Genesis 44:1-45:15

     Then he commanded the steward of his house, "Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man's money in the top of his sack. Put my cup, the silver cup, in the top of the sack of the youngest, with his money for the grain."¹ And he did as Joseph told him.
     As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away with their donkeys. When they had gone only a short distance from the city, Joseph said to his steward, "Go, follow after the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, 'Why have you returned evil for good? Why have you stolen my silver cup?² Is it not from this that my lord drinks? Does he not indeed use it for divination³? You have done wrong in doing this.'"
     When he overtook them, he repeated these words to them. They said to him, "Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants that they should do such a thing! Look, the money that we found at the top of our sacks, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan; why then would we steal silver or gold from your lord's house? Should it be found with any one of your servants, let him die; moreover the rest of us will become my lord's slaves."⁴
     He said, "Even so; in accordance with your words, let it be: he with whom it is found shall become my slave, but the rest of you shall go free." Then each one quickly lowered his sack to the ground, and each opened his sack. He searched, beginning with the eldest and ending with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. At this they tore their clothes.⁵ Then each one loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city.
     Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house while he was still there; and they fell to the ground before him. Joseph said to them, "What deed is this that you have done? Do you not know that one such as I can practice divination?"⁶
     And Judah said, "What can we say to my lord? What can we speak? How can we clear ourselves? God has found out the guilt of your servants; here we are then, my lord's slaves, both we and also the one in whose possession the cup has been found."⁷
     But he said, "Far be it from me that I should do so! Only the one in whose possession the cup was found shall be my slave; but as for you, go up in peace to your father."
     Then Judah⁸ stepped up to him and said, "O my lord, let your servant please speak a word in my lord's ears, and do not be angry with your servant; for you are like Pharaoh himself. My lord asked his servants, saying, 'Have you a father or a brother?' And we said to my lord, 'We have a father, an old man, and a young brother, the child of his old age. His brother is dead; he alone is left of his mother's children, and his father loves him.' Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me, so that I may set my eyes on him.' We said to my lord, 'The boy cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.' Then you said to your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more.' When we went back to your servant my father we told him the words of my lord. And when our father said, 'Go again, buy us a little food,' we said, 'We cannot go down. Only if our youngest brother goes with us, will we go down; for we cannot see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.' Then your servant my father said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons; one left me, and I said, Surely he has been torn to pieces; and I have never seen him since. If you take this one also from me, and harm comes to him, you will bring down my gray hairs in sorrow to Sheol.' Now therefore, when I come to your servant my father and the boy is not with us, then, as his life is bound up in the boy's life, when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die; and your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol. For your servant became surety for the boy to my father, saying, 'If I do not bring him back to you, then I will bear the blame in the sight of my father all my life.'⁹ Now therefore, please let your servant remain as a slave to my lord in place of the boy;¹⁰ and let the boy go back with his brothers. For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I fear to see the suffering¹¹ that would come upon my father."
     Then Joseph could no longer control himself¹² before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, "Send everyone away from me." So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly¹³ that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?"¹⁴ But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.
     Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come closer to me." And they came closer. He said, "I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.¹⁵ And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.¹⁶ For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.¹⁷ So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, 'Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children's children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. I will provide for you there--since there are five more years of famine to come--so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.'¹⁸ And now your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my own mouth that speaks to you. You must tell my father how greatly I am honored in Egypt, and all that you have seen.¹⁹ Hurry and bring my father down here."
     Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck and wept,²⁰ while Benjamin wept upon his neck. And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.²¹

^[1] Why continue the charade, the deception?
^[2] Why put them through more agony?
^[3] Divination? Odd choice.
^[4] Another example of why making extreme oaths is a horrible idea.
^[5] More agony.
^[6] Why does he say this?
^[7] Accepts guilt despite innocence.
^[8] Judah is the hero in this account, rather than Reuben - the second time that switch has been made.
^[9] Cares for his father.
^[10] Keeps to his promise.
^[11] Compassion.
^[12] Incredible emotion.
^[13] Even more emotion.
^[14] Doesn't he already know this? Does he think they might have been lying? Or is this a mixing of accounts?
^[15] Finally honesty.
^[16] Suddenly takes away their blame.
^[17] Attributes their salvation to God.
^[18] Then why punish them so much?
^[19] Couldn't that have been done a long time ago?
^[20] More emotion.
^[21] Very personal ending.


Take-home: Joseph leads his brothers through a very trying test, with much emotion on both sides. Judah steps up and takes enormous responsibility on himself, and Joseph breaks down and forgives everything. My Study Bible states that Joseph had to test the brothers to make sure they were worthy of being let off the hook (and that Judah's actions proved them), but also mentions that a combining of Yahwist/Elowist accounts have partially led to the sudden change of mood. I may see the Yahwist/Elowist thing, but to me it seems a serious attempt to pry Benjamin away rather than a conscious test. But why was Joseph so harsh - did he still blame and hate the brothers at some level that drove his deceptive actions towards them?

