Old Testament Commentary - Genesis 45

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 45 Joseph makes himself known to his brethern—They rejoice together— Pharaoh invites Jacob and his family to dwell in Egypt and eat the fat of the land.
1 THEN Joseph could not ^arefrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he ^bcried, Cause every man to go out from me^a. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. 2 And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard^a. 3 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am ^aJoseph; doth my father yet live?^a And his brethren could not answer him; for they were ^btroubled at his presence. He Wepted Aloud It must be presumed that in such as the Royal Courts of Egypt, an in any such other ruling courts of any other land such 'royally' ruled kingdom, there was a certain formality which included the removal of high and unseemly emotion. Weeping and crying would not be an appropriate jesture before the Egyptian court and its attendants. That would have been a sign of weakness to be so overcome by such an emotion before those present at a courtly proceeding. And this indeed was such a courtly setting for the Hebrews had been brought before 'Zaphnath-paaneah', the Governor and Ruler of all of Egypt as appointed to so rule by the proclamation of Pharaoh. And their guilt was being placed before him in the presence of those of the royal house who had retained them and brought them before the Ruler of Egypt. Joseph was now going to end the Court of Judgement pretext and reveal himself to his brothers. During the course of his interviews, Joseph had been discerning the nature of his brothers. Had they grow hard and unfeeling over the years after selling their own brother into Egypt? Or had they become older and wiser. And had guilt began to take its toll upon such older men. Did they have proper love and respect before Jacob their father, or had they tended to ravage Jacob's house in the same vain of hatred which caused them to rebel against Jacob and sell his beloved son to bemade a slave in foriegn land. Joseph's final interview with Judah was not so much as Judah taking the iniative to approach 'Zaphnath-paaneah', as it was according to courtly order the preogrative of the Ruler of the court to recognize whom he would and allow whom he would to come forth and speak with him. Thus it was just as much and even more the opportunity which Joseph had sought to now interview with this most jealous of brothers, the one who had first sought Joseph's life and then when curtailed by Reuben, took the further iniative to sell Joseph into Egypt in Reuben's absense. Even in the lie that Judah perpetuated, Joseph would have seen the guilt in the voice and expressions upon his other 'knowing' brothers of that final conspiracy. To lie before the Ruler of Egypt was a capital offense. And Joseph had had in judgment many a person who would show the telling signs of the lie. The glancing away of the eye, the bowing and turning down of the head and other such body language would be as a lie-detector before the eyes of one who had been called upon to rule over the people from day to day. Even to the tell as to who were the bold faced liers who felt no quilt compared to those who were racked with such. Joseph's additional advantage of discernment was that Joseph knew the truth of the matter and could judge all their reactions according to this. Certainly before Benjamin and before all men, his brothers never did nor never would confess to such an act as they had done to Joseph.	1^a Cause every man to go out from me For a number of reasons Joseph cleared the room of every Egyptian attendant leaving only himself with his eleven brothers. Joseph as 'Zaphnath-paaneah', his Egyptian name and title which would have been his identity before all including his brothers to this point, would be removed. Joseph would reveal to his brothers that he was not an Egyptian, though most likely he was dressed and adorned as such, and had the appearance of truly being Egyptian. Egyptian during that time was not likely just a matter of skin tone. This was the era of the Shepherd Kings in Egypt. And the racial mixtures in the courts of Pharaoh would have reflected a mixture of Shemite and Egyptian and other ethnic groupings as well who had arisen to the high courts of Pharaoh. And much like the time of Alexander, when the Greeks had taken rule of Egypt, before the Egyptian people, the Egyptain styles had been adopted and maintained before the eyes of the people. Thus what Joseph's fairer skin had not revealed, Joseph was about to. And that was that Joseph was the brother which they had sold into Egypt. 