(Genesis 43:01 - 43:34)
The famine worsened and ravaged the land of Canaan. When the food they had brought from Egypt was consumed, Jacob told his sons, "Go back and buy us a little more grain."
Judah spoke to him, "The governor of Egypt vowed, 'You will not be granted another audience with me, unless you bring your youngest brother with you.' If you'll let us take Benjamin with us, then we can go down there together and buy what we need to survive. But if you don't agree, we won't go, because, as I said before, he warned us, 'You will not be permitted to see me again, unless you bring your youngest brother with you.'"
Israel replied, "Why did you see fit to tell him about your youngest brother and give me such grief? "
They answered, "He specifically inquired about our family. 'Is your father still alive? Do you have any other brothers?' We simply answered what he asked us. How could we know he would demand, 'You must bring your youngest brother here'?"
Judah said to his father Israel, "Give me custody of the boy. We will make the trip so that our families will be able to survive and not starve to death. I'll assume responsibility for Benjamin's safety and if I don’t bring him safely back to you, I will be forever to blame. ... If not for this delay, we could have been down there and back by this time."
Israel assented, “If it must be, have it your way! But carry with you as gifts for the governor some of the choicest products of our land, balm and honey, storax, myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds. And take double the money, returning the money found inside your sacks, in case it being there was an error. Take Benjamin with you, be off, and return to the governor. May the all-powerful God help you find favor with this man, that he may release your brother Simeon whom he holds as a hostage and send back Benjamin as well. If I must be separated from my children, so be it.”
And the sons of Israel took the double money, the gifts, and Benjamin and journeyed again to Egypt, where they were presented to Joseph. When Joseph saw them and Benjamin with them, he commanded the steward of his house, "Welcome them into the house and make them feel at home. Butcher some livestock and prepare a feast, for these men will dine with me at noon."
The steward did what he was ordered and escorted the men into the house, but the brothers were very apprehensive and said to one other, "Because of the money we took back in our sacks when we returned from our first visit, he is going to make a false accusation against us. He will arrest us, confiscate our donkeys, and make us slaves." Therefore, at the threshold of the house, they took aside the steward and appealed to him, "Please, sir, listen to us. Once before we came here to buy food. We paid for the food we bought, but when we opened our grain sacks at a halting place on the trail, we found our money inside. We've brought that money back, as well as additional silver of an equal weight to buy more of what we need. --- We have no idea who put the money in our sacks."
The steward replied, “Set your mind at ease. Have no fear. It is your god, the god the serves your father who must have left the treasure you found in your sacks. The money you paid me has been accounted for.” And he brought out Simeon to them. Ushering them into the house, he gave them water to wash their feet and feed for their donkeys.
Hearing that they were to dine there at noon, they brought out the presents they had brought for the governor. When Joseph arrived, they bowed before him and proffered the gifts. Joseph responded graciously and inquired after their health. "Is your father well -- the old man you spoke of? Is he still alive?"
"Yes, sir, he is alive and in good health," they answered, bowing again and making obeisance.
Joseph then noticed the presence of Benjamin, his full brother, the only other son of his mother. "Is this the younger brother you told me about?" He spoke to him, "May God bless you, my son." Joseph, though, was so overcome by brotherly affection that he had to excuse himself and retire quickly to a private room where he could succumb to tears. After washing his face, he reappeared and succeeded in controlling his emotions.
"Let dinner be served!" he declared, and the meal was served. However, Joseph and his Egyptian guests sat separately and ate apart from the brothers (for the Egyptians deem it improper to take a meal in the company of Hebrews and indeed, regard it as an abomination to do so.) To their amazement, the brothers were seated in order of their age and seniority. The dishes from Joseph’s table were sent in to them, but Benjamin was given servings that were far larger than those given his older brothers. They celebrated with Joseph, drank their fill, and made merry.
Notes
1. It is interesting that Judah seems to be assuming a leadership position among the brothers. It is he who offers to take charge of young Benjamin on the trip to Egypt. Jacob (Israel) accepts his offer when he had earlier refused a similar one from Reuben. The role of Judah is probably expanded in the narrative because of his later importance. Also it should be noted that his elder brothers had more or less discredited themselves. Reuben was an adulterer, and Simeon and Levi, mass murderers.
