CHAP. XXXVIL Jacob dwells in Canaan : Joſeph brings ts his father an ill report of his brethren, 2. He loves, they hate him, 3, 4. The more becauſe of his dreams which he tola them, 5. His firſt dream - 7. His brethren interpret it, and their hatred increaſes, 8. His ſecond dream, 9. Tells it his father, who rebukes him, but obſerves his ſaying, to, 11. He is ſent by his father to ſeek after his brethren, 13----17. They ſeeing him, conſpire his death, 18----20. Bit upon the interceſſion of Reuben, they frip and throw him into @ fit, 21----24. Some Iſhmaelites paſſmg by, by Judah's advice they ſell him to them, who carry him into Egypt, 2<---28. Reuben
is concerned fer him, 29, 30+ Their contrivance to deceive Jacob, 31, 32.
His grief for the loſs of Joſeph, 33-=-=--35, Joſeph ſold ro Potiphar an
officer in Egypt, 36.
N D Jacob dwelt in the land + wherein his father £ \ was a ſtranger, in the land of Canaan.
2 Theſe are the generations @ of Jacob: Joſeph being ſeventeen years old, was feeding the flock with hts brethren, and the lad was with the fons of Bilhah, and with the ſons of Zilpah 6b, his fathers wives: and Joſeph brought unto his father their evil report c.
2 ( i.e.) The events or occurrences which happened to Jacob in his Family and Hue, So that word is uſed, Gen: 6: 9: and Num: 3. 1. Or the word 7heſe, may relate to what is ſaid, Gen: 35: 22, &c. The Genealogy of E/au being brought in by way of Parentheſis, and that being finiſhed, Moſes xr turns to the Generations ef Jacob, as his principal buſineſs, and proceeds in the Hiſtory of their concerns. & Jacob places Foſeph with them rather than with the ſons of Lea 5, either to keep Joſeph humble; Or for oſeph's ſecurity, becaute the other ſons retained the old grudge of their Mother,and were more liketo envy,
-centemn, hate and abuſe him ; Or as an obſerver of their aftions, whom he moſt ſuſpeRed, as the following words may ſeem toimply. |, c Acquainted him with their lewd and wicked courſes, to the dif- honour of God and of their Family, thar ſo his Father might apply, ſuck remedies as he thought meet.
3 Now Ifrael loved Joſeph more than all his children, becauſe he was the fon of his old age d : and he made
him a coat of many Þ colours e. 4 Being born when Jacob was Ninety one yearsold: Such Children Judges
are commonly beſt beloved by their Parents, either becauſe ſuch are 5* 3%?
a ſingular blefling of God, and a more than common teſtimony of ? 237+
his favour, and a mercy leaſt expeCted by them, and therefore moſt 173: 18%
prized ; or becauſe they have more pleaſing converſation with them,
and leſs experience of their misbehaviour, of which the elder oft-
times are guilty, —_— they alienate their Parents affeQHions front
them. The ancient "Tranſlations, Chaldee, Perſian, Arabick, and
Samaritan, renderthe words thus, a wiſe or prudent ſon ; old age being
ofr mentioned as a token of prudence; one born old, one wiſe above
his years, one that had a grey head, as we ſay, upon green ſhoulders
This may ſeem the more probable, both becauſe Foſeph was indee
ſuch a Child, and gave good evidence of it in a prudent obſervation
of his brethrens treſpaſles, and a diſcreet choice of the fitteſt remedy 5
for them ; and becauſe the reaſon here alledged ſeems proper and |
peculiar to feſeph; whereas in the other ſenſe it belongs more to
Benjamin, who was younger than Joſeph, and coſtthis Mother dearer,
and therefore might upon that account claim a greater intereſt in his
Father's affe&tions. e Probably made of threads of divers Colours
interwoven together. Compare 2 Sam. 13. 18. This he gave him as
a token of his ſpecial love, and of the rights of the firſt-born, which
being juftly taken from Rewben, he conferred upon Joſeph, 1 Chron. 5. x. 4 And when his brethren faw that their father loved
him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and
could got ſpeak peaceably unto him f., |
f Their hatred was ſo deep and keen, that they could not ſmothes . it, as for their own intereſt they ſhould have done, but diſcovered it by their churliſhi\words and carriages to him.
5 And Joſeph dreamed a dream g, and he told it his brethren, and they hatedlum yot the more,
- c
+ Heb, 7. Egon. a *|
+ Heb. of his fathers ſojournings. : " Da 28:L 19,5
fOr, pieces, |
} Het be Pe: 'f thy
laren,t
f+ Hg Maſter aArcam
TO Ed a Wy PLL
ENT zz s Which
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ap. ANAV . = _
g Which it is probable he did not underſtand; for then he would never have told it to them, who, as he knew very well, were likely
_
owh ambitious Deſi
Dreams. | 20. Come now therefore, and let us ſlay him, and
gns-and Deſires with pretences or fiftions of
to make an evil conſtruction and uſe of it. 6 And he faid unto them, Hear, dream which I have dreamed <Chap:42 © For * behold, we were binding ſheaves in the field þ, 6,9. and and lo, my ſheave aroſe, and allo ſtood upright ; and behold, your ſheaves ſtood round about z, and made obeiſancs to my ſheaf. = ' -þ A ſecret Infinuation of the occaſion of Joſeph's advancement, which was from his Counſel and Care about the Corn of Egypr. This was a poſture of Miniſtry and Service, as is manifeſt Loth
from Scripture and from common uſage. - 8 And his brethren faid to him, Shalt thou indeed
reign over us ? or ſhalt thou indeed haye dominion over us ? and they hated him yet the more, for his dreams, and for his words F.
I pray you, this
[Y
43: 26. and 44. I+4
+ For his relation of his Dreams, which they imputed to his Ar- |
rOgancy. ;
© 1 And he dreamed yet another dream &,and told it : his brethren, and ſaid, Behold, I have dreamed a dream * Chap: more ; and behoid *, the Son and the Moon /, and the
45 29. eleven ſtars made obeiſance to me. = k That the Repetition of the ſame thing in another ſhape, might teach them, that the thing was borh certain and very obſervable. I Theſe weie not mentioned in the firſt Dream, becauſe in the event, his Brethren only went at firſt to Egypt and there worſhipped him, as afterwards his Father went with them. Ovj His Father did nor worſhip him in Egypt. Auſw. I He did worſhip him mediatly by his Sons, who in their Father's name'ahd ſtead bowed before him, and by the Preſents which he ſent as Teſtimonies of that re/pe& which he owed to him. 2. Ir 1s probable, that 7acob did, before the Egyptia 5, pay that Reverenice to his Son, which all the reſt did, & which was due ro the Dignity of his Place As the Re- »an Conſul - as commended by his i*ather for requi-ing him to alight