(Genesis 46:28 - 47:26)
Jacob decided to send Judah on ahead to Joseph in order to learn from him the way to the land of Goshen. When they reached Goshen, Joseph harnessed his horses to his chariot and rode there to meet his father. As soon as he saw him, he hugged him and wept on his shoulder for some time. Israel said to Joseph, "I can now die in peace, for I have seen you with my own eyes and know that you are still alive."
Joseph told his brothers and the people of his father's household, "I will return to the Pharaoh and inform him, 'My brothers and my father's household that formerly resided in Canaan have now arrived. The men herd sheep and tend cattle and they have brought their flocks and herds with them.' When he asks you, "What is your occupation?' you will reply, 'We, your servants, are shepherds: we were born shepherds, we have always been shepherds, our fathers were shepherds.' Even though Egyptians hold shepherds in contempt, you should be allowed to settle in the land of Goshen, apart from the Egyptians."
Joseph did return to the Pharaoh and informed him, "My father and brothers with their flocks and herds and all their possessions have arrived from Canaan and are presently in the region of Goshen."
He introduced some of his brothers, the five youngest, to the Pharaoh, who inquired of them, "What is your occupation?" They answered, "Your servants are shepherds, both we and our ancestors." They added, "We've come to settle here, for your servants have no pastures for their flocks in Canaan, where the drought is severe. Therefore, we now humbly beseech you to let your servants pitch their tents in the land of Goshen."
The Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, “So your father and brothers have now joined you here. Egypt welcomes them. The best land will be at their disposal. Let them settle then in the land of Goshen -- and if you know any of them who are expert herdsmen, let them take charge of my cattle."
Later, Joseph presented his father Jacob to the Pharaoh. Jacob blessed the Pharaoh, who asked of him, "How old are you?"
“I’ve spent my life wandering from place to place, living hand to mouth, for 130 years now -- hard years, but few compared to those of my ancestors who roamed the world before me.” Jacob blessed the Pharaoh and retired from his court.
In accordance with the Pharaoh's wishes, Joseph gave his father and brothers possession of the choicest plots of land in the vicinity of Ramesses in Goshen. He also provisioned his father's and brothers’ families, supplying each with an allowance of food proportionate to the number of children in each household.
The famine was so severe throughout the land that there was no food to be had, and the people of Egypt and Canaan were starving. Joseph collected all the money from the sale of grain and deposited it in the Pharaoh's treasury. Those who wanted to buy food, but had no money, came to Joseph and pleaded with him, “We have no money left. Please give us food or we will die before your very eyes.” He answered them, "Bring me your livestock and trade it for food, if you have no money.”
Joseph dispensed food to those who came to him trading in their horses, sheep, oxen, and donkeys; he supported them with food for a year in exchange for their livestock. By the second year, however, they came to him complaining, "We won't hide from you the fact that our money is gone and now, our livestock is gone as well. You can see for yourself that all we have left are our bodies and our lands. Why should we die before your very eyes, and our lands become barren? Buy us, and buy our lands! We’ll gladly sell ourselves into bondage to the Pharaoh in order to survive and work the fields for him for food. Give us seed to plant so the farms will not turn into an untilled wasteland."
And so Joseph purchased all the privately held land in Egypt for the Pharaoh and, because of the famine, every man was forced to sell off his possessions. Pharaoh thus came to own all the land in the country and from one end of Egypt to the other, the people were removed to the cities. Only the land belonging to the priestly caste remained in private hands (for the priests were given a food allowance from the public stores and, therefore, there was no need for them to sell off their land.)
Joseph addressed the population," Both you and your land now belong to the Pharaoh. Seed will be given to you. Plant it and when the crops flourish, set aside 20% of your harvest for the Pharaoh. Keep 80% for yourselves, both for seed and food for your households and your children."
They responded, "You have saved our lives! If you, our master, continues to treat us fairly, we are content to serve the Pharaoh."
Joseph enacted a law in Egypt (which persists to this day) that a harvest tax of 20% shall be remitted to the Pharaoh -- save that land owned by the priestly caste be exempt from taxation.
Notes
1. The chronicle attests how early was the rivalry between herdsmen and farmers, those who moved from place to place seeking fresh pastures for their flocks and those who tilled the earth and, therefore, remained in one place. It reminds one of the conflicts -- and the mutual contempt -- exhibited in the old West between the stockmen and the sod busters.