Genesis 43:15-43:34

     Then they went on their way down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph. When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, "Bring the men into the house, and slaughter an animal and make ready, for the men are to dine with me at noon." The man did as Joseph said, and brought the men to Joseph's house.
     Now the men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph's house, and they said, "It is because of the money, replaced in our sacks the first time, that we have been brought in, so that he may have an opportunity to fall upon us, to make slaves of us and take our donkeys."¹ So they went up to the steward of Joseph's house and spoke with him at the entrance to the house. They said, "Oh, my lord, we came down the first time to buy food; and when we came to the lodging place we opened our sacks, and there was each one's money in the top of his sack, our money in full weight. So we have brought it back with us. Moreover we have brought down with us additional money to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks."
     He replied, "Rest assured, do not be afraid; your God and the God of your father must have put treasure in your sacks for you; I received your money."² Then he brought Simeon³ out to them.
     When the steward had brought the men into Joseph's house, and given them water, and they had washed their feet, and when he had given their donkeys fodder,⁴ they made the present ready for Joseph's coming at noon, for they had heard that they would dine there. When Joseph came home, they brought him the present that they had carried into the house, and bowed to the ground before him. He inquired about their welfare, and said, "Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?"⁵
     They said, "Your servant our father is well; he is still alive." And they bowed their heads and did obeisance.
     Then he looked up and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, "Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me? God be gracious to you, my son!" With that, Joseph hurried out, because he was overcome with affection for his brother, and he was about to weep. So he went into a private room and wept there.⁶ Then he washed his face and came out; and controlling himself he said, "Serve the meal."⁷
     They served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians.⁸ When they were seated before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth, the men looked at one another in amazement. Portions were taken to them from Joseph's table, but Benjamin's portion was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.⁹

^[1] They still imagine the worst.
^[2] He both comforts them and attributes their good fortune to God.
^[3] Simeon is finally restored to them. But has Joseph kept Simeon in the dark (figuratively and literally) this whole time?
^[4] Serves them in every way.
^[5] He cares for his father.
^[6] He cares deeply for his brother. So personal!
^[7] Why does he maintain the deception?
^[8] Interesting - the Egyptians have cultural distinctives too.
^[9] They are being blessed...but they still don't know the truth.


Take-home: Joseph's plan continues, and he blesses his brothers upon their return. His emotion at being reunited with his younger brother is touching. But why does he continue the deception?

Genesis 43:1-43:15

     Now the famine was severe in the land. And when they had eaten up the grain that they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, "Go again, buy us a little more food."
     But Judah said to him, "The man solemnly warned us, saying, 'You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.' If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food; but if you will not send him, we will not go down, for the man said to us, 'You shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.'"
     Israel said, "Why did you treat me so badly as to tell the man that you had another brother?"¹
     They replied, "The man questioned us carefully about ourselves and our kindred, saying, 'Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?'² What we told him was in answer to these questions. Could we in any way know that he would say, 'Bring your brother down'?"
     Then Judah said to his father Israel, "Send the boy with me, and let us be on our way, so that we may live and not die--you and we and also our little ones. I myself will be surety for him; you can hold me accountable for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever. If we had not delayed, we would now have returned twice."³
     Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be so, then do this: take some of the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry them down as a present to the man--a little balm and a little honey, gum, resin, pistachio nuts, and almonds. Take double the money with you. Carry back with you the money that was returned in the top of your sacks; perhaps it was an oversight.⁴ Take your brother also, and be on your way again to the man; may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man,⁵ so that he may send back your other brother and Benjamin. As for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved."
     So the men took the present, and they took double the money with them, as well as Benjamin.

^[1] Again, Israel seems to care more about himself and his favorite son than about his others sons. This story expresses so much personal emotion.
^[2] That's not how it was described in the earlier account.
^[3] This time Judah is taking the lead and offering to take the punishment if anything goes wrong, rather than Reuben.
^[4] At least now he is thinking strategically about how to get the best result.
^[5] Finally puts his trust in God.


Take-home: Israel continues to have a difficult time risking his favored son, but eventually yields to Judah. He finally mentions God and asks for his mercy in getting his children back.

Genesis 42:27-42:38

     When one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place, he saw his money at the top of the sack. He said to his brothers, "My money has been put back; here it is in my sack!" At this they lost heart and turned trembling to one another, saying, "What is this that God has done to us?"¹
     When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying, "The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly to us, and charged us with spying on the land. But we said to him, 'We are honest men, we are not spies. We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.' Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, 'By this I shall know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, take grain for the famine of your households, and go your way. Bring your youngest brother to me, and I shall know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will release your brother to you, and you may trade in the land.'"
     As they were emptying their sacks, there in each one's sack was his bag of money. When they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were dismayed.² And their father Jacob said to them, "I am the one you have bereaved of children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and now you would take Benjamin. All this has happened to me!"³
     Then Reuben said to his father, "You may kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you."⁴
     But he said, "My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he alone⁵ is left. If harm should come to him on the journey that you are to make, you would bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol."