2. The brothers are suspicious of Joseph's generosity and must wonder at the cause of it and of his unusual curiosity in their family affairs. It is amazing that they fail to recognize Joseph. Even though two decades had passed, he would have been clean shaven and could not have looked so different from when he did as a youth. Yet, we find this non-recognition a familiar theme in many stories, from the Bible to Homer to Shakespeare.
3. When Joseph sees his brother Benjamin, it is likely that this is first time he had ever seen him. It is not entirely clear from the text, but the chronology suggests that Benjamin was born after Joseph was sold into slavery and, therefore, was at least seventeen years younger. If this is the case, Benjamin could be, at this point, as old as twenty, but probably some years younger, since he is always referred to as “boy”. However, this scenario does not explain why Joseph never asks about his mother Rachel, whose death he could not be aware of.
4. The brothers are not allowed to eat with Joseph, since, according to the narrative, the Egyptians maintained a segregation between themselves and foreigners. This is a statement by Joseph that he no longer considers himself a Hebrew, but an Egyptian, even if by adoption.
Showing posts with label Judah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Judah. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Friday, May 24, 2013
The History of Judah, Part One
(Genesis 38:01 - 38:30)
Afterwards, Judah parted company with his brothers and resided in Adullam with a man called Hirah. There, he spotted a Canaanite woman, the daughter of Shuah, and took her as his wife. He had sexual relations with her; she conceived and bore him a son he called Er, and then, another son called Onan. A third son, named Shelah was born when Judah was away in Chezib. She then left off having children.
Judah found for his oldest son Er a wife whose name was Tamar. Er, however, was seen as wicked by Jehovah and so Jehovah killed him. Judah, therefore, ordered his second son Onan to marry Tamar and to have sex with her so that she could bear children and raise them as Er's. Knowing that the children he fathered would not be recognized as his own, Onan, whenever he copulated with his brother's widow, withdrew his penis and ejaculated his semen upon the ground, so that no offspring would be born in his brother's name. This act so displeased Jehovah that he exterminated Onan as well.
Judah then told his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Remain a widow and live with your father until my son Shelah reaches manhood, in case he should chance to die like his brothers." And so Tamar left and returned to her father's home.
Some time later it happened that Judah's wife, Shuah's daughter, passed away. After Judah had ended his period of mourning, he went to Timnath with his friend Hirah the Adullamite in order to see his sheep shearers.
Tamar was told that her father-in-law was going to Timnath to see about the shearing of his sheep. She therefore, cast off her mourning clothes, donned a disguise, and veiled herself. She sat down to wait at the crossroads on the way to Timnath. (Shelah was now grown up, but she had not yet been given to him as a wife.)
When Judah saw her, he assumed she was a prostitute, since she had her face covered. He went up to her and said, "Come with me and let me have sex with you," (for he was unaware that she was his daughter-in-law).
"What will you pay me to enjoy my company?" she asked.
"I will send you a kid from my flock."
"What guarantee will you give me that you will send it?"
"What should I give you?" he asked.
"How about the seal round your neck, its cord, and the walking staff you're carrying?"
He gave her what she asked, laid with her, and impregnated her. Tamar then returned home, discarded her veil, and reassumed her widow's weeds.
Judah sent the kid by his friend Hirah to retrieve the things he had left with her as security, but he couldn't find her. He asked the men who were about, "Where is the prostitute who was sitting at the crossroads?"
"There was never any prostitute there," they answered.
Hirah then returned to Judah and told him, "I couldn't find her. The men there told me there was never a prostitute at that place."
Judah answered, "Well, let her come and get it then. She can't accuse me of breaking me word -- I was ready to send her the kid as I promised, but you couldn't find her."
Three months later Judah was told, "Tamar, your daughter-in-law has been promiscuous and seems to be pregnant."
Judah ordered them, "Bring her to me. She shall be burned to death!"
When Tamar was summoned to be executed, she told her father-in-law, "The father of my child is the man who gave me these. To whom does this seal and cord and this walking staff belong?"
Judah had to acknowledge ownership of the items and admitted to her, "You have been more in the right than I have, because I failed in my promise to give you to Shelah as a wife." He had no more relations with her.