2. The famine in Joseph's Egypt, like the Great Depression in our country, furnishes the rationale for the expansion of state power and the creation of government welfare programs. The emergency also instigates the imposition of an income tax (or a harvest tax, to be precise), which, once put in place, was never revoked. As in our own society, there are tax breaks for certain classes of individuals. In Egypt, the priests held tax-exempt status.
3. Goshen has always been identified as land in the eastern Nile delta. An inaccurate impression is here given that it was not part of Egypt proper, which it would have been. The city of Ramesses, or Pi-Ramesses did not exist at that time. It could not have been founded before the 13th Century B.C.
Showing posts with label famine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label famine. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Thursday, June 6, 2013
The History of Joseph, Part Four
(Genesis 41:46 - 42:38)
In the service of the Pharaoh, Joseph (who was but 30 years old) departed from the court and set out on an inspection tour to every part of the country.
During the seven years of plenty, harvests were bountiful. Under Joseph's supervision, the surplus wheat was gathered and stored in granaries located in nearby cities. The quantity of grain was so great -- as numerous as the sands on the beach -- that Joseph gave up measuring it.
Before the famine came, Joseph was given two sons by his wife Asenath, the daughter of the priest Potipherah of On. The first was Manasseh [which sounds "made me forget" in Hebrew], for Jehovah had made him forget his travails and his former home. The second was called Ephraim [related to the word "fruitful" in Hebrew], for Jehovah had made him fruitful in this land of his troubles.
The seven years of plenty ended, and the seven years of want began. They came as Joseph had predicted. For a time, as the famine spread over the neighboring countries, there was still food in Egypt. But when the famine struck Egypt, the populace appealed to the Pharaoh to feed them. He told them, "Go see Joseph and do whatever he tells you."
When the severity of the famine increased across the region, Joseph opened up the storehouses and sold grain to Egyptians who were suffering from extreme want. Those from other countries came to Egypt to purchase its food, too, since the famine was widespread.
Thus Jacob, learning that there was grain in Egypt, rebuked his sons, "What are you doing standing around staring at each other? I hear that wheat is being sold in Egypt. Get down there and buy some, so we can stay alive and not starve to death!" And so ten of Joseph's brothers set out to Egypt to purchase grain. (Benjamin, Joseph's full brother, was kept at home, because, in his father's words, "something terrible might happen to him on the journey.")
The sons of Israel were among many from those parts that sought to buy grain in Egypt, since the famine was severe in Canaan. Joseph, who governed Egypt, was in charge of selling the grain to those who came for it. When his brothers arrived, they bowed down before him. Joseph recognized his brothers, but, pretending not to know them, he addressed them curtly, as if they were strangers.
"Where do you come from? he demanded. They replied, "We come from the land of Canaan to buy food."
While Joseph knew his brothers, they failed to recognize him. Recalling the dream he had of his brothers bowing before him, he accused them, "You are spies! You've come here to scout out the weaknesses in our defenses caused by the famine."
"No, master," his brothers replied, "your servants are here only to buy food. We are all the sons of the same father. We're honest men, not spies!"
"No, I think you have come instead to scout out the weaknesses in our defenses."
'Your servants are ten of twelve brothers, the sons of a man living in Canaan," they claimed. "The youngest is still with his father and another is no longer living."
But Joseph insisted, "It is as I said before: you are spies! ... I will put your honesty to the test. As the Pharaoh lives, you will not be allowed to leave the country, unless your youngest brother comes here. One of you must go back and bring him here. As the Pharaoh lives, the others will be held in custody until such time as it is proved whether what you claim is true or whether you are, in fact, spies."
Joseph put them into a prison cell together for three days. On the third day he relented and released them. "Do as I say," he told them, "and you shall live -- for I fear God. If you are honest men, let one of your brothers remain in the jail house while the others take home the grain you purchased for the famine. But bring your youngest brother back here. If you do this, that'll confirm you're telling the truth, and your lives will be spared."
The brothers assented. They said to one another, "We are being punished for what we did to our brother Joseph. We saw his despair when he pleaded with us for his life, but we refused to hear him. That's why we're in all this predicament now."
