ming those that were fit for reaping, and put me into great astonishment."

Joseph replied; "This dream, O king, although seen under two forms, signifies one and the same event of things; for when thou sawest the kine, which is an animal made for the plough and for labour, devoured by the poorer kine; and the cars of corn eaten up by the smaller ears, they foretel a famine, and want of the fruits of the earth for the same number of years, and equal with those when Egypt was in a happy state; and this so far, that the plenty of these years will be spent in the same number of years of scarcity, and that scarcity of necessary provisions will be very difficult to be corrected: as a sign whereof the ill-favoured kine, when they had devoured the better sort, could not be satisfied. But still God foreshows what is to come upon men, not to grieve them, but that when they know it beforehand, they may, by prudence, make the actual experience of what is foretold the more tolerable. If thou therefore carefully dispose of the plentiful crops which will come in the former years, thou wilt procure that the future calamity will not be felt by the Egyptians."

Hereupon the king wondered at the discretion and wisdom of Joseph; and asked him by what means he might so dispense the plentiful crops in the happy years, as to make the miserable crops more tolerable: Joseph then added this advice; to spare the good crops, and not permit the Egyptians to spend them luxuriously; but to reserve what they would have spent in luxury beyond their necessity against the time of want. He also exhorted him to take the corn of the husbandmen, and give them only so much as might suffice for their food. Accordingly Pharaoh, being surprised at Joseph, not only for his interpretation of the dream, but for the counsel he had given, entrusted him with dispensing the corn; with the power to do what he thought would be for the benefit of the people of Egypt, and for the benefit of the King: as believing that he who first discovered this method of acting would prove the best overseer of it. Joseph having this power given him by the king,* with leave to make use of his seal, and to wear pur

* Joseph had his name changed on this occasion. It was an ancient custom

ple,* drove in his chariot through all the land of Egypt;† and took the corn of the husbandmen, allotting as much to every one as would be sufficient for seed and for food; but without discovering to any one the reason why he did so.

CHAP. VI.

of the arrival of Joseph's brethren in egypt, and his

CONDUCT TOWARDS THEM.

JOSEPH was now grown up to thirty years of age, and enjoyed great honours from the king; who called him Psothom Phanech, out of regard to his prodigious degree of wisdom; for that name denotes a revealer of secrets. He also married a

among eastern princes, upon their promotion of any favourite, to give him a new name. Nebuchadnezzar, we read, Dan. i. 7, imposed new names upon Daniel, and his companions in Babylon; and to this very day Mogul never advances a man, but he gives him a new name, and that significative of something belonging to him; but here the question is, what is the meaning of the name which Pharaoh gave Joseph? In the Hebrew text it is Zaphnah paaneah, but in the Egyptian and Greek Pentateuch it is Pson-thonphanech. The oriental versions, however, are pretty unanimous in rendering it, a revealer of secrets; but there are some reasons why this should not be its true interpretation. For the time that Pharaoh gave the patriarch this name, was when he advanced him from the condition of an imprisoned slave to that of a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt! and therefore, it is reasonable to suppose that he gave it in commemoration of such promotion, rather than of his expounding dreams: because to have called him an interpreter of dreams only, had been degrading him to the level of magicians. Now if Pharaoh gave him this name in memory of his promotion, it was very likely that this name was strictly and properly Egyptian, (otherwise the common people could not have understood it,) though Moses, in his recording it, might endeavour to accommodate to the Hebrew idiom; and if it was Egyptian, the word in that language signifies what we call a prime minister: or strictly the first, or prince of the lords. Bibliotheca Bibl. occas. annot. 41. B.

To be arrayed in a rich dress, and to ride in great pomp and ceremony, were the ancient modes of investing with the highest degree of subordinate power in Egypt; and with a small variation still remain so. The history of the revolt of Ali Bey, (p. 43.) informs us, that on the election of a new sheik bellet, the pasha who approves of him invests him with a valuable fur, treats him with sherbet, and when the sheik bellet departs, the pasha presents him with a horse richly caparisoned. HARMER, Vol. iii. p. 308. B.

↑ Gen. xlv. 42-3.

: That is, bought it for Pharaoh at a very low price.

wife of very high quality: she was the daughter of Petephres,* one of the priests of Heliopolis, and her name was Asenath. By her he had children before the scarcity came on, Manasseh, the elder, which signifies forgetful; because his present happiness made him forget his former misfortunes. And Ephraim, the younger, which signifies restored; because he was restored to the freedom of his forefathers.

Now after Egypt had happily passed over seven years, according to Joseph's interpretation of the dreams, the famine came upon them on the eighth year: and because this misfortune fell upon them when they had no senset of it before-hand, they were all sorely afflicted by it, and came running to the king's gates; and he called upon Joseph, who sold the corn to them; being become confessedly a saviour to the whole multitude of the Egyptians. Nor did he open this market of corn for the people of that country only; but strangers had liberty to buy also, Joseph being willing that all men, who are naturally akin to each other, should have assistance from those that lived in happiness.

Jacob also when he understood that foreigners had this privilege, sent all his sons into Egypt to buy corn: for the land of Canaan was grievously afflicted with the famine: and this great misery touched the whole continent. He only retained Benjamin, who was born to him by Rachel; and was of the same mother as Joseph. These sons of Jacob then came into Egypt, and applied themselves to Joseph, to buy corn, for nothing of this kind was done without his approbation! since even the honour that was paid the king himself, was only advantageous to the persons that paid it when they took care to honour Joseph also. Now when he well knew his brethren, they thought

* This Potiphar, or as in Josephus, Petephres, who was now a priest of On or Héliopolis, is the same name in Josephus, and perhaps in Moses also, with him who is before called the Head Cook or Captain of the Guard; and to whoin Joseph was sold. See Gen. xxxvii. 36 xxxix. 1, with xli. 50. They are also affirm. ed to be one and the same person in the Testament of Joseph, for he is there said to have married the daughter of his master and mistress. Nor is this a notion peculiar to that Testament; but as Dr. Bernard confesses, common to Josephus, to the Septuagint interpreters, and to other learned Jews of old time.

+ This intire ignorance of the Egyptians of these years of famine before they came, told us before, as well as here, by Josephus, seems almost incredible. It is in no other copy that I know of.