Enumeration of the seventy B. C. 1706. GENESIS. persons who went into Egypt. were thirty and A. M. 2298. B. C. 1706. A. M. 2298. 10 And the sons of Simeon; | his daughters P Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, three. and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of 16 And the sons of Gad; Ziphion, and a Canaanitish woman. Haggi, Shuni, and a Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, 11 And the sons of Levi; Gershon, Ko- and Areli. hath, and Merari. 8 t 12 And the sons of " Judah; Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Pharez, and Zarah: but ▾ Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And w the sons of Pharez were Hezron and Hamul. 13 b 17 And the sons of Asher; Jimnah, and Ishuah, and Isui, and Beriah, and Serah their sister: and the sons of Beriah; Heber, and Malchiel. e 18 a These are the sons of Zilpah, • whom L'aban gave to Leah, his daughter; and these And the sons of Issachar; Tola, and she bare unto Jacob, even sixteen souls. y Phuvah, and Job, and Shimron. 19 The sons of Rachel 14 And the sons of Zebulun; Sered, and Joséph and Benjamin. Elon, and Jahleel. 15 These be the sons of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob in Padan-aram, with his daughter Dinah: all the souls of his sons and • Exod. vi. 15; 1 Chron. iv. 24.-P Or, Nemuel.- - Or, Jarib. Or, Zerah; 1 Chron. iv. 24.1 Chron. vi. 1, 16. Or, Gershom. Chron. ii. 3; iv. 21. Chap. xxxviii. 3, 7, 10.- Chap. xxxviii. 29; 1 Chron. ii. 5. W Secondly, that it is probable that some names in this list are brought in by prolepsis or anticipation, as the persons were born (probably) during the seventeen years which Jacob sojourned in Egypt, see ver. 12. Thirdly, that the families of some are entered more at large than others because of their peculiar respectability, as in the case of Judah, Joseph, and Benjamin; but see the tables under verse 20. Verse 12. The sons of Pharez were Hezron and Hamul.] It is not likely that Pharez was more than ten years of age when he came into Egypt, and if so he could not have had children; therefore it is necessary to consider Hezron and Hamul as being born during the seventeen years that Jacob sojourned in Egypt, see on ver. 8: and it appears necessary, for several reasons, to take these seventeen years into the account, as it is very probable that what is called the going down into Egypt includes the seventeen years which Jacob spent there. Jacob's wife; found in either the Hebrew or the Samaritan at present; and some suppose that it was taken either from Num. xxvi. 29, 35, or 1 Chron. vii. 14-20, but in none of these places does the addition appear as it stands in the Septuagint, though some of the names are found interspersed. Various means have been proposed to find the seventy persons in the text, and to reconcile the Hebrew with the Septuagint and the New Testament. A table given by Scheuchzer, extracted from the Memoires de Trevoux, gives the following general view: The twelve sons of JACOB with their children and grandchildren. Levi and his three sons Total sons of JACOB and LEAH 5 4 33 8 Gad and his seven sons Joseph and his two sons. Verse 20. Unto Joseph-were born Manasseh and Ephraim] There is a remarkable addition here in the Septuagint, which must be noticed: Eyevovro de viot Μανασση, ούς ετεκεν αυτῷ ἡ παλλακη ἡ Συρα, τον Μαχιρ Μαχιρ δε εγεννησε τον Γαλααδ. Υιοι δε Εφραιμ αδελφου Μανασση, Σουταλααμ και Τααμ. rloi de Zovrahaau, Edep These were the sons of Manasseh whom his Syrian concubine bore unto him: Machir; and Machir begat Galaad. The sons of Ephraim, Manassch's brother, were Sutalaam and Taam; and the Naphtali and his four sons These add five persons of Sutalaam, Edem. sons to the list, and make out the number given by Stephen, Acts vii. 14, which it seems he had taken from the text of the Septuagint, unless we could suppose that the text of Stephen had been altered to make it correspond to the Septuagint, of which there is not the slightest evidence from ancient MSS. or versions. The addition in the Septuagint is not 16 3 11. 14 2 5 7 - 70 "To harmonize this with the Septuagint and St. Stephen, Acts vii. 14, to the number sixty-six (all the souls that came out of Jacob's loins, ver. 26) add nine of the patriarchs' wives, Judah's wife being already dead in Canaan, (chap. xxxviii. 12,) Benjamin being 22 These are the sons of Rachel, which 27 And the sons of Joseph, which were born him in Egypt, were two souls: u all the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into il Chron. vii. 6; viii. 1.- Num. xxvi. 38; Ahiram. Numbers xxvi. 39; Shupham; 1 Chron. vii. 12; Shuppim. "Hupham, Num. xxvi. 39.- 1 Chron. vii. 12.