Reuben added, "Didn't I tell you not to harm the boy! But you wouldn't listen to me. Now we're getting our comeuppance."
(They didn't know that Joseph could understand what they were saying, because he had spoken to them only through an interpreter.)
Joseph absented himself for a time to shed some tears, but then returned to converse further with his brothers. He selected as a hostage, Simeon, and, in their presence, had him shackled and taken away. Joseph ordered his men to fill his brothers' sacks with the grain they had purchased and then to put back the money they had used to pay for it. He also told them to furnish his brothers with provisions for their journey home, which they did.
The brothers loaded the sacks of grain onto their donkeys and went on their way. At a halting place on the trail, one of them opened a grain sack in order to feed his donkey and noticed the money inside. He told his brothers, "My money has been returned to me. Look, it's inside the sack!" Dumbstruck, puzzled, and perturbed, they asked one another, "What has God done to us?"
When they returned home to the land of Canaan, they recounted to Jacob all that had happened to them.
"The governor of the country spoke to us harshly and accused us of being spies. But we told him, ‘We're honest men, we aren't spies. We are of twelve brothers, the son of our father. One is no longer living, the youngest remains with his father in Canaan.’ And this man, the governor of the country, told us, 'I will find out if you are honest men. Leave one of your brothers with me, take the food to feed your hungry families, and be gone. But bring your youngest brother here so that I may know you are not spies, but honest men. The brother left behind as a hostage I will release, and you can thereafter trade freely in the country.'"
When they all emptied their grain sacks, each man found his money inside the sack. When Jacob and his sons saw all the purses filled with silver, they were quite alarmed.
Jacob complained to them, "You are taking all my sons away from me. Joseph's gone. Simeon's gone. Now you want to take away Benjamin. You'll leave me with no one!"
Reuben pleaded with his father, "If I can't bring Benjamin back to you, you can put my two sons to death. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him back to you."
Jacob refused. "No, my son won't go there with you! I've already lost his brother Joseph and now, he's the only son of Rachel left. If something happens to him on the journey, it'll drive this sad, old gray-head to his grave."
Notes
1. Joseph, by far the most admirable character (including Jehovah) so far presented in the Old Testament, does not, however, yet aspire to the Christian ideal of charitable forgiveness. Pretending not to know his own brothers, he shows he is obviously a member of a family noted for deviousness. But his subterfuge is somewhat understandable, and his trickery, unlike that of his father, does not seem despicable. Indeed, one would not blame him too much if he choose to put his half brothers to death for the treachery they had committed against him -- even though it all turned out pretty well for Joseph.
2. The young Benjamin becomes a pivotal character in this story without doing anything. He is Joseph's only full brother, they both being the children of Rachel. Joseph apparently has feelings for his much younger brother and devises any scheme he can to coerce his half brothers to bring him down to Egypt, apparently so he can be with him. Benjamin, Jacob's youngest, is still his father's favorite, though, and Jacob, overly protective, seems unwilling to part with him or even to allow him to experience any kind of hazard.
3. Reuben, who is Jacob's eldest son, tries to take a leadership role. Years before, he had failed to persuade his brothers from selling Joseph into slavery, and now he tells them, "I told you so." He takes the initiative in offering to escort Benjamin to Egypt, but his father (maybe still mad at him for having an affair with one of his wives) doesn't trust him enough to allow it.
4. At this point Jacob gives the impression of being a crotchety, self-centered old man who is disgruntled with his seemingly worthless grown sons. He clings to the cherished memory of his great love, Rachel, and showers all his affection upon what he believes to be their remaining son, Benjamin.
In the service of the Pharaoh, Joseph (who was but 30 years old) departed from the court and set out on an inspection tour to every part of the country.
During the seven years of plenty, harvests were bountiful. Under Joseph's supervision, the surplus wheat was gathered and stored in granaries located in nearby cities. The quantity of grain was so great -- as numerous as the sands on the beach -- that Joseph gave up measuring it.
Before the famine came, Joseph was given two sons by his wife Asenath, the daughter of the priest Potipherah of On. The first was Manasseh [which sounds "made me forget" in Hebrew], for Jehovah had made him forget his travails and his former home. The second was called Ephraim [related to the word "fruitful" in Hebrew], for Jehovah had made him fruitful in this land of his troubles.