^[1] They assume the worst possibilities before assuming the better.
^[2] Again, instead of assuming that something good was meant by this return of the money, they think the worst.
^[3] "to me!" Thinks of himself, not just the children. In reality, the one who manipulated his brother, deceived his father, and deceived his uncle is now himself being deceived by his own son.
^[4] Once again, as the oldest brother he takes responsibility for his younger brothers and puts his own family at stake for their well-being.
^[5] Jacob values Rachel's children more than the others.


Take-home: The brothers and father are all in great fear after their difficult trip to Egypt. Though they themselves have been the plotters of deception, they do not recognize that they are now the ones being deceived.

Genesis 42:1-42:26

     When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, "Why do you keep looking at one another? I have heard," he said, "that there is grain in Egypt; go down and buy grain for us there, that we may live and not die." So ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt.¹ But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he feared that harm might come to him. Thus the sons of Israel were among the other people who came to buy grain, for the famine had reached the land of Canaan.
     Now Joseph was governor over the land; it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground.² When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke harshly to them.³ "Where do you come from?" he said.
     They said, "From the land of Canaan, to buy food." Although Joseph had recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him.
     Joseph also remembered the dreams that he had dreamed about them. He said to them, "You are spies; you have come to see the nakedness of the land!"⁴
     They said to him, "No, my lord; your servants have come to buy food. We are all sons of one man; we are honest⁵ men; your servants have never been spies."
     But he said to them, "No, you have come to see the nakedness of the land!"
     They said, "We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of a certain man in the land of Canaan; the youngest, however, is now with our father, and one is no more."
     But Joseph said to them, "It is just as I have said to you; you are spies! Here is how you shall be tested: as Pharaoh lives, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother⁶ comes here! Let one of you go and bring your brother, while the rest of you remain in prison, in order that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you; or else, as Pharaoh lives, surely you are spies." And he put them all together in prison for three days.⁷
     On the third day Joseph said to them, "Do this and you will live, for I fear God:⁸ if you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here where you are imprisoned. The rest of you shall go and carry grain⁹ for the famine of your households, and bring your youngest brother to me. Thus your words will be verified, and you shall not die." And they agreed to do so.
     They said to one another, "Alas, we are paying the penalty for what we did to our brother;¹⁰ we saw his anguish¹¹ when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this anguish has come upon us."¹²
      Then Reuben answered them, "Did I not tell you not to wrong the boy? But you would not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood."¹³ They did not know that Joseph understood them, since he spoke with them through an interpreter. He turned away from them and wept;¹⁴ then he returned and spoke to them. And he picked out Simeon and had him bound before their eyes. Joseph then gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to return every man's money to his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. This was done for them.¹⁵ They loaded their donkeys with their grain, and departed.

^[1] Through the providence of God, the brothers are being brought back together.
^[2] As had been prophesied.
^[3] Why? Is this payback for what they did to him, or is there a deeper purpose here?
^[4] What is he getting at? Until now his actions have been amazingly commendable. Was is with the harsh, deceptive posture here?
^[5] That can't be pleasing to Joseph's ears.
^[6] Has the whole purpose been to get them to bring Benjamin to him? But if that were true, couldn't he have done it a different way?
^[7] On one hand, this seems very harsh. On the other hand, it is so little compared to what he has suffered. Does he mean this time as a penalty for what they had done?
^[8] This is true.
^[9] He doesn't want to impede them any further.
^[10] There is no clear reason to connect the events to their brother yet. Thus, the fact that they bring him up shows that it is still a major event in their thoughts.
^[11] They have compassion and empathy, even if they didn't act on it at the time.
^[12] They see God as one who punishes those who sin.
^[13] Reuben does not hesitate to remind the others of his attempts to save Joseph.
^[14] Meaning that he has compassion and accepts their remorse.
^[15] In a way, implying that he forgives them, although it would not yet be possible for them to understand that.


Take-home: The events of the last 10+ years all come together to finally bring about the reunification of the brothers and the fulfillment of God's prophecies to Joseph. Joseph hides his identity from his brothers and treats them with scorn, but inside he is moved by their regret for their actions against him.

