Genesis 25:1--27:46
[A.M. cir. 2151. B.C. cir. 1853.]
bore <03205> [A.M. cir. 2152. B.C. cir. 1852. she bare.]
[Zimri. Midian.]
Shuah <07744> [Shuah.]
Sheba <07614> [A.M. cir. 2180. B.C. cir. 1824. Sheba.]
Dedan ..... Dedan <01719> [Dedan.]
Asshurites <0805> [Asshurim.]
Ephah <05891> [A.M. cir. 2200. B.C. cir. 1804. Ephah.]
[A.M. cir. 2175. B.C. cir. 1829.]
Isaac typified the Son of God, "whom HE hath appointed Heir of all things."
concubines <06370> [concubines.]
gifts <04979> [gifts.]
sent <07971> [sent.]
east <0776 06924> [east country.]
Arabia Deserta, which was eastward of Beer-sheba, where Abraham dwelt.
[A.M. 2183. B.C. 1821.]
breathed ... last <01478> [gave.]
good <02896> [good.]
joined <0622> [gathered.]
Isaac <03327> [Isaac.]
cave <04631> [in the cave.]
field <07704> [The field.]
Abraham .......... Abraham <085> [there.]
After <0310> [after.]
Beer Lahai Roi <0883> [La-hai-roi.]
names ....... names <08034> [the names.]
Nebaioth <05032> [Nebajoth.]
From Nebajoth sprang the Nabatheans, who inhabited Arabia Petraea; from Kedar, the Cedreans, who dwelt near the Nabatheans; and from Jetur, the Itureans, who inhabited a small tract of country east of Jordan, which afterwards belonged to Manasseh.
Kedar <06938> [Kedar.]
Dumah <01746> [Dumah.]
<02316> [Hadar. or, Hadad.]
More than 300 MSS. and printed editions read Hadad, as in 1 Ch 1:30.
Tema <08485> [Tema.]
Naphish <05305> [Naphish.]
These are evidently the same people mentioned in 1 Ch 5:19, who, with the Itureans, assisted the Hagarenes against the Israelites, but were overcome by the two tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
camps <02918> [castles.]
The word {tiroth,} rendered "castles," is supposed by some to denote here "towers," fortified rocks, or mountain-tops, and fastnesses of various kinds in woods and hilly countries; but it rather means, "shepherds' cots," surrounded by sufficient enclosures to prevent the cattle from straying, as the cognate Syriac word {teyaro,} and Arabic {tawar,} signify "a sheep-fold."
<08147> [twelve.]
total .... years <08141> [A.M. 2231. B.C. 1773. these are.]
joined <0622> [gathered.]
Havilah <02341> [Havilah.]
way <0935> [as thou.]
Asshur <0804> [toward.]
settled <05307> [died. Heb. fell.]
next ............ from <06440> [in the.]
Abraham Abraham <085> [A.M. 2108. B.C. 1896. Abraham.]
married <03947> [A.M. 2148. B.C. 1856. when he.]
Aramean .......... Aramean <0761> [the Syrian.]
prayed ................ answered ... prayer <06279> [A.M. 2167. B.C. 1837. intreated.]
childless <06135> [because.]
Lord ............ Lord <03068> [and the.]
Rebekah <07259> [and Rebekah.]
asked <01875> [A.M. 2168. B.C. 1836. enquire.]
Two nations ....... two <01471 08147> [Two nations.]
Two ........ two <08147> [two manner.]
older <07227> [the elder.]
Esau <06215> [Esau.]
The word Esau has been generally considered to imply made, formed, or perfected; or perfect, robust, etc. But it appears to be a dialectical variation of the Arabic atha, to be covered with hair; whence athai, hairy, as no doubt the word Esau imports, in allusion to the circumstance of his being covered with red hair or down at his birth.
<0310> [And after.]
clutching <0270> [took.]
Jacob <03290> [Jacob.]
Isaac ... sixty <03327 08346> [Isaac was.]
<03045> [a cunning.]
even-tempered <08535> [a plain main.]
living <03427> [dwelling.]
fresh game <06718 06310> [he did eat of his venison. Heb. venison was in his mouth.]
Rebekah <07259> [Rebekah.]
famished <05889> [A.M. 2199. B.C. 1805. and he.]
red ..... red <0122 04480> [with that same red pottage. Heb. with that red, with that red pottage.]
This, we are informed, (ver. 34,) was of lentiles, a sort of pulse.
Edom <0123> [Edom. i.e., red.]
about ... die <04191 01980> [at the point to die. Heb. going to die. and what.]
birthright <01062> [birthright.]
Swear ......... swore <07650> [Swear.]
sold <04376> [and he sold.]
ate <0398> [eat.]