The seven years of plenty ended, and the seven years of want began. They came as Joseph had predicted. For a time, as the famine spread over the neighboring countries, there was still food in Egypt. But when the famine struck Egypt, the populace appealed to the Pharaoh to feed them. He told them, "Go see Joseph and do whatever he tells you."
When the severity of the famine increased across the region, Joseph opened up the storehouses and sold grain to Egyptians who were suffering from extreme want. Those from other countries came to Egypt to purchase its food, too, since the famine was widespread.
Thus Jacob, learning that there was grain in Egypt, rebuked his sons, "What are you doing standing around staring at each other? I hear that wheat is being sold in Egypt. Get down there and buy some, so we can stay alive and not starve to death!" And so ten of Joseph's brothers set out to Egypt to purchase grain. (Benjamin, Joseph's full brother, was kept at home, because, in his father's words, "something terrible might happen to him on the journey.")
The sons of Israel were among many from those parts that sought to buy grain in Egypt, since the famine was severe in Canaan. Joseph, who governed Egypt, was in charge of selling the grain to those who came for it. When his brothers arrived, they bowed down before him. Joseph recognized his brothers, but, pretending not to know them, he addressed them curtly, as if they were strangers.
"Where do you come from? he demanded. They replied, "We come from the land of Canaan to buy food."
While Joseph knew his brothers, they failed to recognize him. Recalling the dream he had of his brothers bowing before him, he accused them, "You are spies! You've come here to scout out the weaknesses in our defenses caused by the famine."
"No, master," his brothers replied, "your servants are here only to buy food. We are all the sons of the same father. We're honest men, not spies!"
"No, I think you have come instead to scout out the weaknesses in our defenses."
'Your servants are ten of twelve brothers, the sons of a man living in Canaan," they claimed. "The youngest is still with his father and another is no longer living."
But Joseph insisted, "It is as I said before: you are spies! ... I will put your honesty to the test. As the Pharaoh lives, you will not be allowed to leave the country, unless your youngest brother comes here. One of you must go back and bring him here. As the Pharaoh lives, the others will be held in custody until such time as it is proved whether what you claim is true or whether you are, in fact, spies."
Joseph put them into a prison cell together for three days. On the third day he relented and released them. "Do as I say," he told them, "and you shall live -- for I fear God. If you are honest men, let one of your brothers remain in the jail house while the others take home the grain you purchased for the famine. But bring your youngest brother back here. If you do this, that'll confirm you're telling the truth, and your lives will be spared."
The brothers assented. They said to one another, "We are being punished for what we did to our brother Joseph. We saw his despair when he pleaded with us for his life, but we refused to hear him. That's why we're in all this predicament now."
Reuben added, "Didn't I tell you not to harm the boy! But you wouldn't listen to me. Now we're getting our comeuppance."
(They didn't know that Joseph could understand what they were saying, because he had spoken to them only through an interpreter.)
Joseph absented himself for a time to shed some tears, but then returned to converse further with his brothers. He selected as a hostage, Simeon, and, in their presence, had him shackled and taken away. Joseph ordered his men to fill his brothers' sacks with the grain they had purchased and then to put back the money they had used to pay for it. He also told them to furnish his brothers with provisions for their journey home, which they did.
The brothers loaded the sacks of grain onto their donkeys and went on their way. At a halting place on the trail, one of them opened a grain sack in order to feed his donkey and noticed the money inside. He told his brothers, "My money has been returned to me. Look, it's inside the sack!" Dumbstruck, puzzled, and perturbed, they asked one another, "What has God done to us?"
When they returned home to the land of Canaan, they recounted to Jacob all that had happened to them.
"The governor of the country spoke to us harshly and accused us of being spies. But we told him, ‘We're honest men, we aren't spies. We are of twelve brothers, the son of our father. One is no longer living, the youngest remains with his father in Canaan.’ And this man, the governor of the country, told us, 'I will find out if you are honest men. Leave one of your brothers with me, take the food to feed your hungry families, and be gone. But bring your youngest brother here so that I may know you are not spies, but honest men. The brother left behind as a hostage I will release, and you can thereafter trade freely in the country.'"