- -o Or, Shu supposed to be as yet unmarried, and the wife of Joseph being already in Egypt, and therefore out of the case the number will amount to seventy-five, which is that found in the Acts."-Universal History. Dr. Hales' method is more simple, and I think more satisfactory: "Moses states that all the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which issued from his loins, (except his sons' wives,) were sixty-six souls, Gen. xlvi. 26; and this number is thus collected : JACOB's children, eleven sons and one daughter Gad's sons 12 4 28 And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to direct his face unto Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen. 29 And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, ham; Num. xxvi. 42.- -P1 Chron. vii. 13. Ch. xxix. 29.- - Exod. i. 5. " Deut. x. 22; see Acts vii. 14. t Heb. thigh; Ch. xxxi. 21. Chap. xxx. 5, 7. chap. xxxv. 11. w Ch. xlvii. 1. turah. Thus does the New Testament furnish an admirable comment on the Old."—Analysis, vol., ii. p. 159. It is necessary to observe that this statement, which appears on the whole the most consistent, supposes that Judah was married when about fourteen years of age, his son Er at the same age, Pharez at the same, Asher and his fourth son Beriah under twenty, Benjamin about fifteen, and Joseph's sons and grandsons about twenty. But this is not improbable, as the children of Israel must all have married at a very early age, to have produced in about two hundred and fifteen years no less than six hundred thousand persons above twenty years old, besides women and children. Verse 28. He sent Judah before him unto Joseph] Judah was certainly a man of sense, and also an eloquent man; and of him Joseph must have had a very 6 3 5 4 7 favourable opinion from the speech he delivered before him, cháp. xliv. 18, &c.; he was therefore chosen as 3 Asher's four sons, one daughter, and two grandsons 7 the most proper person to go before and announce Ja "If to these sixty-six children, and grandchildren, and great grandchildren, we add Jacob himself, Joseph and his two sons, the amount is seventy, the whole amount of Jacob's family which settled in Egypt. "In this statement the wives of Jacob's sons, who formed part of the household, are omitted; but they amounted to nine, for of the twelve wives of the twelve sons of Jacob, Judah's wife was dead, chap. xxxviii. 12, and Simeon's also, as we may collect from his youngest son Shaul by a Canaanitess, ver. 10, and Joseph's wife was already in Egypt. These nine wives, therefore, added to the sixty-six, give seventyfive souls, the whole amount of Jacob's household that went down with him to Egypt; critically corresponding with the statement in the New Testament, that 'Joseph sent for his father Jacob and all his kindred, amounting to seventy-five souls.' The expression all his kindred, including the wives which were Joseph's kindred, not only by affinity, but also by consanguinity, being probably of the families of Esau, Ishmael, or Ke To direct his face unto Goshen] The land of Goshen is the same, according to the Septuagint, as the land of Rameses, and Goshen itself the same as Heroopolis, 'Hpwwv Tоhis Heroon-polis, the city of heroes, a name by which it went in the days of the Septuagint, and which it still retained in the time of Josephus, for he makes use of the same term in speaking of this place. See on ver. 34. Verse 29. And Joseph made ready his chariot] no mercabto. In chap. xli. 43, we have the first mention of a chariot, and if the translation be correct, it is a proof that the arts were not in a rude state in Egypt even at this early time. When we find wagons used to transport goods from place to place, we need not wonder that these suggested the idea of forming chariots for carrying persons, and especially those of high rank and authority. Necessity produces arts, and arts and science produce not only an increase of the conveniences but also of the refinements and luxuries of life. It has been supposed that a chariot is not intended here; for as the word na mercabah, which we and most of the ancient versions translate chariot, comes from rachab, he rode, saddling his horse may be all that is intended. But it is more Joseph meets his father, and tells his B. C. 1706. A. M. 2298. B. C. 1706. A. M.2298. and presented himself unto him; trade hath been to feed cattle; and and he fell on his neck, and wept they have brought their flocks, and on his neck a good while. their herds, and all that they have. 33 And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation? 30 And Israel said unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou art yet alive. their 31 And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father's house, I will go up, and show Pharaoh, and say unto him, My brethren, and my father's house, which were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me. 32 And the men are shepherds, for * So chap. xlv. 14.