Esau .................. Esau <06215> [thus Esau.]
earlier <07223> [A.M. 2200. B.C. 1804. the first.]
Isaac <03327> [And Isaac.]
Abimelech <040> [Abimelech.]
appeared <07200> [appeared.]
settle <07931> [dwell.]
Stay <01481> [Sojourn.]
bless <01288> [I will be.]
descendants <02233> [unto thee.]
solemn <07621> [oath.]
multiply <07235> [multiply.]
descendants .................. them ....... nations ................ descendants <02233 01471> [seed shall.]
Gerar <01642> [Gerar.]
sister <0269> [She is my sister.]
very beautiful <02896> [fair.]
window <02474> [a window.]
caressing <06711> [sporting.]
touches <05060> [toucheth.]
planted <02232> [sowed.]
The author of the "History of the Piratical States of Barbary" observes, (p. 44,) that the Moors of that country are divided into tribes like the Arabians, and like them dwell in tents, formed into itinerant villages; that "these wanderers farm lands of the inhabitants of the towns, sow and cultivate them, paying their rent with the produce, such as fruits, corn, wax, etc. They are very skilful in choosing the most advantageous soils for every season, and very careful to avoid the Turkish troops, the violence of the one little suiting the simplicity of the other." It is natural to suppose, that Isaac possessed the like sagacity, when he sowed in the land of Gerar, and received that year an hundred-fold.
reaped <04672> [received. Heb. found. an hundredfold.]
blessed <01288> [blessed.]
man ... wealthy ... influence .... grow ...... prominent <0376 01431> [And the man waxed great.]
Dr. Adam Clarke remarks, that there is a strange and observable occurrence of the same term in the original, which is literally, "And the man was GREAT, and he went, going on, and was GREAT, until that he was exceeding GREAT." How simple is this language, and yet how forcible!
wealthy ...... grow ...... prominent <01431> [waxed great.]
continued <01980 03212> [went forward. Heb. went going.]
sheep ... cattle <04735> [had possession.]
household <05657> [servants. or, husbandry. envied.]
father's ........... father <01> [his father's.]
<05640> [had stopped.]
In those countries, a well of water was a great acquisition; and hence, this mode of injuring new settlers, or revenging themselves on their enemies, is still resorted to among the inhabitants.
<03212> [Go.]
Dr. A. Clarke observes, that this is the first instance on record of what was termed among the Greeks, ostracism, i.e., the banishment of person from the state, of whose power, influence, or riches, the people were jealous.
much more powerful <06105> [mightier.]
days <03117> [in the days.]
Houbigant contends, that instead of {bimey,} "in the days," we should read, {avdey,} "servants;" agreeably to the Samaritan, Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate: "And Isaac digged again the wells of water which the servants of Abraham his father had digged."
gave .......... given <07121> [and he.]
fresh flowing water <04325 02416> [springing water. Heb. living.]
quarreled <07378> [did strive.]
Esek <06230> [Esek. i.e., Contention.]
Sitnah <07856> [Sitnah. i.e., Hatred.]
dug <02658> [digged.]
The wells in Arabia are generally dug in the rock: their mouths are about six feet in diameter, and they are from nineteen to twenty feet in depth. But Niebuhr informs us, that many wells are from 160 to 170 feet deep.
Rehoboth <07344> [Rehoboth. i.e., Room. the Lord.]
made ........ prosper <06509> [be fruitful.]
Beer Sheba <0884> [Beer-sheba.]
God <0430> [I am the.]
afraid <03372> [fear.]
built <01129> [builded.]
worshiped <07121> [called.]
Abimelech <040> [Abimelech.]
Phicol <06369> [Phichol.]
Phichol, as well as Abimelech, "father king," seems to have been a name of office or dignity among the Philistines; for it is not probable that they were the same as are mentioned in the days of Abraham (ch. 21:22, 32.)
hate <08130> [seeing.]
sent <07971> [sent me.]
plainly see <07200> [We saw certainly. Heb. Seeing we saw. was with.]
pact <0423> [Let there.]
do ............... treated <06213> [That thou wilt. Heb. If thou shalt, etc. not.]
blessed <01288> [the blessed.]
Early <07925> [betimes.]
made a treaty <07650> [sware.]
found <04672> [We have.]
Shibah <07656> [Shebah. i.e., an oath. therefore.]
Beer Sheba <0884> [Beer-sheba. i.e., the well of the oath.]
This may have been the same city which was called Beer-sheba a hundred years before this, in the time of Abraham; but as the well, from which it had its name originally, was closed up by the Philistines, the name of the place might have been abolished with the well; when, therefore, Isaac re-opened it, he restored the ancient name of the place.
