CHAP. V. thing in itself, and also becoming a woman, thus to prevent his accusation. Accordingly she sat sorrowfully, and in confusion, framing herself so hypocritically and angrily, that the sorrow, which was really occasioned by her disappointment, might appear to be for an at OF JOSEPH'S SITUATION IN PRISON, AND HIS SUBSEQUENT tempt upon her chastity: so that when her NOW Joseph, commending all his affairs husband came home and inquired what was the cause of the disorder she was in, she began to accuse Joseph. * "O husband," said she, "mayest thou not live a day longer if thou dost not punish the wicked slave who hast desired to defile thy bed; who has neither recollected who he was, when he came to our house, so as to behave himself with modesty, nor has been mindful of what favours he had received from thy bounty; though he must be an ungrateful man, indeed in every respect, not to act agreeable to us. This man I say, laid a private design to abuse thy wife, and this at the time of a festival, observing when thou wouldst be absent: so that it now is clear that his modesty as it appeared to be formerly, was only because of the restraint he was in out of fear of thee, but that he was not really of a good disposition. This has been occasioned by his being advanced to honor beyond what he deserved, or hoped for; insomuch that he concluded that he who was deemed fit to be trusted with thy estate, and the government of thy family, and was preferred above thy eldest servants, might be allowed, to touch thy wife also." When she had spoken thus, she produced Joseph's garment, as if he had left it with her when he attempted to force her. Potiphar not being able to disbelieve what his wife said, and what he saw himself, and being seduced by his love, did not set himself about the examination of the truth, but condemning Joseph as a wicked man, he threw him into the malefactor's prison; and had a still higher opinion of his wife, and bare her witness that she was a woman of a becoming modesty and chastity. There is something not unlike the revengeful artifice in Potiphar's wife, in the representation which the poet makes of Phædra, when in an affair of the like nature she finds herself rejected by her son-in-law Hippolytus. Regeramus ipsa crimen, atque ultro impiam. defence, nor to relate the exact circumstances of the fact, but silently underwent the bonds and the distress he was in, firmly believing that God, who knew the cause of his affliction, and the truth of the fact, would be more powerful than those that inflicted the punishment upon him. He accordingly soon received a proof of God's providence on his behalf; for the keeper of the prison taking notice of his care and fidelity in the affairs he had set him about, and the dignity of his countenance, relaxed his bonds, and thereby made his heavy calamity lighter, and more supportable to him; he also permitted him to make use of a diet better than that of the rest of the prisoners. Now his fellow prisoners, when their hard labors were over, used to discourse with each other, being equal sufferers, and to inquire one of another what were the occasions of their being condemned to a prison ? among them Pharaoh's cup-bearer, and one that had been respected by him, was put in bonds upon the king's anger at him. This man was under the same bonds with Joseph, and soon grew familiar with him; and upon his observing that Joseph had a better understanding than the rest, he told him of a dream he had, and desired he would interpret its meaning, complaining, that besides the afflictions he underwent from the king, God also added to him, trouble from his dreams. He therefore said, that in his sleep he saw three clusters of grapes hanging upon three branches of a vine, large, and ripe for gathering, and that he squeezed them into a cup, which the king held in his hands, and when he had strained the wine, he gave it to the king to drink, and that he received it from Senec. Hip. him with a pleasant countenance. This, he said, was what he saw; and he desired Joseph, that if he had any portion of understanding in such matters, he would tell him what this vision foretold. Joseph bid him be of good cheer, and expect to be loosed from his bonds in three days' time, because the king desired his service, and was about to restore it to him again; for he let him know that God bestows the fruit of the vine upon men for good, which wine is, poured out to him, and is the pledge of fidelity and mutual confidence among men, putting an end to their quarrels, removing passion and grief out of the minds of them that use it, and making them cheerful. "Thou didst squeeze this wine," said he, "from three clusters of grapes, with thine hands, and the king received it. Know, therefore, that this vision is for thy good, and foretels a release from thy present distress within the same number of days as the branches whence thou gatheredst thy grapes in thy sleep.* † However, remember what prosperity I have foretold thee, when thou hast found it true; and when thou art in authority do not overlook us in this prison, wherein thou wilt leave us, when thou art gone to the place we have foretold: for we are not in prison for any crime, but for the sake of our virtue and sobriety are we condemned to suffer the penalty of malefactors, and because we are not willing to injure him that has thus distressed us, though it were for our own pleasure." The cup-bearer rejoiced to hear such an interpretation of his dream, and waited the completion of what had been thus shewed him beforehand. Another servant of the king's who had been chief baker, and was now bound in pri * An. 1767. + The expression which Joseph makes use of concerning the king's cup-bearer and baker, Pharaoh shall lift up thy head, seems somewhat too literally translated, since the words in the original mean no more, than that Pharaoh would have them brought forth and examined. The ancients, we are to know, in keeping their reckonings, or accounts, of time, or their list of domestic officers, or servants, made use of tables with holes bored in them, in which they put a sort of pegs, or nails, with broad heads, exhibiting the particulars, either number, or name, or whatever it was. These nails, or pegs, the Jews call heads, and the sockets of the heads they call bases. The meaning therefore of Pharaoh's lifting up son with the cup-bearer, was in good hope upon Joseph's interpretation of the other's vision, for he had dreamed also; so he desired that Joseph would tell him