Jacob and his sons are presented before Pharao: he giveth them the land of Gessen. The famine forceth the Egyptians to sell all their possessions to the king.
Iacob with his sonnes being come into Gessen, Pharao granteth them the same place to dwel in. 13. The famine forceth the Aegyptians to sel al their goods, landes, and possessions to the King, 22. except the Priests part, to whom the king aloweth necesarie foode, without paying for it. 27. After seuentene yeares Iacob adiureth Ioseph, to burie him amongst his ancesters.
1Then Joseph went in and told Pharao, saying: My father and brethren, their sheep and their herds, and all that they possess, are come out of the land of Chanaan: and behold they stay in the land of Gessen.Andò adunque Giuseppe a dire a Faraone: Mio padre, e i miei fratelli colle loro pecore, e armenti, e con tutto quello che hanno, sono venuti dalla terra di Chanaan: e già sono fermi nella terra di Gessen.IOSEPH therfore going in told Pharao, saing: My father & brethren, their sheepe and heardes, & al thinges that they possesse, are come out of the Land of Chanaan: & behold they stay in the Land of Gessen.Ingressus ergo Joseph nuntiavit Pharaoni, dicens: Pater meus et fratres, oves eorum et armenta, et cuncta quæ possident, venerunt de terra Chanaan: et ecce consistunt in terra Gessen. 2Five men also, the last of his brethren, he presented before the king:E presentò insieme al re cinque persone, gli ultimi dei suoi fratelli:The vtmost also of his brethren fiue persons he presented before the king:Extremos quoque fratrum suorum quinque viros constituit coram rege: 3And he asked them: What is your occupation? They answered: We, thy servants, are shepherds, both we and our fathers.A' quali quegli domandò: Qual mestiere avete? Risposero: Siam pastori di pecore tuoi servi, e noi, e i padri nostri.whom he asked: What trade haue you? They answered: We thy seruantes are pastours of sheepe, both we, and our fathers.quos ille interrogavit: Quid habetis operis ? Responderunt: Pastores ovium sumus servi tui, et nos et patres nostri. 4We are come to sojourn in thy land, because there is no grass for the flocks of thy servants, the famine being very grievous in the land of Chanaan: and we pray thee to give orders that we thy servants may be in the land of Gessen.Siam venuti a star pellegrini nella tua terra: perché non vi è erba pe' greggi de' tuoi servi nella terra di Chanaan, e la fame va crescendo: e noi preghiamo, che comandi a noi tuoi servi di stare nella terra di Gessen.We are come to soiourne in the land, because there is no grasse for thy seruantes flockes, the famine being very sore in the land of Chanaan: and we desire thee to command that we thy seruantes may be in the Land of Gessen.Ad peregrinandum in terra tua venimus: quoniam non est herba gregibus servorum tuorum, ingravescente fame in terra Chanaan: petimusque ut esse nos jubeas servos tuos in terra Gessen. 5The king therefore said to Joseph: Thy father and thy brethren are come to thee.Disse pertanto il re a Giuseppe: Tuo padre, e i tuoi fratelli sono venuti a trovarti.And the King therfore said to Ioseph: Thy father and thy brethren are come to thee.Dixit itaque rex ad Joseph: Pater tuus et fratres tui venerunt ad te.
6The land of Egypt is before thee: and make them dwell in the best place, and give them the land of Gessen. And if thou knowest that there are industrious men among them, make them rulers over my cattle.La terra d'Egitto è dinanzi a te: fa' che abitino in ottimo luogo, e da' ad essi la terra di Gessen. Che se conosci tra di loro degli uomini di capacità, eleggili soprintendenti de' miei bestiami.The Land of Aegypt, is in thy sight: make them to dwel in the best place, and deliuer them the Land of Gessen. And if so be thou knowe that there are industrious men among them, appoint them maisters of my cattel.Terra Ægypti in conspectu tuo est: in optimo loco fac eos habitare, et trade eis terram Gessen. Quod si nosti in eis esse viros industrios, constitue illos magistros pecorum meorum. 7After this Joseph brought in his father to the king, and presented him before him: and he blessed him.Dipoi Giuseppe condusse suo padre al re, e lo presentò a lui: Giacobbe augurò a lui ogni bene,After this Ioseph brought in his father to the King, and set him before him: who blessing him,Post hæc introduxit Joseph patrem suum ad regem, et statuit eum coram eo: qui benedicens illi, 8And being asked by him: How many are the days of the years of thy life?E interrogato da lui: Quanti sono i tuoi anni?and being asked of him: How manie be the dayes of the yeares of thy life?et interrogatus ab eo: Quot sunt dies annorum vitæ tuæ ? 9He answered: The days of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty years, few, and evil, and they are not come up to the days of the pilgrimage of my fathers.Rispose: I giorni del mio pellegrinaggio sono cento trent'anni, pochi, e cattivi, e non agguagliano il tempo del pellegrinaggio dei padri miei.He answered: The dayes of the pilgrimage of my life are an hundred thirtie yeares, few, and euil, and they are not come to the dayes of my fathers, in which they were pilgrimes.respondit: Dies peregrinationis meæ centum triginta annorum sunt, parvi et mali, et non pervenerunt usque ad dies patrum meorum quibus peregrinati sunt. 10And blessing the king, he went out.E augurato ogni bene al re, si ritirò.And blessing the king, he went forth.Et benedicto rege, egressus est foras. 11But Joseph gave a possession to his father and his brethren in Egypt, in the best place of the land, in Ramesses, as Pharao had commanded.Giuseppe poi diede al padre, e a' suoi fratelli in Egitto una tenuta in luogo buonissimo in Ramesses, come avea comandato Faraone.But Ioseph gaue possession to his father and his brethren in Aegypt, in the best place of the land, in Rhamesses, as Pharao had commanded.Joseph vero patri et fratribus suis dedit possessionem in Ægypto in optimo terræ loco, Ramesses, ut præceperat Pharao.
12And he nourished them, and all his father’s house, allowing food to every one.Ed ei dava da mangiare ad essi, e a tutta la famiglia di suo padre, dando a ciascheduno di che cibarsi.And he nourished them, and al his fathers house, alowing victuales to euerie one.Et alebat eos, omnemque domum patris sui, præbens cibaria singulis. 13For in the whole world there was want of bread, and a famine had oppressed the land, more especially of Egypt and Chanaan;Perocché mancava il pane in tutto il mondo, e la fame opprimeva la terra principalmente dell'Egitto, e di Chanaan.For in the whole world there wanted bread, and famine oppressed the land, especially of Aegypt and Chanaan.In toto enim orbe panis deerat, et oppresserat fames terram, maxime Ægypti et Chanaan. 14Out of which he gathered up all the money for the corn which they bought, and brought it in to the king’s treasure.De' quali (paesi) Giuseppe prese tutto il denaro pel frumento venduto, e lo ripose nell'erario del re.Out of which he gethered together al the money for the selling of corne, and brought it in vnto the kings treasure.E quibus omnem pecuniam congregavit pro venditione frumenti, et intulit eam in ærarium regis. 15And when the buyers wanted money, all Egypt came to Joseph, saying: Give us bread: why should we die in thy presence, having now no money?E i compratori non avendo più moneta, tutto l'Egitto andò a trovar Giuseppe dicendo: Dacci del pane: per qual motivo morremo sugli occhi tuoi per mancanza di denaro?And when the byers wanted money, al Aegypt came to Ioseph, saying: Geue vs bread: why die we before thee, our money failing?Cumque defecisset emptoribus pretium, venit cuncta Ægyptus ad Joseph, dicens: Da nobis panes: quare morimur coram te, deficiente pecunia ? 16And he answered them: Bring me your cattle, and for them I will give you food, if you have no money.Rispose loro: Menate i vostri bestiami, e in cambio di questi vi darò da mangiare, se non avete moneta.To whom he answered: Bring your cattel, and for them I wil geue you victuales, if you haue not to pay.Quibus ille respondit: Adducite pecora vestra, et dabo vobis pro eis cibos, si pretium non habetis. 17And when they had brought them, he gave them food in exchange for their horses, and sheep, and oxen, and asses: and he maintained them that year for the exchange of their cattle.E quegli avendoli menati, diede loro da vivere in cambio de' cavalli, e delle pecore, e de' buoi, e degli asini: e quell'anno li sostentò colla permuta de' bestiami.Which when they had brought, he gaue them sustenance for horses, and sheepe, and oxen, and asses: and he sustayned them that yeare for the exchange of the cattel.Quæ cum adduxissent, dedit eis alimenta pro equis, et ovibus, et bobus, et asinis: sustentavitque eos illo anno pro commutatione pecorum.