Esau <06215> [A.M. 2208. B.C. 1796. And Esau.]
daughter ........... daughter <01323> [the daughter.]
Basemath <01315> [Bashemath.]
anxiety <04786> [Which.]
anxiety <07307 04786> [grief of mind. Heb. bitterness of spirit.]
[A.M. 2244. B.C. 1760.]
almost <03543> [dim.]
older son ........ son <01121 01419> [eldest son.]
could ..... time <03045 03117> [I know not.]
take ... weapons <05375 03627> [take, I.]
hunt <06679 06718> [take me. Heb. hunt.]
eat <0398> [that I may eat.]
The blessing, says Dr. A. Clarke, which Isaac was to confer on his son, was a species of divine right, and must be communicated with appropriate ceremonies. As eating and drinking were used among the Asiatics on almost all religious occasions, and especially in making and confirming covenants, it is reasonable to suppose, that something of this kind was essentially necessary on this occasion; and that Isaac could not convey the right, till he had eaten of the meat provided for the purpose by him who was to receive the blessing.
<05315> [that my.]
presence .... Lord before <06440 03068> [before the.]
two <08147> [two.]
tasty <04303> [savoury.]
{Matammim,} from {taam,} to taste or relish: how dressed is uncertain, but its name declares it nature.
hairy man ............ skin <0376 08163> [hairy man.]
touch <04959> [feel.]
mocking <08591> [a deceiver.]
think ....... bring <05869 0935> [and I shall.]
curse <07045> [Upon.]
mother <0517> [mother.]
best clothes <02532 0899> [goodly raiment. Heb. desirable.]
The Septuagint translates it "a goodly robe," which was a long garment that great men used to wear, (Lu 20:46; 15:22.) The priest afterwards in the law had "holy garments" to minister in, (Ex 28:2-4.) Whether the first-born before the law had such to minister in is not certain: for, had they been common garments, why did not Esau himself or his wives keep them? But being, in likelihood, holy robes, received from their ancestors, the mother of the family kept them in sweet chests, from moths and the like; whereupon it is said, (ver. 27,) "Isaac smelled the smell of his garments."
skins <05785> [skins.]
Travellers inform us, that the Eastern goats have long, fine, and beautiful hair, of the most delicate silky softness; indeed the animals generally in those hot countries are not covered with so thick a coat of hair as they are in more northerly regions; so that Isaac might easily be deceived, when his eyes were dim, and his feeling no less impaired than his sight.
Esau <06215> [I am.]
me <05315> [that thy.]
Lord <03068> [Because.]
<06440> [to me. Heb. before me.]
Come closer <05066> [Come.]
touch <04184> [may feel.]
voice <06963> [The voice.]
How wonderful, says Mr. Scott, is that difference which there is betwixt the faces and the voices of the several individuals of the human species! Scarcely any two of the innumerable millions are exactly alike in either, and yet the difference cannot be defined or described! The power, wisdom, and kindness of our Creator should be admired and adored in this remarkable circumstance; for they are very visible. This description of Jacob is not unaptly accommodated to the character of a hypocrite: his voice, his language, is that of a Christian; his hands, or conduct, that of an ungodly man: but the judgment will proceed from God, the Judge of all, at the last day, as in the present case, not by the voice, but by the hands.
hands ........ hands <03027> [his hands.]
blessed <01288> [he blessed.]
[I am.]
<05315> [that my.]
blessed ................... blessed <01288> [blessed.]
scent ............ smells .... scent .... open field <07381 07704> [the smell of a field.]
A field where aromatic plants, flowers, fruits, and spices grew in abundance, with which these garments (see ver. 15) of Esau might probably have been perfumed by being laid up with them.
Lord <03068> [which.]
dew <02919> [of the dew.]
<04924> [the fatness.]
plenty <07230> [plenty.]
nations <05971> [Let people.]
will be lord <01376 01933> [be lord.]
curse .... cursed <0779> [cursed.]
eat <0398> [eat.]
shake violently <02729 01419 03966> [trembled very exceedingly. Heb trembled with a great trembling greatly.]
hunted <06679> [taken. Heb. hunted. thou camest.]
blessed ....... blessed <01288> [yea.]
wailed <06817> [he cried.]
Jacob <03290> [Jacob. i.e., a supplanter.]
took away ......... taken away <03947> [he took.]
made <07760> [I have.]
grain <01715> [with.]
provided <05564> [sustained. or, supported.]
home <04186> [Behold.]
<04924> [the fatness. or, of the fatness.]
