Глава 45

Joseph reveals himself to his brothers and reassures them Gen.45:1. Joseph could no longer hold out in front of everyone standing around him and shouted: Get everyone away from me. And there was no one left with Joseph when he revealed himself to his brothers. The strong feelings and sensations that filled Joseph's soul and had been suppressed for a long time now had to be expressed outwardly, in a manner consistent with their nature - a revelation to the brothers. At this act or discovery of his brotherly love, Joseph, naturally, did not want to have his Egyptian colleagues and subordinates as witnesses (cf. Jacob’s meeting with Rachel, especially Gen. 29:6-7 and our remarks to them) and removed them, not wanting, perhaps, to make them witnesses to the crimes of his brothers. Gen.45:2. And he wept loudly, and the Egyptians heard, and the house of the Pharaohs heard. Nevertheless, the rumor about the arrival of his brothers to Joseph spread in the palace of Pharaoh (cf. v. 16). Gen.45:3. And Joseph said to his brothers: I am Joseph; is my father still alive? But his brothers could not answer him, because they were embarrassed before him. Revealing himself to his brothers, Joseph says briefly: “I am Joseph.” But, knowing or observing what a striking impression this discovery makes on them, he hastens to smooth out the strength of this impression with a question about his father’s health - a question that he had previously proposed (Gen. 43:27) to the brothers, but which he now proposes again, in order to once again hear the pleasant news about his dear father, and to give the brothers proof of his truly filial feelings towards Jacob, together with brotherly ones - in relation to them. He then manifests the latter (vv. 14–15) with the intensity that is characteristic of the inhabitants of the East in general. But the brothers, still more amazed than delighted, are silent in deep amazement: the supreme ruler of Egypt, before whom they trembled all the time, is declared their brother, and this brother of theirs was once not only insulted by them, but also shamefully sold into slavery. Gen.45:4. And Joseph said to his brothers, Come to me. They came up. He said: I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. Joseph's first concern was to reassure his brothers and assure them that no revenge would come from him. Encouraging them (in the Vulgate, v. 4, added: dementer), Joseph first of all asks them to approach him (probably they fell to the ground from fear) and see with their own eyes that this is their brother. Gen.45:5. but now do not be sad and do not regret that you sold me here, because God sent me before you to preserve your life; With great delicacy and true generosity, Joseph strives to smooth out the acute feeling of guilt in his brothers by pointing to the Providence of God (Gen. 45:7–8, 50:20), which turned their case to a good end and made it a means for the salvation of Joseph’s entire family. It goes without saying that by expressing his well-intentioned sophistry to his brothers, Joseph meant that they had already been sufficiently punished, repented, and therefore deserved forgiveness both from their brother and from God. The Holy Scripture here, as in many other places, actually expresses the truth that divine providence, without restricting or excluding the freedom of human actions, prevents their harmful consequences and directs them to good. Gen.45:6. for now there are two years of famine on earth: [there are] five more years left, in which they will neither yell nor reap; It is possible that, foreseeing a prolonged and general famine, the ruler of Egypt forbade the inhabitants to sow so as not to waste seeds in vain (M. Filaret). Gen.45:7. God sent me before you to leave you on earth and preserve your life with a great deliverance. From the point of view of the history of salvation, the salvation of the house of Jacob from death by starvation seems more important than the salvation of the Egyptians and other surrounding peoples, therefore Joseph says that the purpose of his exaltation was, first of all, the salvation of his father’s family. Gen.45:8. So it was not you who sent me here, but God, who made me a father to Pharaoh and lord over all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. By repeating his thought that God sent him to Egypt, Joseph seeks to instill this conviction in his brothers and reassure them even more (cf. Ps. 105:17). The title “father of the king” for the first royal minister was very common in the ancient East: among the Persians, Greeks (1 Mac. 11:32), and, no doubt, among the Egyptians. Gen.45:9. Go quickly to my father and tell him: This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord over all Egypt; come to me, do not delay; Joseph hurries his brothers to bring his father to him - for fear of not finding him alive (cf. v. 13). Gen.45:10–11. you will live in the land of Goshen; and you will be near me, you, and your sons, and your sons’ sons, and your flocks and herds, and all that is yours; And I will feed you there, for there will be another famine for five years, so that you and your house and everything that is yours will not become poor. Joseph puts forward two reasons that should have prompted Jacob to move to Egypt and settle in