what the visions he had seen the night before might mean? "I thought," said he, " that I carried three baskets upon my head, two were full of loaves, and the third full of sweetmeats, and other eatables, such as are prepared for kings; but the fowls came flying, and ate them all up, and had no regard to my attempt to drive them away." He then expected a prediction like to that of the cupbearer's: but Joseph, considering the dream, said to him that he would willingly be an interpreter of good events to him, and not of such as his dream denounced; but he told him that he had only three days to live, as the three baskets signified; but that on the third day he should be crucified, and devoured by fowls, while he was not able to help himself. Now both these dreams had the same events that Joseph foretold they should have, and this to both parties for on the third day, when the king solemnized his birth-day, he crucified the chief baker, but set the butler free from his bonds, and restored him to his former service. God freed Joseph from his confinement after he had endured his bonds two years, ‡ and had received no assistance from the cupbearer, who did not remember what he had said to him formerly; and God contrived this method of deliverance for him. Pharaoh, the king, had seen in his sleep the same evening two visions, and after them had the interpretation of them both given him; he had forgotten the latter, but retained that of the dreams themselves. Being, therefore, troubled his head, is, that Pharaoh would take out the peg, which had the cup-bearer's name on the top of it, to read it; i, e. would sit in Judgment, and make examination into his accounts. For it seems very probable that both he and the baker had been either suspected or accused of having cheated the king; and that, when their accounts were examined and cast up, the one was acquitted, while the other was found guilty. And thongh Joseph uses the same expression in both cases, yet we may observe, that speaking to the baker he adds, that Pharaoh shall lift up thy head from off thee, i. e. shall order thy name to be struck out of the list of his servants, by taking the peg of of the socket. Bibliotheca Bibl, in locum. B. Gen. xl. 18, at what he had seen, for it seemed to him to most skilful person I can consult with ; vouchbe all of a melancholy nature the next day safe me the same favors which thou bestowed he called together the wisest men among the on this servant of mine, and tell me what Egyptians,* desiring to learn from them the events are predicted by the visions of my interpretation of his dreams; but when they dreams: and I desire thee to suppress nothing hesitated about them the king was so much. out of fear, nor to flatter me with lying words, the more disturbed. And now it was that the or with what may please me, although the memory of Joseph's skill came into the mind truth should be of a melancholy nature. It of the king's cup-bearer, when he saw the seemed to me that as I walked by the river, confusion Pharaoh was in; so he came and I saw kine fat and very large, seven in nummentioned Joseph to him, as also the vision heber, going from the river to the marshes; and had seen in prison, and how the event proved other kine of the same number like them met as he had said; as also that the chief baker them out of the marshes, exceeding lean and was crucified on the very same day; and that ill favored; which ate up the fat and large this also happened to him according to the kine, and yet were no better than before, and interpretation of Joseph: that Joseph himself not less miserably pinched with famine. After was laid in bonds by Potiphar as a slave, but I had seen this vision I awoke out of my sleep; he said he was one of the noblest of the stock but being in disorder, and considering with of the Hebrews, and that his father lived in myself what this appearance should be I great splendor. "If, therefore," said he, fell asleep again, and saw another dream "thou wilt send for him, and not despise him much more wonderful than the foregoing, on account of his misfortunes, thou wilt learn which did still more affright and disturb me.t what thy dreams signify." The king, there- I saw seven ears of corn growing out of one by, commanded that they should bring Joseph || root, having their heads borne down by the into his presence; and those who received the weight of the grains, and bending down with command came and brought him with them, the fruit, which was now ripe and fit for having taken care of his habit, that it might be reaping and near these I saw seven other decent, as the king had enjoined them to do. ears of corn, meagre and weak for want of rain, which fell to eating and consuming those that were fit for reaping, and put me into great astonishment." The king took him by the hand, and said, "O young man, for my servant bears witness that thou art at present the best and *The Chaldeans of old were the most famous people in the world for diviniations of all kinds : and therefore it is very probable that the word Hhartaumim, which we render magicians, is not of Hebrew, but Chaldee origin. The roots, however from whence it springs (if it be a compound word, as probably it is,) are not so visible; and therefore commentators are perplexed to know by what method men of this profession proceeded in their inquiry into secret things; whether they pretended to expound dreams, and descry future events, by natural observations, by the art of astrology, (which came much in request in future ages,) by such rules as are now found in the books of Oneirocrites or by certain characters, images, pictures, and figures, which were engraved with magical rites and ceremonies. It is not to be doubted, indeed, but that the magicians, whom Pharaoh consulted for the interpretations of his dreams, made use of some, at least, if not all, these arts; and the Jewish doctors would make us believe, that after several attempts of divers kinds, they came at last to this exposition, that Pharaoh's daughters (for they suppose him to have seven) should die, and that he should have seven others born to him in their stead; but this being not at all satisfactory to their master, put the cup-bearer in mind of Joseph's great abilities that way. Le Clerc's and Patrick's Commentary. B. + In Barbary one stalk of wheat, or barley, will sometimes bear two ears, while each of these ears will as often shoot out into a number of less ones, thereby affording a most plentiful increase. May not these large