2^a and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard More concerning the relationship between Pharaoh and Joseph will shortly been set forth, but here the attending Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh overhear Joseph's weeping and the goings on. The Palace complex of the court of Joseph, Joseph's house or quarters and the palace and residence of Pharaoh must have been in the same continuous Palace complex. Without modern doors, walls and windows to muffle the sound, and with the 'eyes' and 'ears' of Pharaoh ever present in the palace whether with sight of eye or not, certainly word would have been, past and at this present moment relayed to Pharaoh, his advisors and such as to the 'strange goings on with the treatment of Joseph, a known Hebrew himself, to this group of 'Hebrew brothers.' What would Pharaoh's mind be upon the matter? What was Pharaoh's advisor's mind upon the matter. Certainly a Pharaoh who would imprison his chief butler and chief cook upon such 'seesing and knowsing' as the eyes and ears of Pharaoh would produce, would have also have watched closely even the matters of the goingons of one such as Joseph, made Ruler over all of Egypt. 3^a I AM Joseph; doth my father yet live? Whether in the ancient scripts from which the English translation was made or not, the feeling of inspired translation here abounds in the manner of Joseph's statement. 'I AM Joseph;'. It reflects the same conveyance of absolute existence as when Jehovah pronounced to Moses, 'I AM THAT I AM'. And one must wonder if this type of proclamation was not the formal manner of the Eygptian court, to state 'I AM', I Exist' and this is who I am, Joseph. But just as sullen and formal as Joseph made the anouncement of his identity his thoughts turned to his father, 'doth my father [truly] yet live?' This would have certainly made his brothers speachless. In the backs of each of their minds a haunting must have their been found as to what would be the case when, not just merely if, they would face their brother Joseph again. What would Joseph do and say to them. As if waiting for the other shoe to drop, Joseph's brothers stood in absolute silence. And for all their waiting they only heard Joseph's concern for his father, 'doth my father yet live?' What thoughts in the minds of Joseph's brothers, what guilt, what contrivance of imagination would ensue? If Jacob did still live, at least Joseph, not the true heir of the House of Jacob would not presently presume his roll of the head of Jacob's, Israel's house. But just as surely upon the death of the old man Jacob, Joseph, now found to be alive, certainly had the right of empowerment of the firstborn heir of Jacob and also the obvious force of power of empowerment as the Ruler of Egypt to do whatever he would. Caught totally unprepared and totally exposed. Joseph's brothers would have stood speachless and waiting to see what would follow. of Egypt	1^a TG Jesus Christ, Appearances, Antemortal 2^a Josh. 5:13; TG Angels ^b 3 Ne. 11:19; Ether 6:12; TG Courtesy 3^a JST Gen. 18:3 ...brethren... 4^a TG Washing ^b TG Hospitality 5^a OR sustain... ^b Gen. 19:8 A Brother's Love There would be those who would have sought vengence against his brothers for having been treated as Joseph had by his brothers. And by the fate of God, God had delivered his brothers into his hands. Yet Joseph was not of a vengeful nature. And he still had his family love, not only of his father, but even for such brothers who had treated him so vilely as to plan his death and steal him away selling him for naught and into slavery. It is the Christ like love which Joseph held for his family, his brothers. And Joseph would forgive them for all that they had done unto him.