When Tamar was about to give birth, it was found that she was expecting twins. During the delivery, when one child reached out his hand, the midwife tied a red ribbon around it, saying "This one will come out first." However, it drew in its hand and the other child was born first. "Why is it you who is coming through the breach?" the woman asked, thus naming the boy child Perez [meaning "breach"]. Afterwards, his brother, the one who had the scarlet ribbon tied around his wrist, was born, and he was called Zarah.
Notes
1. It seems understandable that Judah did not want to live with his brothers, a pretty scurvy lot. He goes to live in Adullam (about 13 miles west, southwest of Bethlehem) with his friend Hirah. (This is, significantly, perhaps the first mention of any Genesis character having a friend.) Hirah proves his friendship by trying to complete Judah's negotiations with the "prostitute".
2. The extent and nature of Er's transgressions are not even hinted at, but were sufficient for Jehovah to put him to death. Why Jehovah should find the coitus interruptus of Onan (who was being taken advantage of, certainly) objectionable enough to warrant his death would seem a mystery. If Er was so wicked, why would Jehovah want his wife to raise children in his name? But Onan was supposed to abide by the custom called Levirite marriage, in which a younger brother is obligated to marry his older brother’s widow. Apparently it was important in Hebrew society at this time. Judah was probably bewildered by the deaths, though, since he didn't know whether or not he should allow his younger son Shelah to marry the unfortunate Widow Tamar. One wonders, of course, if the two sons/husbands had been merely struck down by an unexplained illness and their deaths blamed on Jehovah.
3. Tamar is put out because Judah has not allowed her to marry Shelah, Judah's third son, as is apparently her right as a widow of his older brothers. It is amazing, though, that after having had such bad luck the Judah family, she wouldn't want to find a husband elsewhere. Yet, she is determined to have a child by someone in the family and, therefore, tricks Judah into lying with her by posing as a prostitute. To go to so much trouble, disguising herself and laying in wait for him where she knew him to be traveling, she must have been confident she could successfully proposition the newly widowed Judah. The price for her favors, a goat kid, seems pretty high, but one doesn't know whether this was the going rate for such services or not. Judah, to his credit, seems a clueless novice in conducting the transaction, not at all the sharp trader who sold his brother Joseph into slavery.
4. The text implies no disapproval of Judah's solicitation of the "prostitute" and, at this point, one is left wondering as to the perceived morality of the act. Tamar's having a child out of wedlock, however, is so egregious a violation of the prevailing moral code that it dooms her to a horrible death. She is pardoned, though, when Judah discovers it is he who has impregnated his daughter-in-law. He had the grace to admit he was more in the wrong than she was. One assumes he was embarrassed, but he did get back his seal and staff (quite personal items). We are never told whether Tamar received the goat she surely earned.
Afterwards, Judah parted company with his brothers and resided in Adullam with a man called Hirah. There, he spotted a Canaanite woman, the daughter of Shuah, and took her as his wife. He had sexual relations with her; she conceived and bore him a son he called Er, and then, another son called Onan. A third son, named Shelah was born when Judah was away in Chezib. She then left off having children.
Judah found for his oldest son Er a wife whose name was Tamar. Er, however, was seen as wicked by Jehovah and so Jehovah killed him. Judah, therefore, ordered his second son Onan to marry Tamar and to have sex with her so that she could bear children and raise them as Er's. Knowing that the children he fathered would not be recognized as his own, Onan, whenever he copulated with his brother's widow, withdrew his penis and ejaculated his semen upon the ground, so that no offspring would be born in his brother's name. This act so displeased Jehovah that he exterminated Onan as well.
Judah then told his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Remain a widow and live with your father until my son Shelah reaches manhood, in case he should chance to die like his brothers." And so Tamar left and returned to her father's home.
Some time later it happened that Judah's wife, Shuah's daughter, passed away. After Judah had ended his period of mourning, he went to Timnath with his friend Hirah the Adullamite in order to see his sheep shearers.
Tamar was told that her father-in-law was going to Timnath to see about the shearing of his sheep. She therefore, cast off her mourning clothes, donned a disguise, and veiled herself. She sat down to wait at the crossroads on the way to Timnath. (Shelah was now grown up, but she had not yet been given to him as a wife.)