It is here foretold, says Bp. Newton, that as to temporal advantages, the two brothers should be much alike. (See ver. 28.) Esau had cattle, beasts, and substance in abundance, and he went to dwell in Mount Seir of his own accord. When the Israelites desired leave to pass through the territories of Edom, the country abounded with fruitful fields and vineyards. (Nu 20:17.)
sword <02719> [thy sword.]
serve <05647> [serve.]
tear off <06561> [that thou.]
hated <07852> [hated.]
time <03117> [The days.]
kill <02026> [then.]
planning ...... killing <05162 02026> [comfort himself.]
do what ... say <08085> [obey.]
Haran <02771> [Haran.]
subsides <03117 0259> [a few days.]
send <07971> [then I.]
Why <04100> [why.]
deeply <06973> [I am.]
<06440> [because.]
Jacob <03290> [if Jacob.]
Genesis 40:1--43:34
After <0310> [it came.]
<08248> [the butler.]
{Mashkeh,} from {shakah,} to give drink, is the same as {saky} among the Arabians and Persians, and signifies a cup-bearer.
enraged <07107> [wroth.]
cupbearer .... baker <08248 08269> [the chief of the butlers.]
facility <04725> [the place.]
Joseph ... confined <03130 0631> [where Joseph was bound.]
Or, "where Joseph was confined," for he doubtless had his personal liberty. This place, we learn from the preceding chapter, (ver. 20,) was the king's prison. All the officers in the employment of the ancient kings of Egypt, according to Diodorus Siculus, were taken from the most illustrious families of the priesthood in the country; no slave or common person being ever permitted to serve in the presence of the king. As these persons were of the most noble families, it is natural to expect they would be put, when accused, into the state prison.
captain <08269> [the captain.]
time <03117> [a season.]
{Yamim,} literally days; how long is uncertain, though the word may signify, as many suppose, a complete year (see Ge 4:3; 24:55); and as Pharaoh called them to an account on his birthday, (ver. 20,) Calmet supposes they had offended on the preceding birthday, and thus had been one whole year in prison.
[A.M. 2287. B.C. 1717.]
depressed <02196> [and, behold.]
<06440> [Wherefore.]
sad today <07451 03117 06440> [look ye so sadly to-day. Heb. are your faces evil.]
interpretations <06623> [Do not, etc.]
vine <01612> [a vine.]
took <03947> [And I took, etc.]
From this we find that wine anciently was the mere expressed juice of the grape, without fermentation. The {saky,} or cup-bearer, took the bunch, pressed the juice into the cup, and instantly delivered it to his master.
squeezed <07818> [pressed.]
hand .................. hand <03027 03709> [hand.]
meaning <06623> [This.]
three .... three <07969> [The three.]
three <07969> [within.]
Pharaoh .............. Pharaoh's <06547> [shall.]
reinstate <05375 07218> [lift up thine head. or, reckon.]
remember ...... well ......... mention <02142 03190> [think on me. Heb. remember me with thee. on me.]
show <06213> [shew.]
kidnapped <01589> [stolen.]
Hebrews <05680> [the Hebrews.]
done <06213> [done.]
chief <08269> [the chief.]
baskets ... white bread <02751 05536> [white baskets. or, baskets full of holes.]
goods <04639> [bake-meats. Heb. meat of Pharaoh, the work of a baker, or cook.]
three <07969> [within.]
decapitate <05375 07218> [lift up thy head from off thee. or, reckon thee and take thy office from thee. hang thee.]
birds <05775> [and the birds.]
third day <03117 07992> [third day.]
day <03117> [birthday.]
lifted <05375> [lifted up. or, reckoned.]
placed ... cup <03563 05414> [gave the cup.]
impaled <08518> [he hanged.]
forgot <07911> [but forgat him.]
years <08141 03117> [A.M. 2289. B.C. 1715. two full years.]
{Shenathayim yamim,} "two years of days," two complete solar revolutions; as a month of days is a full month.
Pharaoh <06547> [that Pharaoh.]
Nile <02975> [the river.]
coming up <05927> [there came.]
reeds <0260> [a meadow.]
Or, rather, "on, or among the reeds or sedges;" for so {achoo} is generally supposed to denote (see Job 8:11); so called, according to Mr. Parkhurst, from its fitness for making ropes, or the like, to connect or join things together, from {achah,} to join, connect: thus the Latin {juncus,} a bulrush, {a jungendo,} from joining, for the same reason. He supposes it to be that sort of reed growing near the Nile which Hasselquist describes as "having scarce any branches, but numerous leaves, which are narrow, smooth, channelled on the upper surface, and the plant about eleven feet high. The Egyptians make ropes of the leaves."
bad-looking <07451 04758> [ill favoured.]
Pharaoh woke up <06547 03364> [So Pharaoh awoke.]
seven heads of grain <07651 07641> [seven ears.]
