Matthew Poole and continuators on Genesis 45

1 THen Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him, and he cryed, cause every man to go out from me : and there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren.

Remove all the Egyptians out of my presence and chamber. Which he did partly that he might maintain the honour of his place, and not make himself cheap and contemptible to the Egyptians, by his excessive tears and passions and by his free and familiar and affectionate converse with his brethren; and partly to preserve the reputation of his brethren, by concealing their fault from the Egyptians.

2 And he wept aloud ; and the Egyptians, and the house of Pharaoh heard .

His tears and voice which had been hitherto kept in by main force, now breaking forth with greater violence.

Some who were near, with their own ears, and others by report.

Marginal references: Heb. gave forth his voice i[illegible: 1+ letters] weeping.

3 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; Doth my father yet live . And his brethren could not answer him: for they were troubled at his presence .

He repeats his former question, Gen. 43. 27. either because he questioned the truth of their former relation or would be further satisfied in it, it being usual with men to ask over and over again what they long to know; or because he now desired a more particular relation of his fathers condition, and how he did bear up under all his calamities.

From a sudden and deep sense of their horrid guile and their just fear of some dreadful punishment.

Marginal references: Act. 7. 13.; Or, terrified.

4 And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me , I pray you: and they came near, and he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt .

Be not afraid of me, but come nearer to me with chearfulness and confidence, that you may be assured that I am he, and that we may more freely and privately discourse together so as none others may hear. It is probable that Ioseph sate in state, and that they hitherto kept a due distance from him.

(i. e.) Sold unto them that brought me into Egypt, and sold me there. See Gen. 37. 28. and 39. 1. So they sold him into Egypt occasionally and eventually.

5 Now therefore be not grieved , nor angry with your selves , that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life .

To wit, immoderately, and for the injury which you did to me, or for the danger which you have brought upon your selves. Otherwise he doth not disswade them from a godly sorrow for their offence against God, for the procurement of which he designed and used that strange and rough carriage towards them.

Neither excessively torment your selves with the remembrance of the fact, neither break forth into contentions and wrath, and upbraidings of one another.

God by his wise, powerful, and gracious Providence overruled your evil intentions to an happy end.

Not onely your lives, for the expression is here indefinite and general, but the lives of all the people in this and the neighbouring Countries. Which though it doth not lessen your sin, yet ought to qualifie your sorrow.

Marginal references: Heb. neither [illegible: 1 word] [illegible: 1 word] be anger it [illegible: 1 word] eyes.; Chap. 50. 20. Psal. 105. 16, 17.

6 For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest .

Neither sowing nor reaping, except in a few places near Nilus, because the people could not spare seed-corn, and would not lose it, understanding from Joseph that their cost and labour would be lost and that the famine would be of long continuance.

7 And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your live, by a great deliverance m.

That you and your Children might be sustained and preserved in this time of [illegible: 1+ letters]amine, and afterwards abundantly multiplied, as God hath promised. Or, for a g[illegible: 1+ letters]at [illegible: 1 word], or escaping, (i. e.) that you who are now but an handful, escaping this danger, may grow into a vast mul[illegible: 1+ letters]ude: The word [illegible: 1+ letters] on or escaping is here put for the persons that do escape, as it is 2 Chron. 30. 6. Isa. 10. 20. and as captivity is oft put for the Captives, as it is Numb. 21. 1. Deut. 21. 10. And so what was said in the former clause is repeated in this with an emphatical addition.

Marginal references: Heb. to put for yo[illegible: 1+ letters] a remnant.

8 So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God . and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh , and Lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

That I came to this place and pitch of honour and power is not to be imputed to your design, which was of another nature, but to Gods over-ruling providence, which ordered the circumstances of your action, so as I should be brought to this place and state. Compare Gen. 50. 20.

To advise him and to provide for him, as fathers do for their Children, and to have the authority respect and power of a father with him.

10 And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen , and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy childrens c[illegible: 1+ letters]ildren, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast.

A part of Egypt borde[illegible: 1+ letters]ng upon Canaan, well watered and fit for cattel, and theref[illegible: 1+ letters]e most prop[illegible: 1+ letters] for the Israelites not onely for present use, and to keep them at some distance from the inward parts of Egypt and from the Court, but also that they might have Canaan always in their eye and mind and in Gods time might with least disadvantage march thither. I[illegible: 1+ letters]seph promiseth this place either because it was least inhabited, being in the borders of the Land, or because he justly presumed upon the Kings favour, and knew that the growing Famine would give him opportunity to dispose of the people as he pleased.

12 And behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you .

Because I speak to you not by an interpreter, as hitherto I have done, but immediately and in the Hebrew Language.

15 Moreover, he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him .

To wit, freely and familiarly, being encouraged by his kindness.

16 And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaohs house, saying, Josephs brethren are come: and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants .

Because they all owed their lives unto Ioseph and his favour was now fresh and present, and therefore he had more influence upon them, and they more kindness for him.

Marginal references: Heb. was good in [illegible: 1 word] [illegible: 1 word] of [illegible: 1 word].

18 And take your father, and your housholds, and come unto me, and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land .

The choicest fruits of the land. Fat oft is put for the best of any sort, as Numb. 18. 12, 29. Deut. 32. 14. Psal. 63. 5. and 147. 14.

Marginal references: chap. 27. 28.

19 Now thou art commanded , this do ye; Take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father and come.

Besides that absolute power which I have given thee to dispose of all things as thou pleasest, I do particularly and especially command thee to do this thing.

20 Also regard not your stuff : for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours.

Heb. Let not your eye pity or spare any part of your stuff, as loath to leave it behind you, or afraid to lose it. Sparing or pitying is an act of the mind, but it is ascribed to the eye here, as also Ezek. 7. 4, 9. and 16. 5. partly because there it discovers it self by tears or otherwise; and partly because the sight of the eye doth oft affect the heart and move pity.

Marginal references: Heb. let not your eyes spare, &c.

22 To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment : but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment.

New and handsome garments which upon their coming into Pharaohs presence and on other occasions they might wear in stead of those more old and homely ones which they brought with them from Canaan. Compare Iudg. 14. 12, 19. 2 King. 5. 5.

23 And to his father he sent after this manner . ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she asses laden with corn, and bread, and meat for his father by the way.

Heb. according to this. What? Either what went before, changes of raiment, or what follows, ten asses, &c.

Marginal references: Heb. carrying.

24 So he sent his brethren away, and they departed, and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way.

Or, contend, one with another, each vindicating himself and laying the blame upon his brother.

26 And told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governour over all the land of Egypt. And Jacobs heart fainted , for he believed them not .

Or, was weakned, or failed, he fell into a swoon, as it is ordinary, because of the greatness and suddenness of the news and the conflict of contrary and violent passions, raised hereby, grief at the remembrance of his former loss, and excessive joy for Iosephs recovery and felicity; hope that this might be true, and fear lest it should be but a fiction of theirs: any one of these passions are able to cause a fainting of the Spirits, but much more when all meet together, especially in an aged person.

Partly because of the greatness and strangeness and desireableness of the thing, compare Psal. 126. 1. and partly because they were by this very relation convicted of one lye about Ioseph▪ in saying that he was dead, and therefore might easily be thought guilty of another.

Marginal references: Heb. his.

28 And Israel said, It is enough ; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die.

I desire no more, no greater happiness in this world, than to see him. Which when I have done, I am willing to die.