Genesis 41:46-41:57

     Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went through all the land of Egypt. During the seven plenteous years the earth produced abundantly. He gathered up all the food of the seven years when there was plenty in the land of Egypt, and stored up food in the cities; he stored up in every city the food from the fields around it. So Joseph stored up grain in such abundance--like the sand of the sea--that he stopped measuring it; it was beyond measure.¹
     Before the years of famine came, Joseph had two sons, whom Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, bore to him. Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, "For," he said, "God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father's house." The second he named Ephraim, "For God has made me fruitful in the land of my misfortunes."²
     The seven years of plenty that prevailed in the land of Egypt came to an end; and the seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in every country, but throughout the land of Egypt there was bread. When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph; what he says to you, do."³ And since the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. Moreover, all the world came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine became severe throughout the world.⁴

^[1] Both God and Pharaoh are keeping to their promises.
^[2] The pain of the difficult years is being washed away.
^[3] Again, both what God had said would come to pass and what Pharaoh had promised he would allow Joseph to do about it are both happening.
^[4] Potentially demonstrating Joseph's blessedness not only to the people of Egypt, but to the whole world.


Take-home: God is trustworthy - what he had foretold through dreams and interpreted through Joseph had come to pass. Pharaoh, here, is trustworthy too - he keeps his word to Joseph over the course of many years. Though Joseph had been kept in wait so long to be justified, his life is now so fruitful that he is forgetting the difficulties before.

Genesis 41:1-41:45

     After two whole years,¹ Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile, and there came up out of the Nile seven sleek and fat cows, and they grazed in the reed grass. Then seven other cows, ugly and thin, came up out of the Nile after them, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile. The ugly and thin cows ate up the seven sleek and fat cows. And Pharaoh awoke. Then he fell asleep and dreamed a second time; seven ears of grain, plump and good, were growing on one stalk. Then seven ears, thin and blighted by the east wind, sprouted after them. The thin ears swallowed up the seven plump and full ears. Pharaoh awoke, and it was a dream.
     In the morning his spirit was troubled; so he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them² to Pharaoh. Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, "I remember my faults today.³ Once Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me and the chief baker in custody in the house of the captain of the guard. We dreamed on the same night, he and I, each having a dream with its own meaning. A young Hebrew⁴ was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. When we told him, he interpreted our dreams to us, giving an interpretation to each according to his dream. As he interpreted to us, so it turned out; I was restored to my office, and the baker was hanged."
     Then Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was hurriedly brought out of the dungeon.⁵ When he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it."
     Joseph answered Pharaoh, "It is not I; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer."⁶
     Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "In my dream I was standing on the banks of the Nile; and seven cows, fat and sleek, came up out of the Nile and fed in the reed grass. Then seven other cows came up after them, poor, very ugly, and thin. Never had I seen such ugly ones in all the land of Egypt. The thin and ugly cows ate up the first seven fat cows, but when they had eaten them no one would have known that they had done so, for they were still as ugly as before. Then I awoke. I fell asleep a second time and I saw in my dream seven ears of grain, full and good, growing on one stalk, and seven ears, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprouting after them; and the thin ears swallowed up the seven good ears. But when I told it to the magicians, there was no one who could explain it to me."
     Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "Pharaoh's dreams are one and the same; God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.⁷ The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one. The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, as are the seven empty ears blighted by the east wind. They are seven years of famine. It is as I told Pharaoh; God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do. There will come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt. After them there will arise seven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; the famine will consume the land. The plenty will no longer be known in the land because of the famine that will follow, for it will be very grievous. And the doubling of Pharaoh's dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about. Now therefore let Pharaoh select a man who is discerning and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land, and take one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven plenteous years. Let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming, and lay up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. That food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to befall the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine."⁸
     The proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants.  Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find anyone else like this--one in whom is the spirit of God?"⁹ So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has shown you all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command; only with regard to the throne will I be greater than you." And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt." Removing his signet ring from his hand, Pharaoh put it on Joseph's hand; he arrayed him in garments of fine linen, and put a gold chain around his neck.¹⁰ He had him ride in the chariot of his second-in-command; and they cried out in front of him, "Bow the knee!" Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt. Moreover Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt." Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, as his wife.¹¹ Thus Joseph gained authority over the land of Egypt.

^[1] Joseph must be patient in suffering for so long!
^[2] Interesting - either they were honest about their inability to interpret, or their attempts were so poor that their failure was obvious.
^[3] Better late than never!
^[4] What significance does the word "Hebrew" have at this time? Is it merely the time clan of Jacob, and perhaps Esau too?
^[5] The trust that Pharaoh has in this story is remarkable. He rushes to do the right thing, and believes everything both the cupholder and Joseph have to say.
^[6] Once again Joseph preemptively gives all the glory to God.
^[7] Joseph has complete confidence in the interpretation he has received.
^[8] Unlike the cupholder/baker dreams, God has given Pharaoh a dream that he can act upon concretely. It is fascinating to see Joseph immediately tell Pharaoh what he should do - is that more of God's interpretation, or just Joseph's wise discernment? Either way it is bold.
^[9] Once again, God's presence in Joseph is visible to others.
^[10] What an incredible turn in fortunes.
^[11] Joseph marries a foreign woman, daughter of a pagan priest.