When they all emptied their grain sacks, each man found his money inside the sack. When Jacob and his sons saw all the purses filled with silver, they were quite alarmed.
Jacob complained to them, "You are taking all my sons away from me. Joseph's gone. Simeon's gone. Now you want to take away Benjamin. You'll leave me with no one!"
Reuben pleaded with his father, "If I can't bring Benjamin back to you, you can put my two sons to death. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him back to you."
Jacob refused. "No, my son won't go there with you! I've already lost his brother Joseph and now, he's the only son of Rachel left. If something happens to him on the journey, it'll drive this sad, old gray-head to his grave."
Notes
1. Joseph, by far the most admirable character (including Jehovah) so far presented in the Old Testament, does not, however, yet aspire to the Christian ideal of charitable forgiveness. Pretending not to know his own brothers, he shows he is obviously a member of a family noted for deviousness. But his subterfuge is somewhat understandable, and his trickery, unlike that of his father, does not seem despicable. Indeed, one would not blame him too much if he choose to put his half brothers to death for the treachery they had committed against him -- even though it all turned out pretty well for Joseph.
2. The young Benjamin becomes a pivotal character in this story without doing anything. He is Joseph's only full brother, they both being the children of Rachel. Joseph apparently has feelings for his much younger brother and devises any scheme he can to coerce his half brothers to bring him down to Egypt, apparently so he can be with him. Benjamin, Jacob's youngest, is still his father's favorite, though, and Jacob, overly protective, seems unwilling to part with him or even to allow him to experience any kind of hazard.
3. Reuben, who is Jacob's eldest son, tries to take a leadership role. Years before, he had failed to persuade his brothers from selling Joseph into slavery, and now he tells them, "I told you so." He takes the initiative in offering to escort Benjamin to Egypt, but his father (maybe still mad at him for having an affair with one of his wives) doesn't trust him enough to allow it.
4. At this point Jacob gives the impression of being a crotchety, self-centered old man who is disgruntled with his seemingly worthless grown sons. He clings to the cherished memory of his great love, Rachel, and showers all his affection upon what he believes to be their remaining son, Benjamin.
Monday, June 3, 2013
The History of Joseph, Part Three
(Genesis 41:01 - 41:45)
After the end of two years it happened that the Pharaoh had a dream. In it, he stood by a river. From the river there emerged seven plump, handsome cows who grazed in the reed grass. Seven more cows, these lean and poorly, came out of the river and stood by the river bank. The lean and poorly cows then devoured the plump, handsome ones. The Pharaoh awoke.
The Pharaoh went back to sleep and had a second dream. In this one, he saw seven ears of grain sprouting on a single stalk. They were full and well formed. Seven other ears appeared, these being blighted and blasted by the searing wind. The blighted ears then displaced the full ones. The Pharaoh awoke and realized it was only a dream.
In the morning, the Pharaoh, disturbed by his dreams, summoned all the sages and soothsayers of Egypt. When they came before him, he recounted his dreams to them, but there was none who could give him an interpretation of them.
After a time, the Pharaoh's cup-bearer spoke up and addressed the Pharaoh. "This makes me remember a time when I offended you. Pharaoh was then angry with his servants and ordered his chief baker and me put into the royal prison. One night there each of us had a dream, each with its own meaning. There was a young man there, a Hebrew, who was a slave of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he gave each of us an interpretation. What he claimed they foretold of our futures turned out to be correct -- I was restored to my position and the baker was executed."
The Pharaoh sent for Joseph. He was quickly removed from prison, shaven, given some new clothes, and presented to the Pharaoh.
The Pharaoh told him, "I have a dream that no one is able to understand. I am told that you have a talent for interpreting dreams."
“It is not I, but God who will furnish you with an answer," was Joseph's response.
And so the Pharaoh related what he had dreamed: "I found myself on the bank of a river. There came up out of the water seven plump, handsome cows who grazed in the reed grass. Then, after them seven more cows appeared. These were lean and poorly, nothing but skin and bones --the ugliest cows I've ever seen in Egypt. The lean cows ate the plump ones that had appeared first, but even after doing so they remained as lean and poorly as they were before. And so I woke up, but fell asleep and dreamed again. In the second dream, I saw seven ears of grain sprouting on a single stalk. They were full and well formed. Seven other ears appeared, these being blighted, withered, and blasted by the searing wind. The blighted ears then displaced the full ones. ... I told this to my soothsayers, but none of them could find out what it meant."
