nfirm Body would permit, and therefore 1s —_— n
he had finiſhed that great work, and wearied himſelf with ſo
uoech delivered wick a moſt raiſed and affe&ed mind, he com-
CHAP. L
death ; and embalms him, 1, 2. The Egyptian? 3. Joſeph with Pharaoh's leave carries him ſtat:= ly accompanied ts Canaan, 4---9. They mourn there ſeven days, and ſore ly, ſo that the Canaanites from thence named the place Abel-Miſraim, / a 11. They bury him where he commanded, 12, 13. Th:y return t0 Egypt, T4. Jacob being dead, his ſons are afraid of their brother Joſeph, 15. mw tending their father”s order, they addreſs f'r pardon, 16- -- 18. He _ forgives, and encourageth them, 19, 21. Joſoph lives to ſee a third an fourth generation, 22, 23, Aſſure his brethren of their future return i Canaan, ' 24+ He takes an oath of them to carry his benes with them, 25+ Dies ; is embalmed ; and put in a coffin, 26.
AN D Joſeph fell upon his fathers face 4, and wept upon him, and kiſſed him. a And doubtleſs cloſed his eyes,as God bad promiſed, Gen: 46: 4:
mourn for him 70 days,
which may be impliedin this general phraſe.
2 And Joſeph commanded his ſervants the Phyſicians to embalm his father: and the Phyſicians embalmed
Iſrael.
b The dead Corps of his Father with Spices, and Oyntments,and other things neceſſary for the preſervation of the Body from putrifa- Qtion as long as might be. This J'ſeph did,partly becauſe he would comply as far as be could with the Egyptians, whoſe cuſtom this was, from whom alſo the Jews took it, + Chron: 16: 14: Jobn 19: 39, 40: Partly to do honour, and ſhew hisaffeQions to his worthy Father ; and partly becauſe this was neceſſary for the keeping long as the times of mourning and the journey to Canaan Ie quired.
2 And forty days were fulfilled for him c, ( for fo
are fulfilled he days of thoſe which are embalmed) and
the Ezyprtians + mourned for him threeſcore and ten days d.
c ( 5. e. ) For his embalming; that fo the Drugs or Spices which were applied, might more effe&tually reach ro all the parts of the dead Body, and kcep it from corruption. And theeff<Q of their di- ligence, and ſo leng continuance in this work was, that Bodies have been preſerved uncorrupt for ſome thouſands of years. @ ( i. e. Thir- ty days according to the cuſtom of the Hebrews, Numb: 20: 29: Deut: 34: 8: to which doubtleſs the Egyprians in this caſe did accommodate themſelves, beſides the forty days ſpent in emba/ming him, which alſo was a time of mourning. And chus I ſuppoſe, the Egyptians rec- koned thoſe ſeventy two days which Diodorw Siculus ſaith they ſpent in mourning for their deceaſed Kings.
4 And when the days of his mourning were paſt. Joſeph ſpake unto the houſe e of Pharaoh, ſaying, If now I have found grace in your eyes, ſpeak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh f, ſaying,
e The Houſhold or Family, namely, thoſe of them which were Chief in place and. favour with the King. f Joſeph makes uſe of their interceſſion, either, 1. Leſt he might ſeem ro deſpiſe them, or to preſume too much upon his own ſingle inrereſt. Or, 2. By enga- ging them 1n this matrer to ſtop their mouths, who otherwiſe might have been ready enough to cenſure this Aion, which they would have a fair opportunity to do in Joſeph's abſence. . Or, 3. Becauſe it was the cuſtom here, as it was eliewhere, Eſth: 4: 2: that perſons in mourning habit might not come into the King's preſence, partly becauſe they won'd not give them any occaſion of ſadneſs,and part- ly becauſe,accordinz to cheir {uperſtitious conceits the ſight of ſuch a perſon was judged ominous.
5 * My father made me ſwear g, ſaying, Lo, I die: in my grave, which I have digged for me b, inthe land of Canaan, there (halt thou bury me. Now therefore ler me go up,I pray thee, and bury my father,and I will come again-
g Here is a triple obligation upon Joſeph, 1. His duty to fulfil the will of tae dzad. 2. The obedience which he owed to his Father's command. 3. The tye ef a ſolemn Oath : All which had weight even with the Hearhens, and were ſo many Arguments to Pharavh and his Courtiers. þ According to the manner of thoſe ancient and Fucceeiling times. See 2 Chron. 16: 14: Hai. 22: 16: Matth. 27: 60: Ia that large Cave which Abraham bought for a burying-place for his
Family, Jeceb had digged a particular and ſmall Cell or Repoſitory
for himſclf, as others did after him upon the like occaſtion. And thisreaſon is prudently added, to ſhew th:t this delire proceeded not from any contempt of Pharaoh, or his Land, but from that com. mon and cuſtomary defire of perſons of all Ages and Nations, to be buried in their Fachers Sepulchres,
,, 6 And Pharaohſaid, Goup, and bury thy father,ac- cording as he made thee ſwear b. |
h The Heathens by the light of nature diſcovered the ſacredneſs of an Oath, and the wickedneſs of Perjury, OY”
7 And Joſeph went up to bury his father: and with him went up all the ſervants of Pharaoh &, the el- _ of his houſe /, and all the elders of the land »» of
&YPt, |
# ( 7. e. ) Agreat number of thew, as that word is underſtood,
of the Body ſo-
h. 4: 6: and oft elſewhere. For many of them were aged and in- p_ ren cou'd notbe ſpared from their attendance at Courr, or upon their Empioyments, &'c. k Courtiers of an inferior ranks ] The chief Officers, and under him Governours of his Family and Counſe!s, who uſed to'reſide at or near the Court. »® The great Of- ficers Civiland Military, whoſe places of habitation 2ad command
were diſperſed in the ſeveral parts of the Land,
8 And all the houſe of Joſeph, and his brethren, and h& father's houſe : only theirlirtle ones, and their flocks, and their herds », they left in the land of Goſhen,
» And ſuch as were neceſſary to take care of them, which muſt needs be underſtood. |
g And there went up with him both chariots and
horſemen 8, andit was a very great company, o For their defence, in caſe 0f any oppoſition.
10 And they came to the threſhing-floor of Atad , which is beyond q Jordan, and there r they mourned with a great and very ſore lawentation s ; andhe made a mourning for his father ſeven days. ;