A species of wheat, which grows in Egypt, bears, when perfect, seven ears on one stalk, as its natural conformation. It differs from ours in having a solid stem, or at least a stem full of pith, in order to yield sufficient nourishment and support to so great a weight as the ears which it bears.
healthy <01277> [rank. Heb. fat.]
burned <07710> [blasted.]
dream <02472> [a dream.]
<07307> [his spirit.]
diviner-priests ... Egypt <04714 02748> [the magicians of Egypt.]
The word here used (chartummim) may mean no more than interpreters of abstruse or difficult subjects; especially of dreams and visions, which formed a considerable part of the ancient pagan religion; and the Egyptian priests were the first who professed this art. The word may be of affinity with, or derived from, the Persian {chiradmand,} wise, learned, judicious, intelligent, from {chirad,} understanding, judgment, and {mand,} endowed with. They seem to have been such persons as Josephus calls sacred scribes; or professors of sacred learning.
wise <02450> [the wise men.]
interpret <06622> [but there.]
recall <02142> [I do remember.]
Pharaoh <06547> [Pharaoh.]
captain ........ chief <08269> [captain.]
servant <05650> [servant.]
interpreted <06622> [interpreted.]
restored <07725> [me he restored.]
Then <07971> [sent.]
quickly <07323> [and they brought him hastily. Heb. made him run.]
shaved <01548> [he shaved.]
heard <08085> [I have heard.]
dream ......... interpret ...... heard ....... interpret dreams <02472 06622 08085> [that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it. or, when thou hearest a dream, thou canst interpret it.]
not within <01107> [It is not.]
welfare <07965> [peace.]
eaten ........... done <0935> [eaten them up. Heb. come to the inward parts of them.]
bad-looking <04758> [still.]
withered <06798> [withered. or, small. thin.]
burned <07710> [blasted.]
All the mischief done to corn or fruit by blasting, smutting, mildew, etc. are attributed to the east wind. (See Parallel Passages.) In Egypt it is peculiarly destructive, because it comes through the parched deserts of Arabia, often destroying vast numbers of people. The destructive nature of the {Sam, Simoom, Smoom,} or {Samiel,} is mentioned by almost all travellers. When this pestilential wind advances, its approach is indicated by a redness in the air. The principal stream of the blast always moves in a line of about 20 yards in breadth, and 12 feet above the surface of the earth; but its parching influence pervades all places to a considerable distance. The only means of preservation from its noxious influence is to lie flat, with the face upon the ground, till the blast be over. Camels and other animals instinctively perceive its approach, and bury their mouths and nostrils in the ground. It rarely last more than seven or eight minutes, but so poisonous are its effects, that it instantly suffocates those who are unfortunate enough to inhale it.
told ...... diviner-priests <0559 02748> [I told this.]
God <0430> [God.]
seven ..... seven ..... seven ....... seven <07651> [are. or, signify.]
seven good .... seven ..... seven good heads of grain ... seven <02896 07651 07641> [good ears are seven.]
dreams .... same <02472 0259> [the dream is one.]
seven ........... seven years ..... seven ............. seven years ... famine <08141 07458 07651> [seven years of famine.]
God <0430> [What God.]
seven years <07651 08141> [seven years.]
forgotten <07911> [shall be.]
devastate <03615> [consume.]
abundance <07647> [the plenty.]
It is well known, that in Egypt there is scarcely any rain, the country depending for its fertility upon the overflowing of the Nile; and that the fertility is in proportion to the duration and quality of the overflow, in order to saturate the land and prepare for the seed. Pliny has given a scale, by which the plenty or dearth may ascertained; which may be considered as perfectly correct. The ordinary height of the inundations is 16 cubits. When the waters are lower than this standard, they do not overflow the whole ground; when above this standard they are too long in running off. In the first case, the ground is not saturated; by the second, the waters are detained so long on the ground that seed-time is lost. The province marks both. If it rise only 12 cubits, a famine is the consequence; at 13 hunger prevails; 14 produces general rejoicing; 15 perfect security; and 16 all the luxuries of life.
severe <03515> [grievous. Heb. heavy.]
repeated <08138> [doubled.]
matter <01697> [it is because.]
decreed <05973 03559> [established by. or, prepared of.]
Pharaoh <06547> [therefore.]
look <07200> [look out.]
officials <06496> [officers. or, overseers.]
one-fifth of the produce <02567> [and take.]
gather <06908> [gather.]
authority <03027> [hand.]
land ............... land ........ land <0776> [that the.]
famine .................. famine <03772 07458> [perish not. Heb. be not cut off.]
<01697> [the thing.]
sense <03190> [good.]
whom <0834> [in whom.]
will <01961> [Thou shalt.]
oversee <05401> [be ruled. Heb. be armed, or kiss.]
signet ring <02885> [his ring.]
fine linen <08336> [fine linen. or, silk.]
gold chain <02091 07242> [a gold chain.]
cried out <07121> [and they.]