18And they came the second year, and said to him: We will not hide from our lord, how that our money is spent, and our cattle also are gone: neither art thou ignorant that we have nothing now left but our bodies and our lands.Tornarono ancora il secondo anno, e gli dissero: Noi non celeremo al signor nostro, che, mancato il denaro, sono mancati insieme i bestiami: e tu ben vedi, che oltre i corpi, e la terra non abbiam nulla.And they came the second yeare, and said to him: We wil not conceale from our lord, that our money fayling, our cattel withal haue fayled: neither art thou ignorant, that we haue nothing besides our bodies and land.Venerunt quoque anno secundo, et dixerunt ei: Non celabimus dominum nostrum quod deficiente pecunia, pecora simul defecerunt: nec clam te est, quod absque corporibus et terra nihil habeamus. 19Why therefore shall we die before thy eyes? we will be thine, both we and our lands: buy us to be the king’s servants, and give us seed, lest for want of tillers the land be turned into a wilderness.Perché adunque morremo noi, veggente te? e noi, e la nostra terra saremo tuoi: compraci per ischiavi del re, e dacci da seminare, affinché periti i coltivatori, non si riduca la terra in deserto.Why therfore shal we die in thy sight? both we and our land wil be thyne: bye vs to be the kings bondmen, and geue vs sede, lest for default of tillers the land be turned into a wildernes.Cur ergo moriemur te vidente ? et nos et terra nostra tui erimus: eme nos in servitutem regiam, et præbe semina, ne pereunte cultore redigatur terra in solitudinem. 20So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt, every man selling his possessions, because of the greatness of the famine. And he brought it into Pharao’s hands:Comprò adunque Giuseppe tutta la terra d'Egitto, vendendo ognuno le sue possessioni pel rigor della fame: e la rendé soggetta a Faraone,Ioseph therfore bought al the Land of Aegypt, euery man selling his possessions for the greatnes of the famine. And he brought it vnder Pharaos handes,Emit igitur Joseph omnem terram Ægypti, vendentibus singulis possessiones suas præ magnitudine famis. Subjecitque eam Pharaoni, 21And all its people from one end of the borders of Egypt, even to the other end thereof,Insieme con tutti i popoli da un'estremità dell'Egitto sino all'altra.and al the people therof from the fardest ends of Aegypt, euen to the vttermost coasts therof,et cunctos populos ejus a novissimis terminis Ægypti usque ad extremos fines ejus, 22Except the land of the priests, which had been given them by the king: to whom also a certain allowance of food was given out of the public stores, and therefore they were not forced to sell their possessions.Eccettuata la terra de' sacerdoti data loro dal re, a' quali si davano da' pubblici granai i viveri, e perciò non furon costretti a vendere le loro tenute.sauing the land of the Priests, which the king had deliuered them: to whom also a certaine alowance of victuals was geuen out of the cōmon barnes, and therfore they were not driuen to sel their possessions.præter terram sacerdotum, quæ a rege tradita fuerat eis: quibus et statuta cibaria ex horreis publicis præbebantur, et idcirco non sunt compulsi vendere possessiones suas.
23Then Joseph said to the people: Behold, as you see, both you and your lands belong to Pharao; take seed and sow the fields,Disse adunque Giuseppe a' popoli: Ecco che, come vedete, Faraone è padrone di voi, e della vostra terra: prendete da seminare, e seminate i campi,Ioseph therfore said to the people: Behold as you see, Pharao possesseth both you and your land: take sede, and sowe the fields,Dixit ergo Joseph ad populos: En ut cernitis, et vos et terram vestram Pharao possidet: accipite semina, et serite agros, 24That you may have corn. The fifth part you shall give to the king; the other four you shall have for seed, and for food for your families and children.Affinché possiate raccogliere. Darete al re il quinto: le altre quattro parti le lascio a voi per seminare, e per mantenere le famiglie, e i figliuoli vostri.that you may haue corne. The fifth part you shal geue to the king: the other foure I am content you shal haue for sede, and for foode to your families and your children.ut fruges habere possitis. Quintam partem regi dabitis: quatuor reliquas permitto vobis in sementem, et in cibum familiis et liberis vestris. 25And they answered: our life is in thy hand; only let my lord look favourably upon us, and we will gladly serve the king.Risposer quelli: La nostra salute è nelle tue mani: solamente rivolga a noi lo sguardo il signor nostro, e serviremo con piacere al re.Who answered: Our life is in thy hand: only let our lord haue a respect vnto vs, and we wil gladly serue the king.Qui responderunt: Salus nostra in manu tua est: respiciat nos tantum dominus noster, et læti serviemus regi. 26From that time unto this day, in the whole land of Egypt, the fifth part is paid to the kings, and it is become as a law, except the land of the priests, which was free from this covenant.Da quel tempo fino al dì d'oggi in tutta la terra d'Egitto si paga il quinto a' regi: lo che è divenuto come legge, eccettuata la terra sacerdotale, che è libera da questa servitù.From that time vntil this present day in the whole land of Aegypt, the fifth part is paied to the kings, and it became as it were a lawe, sauing the land of the priests, which was free from this condition.Ex eo tempore usque in præsentem diem, in universa terra Ægypti regibus quinta pars solvitur, et factum est quasi in legem, absque terra sacerdotali, quæ libera ab hac conditione fuit. 27So Israel dwelt in Egypt, that is, in the land of Gessen, and possessed it; and grew, and was multiplied exceedingly.Abitò adunque Israele in Egitto, cioè nella terra di Gessen, e ne fu possessore, e s'ingrandì, e moltiplicò formisura.Israel therfore dwelt in Aegypt, that is, in the Land of Gessen, and possessed it: and was increased, and multiplied exceedingly.Habitavit ergo Israël in Ægypto, id est, in terra Gessen, et possedit eam: auctusque est, et multiplicatus nimis.