Take-home: Joseph's unjust suffering continues for much longer, but God's presence is still with him, and God proves that he has a plan. Joseph's boldness in interpreting the dream and telling Pharaoh what to do is as remarkable as his patience in waiting while nothing could be done. God acted to justify Joseph - he didn't need to do anything himself but respond.

Genesis 40:1-40:23

     Some time after this, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker offended their lord the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison where Joseph was confined.¹ The captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he waited on them; and they continued for some time in custody.
     One night they both dreamed--the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison--each his own dream, and each dream with its own meaning. When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were troubled. So he asked Pharaoh's officers, who were with him in custody in his master's house, "Why are your faces downcast today?"²
     They said to him, "We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them."³
     And Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God?⁴ Please tell them to me."
     So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, "In my dream there was a vine before me, and on the vine there were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms came out and the clusters ripened into grapes. Pharaoh's cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand."
     Then Joseph said to him, "This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days; within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office; and you shall place Pharaoh's cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer.⁵ But remember me when it is well with you; please do me the kindness to make mention of me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this place. 15 For in fact I was stolen out of the land of the Hebrews; and here also I have done nothing that they should have put me into the dungeon."⁶
     When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, "I also had a dream: there were three cake baskets on my head, and in the uppermost basket there were all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating it out of the basket on my head."
     And Joseph answered, "This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days; within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head--from you!⁷ --and hang you on a pole; and the birds will eat the flesh from you."
     On the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, he made a feast for all his servants, and lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. He restored the chief cupbearer to his cupbearing, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand; but the chief baker he hanged, just as Joseph had interpreted to them. Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.⁸

^[1] I just noticed that this is the first account in Genesis that involves a truly urban context. Things like a "prison" wouldn't exist in the rural, agriculture/grazing settings that the first 38 chapters of the book took place in.
^[2] His concern for them is what brings about the opening in their relationship.
^[3] Interpretation of dreams apparently holds a respected place in their culture.
^[4] Preemptively directs the glory to God even before doing anything.
^[5] The dream isn't especially significant, but its fulfillment will be an opportunity for Joseph.
^[6] Publicly asserts his innocence for the first time that is recorded.
^[7] Dark comedy.
^[8] Sometimes you just have to wait...


Take-home: God continues to be with Joseph, and Joseph continues to be faithful to him. While God creates the opportunity for Joseph to be released from prison, it doesn't come right away, and Joseph must continue to be patient in trial.

Genesis 39:1-39:23

     Now Joseph was taken down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there.¹ The LORD was with Joseph,² and he became a successful man; he was in the house of his Egyptian master. His master saw that the LORD was with him,³ and that the LORD caused all that he did to prosper in his hands. So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him; he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had, in house and field. So he left all that he had in Joseph's charge; and, with him there, he had no concern for anything but the food that he ate.
     Now Joseph was handsome and good-looking. And after a time his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, "Lie with me."⁴
     But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Look, with me here, my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my hand. He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except yourself, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?"⁵ And although she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not consent to lie beside her or to be with her.⁶
     One day, however, when he went into the house to do his work, and while no one else was in the house, she caught hold of his garment, saying, "Lie with me!" But he left his garment in her hand, and fled⁷ and ran outside.⁸ When she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled outside, she called out to the members of her household and said to them, "See, my husband has brought among us a Hebrew⁹ to insult us! He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice;¹⁰ and when he heard me raise my voice and cry out, he left his garment beside me, and fled outside." Then she kept his garment¹¹ by her until his master came home, and she told him the same story, saying, "The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to insult me; but as soon as I raised my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me, and fled outside."¹²
     When his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, saying, "This is the way your servant treated me," he became enraged.¹³ And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined; he remained there in prison.¹⁴ But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love; he gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer.¹⁵ The chief jailer committed to Joseph's care all the prisoners who were in the prison, and whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. The chief jailer paid no heed to anything that was in Joseph's care, because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper.

