there, This must he.ve been communicated the knife, spit, or basin of a Grecian, nor to them after they had entered Joseph'e taste the flesh of a clean cow if it happenecl pe.le.ce, since they ha.cl obviously not learnt it to be .mt with a Grecian knife. For that is upon the we.y thither (vide au,pra, ver. 18), &n e.bomination unt-0 the Egyptians. The Ver. 26.-And when J'oseph ea.me home re~n for this separation from foreigners (after the despatch of public business), they bemg tha~ they dreaded being polluted by brought him the present which was in such as killed and ate cows, which animals their h&nd (vide ver, 11) into the house, were held in high veneration in Egypt. &nd bowed themselves to him to the earth. Ver. 33.-And they sat before hi.m,-that Thus they fulfilled the dream of the sheaves the Egyptians sat at meals is in exact accord- (eh. xxxvii. 7 ; cf. eh. xviii. 2; xix. 1). ance with the representations on the monu- Ver. 27.-And he a.eked them of their ments, in which they are never exhibite,l as welfare (literally, peace), e.nd•sa.id, Is your reposing on couches, but always as seated father well (literally, Is there peace to your round a circular table resembling the mOM- father?), the old m&n of whom ye epe.ke 1 podiwm of the Romans (vide Wilkinson, Is he yet a.live 1 • Ancient E.;yptians,' vol. ii. pp. 40, 41, Ver. 28.-And they answered, Thy ser- with Dr. Birch's note ; Hengstenherg's vant oar father is in good bee.Ith, he is ' Egypt and the Books of Moses,' eh. i. p. yet alive. And they bowed down their 38)-the fi.rstbom according to his birth- heads, and made obeiee.nce. right, e.nd the youngest according to his Ver. 29.-And he (i. e. Joseph) lifted up youth: &nd the men me.rvelled one at an- his eyes, &nd saw his brother Benjamin, other-probably thinking that Joseph must his mother's son, and ea.id, Is this your have been supernaturally enlightened to di~- younger brother, of whom ye spe.ke unto cover so exactly the ages of strangers. me 1 And he se.id (without waiting for e.n Ver. 34.-And he t-Ook and sent (literally, answer), God be gracious unto thee, my and he sent) messes--maseoth, from -nasa, to ■on. The tenderness of this language was take or lift up, i. e. things taken or lifted much fitted to encourage the brethren. up, hence portions or gifts (2 .Sam. xi. 8)- Ver. 30.-And J'oseph made he.ate; for unto them from before him (cf. 1 Sam. his bowels did yearn (literally, were bec01n- ix. 23). The practice of thus honouring ing warm, from intensity of love) upon his ~nests was also observed among other nations brother: and he sought where to weep;- (vide 'Iliad,' vii. 321). But Benjamin's the second occasion on which Joseph is mess (or portion) we.s five times so much as represented e.s overcome by the strength of e.ny of theirs-literally, exaeded tha portions his inward emotion, the first having been of all of them five hands, i. e. five times. when his brethren were speaking about their Herodotns (vi. 57) mentions that among the cruelty towards himself (eh. xlii. 24)-and Spartans the king received a double portion. he entered into his che.mber, &nd wept there. The unusually large portion assigned to Ver. 81.-And he washed his fe.ce (an Benjamin was desirned as an expression of indication of the violence of his weeping), his strong fraternal. affection, and perhaps and went out (from his chamber), and re- also as a test of his brethren to ascertain if frained himself (keeping his tears in check), they were now free from that spirit of envy and se.id, Set on bread-an expression usccl which had prompted their former cruelty to at the :eresent de.y in Egypt for bringin him. And they drank, and were merry dinner (Wilkinson, • Ancient Egyptians,9 with him-literally, and drank ,largely witli vol. ii. p. 41, eel. 1878). him. Though the verb i:::ici sometimes Ver, 32.-And they set on for him by signifies to drink .to the full· (Ilaggai i. 6 ; himself, e.nd for them by themselves, and Cant. v. 1), and though intoxication was not for the Egyptie.ns, which did ee.t with him, unusual at Egyptian entertainments, there b by themselves. "Joseph eats apart from no reason to suppose that either Joseph or his brethren, keeping strictly to the Egyptian his brethren were inebriated (Vulgatc, mode ; and the history does not omit to re- Alford), or that more is meant than simply mark that in this point he adhered to the that their hearts became exhilarated " be- custom of the country" (Havernick, § 21). cause their cares were dissipated by the Beoause the Egyptians might not ee.t bread kindness they were receiving, the presence with the Hebrews. Herodotus (ii. 41) of Simeon, and tho attention paicl to Denja- affirms that the Egyptians would neither use min " (Murphy\.
HOMILETICS. Vera, 1-34.-The second visit of Josepli's brethren to Egypt. I. THE SCENE IN JA.con's BOUSE AT HEBRON (vers. 1-15). 1. The second journey proposed. " Go ngain, buy us Cl little food." It waa necessitated by tho long continuance of thti THE BOOK OF GENESIS. [CH. XLllI. 1-34.