- So Luke ii. 29, 30.-2 Chap. xlvii. 1. a Heb. they are men of cattle. b Chap. xlvii. 2, 3. likely to signify a chariot, as the verb Dasar, which signifies to bind, tie, or yoke, is used; and not van chabash, which signifies to saddle. d с 34 That ye shall say, Thy servants' trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and also our fathers; that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians. 66 Le Chap. credited. Hordes of marauders under this name, from Arabia, Syria, and Ethiopia, (whose chief occupation, like the Bedouin Arabs of the present day, was to keep Fell on his neck] See chap. xlv. 14. flocks,) made a powerful irruption into Egypt, which Verse 30. Now let me die, since I have seen thy they subdued and ruled with great tyranny for 259 face] Perhaps old Simeon had this place in view when, years. Now, though they had been expelled from that seeing the salvation of Israel, he said, Lord, now let- land some considerable time before this, yet their name, test thou thy servant depart in peace, &c., Luke ii. 29. and all persons of a similar occupation, were execrated Verse 34. Thy servants' trade hath been about cattle] by the Egyptians, on account of the depredations and "The land of Goshen, called also the land of Rameses, long-continued ravages they had committed in the counlay east of the Nile, by which it was never overflowed, try. 3. The last and probably the best reason why and was bounded by the mountains of the Thebaid on the Egyptians abhorred such shepherds as the Israelthe south, by the Nile and Mediterranean on the west ites were, was, they sacrificed those very animals, the and north, and by the Red Sea and desert of Arabia ox particularly, and the SHEEP, which the Egyptians on the east. It was the Heliopolitan nome or district, held sacred. Hence the Roman historian Tacitus, and its capital was called ON. Its proper name was speaking of the Jews, says: "Caso ARIETE velut in Geshen, the country of grass or pasturage, or of the contumelia AMMONIS; Bos quoque immolatur, quem shepherds, in opposition to the rest of the land which Ægyptii APIM colunt." They sacrifice the ram in was sown after having been overflowed by the Nile." | order to insult Jupiter Ammon, and they sacrifice the -Bruce. As this land was both fruitful and pleasant, Joseph wished to fix his family in that part of Egypt; hence he advises them to tell Pharaoh that their trade had been in cattle from their youth: and because every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians, hence he concluded that there would be less difficulty to get them quiet settlement in Goshen, as they would then be separated from the Egyptians, and consequently have the free use of all their religious customs. This scheme succeeded, and the consequence was the preservation both of their religion and their lives, though some of their posterity did afterwards corrupt themselves; see Ezek. xx. 8; Amos v. 26. As it is well known that the Egyptians had cattle and flocks themselves, and that Pharaoh even requested that some of Joseph's brethren should be made rulers over his cattle, how could it be said, as in ver. 34, Every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians? Three reasons may be assigned for this: 1. Shepherds and feeders of cattle were usually a sort of lawless, freebooting banditti, frequently making inroads on villages, &c., carrying off cattle, and whatever spoils they could find. This might probably have been the case formerly, for it is well known it has often been the case since. On this account such persons must have been universally detested. 2. They must have abhorred shepherds if Manetho's account of the hycsos or king-shepherds can be or, which the Egyptians worship under the name of Apis." Though some contend that this idolatry was not as yet established in Egypt, and that the king-shepherds were either after the time of Joseph, or that Manetho by them intends the Israelites themselves; yet, as the arguments by which these conjectures are supported are not sufficient to overthrow those which are brought for the support of the contrary opinions, and as there was evidently an established religion andpriesthood in Egypt before Joseph's time, (for we find the priests had a certain portion of the land of Egypt which was held so sacred that Joseph did not attempt to buy it in the time of the famine, when he bought all the land which belonged to the people, chap. xlvii. 