28And he lived in it seventeen years: and all the days of his life came to a hundred and forty-seven years.Ed ivi egli visse per diciassette anni: e tutto il tempo di sua vita fu di anni cento quaranta sette.And he liued in it seuenteene yeares: and al the dayes of his life came to an hundred fourtie seuen yeares.Et vixit in ea decem et septem annis: factique sunt omnes dies vitæ illius, centum quadraginta septem annorum. 29And when he saw that the day of his death drew nigh, he called his son Joseph, and said to him: If I have found favour in thy sight, put thy hand under my thigh; and thou shalt shew me this kindness and truth, not to bury me in Egypt.E veggendo, che si appressava il giorno della sua morte, chiamò il suo figliuolo Giuseppe, e gli disse: Se ho trovato grazia dinanzi a te, poni la tua mano sotto la mia coscia: e userai meco di tua bontà, e fedeltà, e non darai a me sepoltura in Egitto;And when he sawe that the day of his death approched, he called his sonne Ioseph, and said to him: If I haue found grace in thy sight, put thy hand vnder my thigh: and thou shalt doe me this mercie and truth, not to bury me in Aegypt:Cumque appropinquare cerneret diem mortis suæ, vocavit filium suum Joseph, et dixit ad eum: Si inveni gratiam in conspectu tuo, pone manum tuam sub femore meo: et facies mihi misericordiam et veritatem, ut non sepelias me in Ægypto: 30But I will sleep with my fathers, and thou shalt take me away out of this land, and bury me in the burying place of my ancestors. And Joseph answered him: I will do what thou hast commanded.Ma io dormirò co' padri miei, e tu mi torrai da questa terra, e mi riporrai nel sepolcro de' miei maggiori. Rispose Giuseppe: Io farò quel che hai comandato.but I wil sleepe with my fathers, and take me away out of this land, and burie me in the sepulchre of my ancesters. To whom Ioseph answered: I wil doe that thou hast commanded.sed dormiam cum patribus meis, et auferas me de terra hac, condasque in sepulchro majorum meorum. Cui respondit Joseph: Ego faciam quod jussisti. 31And he said: Swear then to me. And as he was swearing, Israel adored God, turning to the bed’s head.Ed egli: Fanne adunque a me giuramento. E avendo quegli giurato, Israele rivolto al capo del letticciuolo adorò Dio.And he said: Sweate then to me. Who swearing, Israel adored God, turning to the beds head.Et ille: Jura ergo, inquit, mihi. Quo jurante, adoravit Israël Deum, conversus ad lectuli caput.
47:2
Haydock
The last. Extremos. Some interpret this word of the chiefest, and most sightly: but Joseph seems rather to have chosen out such as had the meanest appearance, that Pharao might not think of employing them at court, with danger of their morals and religion; (Challoner) or in the army, where they might be distracted with many cares, and be too much separated from one another. (Haydock)
Vatable
He took such of his brethren as came first at hand. (Vatable)
47:7
Menochius
Blessed him, Pharao; saying, perhaps, God save the king; or, O king live for ever: thus wishing that he might enjoy all sorts of blessings. (Menochius)
Calmet
It is generally taken in this sense, when men bless one another; but when they bless God, they mean to praise, supplicate, or thank him. (Calmet)
47:9
Haydock
Pilgrimage. He hardly deigns to style it life, as he was worn out with labour and sorrows, and was drawing fast to an end, so much sooner than his ancestors. Isaac had lived 180 years, and was only dead the year before Joseph was made ruler of Egypt. Some had lived above 900 years. (Haydock)
47:13
Haydock
Chanaan. The whole world that was inhabited, and known to the Hebrews, felt perhaps the effects of this raging famine; but the countries here mentioned were the most afflicted. (Haydock)
47:14
Philo
Treasure, reserving nothing for himself. (Philo)
47:15
Year of the World 2300, Year before Christ 1704.
Haydock
Wanted. Or "failed both in Egypt and Chanaan," as the Hebrew insinuates. (Haydock)
47:18
Calmet
Second; or the next year after they had sold their cattle; the fourth of the famine, or perhaps the last, since they ask for seed, ver. 19. In that year, Joseph gave back the cattle, etc., to the Egyptians, on condition that they should ever after pay the fifth part of the products of the land to the king, the sole proprietor, who had thus full authority to send them to till any part of his dominions. (Calmet)
47:19
Menochius
Servants. A person may part with his liberty, to preserve life. (Menochius)
47:21
People, "he transplanted" from, etc., as the Hebrew, Arabic, etc., now read, by the change of one letter. Herodotus, 2:108, says, the same person has never a field there two years together. Diodorus 1, also attests, that individuals have no property in Egypt, the land being divided among the priests, the king, and the military. Tradesmen always follow their father's profession, which makes them very skilful.
47:22
Menochius
Priests. This was done by the king's direction, as they were probably idolaters. (Menochius)
The immunities of the sacred ministers have been respected both by Pagans, Jews, and Christians; by all who have had any sentiments of religion. Reason dictates that they should live by the altar. They have to labour for the truest interests of the people, and consequently are worthy of their hire.
Haydock
Which had been given, etc. Inasmuch as their wants were supplied, and the king forebore to claim their land. Hebrew, "only the land of the priests he, Joseph, bought not." (Haydock)
Worthington
If infidels did so much for their priests, ought we to do less for those of God? (St. Chrysostom, hom. 65.) (Worthington)
47:26
Calmet
This day. When Moses wrote, and long after, as we learn from Josephus, St. Clement of Alexandria, Diodorus, etc. (Calmet)
47:29
Year of the World 2315, Year before Christ 1689.
Menochius
Kindness and truth. This act of real mercy; or, shew me mercy, by promising freely to comply with my request; and truth, by fulfilling this oath. (Menochius)
47:30
Menochius
Thus he manifested his belief in a future resurrection with his Saviour, who should be born in that land; and he admonished his descendants never to lose sight of it, nor forfeit the promises by their wicked conduct, Genesis 23:17. (Menochius)
Worthington
He teaches us likewise, to be solicitous to obtain Christian burial. (Worthington)
47:31
Challoner
To the bed's head. St. Paul, (Hebrews 11:21,) following the Greek translation of the Septuagint, reads adored the top of his rod. Where note, that the same word in the Hebrew, according to the different pointing of it, signifies both a bed and a rod. And to verify both these sentences, we must understand that Jacob, leaning on Joseph's rod, adored, turning towards the head of his bed: which adoration, inasmuch as it was referred to God, was an absolute, and sovereign worship: but inasmuch as it was referred to the rod of Joseph, as a figure of the sceptre, that is, of the royal dignity of Christ, was only an inferior and relative honour. (Challoner)
Calmet
St. Augustine proposes another very probable explanation. He adored God, supporting himself on the top of his staff, or of Joseph's sceptre, q. 162. The Septuagint and Syriac intimate, that Jacob bowed down respectfully towards the sceptre of his son, and thus complied with the explication which he had given to his dream, Genesis 37:10. Others, who understood the Hebrew Hamitta, in the sense given to it by St. Jerome, Aquila, and Symmachus, suppose that after he had given his last instructions to Joseph in a sitting posture, growing weaker, he laid his head again upon his pillow. (Calmet)
Tirinus
God was pleased to have this recorded in a language subject to such various interpretations; as he, perhaps, would have us to understand, that Jacob literally bowed down both to the bed-head and to the top of the sceptre. For many believe, that the Scripture has often several literal meanings. (Tirinus)
If the Massoretic points had been known to the Septuagint, we should not have had this variation. But the learned generally agree, that they are of human, and even of very modern invention.
47:2
47:31
To the bed’s head.... St. Paul, Heb. 11.21, following the Greek translation of the Septuagint, reads adored the top of his rod. Where note, that the same word in the Hebrew, according to the different pointing of it, signifies both a bed and a rod. And to verify both these sentences, we must understand that Jacob leaning on Joseph’s rod adored, turning towards the head of his bed: which adoration, inasmuch as it was referred to God, was an absolute and sovereign worship: but inasmuch as it was referred to the rod of Joseph, as a figure of the sceptre, that is, of the royal dignity of Christ, was only an inferior and relative honour.
47:9
Euerie mans life is shorte, & replenished with manie miseries. Iob. 14.