Joseph answered, "The two dreams of the Pharaoh are a single dream. Through it, God is revealing to the Pharaoh what will soon come to pass. In both dreams, the seven plump cows and the seven full ears represent seven years of plenty. The seven lean and poorly cows that come after, as well as the seven thin ears blasted by the searing wind symbolize seven years of famine that will follow."
"I have told Pharaoh what God has revealed to him and what will come to pass. Beware! Throughout the land of Egypt there will be seven years of plenty, after which there will be seven years of scarcity. During that time, the bounty of the former seven years will be depleted, and Egypt will experience a famine so severe that want and hunger will exhaust the entire land. The dream was sent to Pharaoh twice and in two forms to emphasize that the events, which will soon take place, are divinely ordained."
"Therefore, the Pharaoh should choose a man of wisdom and understanding to administer the affairs of Egypt. He should appoint officers in every region of the country and have them supervise the requisition of one-fifth of all the produce harvested during the seven years of plenty. During these good years, grain should be set aside and stored in city granaries under guard. The stockpiled foodstuffs may then be used by the people during the seven years of want, so that the country will not be devastated by the famine."
Joseph's counsel was well received by the Pharaoh and his advisors. The Pharaoh appealed to his court, "Can't we find someone like this, who understands the divine will?" He turned to address Joseph. "In so much as God has revealed to you all you have told us, can I find any man of greater wisdom and understanding than you? --- You will be my vizier and it will be by your orders that my people will be ruled. No one will be above you except the throne itself."
The Pharaoh continued, "I hereby appoint you governor of the whole country of Egypt!" And he removed a signet ring from his finger and slipped it onto Joseph's finger. He then had him arrayed in robes of finest linen and placed a gold chain around his neck. He presented him the kingdom’s second-best chariot, and when Joseph rode in it, a crier went ahead of him and proclaimed, "On your knees before the governor of all Egypt!"
The Pharaoh said to him, "I am the Pharaoh and I command that no man in Egypt may raise his hand or lift his foot without your say so." He renamed Joseph, Zaphnathpaaneah [meaning "savior of the world" in Egyptian] and gave him as his wife, Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah, chief priest from the city of On.
And so Joseph assumed the governorship of Egypt.
Notes
1. It is unclear whether the cup-bearer remembers the offense that caused him to be thrown into prison, or his offense in forgetting to speak for Joseph. The former seems the more likely.
2. There is some confirmation from ancient Egyptian sources of a seven year famine occurring when Joseph would have been in Egypt.
3. The Pharaoh at this time was likely a member of the 16th Dynasty of Hyksos kings. The Hyksos were a Semitic people from Asia, perhaps an ethnic mix of peoples, who began settling in Lower (northern) Egypt around 1800 BC. With the collapse of the Middle Kingdom in 1650, they assumed power and founded a Pharaonic dynasty in Lower Egypt, where they ruled until expelled in 1560 when Pharaoh Ahmose, from Thebes, founded the 18th Dynasty and the so-called New Kingdom. If the Pharaoh were a Hyksos and not a native Egyptian, it makes sense that he might appoint as governor (or vizier) a fellow Semite like Joseph. Few scholars find any historical basis for the story of Joseph, but since records of the Hyksos Pharaonic administrations were, for the most part, destroyed by their successors, confirmation of Joseph's existence must remain problematic. (With any legendary history, like that of King Arthur or the Iliad, it is always a challenge to determine where it intersects with literal history, what is only dramatic embellishment, what characters may be fictitious or composites. Identification is often an elusive, sometimes impossible quest.)
3. When Joseph is released from prison and before he is brought to see the Pharaoh, he is given new clothes and a shave. While on the surface, it seems obvious that a prisoner would be made presentable before being introduced at court, some commentators have made more of the reference to his being shaved. Egyptians, even, one presumes, the Hyksos, who adopted most Egyptian customs, would be clean shaven, while Asians were generally bearded. Perhaps Joseph was shaven to seem less foreign, or as a courtesy to the court. The Egyptian nobility, even the women, usually shaved their heads and wore wigs and headdresses, even false beards. Priests, to remain pure, shaved all hair from their bodies. It is possible Joseph was shaven as a priest would be, since he was to perform a priestly function -- soothsaying.