Kneel <086> [Bow the knee. or, Tender father.]
[Heb. Abrech.]
land <0776> [ruler.]
move ... hand <07311 03027> [lift up his hand.]
Zaphenath-Paneah <06847> [Zaphnath-paaneah.]
Which in Coptic signifies a revealer of secrets, or, the man to whom secrets are revealed. Jerome says this name signified in Egyptian, {Savatorem mundi,} "the Saviour of the world;" and {Psotem-phaneh,} in Coptic, is certainly "salvation of the world," from [SOT,] for [soteria <\\See definition 4991\\>,] salvation, {em,} the sign of the genitive case, and [PHENEH], world. If this interpretation be correct, Pharaoh must have meant Egypt by the world, or which Joseph might be justly termed the Saviour. We know that the Romans called their empire {Universis Orbis-Orbis Terrarum,} "all the world:" the Chinese say the same of their empire at the present day, and the phrase is used in the East: Nadir Shah is described on his coins as "Conqueror of the World," i.e., Persia. See the same phraseology applied to Syria, Palestine, etc.
priest ... On <03548 0204> [priest of. or, prince.]
On <0204> [On.]
[Aven.]
years <08141> [years.]
when .... serving <05975> [he stood.]
[From A.M. 2289, B.C. 1715, to A.M. 2296, B.C. 1708. handfuls.]
Joseph <03130> [unto Joseph.]
Asenath <0621> [Asenath.]
priest <03548> [priest. or, prince.]
<07121> [called. A.M. 2292. B.C. 1712.]
Manasseh <04519> [Manasseh. i.e., Forgetting.]
forget <05382> [forget.]
child Ephraim <07121 0669> [A.M. 2293. B.C. 1711. called he.]
Ephraim <0669> [Ephraim. i.e., Fruitful.]
land <0776> [the land.]
[A.M. 2296. B.C. 1708.]
seven <07651> [the seven.]
Joseph <03130> [according.]
famine .......... famine <07458> [and the dearth.]
experienced <07456> [famished.]
Joseph <03212 03130> [Go unto.]
<06440> [the face.]
sold <07666> [all the storehouses. Heb. all wherein was. sold.]
country ................. earth <0776> [all countries.]
country ................. earth <0776> [in all lands.]
Jacob ........ he <03290> [when Jacob.]
heard ............... looking <07200> [saw. i.e, heard, from the report of others, that there was plenty in Egypt.]
The operations of one sense are frequently put for those of another in Hebrew; (see the Parallel Passages.)
heard ............... looking <07200> [Why do ye.]
down <03381> [get you.]
live <02421> [that we.]
Benjamin <01144> [Benjamin.]
if <06435> [Lest.]
famine <07458> [for.]
ruler <07989> [governor.]
{Shallit,} an intendant, protector, ruler, from {shalat,} to be over or a protector, to rule: hence the Arabic {salita,} to obtain and exercise dominion, rule; and {sultÆ’n,} ruler, lord, prince, and king.
sold <07666> [he it was.]
bowed down <07812> [bowed.]
harshly ... asked ........ answered <07186 0559> [roughly unto them. Heb. hard things with them.]
recognized ........ recognize <05234> [but they knew.]
remembered <02142> [remembered.]
spies <07270> [Ye are spies.]
Persons who, under the pretence of wishing to buy corn, desire only to find out whether the land be so defenceless that the tribes to which you belong may attack it successfully, drive out the inhabitants, and settle themselves in it; or, having plundered it, retire into their deserts. This is a frequent custom among the Arabs to the present day.
vulnerable <06172> [nakedness.]
honest <03651> [We are, etc.]
We do not belong to different tribes; and it is not likely that one family would make a hostile attempt upon a whole kingdom; nor, if any serious design had been intended, that one man would have sent his sons on so hazardous an expedition.
honest .... servants <03651 05650> [true men.]
vulnerable <06172> [nakedness.]
servants <05650> [Thy servants.]
one .................. one <0259> [one is not.]
lives <02416> [By the life.]
youngest <06996> [except.]
prison <0631> [kept in prison. Heb. bound.]
imprisoned <0622> [put. Heb. gathered.]
imprisoned <04929> [ward.]
God <0430 03373> [I fear God.]
prison ............... families <01004> [house.]
take grain back <07668 0935> [carry corn.]
bring <0935> [bring.]
did <06213> [And they.]
said <0559> [they said.]
saw <07200> [we saw.]
distressed .................... distress <06869> [this distress.]
said ...... say <0559> [Spake I.]
blood <01818> [his blood.]
[he spake unto them by a interpreter. Heb. an interpreter was between them.]
