The Pulpit Commentary — Genesis — Section 518

Layard, 'Ninc'<'eh and Babylon,' p.156)-and Life," or "the Food of the Living" (Canon put it upon Joseph's hand (thus investing Cook in 'Speaker's Commentary ')-and he him with regal authority), and arrayed him gave him to wife-<lf. the act of Rhamp- in vestures of fine linen,-~t;!, {311c111ivri sinitus, who gave his daughter in mnrr1age (LXX.), bys~ns, so called from its whiteness to the son of an architect on account of his (probably a Hebrew imitation of an Egyptian cleverness (Herod., ii. 121) -Asenath- ,rnrd), was the fine linen of Egypt, the another Egyptian term, rendered 'AaEvsfJ material of which the peculiar dress of the (LXX.), and explained by E~ptologers to priestly caste was constructed: cc vestes e.x mean, "She who is of Ne1th, i. e. the gossypw sacerdoti'.bus .IEgypti grat-issimm" Minerva of the Egyptians" (Gesenius Furst) (Pliny, 'Nat. Hist.,' xix. 1). Herodotus "the Worshipper of Neith" (Jabionsky)' (ii: 81) :t,,"Tees with Pliny in affirming the "the Favourite of Neith" (Canon Cook ~ pnestly costume to ha'l"'e been of linen, and 'Spea~e(s Commentary'), though by some not of wool-and put a-literally, the, the authorities regarded ns Hebrew {Poole in article showing that it was so done in accord- Smith's 'Dictionary,' art. Joseph) - the ance with a common custom (Hengstenberg, daughter of Poti-pherah-Poti-:phemh (" de- 'Egypt and the Books of Moses,' p. 30)- voted to the sun" )=Potiphar(vide eh. x.uix, gold chain about his neck (cf. Dan. v. 7, 1). The name is very common on Egyptian 29). This was usually worn by persons of monuments (Hengstenberg's 'Egypt and the distinction, and appears in the monuments Books of Moses,' p. 32)~prieet-or prince as a royal ornament ; in the Beni-hassa.n (Onkelo~), as in 2 Sam. viii. 1B, where the sepulchral representations, a slave being ex- word r::,::i, as explained by 1 Chron. xviii hibited as bearing one of them, with the 17, means a principal minister of State, inscription written over it, cc Necklace of though the probability is that Poti-pherah Gold" (vide Wilkinson, 'Ancient Egyptians,' belonged to the priestly caste in Egypt- ii. 343, ed. 1878; Hengstenberg, 'Egypt,' of On- or Heliopolis, •HX10111roX,c (LXX. ) p. 30). And he made him to ride in the the name on the monuments being ta-Ra1 second chariot which he had;-" which is or pa-Ra, house of the sun. "The site of another genuine Egyptian custom, for on the Heliopolis is still marked by the massive monuments the king constantly appears in walls that surround it, and by a granite his war-chariot" (Haver-nick) ;-and they obelisk bearing the name of Osirtasen I., cried before him, :Bow the knee:-',f:\:t~, of the twelfth dynasty-, dating about 3900 regarded by most ancient translators as a years ai:;o" (Wilkinson in Rawlinson's Hebrew word, an inf. abs. hiph. from T9, ' Herod., ii. p. 8). The priests attached to the temple of tho sun at Heliopolis enjoyed meaning bow the knee (Vulgate, Aquila, the reputation of being the most intelligent Origen, Kim chi), is most probably an Egypt- and cultured historians in Egypt (Herod., ii. ian word either altered by the writer (Gese- 3). That a priest's daughter should have ll.ins) or pointed by the Masorites (Keil) to married with a foreign she,Pherd may have resemble Hebrew, and signifying "bow the been distasteful to the preJudices of an in- head" (Gesenius), "bend the knee" (Fiirst), tolerant priesthood (Bohlen), but in the case cc Governor or Viceroy" (Kalisch), "rejoice of Asenath and Joseph it was recommended by thou" (Canon Cook in 'Speaker's Comment- sundry powerful considerations. 1. Though ary '), "Pure Prince" (Osburn), "Robed by a foreign shepherd, Joseph was a descendant the king" (Forster)-and he made him ruler of Abraham, whom a former Pharaoh had -literally, and he set him (by the foregoing recognised and honoured as a prince, and acts)-over all the land of Egypt. ' The Story of Saneha,' a hieratic papyrus Ver. 44.-A.nd Pharaoh said =to Joseph, belonging to the twelfth dynasty, shows that I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no Eastern foreigners might even bocome sons• man lift up his hand or foot ill all the land in-law to the most powerful potontates under of Egypt. Josepb's authority was to be abso- the ancient empire (vide lforords of the lute and universal Past,' vol. vi pp. 135-150). 2. Though & Ver. 45.-A.nd Pharaoh called 1oeeph's foreign shepherd, Joseph was at this time name Zap!math • paaneah; - an Egyptian graud vizier of the realm, with absolute con- word, of which the most accredited inter- trol of the lives nm! fortunes of its people pretations are x_ovfJoµ.rpuv;,x (LXX.) ; Salva- (vide ver. 44). 3. Though a foreign shep- tor Mwndi (Vulgate); "the Salvation of herd, he was obviously a favourite of Pharaoh, the World," answering to the Coptic P-sote- who, besides being monarch of the ree.lm, was m-pb-eneh-P the article, sote salvation, the recognised head of the priestly caste, over m the sign of the genitive, ph the article, whom, therefore, he exercised more than and ene,h the world (Fiirst, Jablonsky, a merely external authority. 4. Though a Roseliini, and others); "the Rescuer of the foreign shepherd Joseph had become & World" (Gesenius); "the Prince of the Life naturalised Egyptian, as may be gathered of the World" (Brugsch), "the Food of from eh. xliii, 32. And, 5. Though a foreigv OH, XLI. 1-45,] THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 4G6