47:22
22. Sauing the land of the Priests.] Let them heare which now liue (saith S. Chrysostom) what great care men had in times past of the priests, of idols: H•. 65. in Gen. The immunitie and care of Priests in the law of nature. Yea amongst Insidels. and let them learne at least to yeeld like honour to true priests, to whom the ministerie of al diuine offices is committed. For if the Aegyptians, in their errors, had so great care of Idols, thincking them to be more honored, if their ministers were respected, how great condemnation doe they not deserue, that now diminish that, which pertaineth to the prouision of priests? Doe yee not know that the honour pertaineth to God himself? Regard not therfore him to whom the honouris exhibited. For it is not for his cause to whom thou Much more amongst Christians, Priests ought to be respected. doest it, but for his sake whose priest he is, that of him thou maiest abundantly receiue rewards. VVherfore he said: He that shal doe it to one of these, hath done it for me: & He that receiueth a prophet, in the name of a prophet, shal receiue the revvard Math. 25. & 10. of a prophet. VVil our Lord reward thee according to the worthines or meannes of his ministers? According to thine owne alacritie, he either crowneth or condemneth. &c. I say not this for the priests sakes, but for yours, desiring to gaine you in al things. For in lieu of that litle you geue, you shal receiue immortal rewards, and vnspeakeable good. Let vs consider these things, and haste to serue them, not looking vpon the cost, but vpon the gaine, and increase that riseth therof. &c. For whatsoeuer you bestow vpon Gods priests, he accounteth it as bestowed on himself. And he that so bestoweth, shal not only receiue like retrbution, but manifold greater: our merciful God, alwayes of the abundance of his mercie, exceeding the things which are done by vs. Let vs not therfore be worse then infidels, who for the error of idols gaue so much to their seruants; for how much error and truth do differ, so much difference is there, betwen theirs and Gods Priests. Thus much and something more writeth S. Chrisostom vpon this place. Cohen in some place signifieth Prince, but is here translated Priest, in al the English Bibles.
22. Priests] The Hebrew word Cohenim is here vniuersally translated Priests, in al languages and Editions: which (chap. 40. v. 45.) some translate Prince: and more probably (2. Reg. 8. v. vlt.) where Dauids sonnes are called Cohenim: who were in dede Princes, and not properly Priests. But in this present place it signifieth those, to whom Pharao alowed particular prouision in the time of dearth, which al vnderstand of Priests, and not of Princes.
The priests, of Aegypt being not forced to laboure for their liuing, found out the Mathematiques, as wituesseth Aristotle. in princ. Metaph.
47:30
30. I vvil sleepe vvith my fathers] Albeit neither the lack of burial, nor anie Special place of burial lawfully desired, and spiritually profitable. crueltie nor contumelie vsed against dead bodies, can annoy the iust, for those that kil mens bodies, can aftervvards doe them noe more harme: yet it is both a lawful Luc 12. natural desire, and a spiritual comfort and profit, to be buried in special places, where their owne frends, or holie persons are buried, or where God is more specialy serued, Sacrifice, and other prayers offered. And so both Iaeob and Ioseph desired to rest in the land of Chanaan, where their parents were buried and where Christ should be borne and redeeme mākind. But wordlie pompe But pompe auaileth not the dead. and honour of funerals, are rather the cōfort of the liuing, then the reliefe of the departed. as S. Augustin teacheth, in Psal. 115. For in the sight of men, the troupe of seruants (saith the same S. Augustin lib. 1. c. 13. de ciuit.) made solemne and glorious exequies to the rich glutton, that was cloathed in silk, and fared delicately in his life, but in the sight of God, the Angels ministerie made far more excellent to poore Lazarus, though they caried not his bodie into a marble tombe, but his soule into Abrahams bosome.
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31. To the beds head.] S. Paul alleaging this place saith: Iacob adored the top Heb. 11. of (Ioseph) his rod, folowing the Septuagint, who for the same Hebrew word (being without points, that is, without vowels) in this place say, rod, and in The Septuagint are not contrarie to the Hebrew and Latin text, but supplie that was omitted. the next chapter (v. 2.) interpret bed. For Matteh signifieth a rod, and Mittah, a bed. The Latin rherfore translating bed, as the Hebrew is pointed, and the Septuagint, and S. Paule reading rod, both are true, and both together expresse the whole action, that Iacob taking Iosephs rod into his hand, and turning to the beds head, leaned on the top of the rod, and adored not only God, the Lord and geuer of al good, but also his sonne Ioseph now the chiefe ruler and Prince of Aegypt. as S. Augustin expoundeth. q 162. in Gen. And herein saith S. Chrisostom (ho 66) Iosephs dreame was fulfilled, that the sunne and moone should adore him. The like saith Theodoret (q. 108 in Gen) And Procopius Adoration of God and creatures is not repugnant. addeth that Iacob adoring Iosephs rod, adored also Christs kingdome, prefigured by the same rod. But how adoration of creatures redoundeth to the honour of God, more is noted vpon the said place of S. Paul. Heb. 11.
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St Basil the Great † AD 379 The Hexæmeron 2.8
… a custom which you will find throughout Scripture. Everywhere the measure of time is counted by days, without mention of nights. “The days of our years,” says the Psalmist. “Few and evil have the days of the years of my life been,”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 29
… iii. 6 .) Wherefore then was the one a rich man, and the other a hired servant? Or rather, why was Esau rich, who was unrighteous and a murderer of his brother, while Jacob was in bondage for so long a time? Wherefore again did Isaac live in ease all his time, but Jacob in toils and miseries? For which cause also he said, “Few and evil are my days.” (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Epistle to the Hebrews 26
… For [Jacob] spent all his time in servitude and working as a hireling, and [amid] dangers, and plots, and deceits, and fears; and when he was asked by Pharaoh, he says, “Few and evil have my days been” (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Epistle to the Hebrews 29
… Or of Jacob? for indeed to enumerate all his [afflictions] is not necessary, but it is reasonable to bring forward the testimony, which he himself [gave] when speaking with Pharaoh; “Few and evil are my days, and they have not attained to the days of my fathers.” (
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St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Duties of the Clergy 2.16
80. First of all, then, he gathered up their money, then their implements, last of all he acquired for the king all their rights to the ground.
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St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Duties of the Clergy 2.16
… He also imposed a general tax, that they might hold their own in safety. So pleasing was this to all from whom he had taken the land, that they looked on it, not as the selling of their rights, but as the recovery of their welfare. Thus they spoke: “Thou hast saved our lives, let us find grace in the sight of our Lord.”
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St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 City of God 1.13
… And therefore to the righteous of ancient times the last offices were piously rendered, and sepulchres provided for them, and obsequies celebrated; and they themselves, while yet alive, gave commandment to their sons about the burial, and, on occasion, even about the removal of their bodies to some favorite place.
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise on the Grace of Christ, and on Original Sin 2.32
… philosophers sought Him, who knew nothing of His flesh—can that other act of Abraham, when he orders his servant to place his hand under his thigh, and to swear by the God of heaven, be rightly understood by any one otherwise than as showing that Abraham well knew that the flesh in which the God of heaven was to come was the offspring of that very thigh?
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Epistle to the Hebrews 26
[2.] “By Faith, Jacob when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph.” Here we ought to set down the blessings entire, in order that both his faith and his prophesying may be made manifest. “And worshiped leaning,”
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And the uttermost of his brethren five men. In Hebrew it is, from the extremity of his brothers he took five men, that is to say, Joseph did not carefully select from among his brothers, designating this one or that one from the midst of his brothers, but took five of the extremes, and those most readily at hand. Thus Vatablus. Second, Lyra, Abulensis, and Thomas Aquinas interpret "extremes" as the most excellent. Third, the Hebrews, Oleaster, Hamerus, and Pererius understand by extremes those who are baser and more abject in appearance: for Joseph showed these to Pharaoh, not the more handsome and elegant ones, lest Pharaoh should take them into his court or his military service, which Joseph did not wish, namely lest his brothers be imbued with the faith and manners of the Egyptians. The first sense is the simplest, and most corresponds to the Hebrew phrase.
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There is no grass for the flocks. If it was thus in Canaan, why not also in Egypt? For this was a common and public drought and sterility. Abulensis responds that the condition of Canaan and Egypt is different, because Egypt is irrigated by many ditches drawn from the Nile: but Canaan lacks these. St. Augustine adds, Questions CLX, that the marshes of Egypt are by themselves sufficiently moist: so that the less the Nile overflows, the more abundantly do they produce grass: but the more the Nile overflows, the less grass do they produce.