4. The Pharaoh's dream is said to have come as a warning from God, but was it expected that the Pharaoh would understand it, or was it a device to get Joseph out of jail? This is the first time Jehovah, if he was the sender of the dream, showed concern for a people other than Abraham's tribe.
5. Joseph is fitted out not only with a high position, but a wife suited to his rank, a daughter of a priest from On. On is probably Heliopolis, where Potipherah would likely be the chief priest of the sun god Ra, and, therefore, a signally important political, as well as religious figure in the kingdom. Interesting that Joseph's father-in-law is called Potipherah and his former master, Potiphar. The ring given to Joseph by the Pharaoh was a seal by which royal orders would be authorized. Chariots, not known in the Middle East during Abraham’s day, were introduced into Egypt by the Hyksos. Later Pharaohs would love being depicted driving their chariots. (They were drawn by horses that were generally too small to be ridden.)
After the end of two years it happened that the Pharaoh had a dream. In it, he stood by a river. From the river there emerged seven plump, handsome cows who grazed in the reed grass. Seven more cows, these lean and poorly, came out of the river and stood by the river bank. The lean and poorly cows then devoured the plump, handsome ones. The Pharaoh awoke.
The Pharaoh went back to sleep and had a second dream. In this one, he saw seven ears of grain sprouting on a single stalk. They were full and well formed. Seven other ears appeared, these being blighted and blasted by the searing wind. The blighted ears then displaced the full ones. The Pharaoh awoke and realized it was only a dream.
In the morning, the Pharaoh, disturbed by his dreams, summoned all the sages and soothsayers of Egypt. When they came before him, he recounted his dreams to them, but there was none who could give him an interpretation of them.
After a time, the Pharaoh's cup-bearer spoke up and addressed the Pharaoh. "This makes me remember a time when I offended you. Pharaoh was then angry with his servants and ordered his chief baker and me put into the royal prison. One night there each of us had a dream, each with its own meaning. There was a young man there, a Hebrew, who was a slave of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he gave each of us an interpretation. What he claimed they foretold of our futures turned out to be correct -- I was restored to my position and the baker was executed."
The Pharaoh sent for Joseph. He was quickly removed from prison, shaven, given some new clothes, and presented to the Pharaoh.
The Pharaoh told him, "I have a dream that no one is able to understand. I am told that you have a talent for interpreting dreams."
“It is not I, but God who will furnish you with an answer," was Joseph's response.
And so the Pharaoh related what he had dreamed: "I found myself on the bank of a river. There came up out of the water seven plump, handsome cows who grazed in the reed grass. Then, after them seven more cows appeared. These were lean and poorly, nothing but skin and bones --the ugliest cows I've ever seen in Egypt. The lean cows ate the plump ones that had appeared first, but even after doing so they remained as lean and poorly as they were before. And so I woke up, but fell asleep and dreamed again. In the second dream, I saw seven ears of grain sprouting on a single stalk. They were full and well formed. Seven other ears appeared, these being blighted, withered, and blasted by the searing wind. The blighted ears then displaced the full ones. ... I told this to my soothsayers, but none of them could find out what it meant."
Joseph answered, "The two dreams of the Pharaoh are a single dream. Through it, God is revealing to the Pharaoh what will soon come to pass. In both dreams, the seven plump cows and the seven full ears represent seven years of plenty. The seven lean and poorly cows that come after, as well as the seven thin ears blasted by the searing wind symbolize seven years of famine that will follow."
"I have told Pharaoh what God has revealed to him and what will come to pass. Beware! Throughout the land of Egypt there will be seven years of plenty, after which there will be seven years of scarcity. During that time, the bounty of the former seven years will be depleted, and Egypt will experience a famine so severe that want and hunger will exhaust the entire land. The dream was sent to Pharaoh twice and in two forms to emphasize that the events, which will soon take place, are divinely ordained."
