Chapter XLVIII
termination to return to Canaan, a faith and piety which affords a hopeful symptom of their having become all, or most of them, religious men. 7. Joseph brought iu Jacob bis father—There Is a pathetic and most affecting interest attending this interview with royalty ; and wlien, with all the simplicity and dignified solemnity of a man of God, Jacob signalized his entrance by imploring tlie Divine blessing on the royal head, it may easily be imagined wliat a striking Impression the scene would produce (cf. Hebrews 7. 7). 8. Pharaoh said, unto Jacob, How old art thout—The question was put from t!ie deep and impressive interest which the appearance of tiie old patriarch liad created in the minds of Pliaraoli and liis court. In the low-lying land of Egypt, anil from the ar-
Ver. 1-22. Joseph's Visit TO His Sick Father. 1. one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick—Joseph was h.istily sent for, and on this occasion he took with him his two sons. 3. Israel strengthened liimself, and sat upon tlie bed—In tlie chamber where a good man lies, edifying and spiritual discourse may be expected. 3, 4. God Almiglity appeared unto me at Luz—The object of Jacob, in thus reverting to the memorable vision at Bethel—one of the great landmarks In his history—was to point out the splendid promises in reserve for his posterity—to engiige Joseph's interest and preserve his continued connection with the people of God, rather than with the Egyptians. Behold, I will make thee ft^ltfiil—This is a repetition of the covenant (ch. 28. 13-15; 35. 12). Whether these words are to be viewed in a limited sense, as pointing to the many centuries during which the Jews were occupiers of the Holy Land, or whether the words bear a wider meaning, and Intimate that the scattered tribes of Israel are to be reinstated In the land of promise, as their "everlasting possession," are points that have not yet been satisfactorily determined. 5. thy two sous, Kphraiin and Manasseh—It was the intention of the aged patriarch to adopt Joseph's sons as his own, thus giving him a double portion. The reasons of this procedure are stated (1 Chronicles 5. 1, 2). are mine—though their connections might have attached them to Egypt, and opened to them brilliant prospects in the land of their nativity, they willingly accepted the adoption (He^ brews 11. 2,')). 9. Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and
tificial habits of its society, the age of man was far sliorter amongst the inhabitants of that country, tlian it had yet beconie in the pure bracing climate anii among the simple mountaineers of Canaan. The Hebrews, at least, still attained a protracted longevity. 9. The days of the years of my pilgrimage, <tc. — Though 13() years, he reckons by days (cf. Psalm 90. 12), which he calls few, as they appeared in the retrospect, and evil, because his life had been one almost unbroken series of trouble. The answer is remarkable, considering the comparative <Iarkness of the patriarchal age (cf. 2 Timothy 1. 10). 11. Joseph placed his father and his brethren ... in the best of the land—best pasture land in lower Egypt. Goslien, "the land of verdure," lay along the Telusuic or eastern branch of the Nile. It ! jcluded a part of llie district of Heliopolis, or " On," the capital, and on the esust stretched out a considerable length into tlie desert. The ground included within these boundaries was a rich an<l fertile extent of natural meadow, and admirably adapted for the purposes of the Hebrew shepherds (cf. ch. 4!l. 21; Psalm
I will bless them—The apostle (Hebrews 11. 21) selected the blessing of Joseph's son as the chief, because the most compreliensive, instance of the patriarch's faith which
Ills whole history furnishes. 13. Joseph took them both —The very act of pronouncing the blessing was remark-
34. 10; 78. 72). 13-15. there was no bread in all tite land —This probably refers to the second year of tlie famine
able, showing that Jacob's bosom was animated by the
sill rit of prophecy. 31. Israel said unto Joseph, Behold^
(ch. 45. ()), when any little stores of individuals or families were exhausted, and when the people had become universally dependent on the government. At first they ol)- tiiined supplies for payment. Ere long money failed. 16. And .Joseph said, Give your cattle—" This Wiis the wisest course tliat could be adopted for the preservation both of tlie people and the cattle, whicli, being bought by Joseph, Was supported at the royal e-xpense, and very likely returned to the people at the end of the famine, to enabUthem to resume their agricultural labours." 31. as for tile people, lie removed them to tite cities—obviously for the convenience of the country people, who were doing nothing, to the cities where the corn stores were situated. 33. Only the land of the priests, bouglkt he not—These lands were inalienable, being endowments by which the temples were supported. Tlie priests for themselves received an annual allowance of provision from the state, and it would evidently have been the helgtit of cruelty to withhold that allowance when their lands were Incapable of being tilled. 3.3-38. .Tosrplk said. Behold, Ac-The land being sold to tlie government (r.
1 die—The patriarch could speak of death with compo-
sure, but he wislied to prepare Joseph and the rest of tlie
family for the shock, but God shall be with you— Jacob, ill all probability, was not authorized to speak of their bondage—he dwelt only on the certainty of their ro-
stor.ation to Canaan. 33. moreover, I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren—this was near Shechem (ch. ,U18; John 4.5; also Joshua 16.1; 20.7). And it Is probable that the Amorltes, having seized upon
it during one of his frequent absences, the patriarch, with the united forces of his tribe, recovered It from them by his sword and his bow.