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Blessing him, greeting and praying good things to Pharaoh, saying, for example: O King, live forever, may God preserve thee, may He bless thee. It is similar to verse 10. See on this phrase Martin of Roa, lib. I Singularium, cap. IX.
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The days of the pilgrimage of my life, because Jacob often changed his dwelling place. For from Chanaan he went into Mesopotamia, and returning thence again he journeyed through Chanaan, so that his whole life appears to have been a continuous pilgrimage. St. Augustine and St. Jerome note that the just in this life are pilgrims, because they have heaven as their homeland, whereas on the contrary sinners are called and are inhabitants of the earth. See what is said to the Hebrews, chapter XI, verse 13, and here chapter XII, verse 1, at the end. One hundred and thirty years. In this year 130 of Jacob, Joseph was 39 years old, Ruben indeed 46, Simeon 45, Levi 44, Judas 43, as is evident from what is said in chapters XXIX and XXX. Hence again it is clear that this descent of Jacob into Egypt occurred 215 years after the calling of Abraham from Chaldaea into Chanaan: for when Abraham was called, he was 75 years old; in Abraham's hundredth year Isaac was born; Isaac in his sixtieth year begat Jacob; Jacob descending into Egypt was 130 years old. If therefore to these 130 years of Jacob you add those 25 of Abraham until Isaac was born, and those 60 of Isaac until Jacob was born, you will have the 215 years already mentioned. Few. In Hebrew, they are few, namely if compared with the far greater number of years of Isaac, Abraham, Thare and my other ancestors. Morally learn here how brief is all the longevity of this life. For we are all born into life under this law, that having remained in it but a short time, we straightway depart, and that saying of David to Ethai may be used here: Yesterday thou camest, and to-day thou art compelled to go out with us. "What else," says St. Augustine, "is life but a running toward death?" and St. Gregory of Nazianzus: That very thing by which I live is like a most rapid river, which rising upward always flows downward. Again: "From the tomb," he says, "I seek the tomb," namely from the womb of my mother I tend toward the sepulchre; and indeed Seneca, epistle 59: "Daily," he says, "some part of life is taken away, and even while we grow, life decreases: this day which we live, we share with death: as soon as we enter into life, straightway another door begins to open for us to depart." Go now, mortals, accumulate riches, honors, estates, you who are to die tomorrow. Evil, that is miserable, laborious, full of hardship. Thus Christ says: "Sufficient for the day is the evil," that is the misery, "thereof." For to pass over other things, Jacob first, on account of the wrath of his brother Esau plotting death against him, was forced, having left his homeland, alone, as a poor man, to flee into Haran. Second, in Haran for 20 years he served Laban most harshly, Genesis XXXI. Third, he was struck with great fear and labored greatly to appease Esau meeting him with 400 men, Genesis XXXII. Fourth, he was afflicted by the rape of Dinah and the slaughter of Shechem inflicted by his sons, and he feared lest he be overwhelmed by the Chanaanites rushing upon him, Genesis XXXIV. Fifth, the death of Rachel struck him. Sixth, the incest of Ruben with Bala his wife grieved him, Genesis XXXV. Seventh, Joseph sold and lost for 23 years, afflicted him greatly. Eighth, Simeon detained in prison and Benjamin carried off into Egypt, wounded his heart. Ninth, he, on account of the necessity of famine, now decrepit, had to depart from Chanaan promised to him and his fathers, into Egypt, hateful to him and his ancestors, and he grieved.
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Having blessed the king, having greeted the king and said farewell to him: for to bless here is to greet and to bid farewell, as I said in verse 7. Thus Joab blessed, that is bade farewell to David, II Kings chapter XIV, verse 21. Thus IV Kings chapter IV, verse 29, Elisaeus commands Giezi that he greet no one on the way, where the Hebrew texts have, that he bless no one: for when departing we say farewell, by this very act wishing good health to another, we as it were bless him: for to bless is to wish well, or to wish good and favorable things.
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Ramesses. In that region of Gessen, in which afterwards the Israelites built a city, which they called Ramesses. Thus St. Jerome.
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The whole world. A great part of the world, namely the whole East, which is as it were the world of Chanaan and Egypt, surrounding and encircling it. It is a hyperbole. In Hebrew it is, "from all the land," which Vatablus does not rightly restrict to the land of Egypt alone.
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He brought it into the treasury, reserving nothing from it for himself, says Philo. See how Joseph was a stranger to the embezzlement of our age, and how he cared not for his own but for the public good.
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Bread, grain, from which we grind bread.
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In the second year, from the cattle and beasts brought and sold, which was the fourth or fifth from the beginning of the famine.
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Buy us into servitude. For on account of famine it is permitted, not only to sell oneself but also one's offspring into servitude.
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Give seed. Therefore something could still be sown at that time, namely in the fields adjacent to the Nile. Except the land of the priests. Note: Pharao granted this immunity from tribute to his idolaters' priests, as the Hebrew, Chaldean and Septuagint texts express it, not to Joseph alone, the worshipper of the true God, as Theodoret wishes; unless you say that Joseph granted it to them, not insofar as they were priests of idols, but insofar as they were philosophers and teachers of wisdom and astrology; and therefore they abstained throughout their whole life from flesh, wine, sheep, milk, marriage and all the affairs of the world, as St. Jerome says, book I Against Jovinian. Perhaps also Joseph taught them the worship of the one true God, as the Psalmist hints, Psalm 104, verse 22. Note this passage for the immunity of the true priests of Christ from taxes: for if Pharao granted this to his gentile priests, how will not a Christian king and prince grant it to the priests of Christ? For their honor or contempt pertains to God himself, and what is conferred upon them is conferred upon God, who will repay abundantly, and will reward princes, says St. Chrysostom, homily 65. Tropologically Origen: The priests of God, he says, love to receive their portion in heaven, and reject the earthly: but the priests of Pharao have their portion in the earth.
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Joseph said therefore, in the seventh and last year of sterility, that they should sow for the following year of returning fertility: thus Philo, who also adds that Joseph placed overseers, who would see to it that this portion be expended on sowing, lest anyone consume it for food.
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Our salvation is in thy hand. In Hebrew it is, thou hast given us life (thou hast preserved life for us by thy nourishment), let us find grace in the eyes of my lord (in thy eyes, O Joseph), that we may be servants of Pharao. As if they say: Thou art the author and preserver of our life, thou hast restored us to life; in return therefore for this nourishment and salvation, we offer ourselves to thee and to Pharao as servants; nay, we shall even count it a great benefit if thou and Pharao receive us into servitude, and consequently into thy care and providence, who hath provided for us so wisely and kindly through thee in this famine, so that it is better to serve him, to be ruled by him and depend upon him, than to enjoy our liberty, to rule ourselves, and to care for and provide for ourselves and ours; lest we again fall into a famine and incur a like evil.