prolific ears, when seven are said to come up upon one stalk, explain what is further mentioned of the seven fruitful years in Egypt, that is, that the earth brought forth by handfuls? This latter passage may, indeed, mean, that the earth brought forth handfuls of stalks from single grains, and not handfuls of ears from single stalks, agreeably to the following passage from Dr. Shaw: "In Barbary it is common to see one grain produce ten or fifteen stalks. Even some grains of the murwaany wheat, which I brought with me to Oxford, and sowed in the physic garden, threw out each of them fifty. But Muzeratty, one of the late kaleefas, or viceroys, of the province of Tlemsan, brought once with him to Algiers a root that yielded fourscore telling us, that the prince of the western pilgrims sent once to the bashaw of Cairo one that yielded six score. Pliny mentions some that bore three or four hundred." B. Joseph 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 ears of corn eaten up by the smaller ears, they foretell 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 sign whereof the ill-favored kine, when they had devoured the better sort, could not be satis. fied. 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 *Joseph had his name changed on this occasion. It was an ancient custom 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, bnt the 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 Zaphnab-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 reason why this should not be its true interpretation. For the time and Pharoah 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 be gave it commemoration of such promotion, rather than of his expounding dreams: because to have called him an interpreter of dreams only, had been degrading him е 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 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 him by the king,* with leave to make use of his seal, and to wear purple, † drove in his chariot through all the land of Egypt‡; and took the corns 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 wife of very high 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 'The ↑ 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. history of the revolt of AliBey, (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 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 come 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. Joseph, to buy corn, for nothing of this kind was done without his approbation! since even the honor that was paid the king himself, was only advantageous to the persons that paid it when they took care to honor Joseph also. Now when he well knew his brethren, they thought nothing of him; for he was but a youth when he left them, and was now come to an age much greater, that the lineaments of his face were changed, and he was not Now after Egypt had happily passed over seven years, according to Joseph's interpreta-known to them; besides this, the greatness of tion of the dreams, the famine came upon the dignity wherein he appeared suffered them on the eighth year and because this : and because this them not so much as to respect the truth. He misfortune fell upon them when they had no therefore now made trial what sentiments sense of it before-hand, they were all sorely they had about the affairs of the greatest conafflicted by it, and came running to the king's sequence; for he refused to sell them corn, gates; and he called upon Joseph, who sold and said they were come as spies of the kings the corn to them; being become confessedly a affairs and that they came from several saviour to the whole multitude of the Egyp- countries, and joined themselves together, and tians. Nor did he open this market of corn for pretended they were of kin; it not being posthe people of that country only: but strangers sible that a private man should breed up so had liberty to buy also, Joseph being willing many sons, and those of so great a beauty of that all men, who are naturally akin to each countenance as they were: such an education other, should have assistance from those that of so many children being not easily obtained lived in happiness. by kings themselves. Now this he did in orJacob also when he understood that fo- der to discover what concerned his father reigners had this privilege, sent all his sons and what happened to him after his own deinto Egypt to buy corn; for the land of Ca-parture from him; and as desiring to know naan 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 S *This Potiphar, or as in Josephus, Petephres, who wa now a priest of On or Hellopolis, 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 whom Joseph was sold. See Gen. xxxvii. 36. xxxix. 1. with xli. 50. They are also affirmed 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 pecular 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. In scripture Joseph is represented as swearing by the life of Pharaoh. Most authors take this for an oath, the original of which is well explained by Mr. Selden, (in his Titles of Honour, p. 45), where he observes, that the names of gods being given to kings very early, from ; what was to become of Benjamin his brother; for he was afraid that they had ventured on the like wicked enterprise against him, that they had done to himself, and had taken him off also. Now these brethren of his were under dis the excellency of their heroic virtue, which made them anciently great benefactors to mankind; thence arose the custom of swearing by them: which Aben Ezra saith, continued in his time, (about 1170) when Egypt was governed by caliph's. If any man swore by the king's head, and were found to have sworn falsely, he was punished capitally. Extraordinary as this kind of oath which Joseph made use of may appear to us, it still continues in the East. Mr. HANWAY, says the most sacred oath among the Persians is "by the king's head;" (Trav. vol. i, pag. 313.) and among other intances of it we read in the travels of the Ambassadors, p. 204. "there were but sixty horses for ninety-four persons. The mehemander (or conductor) swore by the head of the king(which is the greatest oath among the Persians) that he could not possibly find any more." And THEVENOT says, (Trav. p. 97, part 2.) his subjects never look upon him but with fear and trembling; and they have such respect for him, and pay so blind an obedience to all his orders, that how unjust soever his commands might be, they erform them, though against the law both of God and 6 traction |