20-22,) and as that established priesthood was in all likelihood idolatrous, and as the worship of Apis under the form of an or was one of the most ancient forms of worship in Egypt, we may rest tolerably certain that it was chiefly on this account that the shepherds, or those who fed on and sacrificed these objects of their worship, were an abomination to the Egyptians. Calmet has entered into this subject at large, and to his notes I must refer those readers who wish for farther information. See on chap. xliii. 32. On the principal subject of this chapter, the going down of Jacob and his family into Egypt, Bishop War Joseph informs Pharaoh CHAP. XLVII. of his father's arrival. burton, in his Divine Legation of Moses, makes the | and unconfounded with the natives, the ancient Egyp following judicious reflections: "The promise God tians being by numerous institutions forbidden all felmade to Abraham, to give his posterity the land of Ca-lowship with strangers, and bearing besides a particular naan, could not be performed till that family was grown aversion to the profession of the Israelites, who were strong enough to take and keep possession of it. In the meantime, therefore, they were necessitated to reside among idolaters, and to reside unmixed;, but whoever examines their history will see that the Israelites had ever a violent propensity to join themselves to Gentile nations, and practise their manners. God therefore, in his infinite wisdom, brought them into Egypt, and kept them there during this period, the only place where they could remain for so long a time safe shepherds. Thus the natural dispositions of the Is raelites, which in Egypt occasioned their superstitions, and in consequence the necessity of a burdensome ritual, would in any other country have absorbed them into Gentilism, and confounded them with idolaters. From the Israelites going into Egypt arises a new occasion to adore the footsteps of Eternal Wisdom in his dispensations to his chosen people." CHAPTER XLVII. Joseph informs Pharaoh that his father and brethren are arrived in Goshen, 1. He presents five of his brethren before the king, 2, who questions them concerning their occupation; they inform him that they are shepherds, and request permission to dwell in the land of Goshen, 3, 4. Pharaoh consents, and desires that some of the most active of them should be made rulers over his cattle, 5, 6. Joseph presents his father to Pharaoh, 7, who questions him concerning his age, 8, to which Jacob returns an affecting answer, and blesses Pharaoh, 9, 10. Joseph places his father and family in the land of Rameses, (Goshen,) and furnishes them with provisions, 11, 12. The famine prevailing in the land, the Egyptians deliver up all their money to Joseph to get food, 13-15. The next year they bring their cattle, 16, 17. The third, their lands and their persons, 18-21. The land of the priests Joseph does not buy, as it was a royal grant to them from Pharaoh, 22. The people receive seed to sow the land on condition that they shall give a fifth part of the produce to the king, 23, 24. The people agree, and Joseph makes it a law all over Egypt, 25, 26. The Israelites multiply exceedingly, 27. Jacob, having lived seventeen years in Goshen, and being one hundred and forty-seven years old, 28, makes Joseph promise not to bury him in Egypt, but in Canaan, 29, 30. Joseph promises and confirms it with an oath, 31. A. M. 2298. THEN Joseph came and told unto Pharaoh, Thy servants are A. M. 2298. | Pharaoh, and said, My father shepherds, both we, and also our and my brethren, and their flocks, and their fathers. herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen. a 2 And he took some of his brethren, even five men, and presented them unto Pharaoh. 3 And Pharaoh said unto his brethren, d What is your occupation? And they said Chap. xlvi. 31. - Chap. xlv. 10; xlvi. 28. .0 B. C. 1706. 4 (They said moreover unto Pharaoh,) f For to sojourn in the land are we come; for thy servants have no pasture for their flocks; & for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan: now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants 1 dwell in the land of Goshen. f 5 And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, c Acts vii. 13. Chap. xv. 13; Deut. xxvi. 5.d Chap. xlvi. 33.-e Chap. xlvi. 34. NOTES ON CHAP. XLVII. Verse 2. He took some of his brethren] xliii. 1; Acts vii. 11. Chap. xli. 27, 30, 31, 50, 56; h Chap. xlvi. 34. family which he had just now brought into Egypt, and There is to do himself honour. 4. Joseph took five of the something very strange in the original; literally trans-youngest of his brethren. 5. He took five of the eldest lated it signifies "from the end or extremity (xp of his brethren. 