of Goſhen, which was given ro them, but contented themſelves with a part of it, leaving the 'reſt to the management of the Exyprians, and therefore when they encreaſed greatly, they were forced to ſpread their Habirxcions amongſt the - Egyptians. See Exod. 12: 7, 23, \\355 37» So £ r '| 12 And Foſeph nouriſhed his facher and his brethren, * Or,os # £2dall his fathers houſhold with bread, + # according to
little child heir families wm.
3rnouriſhed * m Or, According ro the Mouth of the Family : Mouth being put fg,
+ rear their Will or Deſire, as it is Gen. 24: 57+ 1{aiah 30: 2: as much a
eording to every one deſired, without any reſtraint : Or, according to the gy,,_
the littly mer of a litzle Child, he put their meat into their very Mourhs ; i; was
01s, brought to them withoug any more care or pains of theirs, ; thay 2 Intans takes for its food,
L, &.. | : i
Mo _— =---4
va
"TFT
13 T And there was no bread in all the land : for the famine was very ſore, ſo that the land of Egypt, and all the land of Canaan fainted by reaſon of the fa-
mine s. L =
» Queſt. Whence came it. that the people in this extremity did not take the Corn by force out of the ſeveral Store-houſes ? Anj. Be- des that ſingular Providence ofGod which watcherh over Kings and Rulers, and ſtilleth the Tumu!rs of the People, Jeſ-ph had no doubr foreſeen this difficul:y, and took due care to prevent it, partly by di'poſing the S:oies in ſtrong and well guarded Places ; partly by adding Wealth and Srrengrh tothe King,whereby he mighr more ea- ily Cippret any ſeditious Rifings ; and principally by not permit-
-® 4
giving them reliefin a!! their Exigencies.
14 And Joſeph gathered up a!l the money that wa found in the land of Egypt o, and inthe land of Ca- naan, for the corn which they bought: and Joſeph broughe the money into Pharaohs t ouſe.
0 Whereia hedil no moce than any of the Subjz&s might have - done; he bought great Store of Corn in the plenrifull years with the King's Money, «nd kept ir tilla timeof Famine, and fold it ata rate which was agreeable ro the ſeaſon,
i5 And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of C2naan, all the Egyptians came unto Joſeph, and ſaid, Give us bread: for why ſhould we die inthy preſence? for the money faileth p, _
2 Why ſhouldit thou ſee and ſuffer us to periſh for our want © Money, when thou canſt relieve us ? f
glve you for your cattel if money fail. 17 And they brought their cattel unto Joſeph 2 and Joſeph gave them bread in exchange for horſes, and ior
for that year. ;
18 When that year was ended, they came unto him the ſecond year q, and {aid unto him, We will not hide ic from my lord, hew that our money is ſpent, my lord alfo hath our herds of cattek., there is not ought FN in the ſight of my lord, but our bodies, and our iands. ;
q Not the ſecond from the beginning of the Famine, but from the theirgrear extremity,ch2 ſecond year after that Jaſt mentioned,where- in”. they had ſold their Cattel; bur this ſeems to have been the laſt year of the Famine, beciuſe he now gives them Corn for food and for iced to0, ver. 23. whereas in the firſt ſix years there was no ſowing nor reaping, Gen. 45: 6; | |
19 Wherefore ſhall we die before thine eyes r, both weand our land 5? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land wiil be ſervants unto Pharaoh s z and give us ſeed u that we may live and not die, that
the land be not deſolate x. ;
r ( 5. e. ) Whileſt thou lookeſt upon us like an idle ſpetztor, not pitying and relieving us. 5 The land is ſaid ro dye improperly, when it is deſolate and barren, and when the fruics of ir dye, or which is equivalent to it, do nor live, ? Pharaoh ſhall be the ſole Proprietor, and we are content to-be his Tenants, ro manage it for his uſe. « Becauſe this was the laſt year of Famine, as;Joſephinformed them, and therefore they tilled and fowed the ground fer the fol-« lowing year. « Without inhabitants, as it will be if chou ſuffcr- eſt us to dye for want of bread. |
20 And Joſeph bought all the land of Egypt for Pha-
Taoh : for the Egyptians ſold every man his field, be-
cauſe the famine prevailed over them : fo the land be- came Pharaoh's. | |
21 And as for the people, he removed them to ci- tiesy, from one end of the borders of Egypt, even to
the other end thereof z. , y Under the Cities are here comprehended the Villages and Lands;
which he gave them was not to be ſown in Cities, but in the C-uns trey ; but the Cites only are here mentioned, becauſe chey were jent thither firſt,either for the convenienc; of nouriſhing them during this
they might all profeſs their SubjeCtion to the Goverments of the ſe- veral Cities, which was convenient for the management of that numerous and tumultuous people; or that the Cities might be firſt
and moſt repleniſhed with Inhabitants,as being rhe principal Honour,
and Srrength,and Security ofa Kingdom, and that Arts, and Trades, and Merchandiſe might flouriſh, wichour which the Commodities of the Countrey would have been of leſs Price and Uſe. But the Cities being firſt ſupplied, the reſidue, which doubtleſs was vaſt, were diſperſed in the Countrey. z Far from their Native Soil and Ancient Patrimonies, that none of them mighr plead Preſcription, bur that all might be foreed to acknowledge thar they owed their Eftates not to their ewn Wir and Induſtry, nor to their Parenrs Gifr, but wholly to the King's Favour; and that the remembrance of their Patrimonial Lands mighr be worn our, and therewith the
| grief which would ariſe from their reſentment of their loſs of them, which probably would be matrer of Tumulrs 'and. Seditions, to _
which that people were very prone. And it is probable that he fo
| diſpoſed of this affair, that thoſe who were apt and likely, and uſed
to unite together in ſeditious Inſurre&tions, whether Kindred or others, ſhould be feparated one from another as faras might be. IF any think that Joſeph dealt hardly with them, and made an ill uſeof their necefliry, be will ſee how moderately and mercifully he deals
with them, wer. 24. + OF Frinss
22 Only the land of the + Prieſts a bought ke not b: K for
"Ing the Peop's to Deſpair, or come to the utmoſt Extremity, but ,
16 And Joſeph ſaid, Give your catrel : ard I will -
the tlecks, and for the cartel of their herds, and forthe. } alies, andt he fedthem with bread, for all their catte] 7 He
-
«
of b
jap:
TY. AT
and grew and multiplied exceedingly.
>.the of the P
chap. +D ,
GENESIS.