^[1] In the hands of Ishmaelites, then Egyptians - both traditional enemies of Israel. Earlier it had said in some places that the Midianites were the ones he had been sold to.
^[2] As the Lord had been with his father Israel, and his father Isaac, and his father Abraham.
^[3] The presence of the Lord with him is visible to others, in his actions and their outcomes.
^[4] The kind of direct command made by someone used to power.
^[5] He attaches his refusal both to his responsibilities to his master and to his responsibilities to God. He uses his refusal as an opportunity to explain his convictions to her. It also puts the decision out of his own hands - it is a choice he cannot even think about making.
^[6] Despite hearing his convictions, she continues to tempt him. And he tells no one else - either to protect his master, or to protect her, or because he knows that he would not be believed.
^[7] Falling into sin worries him more than being caught and accused.
^[8] Flees! It's cliche-ish to note that he "flees temptation", but the image is still striking here.
^[9] She plays the hatred of foreigners angle, as many still do.
^[10] Completely despicable behavior.
^[11] Striking to see the use of a garment as proof used as a deceiver here, as it had just been used by a victim in the previous story.
^[12] She lies to the same man that Joseph had gone out of his way to protect.
^[13] Not surprising, and it's hard to blame him here.
^[14] The price he pays for his obedience.
^[15] Though he was victimized by deception, he was blameless, and God grants him favor even in his trial.
^[16] As before, Joseph's favor before God is visibly seen by others.


Take-home: As with his ancestors before him, the Lord is with Joseph. Also like his ancestors and brother, Joseph is the victim of deception. But unlike them, Joseph does not practice deception himself, and in his honesty the Lord protects him, so that even through trials others can see God's favor with him. Joseph takes great lengths to practice righteous behavior even among the unrighteous.

Genesis 38:1-38:30

     It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and settled near a certain Adullamite whose name was Hirah. There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite¹ whose name was Shua; he married her and went in to her. She conceived and bore a son; and he named him Er. Again she conceived and bore a son whom she named Onan. Yet again she bore a son, and she named him Shelah. She was in Chezib when she bore him.
     Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn; her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD put him to death.² Then Judah said to Onan, "Go in to your brother's wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her; raise up offspring for your brother." But since Onan knew that the offspring would not be his³, he spilled his semen on the ground whenever he went in to his brother's wife, so that he would not give offspring to his brother.⁴ What he did was displeasing in the sight of the LORD, and he put him to death also.⁵ Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Remain a widow in your father's house⁶ until my son Shelah grows up"--for he feared that he too would die,⁷ like his brothers. So Tamar went to live in her father's house.
     In course of time the wife of Judah, Shua's daughter, died; when Judah's time of mourning was over, he went up to Timnah to his sheepshearers, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. When Tamar was told, "Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep," she put off her widow's garments, put on a veil, wrapped herself up, and sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah.⁸ She saw that Shelah was grown up, yet she had not been given to him in marriage.⁹
     When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a prostitute¹⁰, for she had covered her face. He went over to her at the road side, and said, "Come, let me come in to you,"¹¹ for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law.¹²
     She said, "What will you give me, that you may come in to me?"
     He answered, "I will send you a kid from the flock."
     And she said, "Only if you give me a pledge, until you send it."
     He said, "What pledge shall I give you?"
     She replied, "Your signet and your cord, and the staff that is in your hand."¹³
     So he gave them to her, and went in to her, and she conceived by him. Then she got up and went away, and taking off her veil she put on the garments of her widowhood.
     When Judah sent the kid by his friend the Adullamite, to recover the pledge from the woman, he could not find her. He asked the townspeople, "Where is the temple prostitute who was at Enaim by the wayside?"
     But they said, "No prostitute has been here."
     So he returned to Judah, and said, "I have not found her; moreover the townspeople said, 'No prostitute has been here.'"
     Judah replied, "Let her keep the things as her own, otherwise we will be laughed at; you see, I sent this kid, and you could not find her."
     About three months later Judah was told, "Your daughter-in-law Tamar has played the whore; moreover she is pregnant as a result of whoredom."¹⁴
     And Judah said, "Bring her out, and let her be burned."¹⁵
     As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, "It was the owner of these who made me pregnant." And she said, "Take note, please, whose these are, the signet and the cord and the staff."
     Then Judah acknowledged them and said, "She is more in the right than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah."¹⁶ And he did not lie with her again.
     When the time of her delivery came, there were twins in her womb. While she was in labor, one put out a hand; and the midwife took and bound on his hand a crimson thread, saying, "This one came out first." But just then he drew back his hand, and out came his brother; and she said, "What a breach you have made for yourself!"¹⁷ Therefore he was named Perez. Afterward his brother came out with the crimson thread on his hand; and he was named Zerah.

^[1] Doesn't marry from his own people.
^[2] God punishing someone directly for their sins.
^[3] Selfishness.
^[4] This is obviously about him refusing to fulfill his duty as a brother-in-law, and just as obviously not about masturbation or birth control.
^[5] Punished by death for this alone? Why not so many others for their sins then?
^[6] Sends her away, rather than fulfilling his duty to provide for her.
^[7] Claims one motive, but is being deceptive about his truth motives.
^[8] She's clearly entrapping him on purpose. As Judah deceived his father, now he is being deceived by his daughter-in-law.
^[9] Her motive is Judah's deceit towards her.
^[10] Prostitution is clearly commonplace at the time.
^[11] He seems to be a visitor of prostitutes - and Tamar seems to know this.
^[12] Is visiting a prostitute acceptable or condemnable for Judah?
^[13] She's planning ahead.
^[14] Derogatory terms for the women. In this society, are there any comparable terms for the man who engages in visiting prostitutes?
^[15] Extreme punishment for an action no worse than what he had done himself.
^[16] He acknowledges his error to some degree, but how much? Was visiting the prostitute wrong? Why is he not punished for anything - because of the system of patriarchal control?
^[17] What does all this mean? Perez will be the forefather of King David, but I'm not sure what the symbolism is here.


