about making ready their prefents, which they accordingly laid before him with the utmost reverence, as foon as he came home. Jofeph, having faluted them round, began to inquire after their father's health, and whether that was Benjamin their youngest brother that ftood before him. Benjamin and his bowed his head to the ground, and Jofeph, having bleffed brethren him, ordered the victuals to be brought in, and made dine with them fit down by themselves, and to be ferved according Jofeph. to their rank and feniority, whilft he fat at a table by him felf, and his Egyptian guests at another by themselves; it being an abomination to the Egyptians to eat with the Hebrews (Z). Jofeph, according to the custom of the country, and of thofe times, fent difhes from his own table to all his brethren, and they were not a little furprised to see how exactly he ferved them according to their feniority; but much more fo, when they faw Benjamin's portion five times larger than any of the reft, which was an ufual mark of honour to the perfon to whom it was fent. After they had eat and drank plentifully, they began to think of taking their leave, and of going * Vid. ZENOPH. in vit. CYR. lib. viii. (Z) This extreme averfion of the Egyptians to eat with the Hebrews has been varioufly accounted for. Some attribute it to the exceffive pride of that nation, which defpifed all but themselves; others, to the Hebrews being Thepherds, and fo eating of the fheep and other cattle which the Egyptians worshiped (222). Accordingly we read in another chapter (223), that fhepherds were alfo an abomination to the Egpptians, whether Hebrews or otherwife; and Mofes tells Pharaoh, that they could not facrifice in Egypt what was an abomi nation to them (224); that is, to kill and eat part of thofe beasts which they worshiped (225); others think the reafon of this averfion to fhepherds, and to the Hebrews, as fuch, was the great oppreffion and tyranny under which they had groaned, when the Hyklos; or king-fhepherds, as the word fignifies, poured in upon them, enflaved, and held them in fubjection fome hundred years; of which an account has been given in a former chapter (226). But we think it improbable, that it began fo foon (227. about their other affairs: but Jofeph had yet one fright more in referve for them before he difcovered himself. He bid his fteward put his drinking-cup into Benjamin's Jofeph's fack, and to overtake them at fome diftance off the city, cup found and, after a thorough fearch, to bring the pretended thief in Benjaback to him. The thing was punctually executed, and min's fack. we may eafily imagine their furprize and concern, when the filver cup was produced out of the fack of their younger brother. They made all poffible hafte to load their affes again, and returned to Jofeph, who received them with a warm reprimand for thus requiting his kindness and civility to them; which he concluded however with affuring them, that though he might justly punish them all, yet the perfon only upon whom the cup was found fhould remain a flave, whilft the reft might go home in peace. After they had expreffed their grief and fhame in the humbleft manner, Judah, who had taken Benja- Judah's min under his care, addreffing himself to Jofeph in the speech to moft fubmiffive and pathetic terms, acquainted him with Jofeph. his father's extreme fondness for the lad, the great difficulty they had to perfuade him to part with one he fo tenderly loved, and the danger of his grieving to death for the lofs of him. He likewife offered himself at the fame time as an equivalent for his brother, with fuch zeal and concern, that fofeph was no longer able to contain himself. His bowels began to yearn, and his tears to flow so fast, Joseph dij that he was forced to fend all the by-ftanders away, covers whilft he made himfelf known to his brothers. himself. fooner had told them, that he was Jofeph their brother, which was all that his full heart would let him utter, but they were all ftruck with fuch mixture of joy and furprize for a confiderable time, that they could make him no answer; neither did they dare even to look towards him, to convince themfelves whether it was really he. By this time Jofeph having recovered himself, defired them to draw nearer to him; he embraced them all round with furprising, tenderness; and, to difpel all their further apprehenfions, told them, that their felling him into Egypt having been directed by an unfeen providence, and proved the means of fo much good both to himself, to them, and to all Egypt, he would be fo far from refenting it, that they should never hear it fo much as mentioned by him from that day. Whilft this was doing, fome of the Egyptians, one of whom might be the interpreter, y Gen. xliii.p. tot. VOL. III. 2 Gen. xliv. p. tot. X He no went went and acquainted the king, and the whole court, that Jofeph's brethren were come to buy corn. Jofeph, who only fent the Egyptians out of the room, that he might be without witnefles whilft he difcovered himself to them, went himself with the news of it to Pharaoh, who is supposed to have been Thufimares king of Lower - Egypt2; Pharaoh's who told Jofeph, that fince his father had fuch a numerous orders to family, and the famine not half over, he might fend for Jofeph. them, and place them in what part of the country he &c. thought fit; promifing him that they should never want provilions, nor any other favour he could fhew them. He likewife ordered him to fend them a fresh supply of grain, and fuch other things as he thought they might want for their journey, and chariots to bring their wives, children, Jofeph and best moveables; telling them that they needed not Jends for his father, regard the ordinary ftuff, fince the good of the