The {mailitz} does not seem to have been an interpreter in our sense of the term; as we have many evidences in this book that the Egyptians, Hebrews, Canaanites, and Syrians, could understand each other in a general way; and it appears from several passages in this very chapter, (particularly ver. 24,) that Joseph and his brethren understood each others' language, as his brethren and Joseph's steward also did (ch. 43:19, etc; compare ch. 39; 49.) It seems to denote an officer who is called in Abyssinia, according to Mr. Bruce, {Kal Hatz‚,} "the voice or word of the king," who always stands at the side of a lattice window of a balcony, within which the king sits; who is never seen, but who speaks through a hole in the side of it, covered in the inside with a curtain, to this officer, by whom he speaks to the persons present.
wept <01058> [wept.]
Simeon <08095> [Simeon.]
orders <06680> [commanded.]
give ... provisions <05414 06720> [to give them.]
orders <03651> [and thus.]
resting place <04411> [the inn.]
resting place <04411> [inn.]
{Malon,} from {loon,} to stay, abide, lodge, denotes any place to stay and lodge in, particularly a place where travellers usually stop to lodge, which is generally near a well, where they fill their {girbehs,} or leathern bottles, with fresh water, and having unladen and clogged their camels, asses, etc., permit them to crop any little verdure there may be in the place, keeping watch over them by turns. Our word inn here gives us a false idea, there were no such places of entertainment in the desert which Joseph's brethren had to pass; nor are there any at the present day. The only accommodation such a place affords is either a well, or a {khan,} or {caravanserai,} which is generally no more than four bare walls, perfectly exposed, the place being open at the top, and furnishing a wretched lodging: and even these, it is probable, were not in use at this early period.
<03820> [their heart.]
dismayed .... trembling <03318 02729> [failed them. Heb. went forth.]
This refers to the spasmodic affection which is felt in the breast at any sudden alarm or fright.
God <0430> [What is.]
harshly ........... spying <07186 05414> [roughly to us. Heb. with us hard things.]
honest <03651> [true.]
twelve brothers <0251 06240> [twelve brethren.]
move about freely <05503> [traffick.]
each man's <0376> [every man's.]
childless <07921> [Me have ye.]
[all these things are against me.]
{Alay hayoo cullanah,} literally, "upon me are all these things:" rendered by the Vulgate, {in me h‘c omnia mala reciderunt,} "all these evils fall back upon me;" they lie upon me as heavy loads, hastening my death: they are more than I can bear.
two .... death <04191 08147> [Slay my.]
brother <0251> [his brother.]
accident <0611> [if mischief.]
go down ............................... bring down <03381> [bring.]
man <0376> [man.]
solemnly warned <05749> [did solemnly protest. Heb. protesting, protested.]
see ... face <06440 07200> [see my face.]
down <03381> [will not.]
questioned ... thoroughly <07592> [asked us straitly. Heb. asking asked us.]
way <06310> [tenor. Heb. mouth. could we certainly know. knowing could we know.]
boy ........ immediately <05288 06965> [lad with me.]
live <02421> [that we.]
little ones <02945> [also our.]
pledge <06148> [will be.]
hold <03027> [of my hand.]
twice <06471> [this second time. or, twice by this.]
then <0645> [If it must be.]
down <03381> [carry down.]
little balm .... little <04592 06875> [a little balm.]
balm <06875> [balm.]
For an explanation of the words {tzori, nechoth,} and {lot,} here rendered respectively balm, spices, and myrrh, see on ch. 37:25. {Devash,} honey, is supposed by some not to have been that produced by bees, but a syrup produced from ripe dates. The Jewish doctors observe, that the word in 2 Ch 31:5 signifies dates; and the Arabians, at this day, call the choicest dates preserved with butter, {dabous,} and the honey obtained from them, {dibs,} or {dabs.} {Benanim,} nuts signifies pistachio nuts, the finest thing found in Syria; but, according to the others, a small nut, the produce of a species of the turpentine tree. {Shekaidim} is certainly almonds.
honey <01706> [honey.]
spices <05219> [spices.]
double <04932> [double.]
mouths <06310> [mouth.]
God <0410> [And God.]
As .......... lose <0834 07921> [If I be, etc. or, and I, as I have been, etc.]
[See on ver.]
household ....... house <01004> [the ruler.]
Slaughter <02873> [slay. Heb. kill a killing.]
{Tevoch taivach,} "slay a slaying," or make a great slaughter: let preparations be made for a great feast or entertainment. See a similar form of speech in ch. 31:54. .# 1Sa 25:11 Pr 9:2
with ............................. eat with .... noon <0854 0398 06672> [dine with. Heb. eat.]