When Judah saw her, he assumed she was a prostitute, since she had her face covered. He went up to her and said, "Come with me and let me have sex with you," (for he was unaware that she was his daughter-in-law).
"What will you pay me to enjoy my company?" she asked.
"I will send you a kid from my flock."
"What guarantee will you give me that you will send it?"
"What should I give you?" he asked.
"How about the seal round your neck, its cord, and the walking staff you're carrying?"
He gave her what she asked, laid with her, and impregnated her. Tamar then returned home, discarded her veil, and reassumed her widow's weeds.
Judah sent the kid by his friend Hirah to retrieve the things he had left with her as security, but he couldn't find her. He asked the men who were about, "Where is the prostitute who was sitting at the crossroads?"
"There was never any prostitute there," they answered.
Hirah then returned to Judah and told him, "I couldn't find her. The men there told me there was never a prostitute at that place."
Judah answered, "Well, let her come and get it then. She can't accuse me of breaking me word -- I was ready to send her the kid as I promised, but you couldn't find her."
Three months later Judah was told, "Tamar, your daughter-in-law has been promiscuous and seems to be pregnant."
Judah ordered them, "Bring her to me. She shall be burned to death!"
When Tamar was summoned to be executed, she told her father-in-law, "The father of my child is the man who gave me these. To whom does this seal and cord and this walking staff belong?"
Judah had to acknowledge ownership of the items and admitted to her, "You have been more in the right than I have, because I failed in my promise to give you to Shelah as a wife." He had no more relations with her.
When Tamar was about to give birth, it was found that she was expecting twins. During the delivery, when one child reached out his hand, the midwife tied a red ribbon around it, saying "This one will come out first." However, it drew in its hand and the other child was born first. "Why is it you who is coming through the breach?" the woman asked, thus naming the boy child Perez [meaning "breach"]. Afterwards, his brother, the one who had the scarlet ribbon tied around his wrist, was born, and he was called Zarah.
Notes
1. It seems understandable that Judah did not want to live with his brothers, a pretty scurvy lot. He goes to live in Adullam (about 13 miles west, southwest of Bethlehem) with his friend Hirah. (This is, significantly, perhaps the first mention of any Genesis character having a friend.) Hirah proves his friendship by trying to complete Judah's negotiations with the "prostitute".
2. The extent and nature of Er's transgressions are not even hinted at, but were sufficient for Jehovah to put him to death. Why Jehovah should find the coitus interruptus of Onan (who was being taken advantage of, certainly) objectionable enough to warrant his death would seem a mystery. If Er was so wicked, why would Jehovah want his wife to raise children in his name? But Onan was supposed to abide by the custom called Levirite marriage, in which a younger brother is obligated to marry his older brother’s widow. Apparently it was important in Hebrew society at this time. Judah was probably bewildered by the deaths, though, since he didn't know whether or not he should allow his younger son Shelah to marry the unfortunate Widow Tamar. One wonders, of course, if the two sons/husbands had been merely struck down by an unexplained illness and their deaths blamed on Jehovah.
3. Tamar is put out because Judah has not allowed her to marry Shelah, Judah's third son, as is apparently her right as a widow of his older brothers. It is amazing, though, that after having had such bad luck the Judah family, she wouldn't want to find a husband elsewhere. Yet, she is determined to have a child by someone in the family and, therefore, tricks Judah into lying with her by posing as a prostitute. To go to so much trouble, disguising herself and laying in wait for him where she knew him to be traveling, she must have been confident she could successfully proposition the newly widowed Judah. The price for her favors, a goat kid, seems pretty high, but one doesn't know whether this was the going rate for such services or not. Judah, to his credit, seems a clueless novice in conducting the transaction, not at all the sharp trader who sold his brother Joseph into slavery.
4. The text implies no disapproval of Judah's solicitation of the "prostitute" and, at this point, one is left wondering as to the perceived morality of the act. Tamar's having a child out of wedlock, however, is so egregious a violation of the prevailing moral code that it dooms her to a horrible death. She is pardoned, though, when Judah discovers it is he who has impregnated his daughter-in-law. He had the grace to admit he was more in the wrong than she was. One assumes he was embarrassed, but he did get back his seal and staff (quite personal items). We are never told whether Tamar received the goat she surely earned.
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