"Therefore, the Pharaoh should choose a man of wisdom and understanding to administer the affairs of Egypt. He should appoint officers in every region of the country and have them supervise the requisition of one-fifth of all the produce harvested during the seven years of plenty. During these good years, grain should be set aside and stored in city granaries under guard. The stockpiled foodstuffs may then be used by the people during the seven years of want, so that the country will not be devastated by the famine."
Joseph's counsel was well received by the Pharaoh and his advisors. The Pharaoh appealed to his court, "Can't we find someone like this, who understands the divine will?" He turned to address Joseph. "In so much as God has revealed to you all you have told us, can I find any man of greater wisdom and understanding than you? --- You will be my vizier and it will be by your orders that my people will be ruled. No one will be above you except the throne itself."
The Pharaoh continued, "I hereby appoint you governor of the whole country of Egypt!" And he removed a signet ring from his finger and slipped it onto Joseph's finger. He then had him arrayed in robes of finest linen and placed a gold chain around his neck. He presented him the kingdom’s second-best chariot, and when Joseph rode in it, a crier went ahead of him and proclaimed, "On your knees before the governor of all Egypt!"
The Pharaoh said to him, "I am the Pharaoh and I command that no man in Egypt may raise his hand or lift his foot without your say so." He renamed Joseph, Zaphnathpaaneah [meaning "savior of the world" in Egyptian] and gave him as his wife, Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah, chief priest from the city of On.
And so Joseph assumed the governorship of Egypt.
Notes
1. It is unclear whether the cup-bearer remembers the offense that caused him to be thrown into prison, or his offense in forgetting to speak for Joseph. The former seems the more likely.
2. There is some confirmation from ancient Egyptian sources of a seven year famine occurring when Joseph would have been in Egypt.
3. The Pharaoh at this time was likely a member of the 16th Dynasty of Hyksos kings. The Hyksos were a Semitic people from Asia, perhaps an ethnic mix of peoples, who began settling in Lower (northern) Egypt around 1800 BC. With the collapse of the Middle Kingdom in 1650, they assumed power and founded a Pharaonic dynasty in Lower Egypt, where they ruled until expelled in 1560 when Pharaoh Ahmose, from Thebes, founded the 18th Dynasty and the so-called New Kingdom. If the Pharaoh were a Hyksos and not a native Egyptian, it makes sense that he might appoint as governor (or vizier) a fellow Semite like Joseph. Few scholars find any historical basis for the story of Joseph, but since records of the Hyksos Pharaonic administrations were, for the most part, destroyed by their successors, confirmation of Joseph's existence must remain problematic. (With any legendary history, like that of King Arthur or the Iliad, it is always a challenge to determine where it intersects with literal history, what is only dramatic embellishment, what characters may be fictitious or composites. Identification is often an elusive, sometimes impossible quest.)
3. When Joseph is released from prison and before he is brought to see the Pharaoh, he is given new clothes and a shave. While on the surface, it seems obvious that a prisoner would be made presentable before being introduced at court, some commentators have made more of the reference to his being shaved. Egyptians, even, one presumes, the Hyksos, who adopted most Egyptian customs, would be clean shaven, while Asians were generally bearded. Perhaps Joseph was shaven to seem less foreign, or as a courtesy to the court. The Egyptian nobility, even the women, usually shaved their heads and wore wigs and headdresses, even false beards. Priests, to remain pure, shaved all hair from their bodies. It is possible Joseph was shaven as a priest would be, since he was to perform a priestly function -- soothsaying.
4. The Pharaoh's dream is said to have come as a warning from God, but was it expected that the Pharaoh would understand it, or was it a device to get Joseph out of jail? This is the first time Jehovah, if he was the sender of the dream, showed concern for a people other than Abraham's tribe.
5. Joseph is fitted out not only with a high position, but a wife suited to his rank, a daughter of a priest from On. On is probably Heliopolis, where Potipherah would likely be the chief priest of the sun god Ra, and, therefore, a signally important political, as well as religious figure in the kingdom. Interesting that Joseph's father-in-law is called Potipherah and his former master, Potiphar. The ring given to Joseph by the Pharaoh was a seal by which royal orders would be authorized. Chariots, not known in the Middle East during Abraham’s day, were introduced into Egypt by the Hyksos. Later Pharaohs would love being depicted driving their chariots. (They were drawn by horses that were generally too small to be ridden.)
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