land was 'before them. fofeph gladly obeyed the king's orders, and befides the chariots and provifions, fent to his father ten affes loaden with the choiceft commodities of Egypt; he likewise presented his brethren with changes of garments, and diftinguished Benjamin by the addition of a large fum of money; after which he difmiffed them with a strict charge, that they fhould not fall out by the way. not to be doubted but their journey was performed more brifkly this time than the laft. They found their father alive and well, whofe first care was to look out for his favourite fon, whom having joyfully received, he thought himself at the height of his happiness. But when they acquainted him with Jofeph's grandeur, and told him, that he was the very man who had caused them fuch mortal frights, the good old man, not being able to bear fo much good news at once, fainted away in their arms; and, being come to himself, doubted whether it was not a dream. At length, when they fhewed him Jofeph's prefents, and the Egyptian chariots, his doubts and fears vanifhed, and he cried out in an excefs of joy, It is enough for me, that my fon Jofeph lives; I have now nothing more to wifh, but to go down and fee him once more before I die. THIS great defire of feeing fo dear a fon, whom he had fo long mourned for, in all his Egyptian glory, fpurred him up to haften his departure, and to overcome all the difficulties which the number of his children, cattle, and z Sir ROBERT MARSH. SHUCKFORD, & al. xlv. 16, & feqq. a Gen. all all the other lumber of houfhold-ftuff, laid in his way (A). JOSEPH was no fooner informed of it, than he got up into his chariot, and went to meet his father; and their mutual joy upon this occafion was fuch, as is better imagined than expreffed. As foon as this tender greeting was over, Jofeph told them, that he would go out of hand to give Pharaoh notice of their arrival, who would no Jofeph ac doubt have the curiofity to fend for them, and to inquire quaints after their occupation; in which cafe he charged them to Pharaoh tell him, that they, as well as their forefathers, were with it. fhepherds from their youth. This was indeed an occupation, which the Egyptians abominated, as we have seen in a former note; but Jofeph had his ends in it, being afraid, left Pharaoh fhould detain them in his fervice, inftead of fending them into the land of Goshen, where he was defirous to place them. Accordingly, when five of way (A) However, as his gratitude to God for all the mercies he faw himself bleffed with, and his further want of the divine protection to accompany him fafe into Egypt, demanded fome fresh act of religion from him, he chose to go to BeerSheba, to offer fome facrifices there; both because it was the place where Abraham and Ifaac had lived fo long and fo happily, and because it was in his to Egypt, being the utmost boundary of Canaan towards the fouth. Here GoD appear ed again to him, and bid him not fear to go down, fince he would be with him, and protect him, and in due time bring his pofterity out of it to enter into the poffeffion of the promised land; adding, that as for him, he fhould have the comfort to live near his fon Jofeph, to die in his arms, and to have his eyes clofed by him. Jacob, thus This Goben was fituate be- (228) Jofeph. ant. l. ii. c. 7. (230) Vid. Jun. Merc. & al. Jacob his brethren were brought before the king, and afked what their profeffion was; they anfwered him as fofeph had bid them, adding, that the famine which raged in Canaan, had forced them to come with all their cattle into Egypt, and begging that he would be pleased to appoint them the land of Gohen to dwell in ; which Pharaoh readily granted. Jofeph likewife prefented his father to him, who wifhed the king abundance of happiness; and, being asked how old he was, anfwered an hundred and thirty. Here Year of the king expreffing, perhaps, fome wonder to fee a man flood fo old, and in fo good a cafe, Jacob added, that his life 642. had been fo full of trouble, that he came vastly short of Bef.Chrift the years of his ancestors. After this Jofeph conducted 1706. him, and the whole family,, to the land of Goshen; where ftands before Pha raoh. he took care to fupply them with all the neceffaries of life during the whole time of the famine. Pharaoh likewife ordered fofeph to choose fome of the ableft of them, and to commit the care of his cattle to them, which he accordingly did b. It will not be amifs to give here the names of Jacob's children and grandchildren, which came down with him into Egypt. As to the difficulties in adjufting the account of them, and reconciling it with fome other places of Scripture, we choose to give them to our readers in a note, rather than interrupt the thread of the hiftory (B). : b Gen. xlvi. p. tot. (B) Mofes makes mention of two numbers of fouls in Jacob's family, exclufive of his daugh ters-in-law, viz. fixty-fix (231) and seventy (232) he likewife reckons thirty-three fouls to Leah, including Dinah (233); and to Zilpah her handmaid fixteen fouls, including Serah, Aber's daughter, and Beriah's two fons (234). To make which reckonings agree with the fourteen of Rachel (235), and the two first fums of fixtyfix and feventy, it is to be obferved first, that, in the num A lift ber fixty-fix, Jacob is not reckoned, but only the fouls that came out of his loins; but, in the number of thirty-three, he feems included; else we shall find but thirty-two, viz. Leah's twenty-nine fons, two grandfons by Phares, and Dinah, in all thirty-two; but that Jacob is reckoned in this number, seems intimated by the eighth verfe of the chapter, in the words Jacob and his fons, viz. by Leah. Accordingly Josephus gives us a lift of them, to the number of thirty-two, in |