Take-home: There continues to be much conflict in the family of the patriarchs, especially marked by deceit. One woman married into the family uses the tools available to her to gain justice from the family members who are oppressing her, though her means are themselves deceitful and otherwise troublesome. Despite all this trouble, though, the part on the end reminds us that the future messiah will come even from such a family.

Genesis 37:12-37:37

     Now his brothers went to pasture their father's flock near Shechem. And Israel¹ said to Joseph, "Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them."²
     He answered, "Here I am."
     So he said to him, "Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock; and bring word back to me." So he sent him from the valley of Hebron.³
     He came to Shechem, and a man found him wandering in the fields; the man asked him, "What are you seeking?"
     "I am seeking my brothers," he said; "tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock."
     The man said, "They have gone away, for I heard them say, 'Let us go to Dothan.'"
     So Joseph went after his brothers, and found them at Dothan.
     They saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them, they conspired to kill him. They said to one another, "Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild animal has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams."⁴
     But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands, saying, "Let us not take his life."⁵ Reuben said to them, "Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him"--that he might rescue him out of their hand and restore him to his father.
     So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the long robe with sleeves that he wore;⁶ and they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.
     Then they sat down to eat; and looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels carrying gum, balm, and resin, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. Then Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?⁷ Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh."⁸ And his brothers agreed. When some Midianite traders passed by, they drew Joseph up, lifting him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver.⁹ And they took Joseph to Egypt.
     When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes. He returned to his brothers, and said, "The boy is gone; and I, where can I turn?"¹⁰
     Then they took Joseph's robe, slaughtered a goat, and dipped the robe in the blood. They had the long robe with sleeves taken to their father, and they said, "This we have found; see now whether it is your son's robe or not."¹¹
     He recognized it, and said, "It is my son's robe! A wild animal has devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces."
     Then Jacob tore his garments, and put sackcloth on his loins, and mourned for his son many days.¹² All his sons and all his daughters sought to comfort him;¹³ but he refused to be comforted, and said, "No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning." Thus his father bewailed him.
     Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard.

^[1] Now "Israel" is used instead of Jacob, though Jacob is used again later.
^[2] Sets Joseph up for more animosity from his brothers.
^[3] Shechem/Hebron are 50 miles apart. Are Jacob's flocks all over, or is this due to the use of multiple sources?
^[4] They sound more frightened at the potential outcomes of his dreams than they are upset at his arrogance. But I could be misinterpreting that. Do they believe the dream could really come true?
^[5] Reuben is the only non-murderous one?
^[6] A symbol of the father's favoritism.
^[7] This makes it appear that the plan of Judah and the others was still to kill Joseph, though Reuban wanted to save him.
^[8] Now Judah comes around...for profit or for mercy?
^[9] As Jesus is later sold.
^[10] Is he desperate for Joseph's sake, or afraid of what his father will do?
^[11] More deceit in the family! Jacob, who deceived his father, is now deceived by his own children.
^[12] Jacob's sons are willing to put them through great suffering. Perhaps to some degree they have come to hate him too, and not just Joseph?
^[13] Thought their words of comfort must have included more deceit.


Take-home: Sibling rivalry strikes again in Genesis (as with Cain/Abel, Jacob/Esau, and in an indirect way Ishmael/Isaac). And once again deceit rears its head in the family of the patriarchs, bringing great distress and separating a favored son from his father.

Genesis 37:1-37:11

     Jacob¹ settled in the land where his father had lived as an alien, the land of Canaan.
     This is the story of the family of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his brothers; he was a helper to the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he had made him a long robe with sleeves. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated² him, and could not speak peaceably to him.
     Once Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers,³ they hated him even more. He said to them, "Listen to this dream that I dreamed. There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright; then your sheaves gathered around it, and bowed down to my sheaf."
     His brothers said to him, "Are you indeed to reign over us? Are you indeed to have dominion over us?" So they hated him even more⁴ because of his dreams and his words.
     He had another dream, and told it to his brothers,⁵ saying, "Look, I have had another dream: the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me."
     But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him, and said to him, "What kind of dream is this that you have had? Shall we indeed come, I and your mother and your brothers, and bow to the ground before you?" So his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind⁶.