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It came to pass as it were into a law. This royal tax established by Joseph received the force of a perpetual law. Thus the Hebrew, Chaldean and Greek texts say, that is, Joseph introduced a custom, which even to this day endures in the manner of a law, so that a fifth part of the fruits is paid to the kings of the Egyptians. See how equitably and gently Joseph dealt with his subjects; today there are not lacking tyrants who without title exact and extort more than half. Again, God disposed these things thus, so that the beneficence which Pharaoh had conferred upon the just old man Jacob and his sons might be recompensed. Morally, let the counselors and prefects of princes learn from Joseph that they ought to study not their own interests, but the advantage of the commonwealth and of princes. For Joseph, although he was a prince of Egypt, was unwilling to enrich himself, nor to raise his father and brothers to ample offices, although he could easily have done so and without envy, indeed Pharaoh would have desired it: and this in order to show how faithfully he administered the commonwealth, and how alien he was from cupidity and private love of himself and his own. He wished therefore that they should remain in the same office and rank to which they were accustomed, and that they should be shepherds of sheep, and by their own labor and care should prepare their livelihood for themselves. Let the Prelates of our age observe this example, those who, when they are raised from humble station to high, wish to raise their nephews and kinsmen with them, so that they seem to act more for their own advantage than for the public, and administer the riches of the Church not as if for the Church, but as private property, and convert them to their own use and that of their own, indeed to luxury. What account will these render to Christ the Lord of their stewardship on the last and great day of the world! Such was M. Attilius Regulus among the Romans, who, although he had presided over the greatest affairs, nevertheless remained so poor that he supported himself, his wife and his children by a small field, which was cultivated by a single steward, whose death being heard of, Regulus wrote to the senate concerning a successor: for his affairs being destitute by the death of the slave, his presence was necessary. They remember P. Scipio Africanus the Younger, in the 54 years which he lived, to have bought nothing, sold nothing, built nothing: but left only 33 pounds of silver in great substance, and two of gold, although nevertheless Carthage had been conquered under his power, and by one of all the generals his soldiers were enriched. Thus Aelianus, book XI. Aristides son of Lysimachius, who accomplished many things at home and in war with distinction, and imposed tribute upon the Greeks, left not so much after his death as to defray the expense of celebrating his funeral rites. Thus Aelianus in the same place. Such altogether was also Blessed Thomas More, as is evident from his Life with Stapleton. Artaxerxes sent Epaminondas a great weight of gold, in order to draw him to his opinion; but he said to the legates: "There is no need of money; for if the king desires those things which are useful to my Thebans, I am prepared to do them freely: but if he desires the contrary, he does not have enough gold; for I do not wish to receive the riches of the whole world in exchange for love of my country. You who have attempted me unknown, and have thought me similar to yourselves, I do not wonder at, and I forgive you. But depart quickly, lest you corrupt others, since you have not been able to corrupt me: otherwise I shall deliver you to the magistrate." Probus is witness in his Life. The same, when the legates brought gifts in order to corrupt him, invited them to dinner: a mean table was set, and sour wine; then Epaminondas said: "Depart, and tell your master of my dinners, by which I am content, nor will he easily allure me to betrayal by his gifts."
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Israel, Jacob.
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One hundred forty-seven. Note: This is the period of Jacob's life. First, Jacob was born in the year of the world 2109, from the flood 432. Second, Jacob remained in his father's house until the year of his age 77, when he snatched away the birthright from Esau; and therefore, fearing his plots, he fled into Haran. Third, in Haran, after the seven years in which he served Laban, he took wives, Leah and Rachel. From Leah he begot Reuben in the year of his age 84, Simeon in year 85, Levi 86, Judah 87, Joseph 91. Fourth, after Joseph was born, and all his offspring except Benjamin, Jacob served Laban for another six years for his flocks, so that altogether he was in Haran and served for 20 years: which being completed in the year of his age 97, he returned into Chanaan. Fifth, Jacob in the year of his age 107 begot Benjamin, in whose birth Rachel died. Sixth, in the year of Jacob 88, that famous flood of Ogyges occurred, by which the land of Attica was so devastated that for 199 years until Cecrops it was without a king and almost deserted, concerning which Eusebius, book X of the Preparation, final chapter, and St. Augustine, book XVIII of the City of God, chapter XVIII, where St. Augustine also adds another portent of the same time, namely, that the star Venus was seen to change its color, magnitude, shape and course. Seventh, Joseph was sold in the year of his age 16, of Jacob 107. For his father mourned as if for the dead for 23 years, namely until the year of his age 130, when with his sons he was summoned by Joseph and descended from Chanaan into Egypt. Eighth, Isaac died when Jacob was in the year of his age 120. Ninth, Jacob died in the year of his age 146, when Joseph was 56 years old, that is in the year of the world 2256. Tenth, the death of Jacob preceded by 197 years the departure of the Hebrews from Egypt, but the birth of Moses by 118 years. Finally, while Jacob was living in Egypt, St. Job, the mirror of patience, was born.
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Put thy hand under my thigh. Concerning this rite of swearing I have spoken in chapter XXIV, verse 2. Thou shalt show me mercy and truth. "Mercy" signifies grace and gratuitous benefit; "truth" signifies faithfulness, and the faithful bestowal and execution of the benefit, as if to say: Thou shalt bestow upon me this grace, that thou bury me not here, but in Chanaan, and that thou execute this faithfully and truly.
That thou bury me not in Egypt, but I may sleep with my fathers. Joseph likewise desired this, and commanded that it be done to him after his death, chapter L, verse 21. The cause of this wish was, first, because Jacob desired to be buried in the holy land, in which alone the worship of God would be, among his holy fathers, namely with Isaac and Abraham, in Hebron. See how great was the care of the ancients for burial, and how desirable it is to be buried among the saints. Second, Jacob wished to be buried in Chanaan, that he might turn away the minds of his descendants from the riches and vices of Egypt, and might give them firm hope of return and liberation from Egypt, and of obtaining the promised land, namely Canaan. Thus Theodoret, St. Chrysostom, Rupert. Third, he wished this, that for his descendants who would dwell in Canaan, these sepulchres of his and of his fathers would be living monuments of their faith, piety and virtue, and likewise incentives thereto. Fourth, Jacob knew that Christ would be born, die and rise again in Chanaan: hence he desires to be buried in it, that he might rise again with Christ. Thus Lyran, Abulensis and others. Wherefore by all Catholics, says Abulensis, it is believed that Jacob rose again among others who rose with Christ on Easter day. St. Augustine adds tropologically, that Jacob desired the remission of sins, both his own and of the whole human race, through the death of Christ to be undergone in Chanaan: hence he wished to be buried in it. For a like reason in Chanaan, namely in Bethlehem, St. Jerome, St. Paula, and many other Saints wished to live and die. Finally, the Patriarchs wished to be buried in Chanaan, that they might be partakers of the prayers and sacrifices which were offered there: for they believed that Purgatory existed. Anagogically Rupert: Jacob, he says, being dead gave an example to the living, that in hope of the heavenly fatherland they might love the pledge of eternal inheritance, as if to say: Jacob wished to be buried in Chanaan, that his descendants might long for heaven, of which Chanaan was a type. In the sepulchre of his fathers, in the double cave of Hebron, concerning which chapter XXIII, verse 17. Hence the faithful from of old were accustomed to be buried among the faithful and saints, in sacred places. Hear St. Dionysius, Ecclesiastical Hierarchy, chapter VII: "When these things are completed," he says, "the Pontiff places the body in the most worthy place, with other sacred bodies of his order." And Clement of Rome, book VI of the Apostolic Constitutions, chapter XXX: "Gather," he says, "in the cemeteries, reading the sacred books in them, and singing psalms for those who have fallen asleep." That these were accustomed to be consecrated by priests teaches Gregory of Tours, On the Glory of Confessors, chapter CVI. They are called koimeterion, as it were dormitories, because the faithful in Scripture are said to sleep in them after death, to be raised up on the last day of judgment, as St. Augustine testifies, epistle 122. St. Cyprian, book I, epistle 4, reproves a certain Martial, because he "deposited his sons at profane sepulchres, after the manner of foreign nations." By this very thing he indicates that sacred sepulchres already existed for Christians. That the faithful were often buried in churches, St. Ambrose testifies, book I On Abraham, chapter III; Jerome, in the Life of Paula and Fabiola; Augustine, book On Care for the Dead, chapter I.