4 And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you^a. And they came near. And he said, I am ^aJoseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt^b. 5 Now therefore be not ^agrieved, nor angry with yourselves^a, that ye sold me hither: for God did ^bsend me before you to preserve life^b.		1^a TG Jesus Christ, Appearances, Antemortal 2^a Josh. 5:13; TG Angels ^b 3 Ne. 11:19; Ether 6:12; TG Courtesy 3^a JST Gen. 18:3 ...brethren... 4^a TG Washing ^b TG Hospitality 5^a OR sustain... ^b Gen. 19:8
6 For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before you to ^apreserve you a ^bposterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8 So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh^a, and lord of all his house, and a ^aruler throughout all the land of Egypt.	8^a God; and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh Often when one king dies it is a youthful heir which inherits the Kingdom. Could the Pharaoh of Joseph's day been such an unexperienced lad? And, though Joseph was not much the elder of the two, was not Joseph made as a 'father' to the young Pharaoh? The Pharaoh had already experience corruption in his honored advisors and servants of position, the bultler and the cook. Who had contrived against the Pharaoh, perhaps the young Pharaoh in that instance and was later found out and determined even as Joseph had so predicted. Now the trusted servant of the young Pharaoh introduces him to Joseph when none other can answer the meaning of the young Pharaoh's dreams. And with that trust in the trusted servant of Pharaoh, Pharaoh sees in Joseph the answer to the problems confronting his kingdom and he places Joseph in charge to rule over all of Egypt in the name of Pharaoh, taking the burden from off the young ruler and placing it in the hand of one who could so be trusted. Is this what it is meant that 'God made Joseph to be as a 'father' to this young Pharaoh king?	1^a TG Jesus Christ, Appearances, Antemortal 2^a Josh. 5:13; TG Angels ^b 3 Ne. 11:19; Ether 6:12; TG Courtesy 3^a JST Gen. 18:3 ...brethren... 4^a TG Washing ^b TG Hospitality 5^a OR sustain... ^b Gen. 19:8
All Is in the Hand of God We often begrude life and those who inflict hardships and unfairness upon us. Here Joseph's attitude is that which is taught to Joseph Smith when he is in the Liberty Jail, that all things worketh for one's experience and good under the hand of God. Joseph had resolved any blaming of his brothers for what they had done but attributes it to God who is over all and that what was intended for evil was used by God for good. This was the lesson that the Lord delivered unto Joseph Smith in one of his darkest hours. If we too might learn of this principle of God, then perhaps we too, like Joseph of Egypt and Joseph Smith the latter-day prophet can be raised triumphant above all things, all things working to our experience and good and letting forgiveness flow from us, attributing all as being under the hand of God to our best good and interest in all things and in all experiences. It is the old story of finding the good in every situation—that attitude which over comes all odds, conflicts and trials and will bring exaltation to our gain in the end after all is said and done.
9 Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not: 10 And thou shalt dwell in the land of ^aGoshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast: 11 And there will I ^anourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty.
12 And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you. 13 And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen: and ye shall haste and bring down my ^afather hither. 14 And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. 15 Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him.
16 ¶ And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, Joseph's brethren are come: and it ^apleased Pharaoh well, and his servants. 17 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye; lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan; 18 And take your father and your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land.
19 Now thou art commanded^a, this do ye; take you ^awagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. 20 Also regard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours.	19^a Now thou art commanded The relationship between Pharaoh and Joseph his appointed Ruler was one of the utmost trust. Now two years into the famine, Joseph's interpretation was fully proved out. And Pharaoh and all of Pharaoh's loyal court fully trusted in Joseph's Rule. Yet Pharaoh's administration was not without its eyes and ears to observe the rule of the kingdom. They had observed the goings on of the Hebrew family of brothers. The had heard Joseph weep and speak before his brothers as he revealed unto them his true identity. And as the record states, Pharaoh's house heard it. And yet with admiration they stood in awe of this man Joseph who could forgive such as his brothers who had sold him into slavery. And while Joseph had already stated what was to be done in bring his family into Egypt in the prior meeting, now Pharaoh honored Joseph with full aproval of his actions as the Ruler of the land appointed by Pharaoh and Pharaoh adds his own royal command that it be so. How there must have been great love, honor and understanding between these two men, Pharaoh who had trusted in and apointed Joseph to Rule all of Egypt. And for Pharaoh to see that Joseph did act in every instance to the benefit of Egypt and the Pharaoh, not usurping for power but for service to those who Pharaoh commanded he should rule. And now Pharaoh's trust in Joseph is further established as per the word of Joseph, all is to be done by the high command of Pharaoh himself to made it so, to bring Joseph's family into the land of Egypt to live and prosper there.
21 And the children of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way. 22 To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to ^aBenjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment. 23 And to his father he sent after this manner; ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she asses laden with corn and bread and meat for his father by the way. 24 So he sent his brethren away, and they departed: and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way.
25 ¶ And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father, 26 And told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is ^agovernor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob's heart fainted, for he believed them not. 27 And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the ^awagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father ^arevived: 28 And Israel said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die.