^[1] Still using "Jacob", rather than "Israel".
^[2] Both a stated and an implied reason are given for their hatred: that their father loved him more, and that he had brought a bad report of them to their father (which, combined together, certainly brought them rebuke).
^[3] How naive! Does he not know how such a dream would be taken? Why not keep his own counsel?
^[4] Not surprising.
^[5] Again?!?
^[6] Interesting...his favoritism in his son (or trust in dreams) leads him to take seriously a dream that might be painful to hear.


Take-home: Joesph's favoritism from his father, telling on of his brothers, and dreams about others bowing down to him all come together to make him a black sheep within the family. There is heavy foreboding, though, that his dreams might come true and that he shall somehow attain a position of great power in respect to his family in the future.

Genesis 36:1-36:43

     These are the descendants of Esau (that is, Edom).  Esau took his wives from the Canaanites: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, Oholibamah daughter of Anah son of Zibeon the Hivite, and Basemath, Ishmael's daughter, sister of Nebaioth.¹ Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau; Basemath bore Reuel; and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan.
     Then Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the members of his household, his cattle, all his livestock, and all the property he had acquired in the land of Canaan; and he moved to a land some distance from his brother Jacob. For their possessions were too great for them to live together; the land where they were staying could not support them because of their livestock.² So Esau settled in the hill country of Seir; Esau is Edom.
     These are the descendants of Esau, ancestor of the Edomites, in the hill country of Seir. These are the names of Esau's sons: Eliphaz son of Adah the wife of Esau; Reuel, the son of Esau's wife Basemath. The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. (Timna was a concubine of Eliphaz, Esau's son; she bore Amalek³ to Eliphaz.) These were the sons of Adah, Esau's wife. These were the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the sons of Esau's wife, Basemath. These were the sons of Esau's wife Oholibamah, daughter of Anah son of Zibeon: she bore to Esau Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
     These are the clans of the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau: the clans Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, Korah, Gatam, and Amalek; these are the clans of Eliphaz in the land of Edom; they are the sons of Adah. These are the sons of Esau's son Reuel: the clans Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah; these are the clans of Reuel in the land of Edom; they are the sons of Esau's wife Basemath. These are the sons of Esau's wife Oholibamah: the clans Jeush, Jalam, and Korah; these are the clans born of Esau's wife Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah. These are the sons of Esau (that is, Edom), and these are their clans.
     These are the sons of Seir the Horite,⁴ the inhabitants of the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan; these are the clans of the Horites, the sons of Seir in the land of Edom. The sons of Lotan were Hori and Heman; and Lotan's sister was Timna. These are the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. These are the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah; he is the Anah who found the springs in the wilderness, as he pastured the donkeys of his father Zibeon. These are the children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah daughter of Anah. These are the sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran. These are the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan. These are the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran. These are the clans of the Horites: the clans Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan; these are the clans of the Horites, clan by clan in the land of Seir.
     These are the kings⁵ who reigned in the land of Edom, before⁶ any king reigned over the Israelites. Bela son of Beor reigned in Edom, the name of his city being Dinhabah. Bela died, and Jobab son of Zerah of Bozrah succeeded him as king. Jobab died, and Husham of the land of the Temanites succeeded him as king. Husham died, and Hadad son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, succeeded him as king, the name of his city being Avith. Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah succeeded him as king. Samlah died, and Shaul of Rehoboth on the Euphrates succeeded him as king. Shaul died, and Baal-hanan son of Achbor succeeded him as king. Baal-hanan son of Achbor died, and Hadar succeeded him as king, the name of his city being Pau; his wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, daughter of Me-zahab.
     These are the names of the clans of Esau, according to their families and their localities by their names: the clans Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, Magdiel, and Iram; these are the clans of Edom (that is, Esau, the father of Edom), according to their settlements in the land that they held.

^[1] This is a different listing of wives than the one that occurs earlier in Genesis.
^[2] This isn't quite the same reason given for Jacob and Esau's separate living spaces as was earlier given, but it is somewhat compatible. In this case, great possessions has led to a distancing of family relationships. It could also be seen as a brag about the possessions, as in "they had so much that they couldn't even live near each other!"
^[3] The only name I recognize among the descendants is specified as the son of a concubine. This could be a purposeful tarring of a people who would later be known as enemies of the Israelites.
^[4] This addition is surprising and feels out-of-place. My Study Bible just states that it is an explanation of the origin of more of the peoples of the region, in addition to the ones descended from Esau.
^[5] Again feels a little out-of-place, but seems to just be filling out more of the history of the area, as long as the origins of peoples were already being listed.
^[6] Supporting the later assertion that the peoples around the Israelites had kings before the Israelites asked God for a king.


Take-home: As with the other genealogies in Genesis, the major function of this passage appears to be to describe the origins of the various clans that occupy the region around the Israelites.