<0582> [the men.]
wants to capture <01556 05307> [seek occasion against us. Heb. Roll himself upon us.]
come down <03381> [we came indeed down. Heb. coming down we came down.]
came <0935> [we came.]
returned <07725> [we have.]
fine <07965> [Peace.]
money .... brought <0935 03701> [I had your money. Heb. Your money came to me.]
{Caspechem ba ailai,} "your money comes to me:" as I am the steward, the cash for the corn belongs to me. Ye have no occasion to be apprehensive of any evil; the whole transaction is between myself and you; receive therefore the money as a present from "the God of your father," no matter whose hands he employs to convey it.
Simeon <08095> [Simeon.]
bowed down <07812> [bowed.]
well <07965> [welfare. Heb. peace.]
father well <01 07965> [Is your father well. Heb. Is there peace to your father? the old.]
bowed <06915> [bowed.]
humility <07812> [made obeisance.]
mother's son ........................ son <01121 0517> [mother's son.]
said ......... told ...... said <0559> [of whom.]
God <0430> [God.]
son ........................ son <01121> [my son.]
affection <07356> [his bowels.]
tears ......... wept <01058> [wept there.]
composure <0662> [refrained.]
food <03899> [bread.]
eating .......... eat <03899 0398> [eat bread.]
disgusting <08441> [for that is an abomination.]
The Chaldee Paraphrast renders this clause, "Because the Hebrews eat the cattle which the Egyptians worship." But, as we learn from ver. 16, compared with this verse, that the provision for the entertainment of the Egyptians themselves was animal food, this reason cannot be just. The true reason seems to be that assigned by the LXX., [Bedlyma gar estin tois Aigyptiois pas poim‚n probaton:] "For every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians."
[44.12]
portions .......... portion .......... portions <04864> [messes.]
five times <02568 03027> [was five times.]
Sir John Chardin observes, that "in Persia, Arabia, and the Indies, there are some houses where they place several plates in large salvers, and set one of these before each person, or before two or three, according to the magnificence of each house. The great men of the state are always served by themselves, in the feasts that are made for them; and with great profusion, their part of each kind of provision being always double, treble, or a larger proportion of each kind of meat."
drunk <07937> [were merry. Heb. drank largely.]
Genesis 6:14
Make ......... Make <06213> [A.M. 1536. B.C. 2468. Make.]
rooms <07064> [rooms. Heb. nests. shalt pitch.]
Genesis 9:16
perpetual <05769> [everlasting.]
Genesis 10:19-21
borders <01366> [And the.]
to ........... to <0935> [as thou comest.]
Gerar <01642> [Gerar.]
Gaza <05804> [Gaza. Heb. Azzah.]
Sodom <05467> [Sodom.]
Shem <08035> [Shem.]
Shem signifies name or renown; and his, indeed, was great both in a temporal and spiritual sense, inasmuch as he was destined to be the lineal ancestor of the promised Seed of the woman, to which Noah might allude in his pious ejaculation, ch. 9:26.
father <01> [the father.]
Eber <05677> [Eber.]
brother <0251> [the brother.]
Matthew 10:25
If <1487> [If.]
Beelzebul <954> [Beelzebub. or, Beelzebul.]
Matthew 16:13-16
came <2064> [came.]
of Caesarea Philippi <5376 2542> [Caesarea Philippi.]
C‘sarea Philippi was anciently called Paneas, from the mountain of Panium, or Hermon, at the foot of which it was situated, near the springs of Jordan; but Philip the tetrarch, the son of Herod the Great, having rebuilt it, gave it the name of C‘sarea in honour of Tiberius, the reigning emperor, and he added his own name to it, to distinguish it from another C‘sarea on the coast of the Mediterranean. It was afterwards named Neronias by the young Agrippa, in honour of Nero; and in the time of William of Tyre, it was called Belinas. It was, according to Josephus, a day's journey from Sidon, and 120 stadia from the lake of Phiala; and, according to Abulfeda, a journey of a day and a half from Damascus. Many have confounded it with Dan, or Leshem; but Eusebius and Jerome expressly affirm that Dan was four miles from Paneas, on the road to Tyre. It is now called Banias, and is described, by Seetzen, as a hamlet of about twenty miserable huts, inhabited by Mohammedans; but Burckhardt says it contains about 150 houses, inhabited by Turks, Greeks, etc.
Who <5101> [Whom.]
John <2491> [John.]
Elijah <2243> [Elias.]
But <1161> [But.]
You <4771> [Thou.]
living <2198> [the living.]
Matthew 21:46
wanted <2212> [they sought.]
<1894> [because.]
Luke 7:16
Fear <5401> [a fear.]
they began to glorify <1392> [they.]
A great <3173> [a great.]
God ........... God <2316> [God.]