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Therefore he swore. Jacob did not distrust the word of Joseph, but he exacts an oath, so that Joseph might use this as a pretext with Pharaoh, if he should wish to retain Jacob's body in Egypt. Thus Rupertus. Abulensis adds: Jacob knew, he says, that Joseph, unless he had bound him so strictly, intended to make him a precious and memorable tomb in Egypt. Therefore he exacts an oath from him, so that, feeling himself bound by it, he might altogether abandon his purpose and bury him modestly in the ancestral tomb of the fathers in Chanaan. Here see and imitate the modesty of Jacob and his love of simplicity. Turned toward the head of the bed. Thus also Aquila and Symmachus translate it. Moreover, Jacob turned himself toward the head of the bed toward Joseph, because that was toward the East, toward which those adoring are accustomed to turn, and for which reason altars are built toward the East; or, as Lyran wishes, because this head of the bed was toward the promised land, toward which those adoring turned themselves, when they were outside it, as is evident from Daniel VI, 10; III Kings VIII, 44. Thus also Ribera in chapter XI to the Hebrews, Abulensis and others here. You will say: How then do the Septuagint and from them St. Paul translate: Jacob adored the top of his staff, namely the scepter of Joseph? I answer: It came about from this, that the Hebrew word mittah, if you read mitta, signifies a bed; but if you read it with other points matte, then it signifies a staff: in either way it can be read here, and both this reading and version is canonical. Therefore Jacob did both, namely, having obtained what he vowed and rejoicing on account of the promise given to him by Joseph, that he would bury him in Chanaan with his fathers, he gave thanks to him, and "adored," that is, by bowing himself exhibited reverence, and venerated the scepter, that is the royal power, of Joseph, given to him by Pharaoh, or rather by God. Secondly and more genuinely, Jacob, giving thanks to God, adored and praised him, because he had given to Joseph this power and also this mind of burying him in Chanaan; whence he turned himself toward the head of the bed, either because this head was toward the East, or because it looked toward the land of Chanaan, as I said. I have dealt with this matter at greater length in Hebrews XI, 21. See here fulfilled the dream of Joseph, chapter XXXVII, verse 9, that his father and mother would adore him. You will say: Rachel his mother had long been dead, namely before Joseph was sold by his brothers, as is evident from chapter XXXV, verse 19. Therefore she could not adore him. St. Chrysostom answers that a wife is reckoned with her husband as one person civilly, according to that of Genesis II: "They shall be two in one flesh." Therefore the husband adoring, the wife is also reckoned to adore the son. "For if the father did this," he says, "much more would she have done this, had she not been taken from this life." Add that Rachel substituted Bilhah in her place, who adored Joseph, as I said in chapter XXXVII, verse 9.
Machine translation from the Latin, not reviewed.
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v. 10 « Et benedicto rege egressus est foras ».
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v. 11 « Joseph vero patri et fratribus suis dedit possessionem in Aegypto, in optimo terrae loco Ramesses, ut praeceperat Pharao ». Nomen pago ab urbe homonyma Ex. 1,11; erat idem pars regionis Gessen.
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v. 19 « Et alebat eos omnemque domum patris sui, praebens cibaria singulis ».
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v. 13 « In toto enim orbe panis deerat , et oppresserat fames terram [maxime] Aegypti et Chanaan ». Hebr. : exhausta erat ob famem. Illico v. 1^ repetitur erra Aegypti et terra Chanaan, ut reapse utraque regio videatur fuisse intime unita, quod congruit aevo Pastorum.
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v. 14 « E quibus omnem pecuniam congregavit pro venditione frumenti , et intulit eam in aerarium regis ».
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v. 15 « Cumque defecisset |emptoribus] pretium , venit cuncta Aegyptus ad Ioseph dicens : Da nobis panes. Quare morimur coram te », « vidente te, qui potes remedium adhibere » (Tost.), « deficiente pecunta? »
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v. 16 « Quibus ille respondit : Adducite pecora vestra, et dabo vobis pro eis cibos, si prettum non habetis ». « Licet omnia sua pecora quis daret, multum tamen frumentum non recipiebat, quia pecora modicum utilia tunc erant, panis autem summe necessarius. Et patet, quia cibus datus pro pecoribus non duravit ultra unum annum » (Tost.).
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v. 41 « Quae cum adduzissent, dedit eis alimenta pro equis et ovibus et bobus et asinis ». Ergo non reges tantum, sed privati plurimi equos tum possidebant. « Swustentavitque eos illo anno pro commutatione pecorum »
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v. 18 « Venerunt quoque anno secundo » , — intelligitur annus immediate sequens post vendita pecora. Heór. : et defecit annus ille, et venerunt ad eum anno secundo — « et dixerunt ei : Non celabimus dominum nostrum , quod deficiente pecunia pecora simul defecerunt ; nec clam te est, quod absque corporibus et terra nihil habeamus ».
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v. 19 « Cur ergo moriemur te vidente, et nos et terra nostra? » Terra moritur inculta. « [Tu erimus] : eme nos in servitutem regiam ». Hebr. : Eme nos et terram nostram pro pane; et vivemus, et non moriemur, et terra non erit inculta. « Et praebe semina, ne pereunte cultore redigatur terra in solitudinem ». Haec liberius sunt versa. Terra quotannis colebatur, agri aliqui Nilo adiacentes aut speciali arte irrigati aliquos fructus ferebant (Calm.); populi ob Iosephi de septem annorum sterilitate oraculum non abdicabant agrorum culturam.
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v. 20 « Emit igitur loseph omnem terram Aegypti, vendentibus singulis possessiones suas prae magnitudine famis ». In Novo Regno reapse regio tota à Pharaonibus possidebatur, quibus quinta quotannis reddituum pars erat pendenda (Erman p. 152 sq.). Ante in singulis pagis erat familia aliqua, quae principatum haereditate obtinebat. Horum principum plures regibus Pastoribus inviti obsequebantur, imprimis in superiore Aegypto, donec principes Thebarum Pastores expulere. Ioseph Pharaonis Pastoris potestatem firmare studebat, translata in ipsum universae terrae possessione, Neque tamen eo Aegyptios, ut Pastorum principatum lubentes paterentur, induxit. Libertatis amantes seditiones movere perrexerunt, donec iugum penitus excussum est. « Subiecitque eam Pharaoni »,
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v. 91 « et cunctos populos eius a novissimis terminis Aegypti usque ad. extremos fines eius ». Hebr. Chald. Syr. pvwb nx wvayn traduxit ei in urbes, cuius unicus sensus esse potest, eum populum pagorum traduxisse in civitates : at contradicit v. 23, ubi semina dantur plebi ad eosdem, atque antea agros colendos. Praeferenda lectio Sam. LXX Vulg. av1335 nx mayn subiecit ei in servos.
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v. 92 « Praeter terram sacerdotum , quae a rege tradita fuerat eis ; quibus et statuta cibaria ex horreis publicis praebebantur, et idcirco non [sunt compulsi] vendere possessiones suas ». Hebr. non dicit, terras sacerdotes a rege accepisse, licet id magna ex parte ita fuisse monumentis doceamur : Solum terram sacerdotum non acquisivit, statuta (cibaria) sacerdotibus a, rege erant, et manducabant statuta, quae dabat illis rex : propterea non vendiderunt terram suam. Nulla sacerdotibus fuit necessitas vendendae terrae pro cibariis, quia e statutis cibaria pendebantur a rege. Cf. apud Erman p. 505 sqq. elenchum innumerorum donorum, quae triginta et uno sui regni annis Ramses III templis pendit. Celebrant Ca:., Per. aliique Pharaonis integritatem, qui etiam in rebus tam angustis consueta sacerdotibus cibaria pendit: at praepotens erat sacerdotum ordo, quibus offensis omnium a se Aegyptiorum animos alienasset Pharao.
