Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition) (continued)
Joseph Sold by his Brethren. GENESIS XXXVIir, XXXIX. Joseph in Poliphar's Houst.
the government of a supreme and all-wise Disposer. 34, .Tncob rent , his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins—the common signs of Oriental mourning. A rent couut of wlilch they found that they eoiild neyer be at ease till they had rid tlieniselvea of his lialed presence. This was the true solution of the mystery, just as it wii-s
Is made In tlie skirt more or less long according to the at Uicted feelings of the mourner, and a coarse rough piece of black sackcloth or camel's liair cloth is wound round the waist. 35. and he said, For I will go doivn into the grave unto my son—not the earth, for Joseph was supposed to be torn in pieces, but the unknown place— the place of dejiarted souls, where Jacob expected at death to meet his beloved son.
In the case of Cain (1 John S. 12). tliry li<"t«-il tip tlit-lr eyc«, . . . ami, toe Uolcl, a company of IsUiiia«-llt«'s— they are called Midijinites (c. '28), and Mcdaiiiti s, Hfhrcw
(v. 36), being a travelling earavan eonifiosed of a inixe<l association of Arabiaiis. Tliose tril)esof Nortliern Aral)ia had already addicted tliemselve.s to conimeree, and Ion;; did they enjoy a monopoly, the orryliiK trade l)einK entirely in their hands. Their approach could easily lie Been; for as their road, alter crossing the ford from the transjordanic distriet, led along the south side of llie mountains of Gilboa, a party sealed on (he plain of Dothan could trace tlietn and their string of camels In the distance as they proceeded through the broad and gently-sloping valley that intervenes. Trailing in llie produce of Arabia and India, they were in the regular course of traffic on their way to Egypt: and tlie eliief
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
Ver. l-oO. JuDAH AND Family. 1. at that time— formula frequently used by the sacred writers, not to descrilie any precise period, liut an interval near about it. 3. .Tudah saw there a daugliter of a certain C'anaaiiite —Like Esau, this son of .lacob, casting off the restraints of religion, married Into a Canaanite family; and it is not surprising that the family which sprang from such an nnsuital)le connexion should be infamous for bold and unblushing wiclcedness. 8. .Tndah said unto Onan . . . marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother—The first instance of a custom which was afterwards incorporated amongst the laws of Moses, that when a husliand died leaving a widow, his l)rother ne.xt of age was to marry her, and the issue, if any, was to Ije served heir to the deceased (cf. Deuteronomy 'I'l. ol. 12. Jiulah . . . went up unto liis sheep-shearers—This season, which occurs in Palestine towards the end of March, was spent in more than usual hilarity, and the wealthier masters invited their friends, as well as treated their servants, to sumptuous entertainments. Accordingl.v, it Is said, Judah was accompanied by his friend Illrah. Timnnth—in the mountainsof Judah. 18. signet, &c.—bracelets, including armlets, were worn by men as well as women among the Hebrews. But the TTcbrii) word here rendered bracelets.
articles of commerce In which this clan dealt, were "spicery" from India, i.e., a species of resinous gum, called storax, "balm of (Jilead,'" the juice of the lialsani tree, a native of Arubia-Feli.x, and "myrrh," an Arabic gum of a strong fragrant smell. Kor these articles tliere must have been an enormous demand in Kgvpt, as they were constantly used in the process of eml)almiuf nt. 'iH88. Jndali said, . . . wlint profit Is it if \»e slay our brotlnorl—The sight of these travelling merthants gave a sudden turn to tlie views of the conspirators: for having no wish to commit a greater degree of crime than was necessary for the accomplishment of their iHid. t!;^'y readily approved of .Tu<lah's suggestion to ilispose of their obnoxious lirotlier as a slave. The proposal, of course, was founded on their knowledge tliat the Arabian merchants traf Rclced in slaves; and there Is the clearest evidence furnished by the monuments of Kgypt, that the traders who were in the habit of bringing slaves from the countries through which tliey passeKi, found a ready market in the cities of the Nile, tliey . . . lifted up •fosrph out of tlie pit, and gold him—Acting impulsively on Judah's advice, they had their poor vicHm ready by the time the merchants reached; and money being no part of their oljject, the.v sold him for "twenty pieces of silver." The money was prolmbly in rings or pieces (shekels), and silver is always mentioned in the records of that early iige before gold, on accotint of its
Is everywhere else translated " lace" or " ribbon ;" so that as the signet alone was probaI>ly more than an equivalent for the kid, it Is not easy to conjecture wliy the other things were given in addition, except by supposing the perforated seal was attached l)y a rliibon to tlie stafT. 34. Bring her forth, and let her be burnt—In patriarchal times fathers seem to have possessed the power of life and death over tl\e members of tlieir families. The crime of adultery was anciently punished in many places by ljurning (Leviticus 21.9; Judges 15.6; Jei'emiah 29.22). This chapter contains details which probably would never have obtained a place in the inspired record, had rarity. The whole sum, if in shekel weiglit, did not exceed f-S. they brought .Tosepli into Egypt—There were two routes to Kgypt—the one was overland by Hebron, where .lacob dwelt, and b.v taking which, the fate of his hapless son would likely have reached the paternal ears; the other was directly westward across the country from it not been to exhibit the full links of the chain that connects the genealogy of the Saviour with Abraham; and in the disreputable character of the ancestry who figure in this passage, we have a remarkable proof tliat "He made him.self of no reputation."
Dothan to the maritime coast, and in this, the safest and most expeditious way, the merchants carried Joseph to Egj'pt. Thus did an overruling Providence lead this murderous conclave of brothers, as well as the slavemerchants,—I)oth following their own free courses, to be parties in an act l).v which He was to work out, in a marvellous manner, the great purposes of His wisdom and goodness towards His ancient Church and people. 30. Reuben returned unto the pit.—he seems to have designedly tivken a circuitous route, with a view of secretly rescuing the poor lad from a lingering death by Starvation. His intentions were excellent, and his feelings no doubt painfully lacerated, when he discovered what had been done In his absence. But the thing was of God, who had designed that .loseph's deliverance should be accomplished by other means than his. 31-33. they took Joseph's coat—the commission of one sin necessarily leads to another to conceal It; and the scheme of deception which the sons of Jacob planned and practised on their aged father was a necessary consequence Of the atrocious crime they had perpetrated. What a wonder that their cruel sneer, "thy son's coat," and their forced efforts to comfort him, did not awaken suspicion ! But extreme grief, like every other passion, is l)llnd, and Jacob, great as his atfllctlon was, did allow himself to In-
CHAPTER XXXIX.
Ver. 1-23. Joseph ix Potiphak's House. 1. Potiphar —This name, Potiphar, signifies one " devoted to the sun," the local deity of On or Hellopolis,—a circumstance which fixes the place of his residence in the Delta, the district of Egypt bordering on Canaan, officerprince of Pharaoh— t. c, in the service of government, captain of the guard—The import of the original term has bee-» variously interpreted, some considering it means "chief cook," others, "chief inspector of plantations;" but that which seems best founded is "chief of the executioners," "head of the police," the same as the captain of the watch, the zaftwZ of modern Egypt. [Wilkinson.] bought him ... of the Ishmaelites—The age, appearance, and Intelligence of the Hebrew slave would soon makehiml,e picked up in the market. But the unseen, unfelt Influence of the great Disposer drew the attention of Potlphai towards him, in order that in the house of one so closely connected with the court, he might receive that previous training which was necessary for the high office he was destined to fill, and In the school of adversity learn the dulge his sorrow more than became one who believed In