6. He took five from the extremity miktseh) of his brethren he took five men." This has or end of his brethren, i. e., some of the eldest and been understood six different ways. 1. Joseph took some of the youngest, viz., Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Isfive of his brethren that came first to hand-at random, sachar, and Benjamin.-Rab. Solomon. It is certain without design or choice. 2. Joseph took five of the that in Judges xviii. 2, the word may be understood meanest-looking of his brethren to present before Pha- as implying dignity, valour, excellence, and pre-emiraoh, fearing if he had taken the sightliest that Pha-nence: And the children of Dan sent of their family raoh would detain them for his service, whereby their FIVE men DPD mikisotham, not from their coasts, religion and morals might be corrupted. 3. Joseph but of the most eminent or excellent they had; and it took five of the best made and finest-looking of his brethren, and presented them before Pharaoh, wishing to impress his mind with a favourable opinion of the is probable they might have had their eye on what Joseph did here when they made their choice, choosing the same number, five, and of their principal men, as 6 i The land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell and if thou knowest any men of activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle. 7 And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8 And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, 1 How old art thou? 9 And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, m The days of the years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty years: a few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers, in the days of their pilgrimage. i Chap. xx. 15.Ver. 4.- Heb. how many are the days of the years of thy life?- m Heb. xi. 9, 13; Psa. xxxix. 12. n Job xiv. 1. - Chap. xxv. 7; xxxv. 28.- -P Ver. 7. did Joseph, because the and search out the land. He and his sons placed in Goshen. 10 And Jacob blessed Pha- A. M. 2298. 11 And Joseph placed his father and his r mission was important, to go had always lived a migratory or wandering life, in difBut the word may be under-ferent parts of Canaan, Mesopotamia, and Egypt, stood simply as signifying somè; out of the whole of scarcely ever at rest; and in the places where he lived his brethren he took only five men, &c. Verse 6. In the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell] So it appears that the land of Goshen was the best of the land of Egypt. Men of activity] anshey chayil, stout or robust men—such as were capable of bearing fatigue, and of rendering their authority respectable. longest, always exposed to the fatigues of the field and Rulers over my cattle.] pp mikneh signifies not only cattle, but possessions or property of any kind; though most usually cattle are intended, because in ancient times they constituted the principal part of a man's property. The word may be taken here in a more extensive sense, and the circumstances of the case seem obviously to require it. If every shepherd Have not attained unto the life of my fathers] was an abomination to the Egyptians, however we may Jacob lived in the whole one hundred and forty-seven understand or qualify the expression, is it to be sup-years; Isaac his father lived one hundred and eighty; posed that Pharaoh should desire that the brethren of and Abraham his grandfather, one hundred and seventyhis prime minister, of his chief favourite, should be five. These were days of years in comparison of the employed in some of the very meanest offices in the lives of the preceding patriarchs, some of whom lived land ? We may therefore safely understand Pharaoh nearly ten centuries! as expressing his will, that the brethren of Joseph should be appointed as overseers or superintendents of his domestic concerns, while Joseph superintended those of the state. Verse 7. Jacob blessed Pharaoh.] Saluted him on his entrance with Peace be unto thee, or some such expression of respect and good will. For the meaning of the term to bless, as applied to God and man, see on chap. ii. 3. Verse 9. The days of the years of my pilgrimage] 1 megurai, of my sojourning or wandering. Jacob Verse 14. Gathered up all the money] i. e., by selling corn out of the public stores to the people; and this he did till the money failed, ver. 15, till all the money was exchanged for corn, and brought into Pharaoh's treasury. Besides the fifth part of the produce of the seven plentiful years, Joseph had bought additional corn with Pharaoh's money to lay up against the famine that was to prevail in the seven years of dearth; and it is very likely that this was sold out at the price for which it was bought, and the fifth part, which belonged to Pharaoh, sold out at the same price. And as money |