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v. 93 « Dixit ergo loseph ad populos : En, ut cernitis, et vos et terram vestram Pharao possidet : accipite semina, et serite agros »,
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v. 9& « ut fruges habere possitis ». Ex eo, quod nunc Ioseph praeter cibaria ad vitam necessaria frumentum largitus est ad serendum , merito infert Tos:., hune annum fuisse ultimum sterilatis. Ergo, licet prioribus annis vix ullae fuerint segetes, at neque multa sementis pessumdata est, cum Ioseph futurorum praescius non ad sementem frumentum concesserit. « Quintam partem regi dabitis », quod in regione fertilissima non erat ita grave (Tost.). « Quatuor reliquas permitto vobis £n sementem, et in cibum » vestrum et « familüis et liberis vestris ». Illud de J/iberis ignorat LXX - constructio aut primitus fuit planior, aut nonnihil asperior e calamo scriptoris fluxit; scriptorum quippe etiam hebraeorum, imo inspiratorum stilus non est semper omnibus numeris absolutus.
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v. 95 « Qui responderunt : Salus nostra in manu tua est ». Non : « per te salvi futuri sumus (Menoch.); sed vitam nostram servasti (Hebr.), ergo conditionem tuam acceptare debemus. « Respiciat nos tantum dominus noster, et |laeti| serviemus regi ». Hebr. : Inveniamus gratiam n oculis etc. Quae gratia aut universim intelligi potest favor et indulgentia, aut ad sequentia trahi potest : « Reputabimus hoc pro magno beneficio, si Pharao receperit nos in servitium » (Vat.).
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v. 26 « [Ex eo tempore] usque in praesentem diem in universa terra Aegypti regibus quinta pars solvitur, et factum est quasi in. legem , absque terra, sacerdotali, quae libera ab hac conditione fuit ». « Quae regibus dantur, perpetuo manent », suggerit Mar. — Hebr. : lllud igitur loseph sanxit statutum, quod perdurat usque in. praesentem diem, quoad terram Aegypti, ut. penderet Pharaoni quintam partem; sola terra sacerdotum non est facta Pharaonis propria. Diu post narrata Diodor. 1,73 sq. prodidit, terram Aegypti omnem possideri a rege, sacerdotibus et militibus. At proprii nominis exercitus nonnisi in Novo Regno collectus est, Pharaonibus longinquas suscipientibus expeditiones. Mercenariis paulatim terrae concedi consuevere. Noster auctor dicens, usque ad sua tempora totam Aegyptum aut regis fuisse aut sacerdotum, ostendit se eo tempore scripsisse, quo terrae militibus aut nondum, aut certe nonnisi raro tribuebantur.
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v. 977 « Habitavit ergo Israel in. Aegypto, 1. e. én terra Gessen , et possedit eam , auctusque est et multiplicatus nimis ».
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v. 28 « Et vixit 1n ea. » lacob « decem et septem annis; factique sunt omnes dies vitae illius centum quadraginta septem annorum ».
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v. 29 « Cumque appropinquare [cerneret| diem mortis suae , vocavit filium suum Ioseph et dixit ad eum : S1 inveni gratiam in conspectu tuo » , « situ diligis me » (Tost.), « pone manum tuam sub femore meo » (cf. 24,2), « et facies mihi misericordiam et veritatem , ut non sepelias me in Aegypto »;
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v. 90 « sed dormiam cum patribus meis, et auferas me de terra hac, condasque ?n sepulcro maiorum meorum. Cui respondit Ioseph : Ego faciam , quod tussisti ».
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v. &4 « Et lle : Iura ergo, inquit, mihi. Quo ?urante adoravit Israel |Deum , conversus] ad lectuli caput ». LXX Syr. pro 52 punctavere i25, ad summitatem sceptri loseph, et Chrys. censet, ita prophetiam 37,9 impletam esse : at haec satis impleta est, quando 46,99 pater filium obvium habuit. Sensum sententiae indubie pandit 3 Reg. 1,47, ubi David senex, audito Salomonem agnitum esse regem, « adoravit in lectulo suo », 32v121 by. « Senex in lectulo iacens super caput lectuli se inclinavit » (Ca?.). « Iacob pro singulari bono duxit, sibi promissum fuisse a Ioseph, quod petierat de sepultura. Nam ad gratias Deo agendas, quo potest conatu, debile corpus incitat, tamquam potitus re maxime optabili; dicitur enim adorasse ad caput lectuli, qui, cum plane assurgere non posset e lecto, in quo iacebat, se tamen in formam precantis prono vultu componit » (Vat.). 10. Iacobi ?n loseph specialis amor Gen. 48. Arg. — Ad Iacob senio fatiscentem accedit cum filiis Ioseph. Quos ob Rachelis potissimum amorem in suorum filiorum numerum adoptat Iacob, promissionum aeque futuros haeredes. Quo simul Ioseph primogeniti inter fratres iura conceduntur. Postea lacob, filios Ioseph amplexus eisque manus in decussem imponens, benedictionem potiorem tribuit minori, secundam maiori. Tandem Iosepho, quem unum in terra promissa acquisierat agrum , prae fratribus dono dat. Cap. XLVIII v. A « His :ta transactis nuntiatum est Ioseph , quod aegrotaret pater suus ». Nescimus, quamdiu ante extremum diem 47, 29 Iacob Iosephum accersiverit, quando sc. ipse virium decrementum expertus est; aliquanto post 48,1 etiam reliqui advertere eum solito citius deficere viribus; non affirmatur alius praeter senium morbus. « Qui assumptis duobus filiis Manasse et Ephraim |tre perrexit] ». v. 9 « Dictumque est seni » .— Hebr. : lacob — : « Ecce filius tuus Ioseph venit ad. te. Qui confortatus » Israel « sedit tn lectulo ». « Significatur, eum resumptis prae gaudio aliquantulum viribus, cum ante totus iaceret, caputerexisse, ut sedenti propior esset quam iacenti » (Bon/r.). In mutatione nominum /acoó et Israel mysterium veluti deprehendit Del. : « aegrotat Iacob, reviviscit Israel ». Verum id nonne longius petitur? cf. p.
47:1
GESSEN. - A region of the Egyptian delta (Heb. Gōsen, Septuagint Γέσαι) in which the family of Jacob settled, having been invited to Egypt by Joseph (Gen. 45:10; 46:34; 47:1, 27). In the "land of G." the immigrants devoted themselves to pastoralism, growing in number and expanding into the adjacent regions.
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born 1200 years before the foundation of the Temple, fixed at 968 B.C., that is, in 2168 B.C. (cf. Gen. 21, 5; 25, 26; 47, 9; Ex. 12, 40; I Kings 6, 1). The setting of the biblical narrative about A. finds correspondence and confirmation in the information we have about the contemporary Mesopotamian East.
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… This is proved by the comparisons used by the Fathers (with a bird in flight, a ship, the letters T and Φ) and above all by the types of the Old Testament applied by the Fathers: Gen. 47, 14-19, Jacob blesses Ephraim and Manasseh with crossed arms; Ex. 17, 11, Moses prays with raised hands for the fighting people; Is. 65, 2, "I have spread out my hands." In Eph. 3, 18, the …
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VII. THE PERIOD OF THE PATRIARCHS. - It comprises (according to Gen. 21:5; 25:26; 47:28) 290 years; thus for the birth of Abraham one would arrive, in the three hypotheses, respectively at the years 2168, 1945, 2040. The only synchronism that would make a more accurate …
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · Vulgata Clementina · original Douay-Rheims (Douay 1609-10), transcription by EEBO-TCP (CC0) · La Sacra Bibbia, tradotta dalla Volgata da Antonio Martini (1769-1781) (LaParola (laparola.net), Martini OSIS text, Public domain (LaParola's electronic edition marks it 'Dominio pubblico')). Public domain.