the land of Goshen: • here he will be closer to Joseph and will share his happiness with him and • Joseph would support him and his family during the next five years of famine. Determining the geographical location of the land of Goshen presents significant difficulties due to the fragmentary and random nature of biblical data about Goshen (the most detailed and thorough study of the position of Goshen is given in the work of Prof. F. G. Eleonsky, “History of the Israeli people in Egypt,” St. Petersburg, 1884, pp. 1–33). That Goshen lay to the east of the Nile (contrary to the opinion of Yablonsky, Briant and others) is evident from the lack of mention in the books of Genesis and Exodus of the Jews crossing the Nile. The proximity of Goshen to the border - Memphis or Tanis (Zoan) is assumed here (v. 10); its proximity to the northeastern border is in several other places (Gen. 46:28, 47:6; Exod. 12:37, 13:20). As for the qualities of the country of Goshen, the existence of water and irrigation in it is proven in places by Deut. 11:10; Number 11:5; its fertility is evidenced by Gen. 47:4–6. In Ex. 13:17 indicates the proximity of Goshen to the land of the Philistines. According to LXX, which in Gen. 45:10, 46:34 is called Goshen of Arabia (γῆ Γεσεμ Ἀραβίας), and Coptic translations, Goshen was located in the so-called Egyptian Arabia or Arabian nome (mentioned by Herodotus, Strabo and Ptolemy) - in the eastern part of lower Egypt, between the Red Sea and the Nile or Its Pelusian branch. This date is also accepted in modern biblical scholarship, which, moreover, identifies Goshen with a fertile valley - Wadi Tumilat, cutting a narrow strip from east to west between the Nile and the Bitter Lakes. Gen.45:12. And behold, your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my mouth that speaks to you; The brothers' new confirmation of this, that in Joseph they see a brother before them, was perhaps required by the fact that until now the entire conversation had taken place through an interpreter. Gen.45:14–15. And he fell on the neck of his brother Benjamin and wept; and Benjamin wept on his neck. And he kissed all his brothers and cried, hugging them. In the manifestation of mutual fraternal feelings, Joseph and his brothers reveal purely eastern impetuosity and expansiveness. And only now the brothers decide to speak to Joseph in a brotherly way. Joseph sends his brothers for his father Gen.45:16. A rumor reached Pharaoh's house that Joseph's brothers had come; and it pleased Pharaoh and his servants. It was important for Joseph and his brothers that Pharaoh knew about the arrival of Joseph's brothers in advance and was not prejudiced against them: therefore, Joseph himself probably took care to notify Pharaoh about the arrival of the brothers as soon as possible. The favor that Joseph enjoyed with Pharaoh is transferred by the latter to Joseph’s brothers. Gen.45:17. And Pharaoh said to Joseph: Tell your brothers: do this: load your cattle with [bread] and go into the land of Canaan; A detailed account of Pharaoh's speech or command to Joseph is given by the sacred writer in view of the importance of this command for the subsequent settlement of Joseph's father and brothers in Egypt and the stay of their descendants in this country. The Jews in Egypt, by virtue of this command, occupied a legal position, as being called into the country by its supreme power, and not having invaded themselves. Gen.45:18. and take your father and your families and come to me; I will give you the best [place] in the land of Egypt, and you will eat the fat of the land. “The fatness of the earth” (cf. Deut. 32:14; Ps. 81:17) – “the best pastures” (according to M. Philaret) or the best works of Egypt. Gen.45:19. But I command you to say to them: do this: take you chariots from the land of Egypt for your children and for your wives, and bring your father and come; While in mountainous Syria and Palestine chariots were almost never used, their widespread use in Assyro-Babylonia and later in Egypt (cf. Gen. 41:42–43) is beyond doubt. Both Assyrian and Egyptian chariots are depicted on monuments as two-wheeled, with an entrance at the rear. In Egypt, chariots were usually harnessed to horses, which appeared here no later than during the 12th dynasty. Gen.45:20. and do not spare your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt will I give you. Pharaoh and Joseph advise Jacob's family not to regret the upcoming loss of various household utensils; all this it has to be found in Egypt. Joseph's brothers go home Gen.45:22. to each of them he gave a change of clothing, and to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of clothing; Sending his brothers to fetch their father, Joseph gives them all gifts and supplies. He gives mainly significant rewards or gifts to his beloved Benjamin, probably in retribution for the difficult ordeal he endured at the will of Joseph. Gen.45:23. He also sent to his father ten donkeys, loaded with the best works of Egypt, and ten donkeys, loaded with grain, bread and provisions for his father on the way. Joseph is most concerned about providing the convenience of relocating to Egypt to his elderly father, who suffered so much, if not through his fault, then for the sake of his special closeness to his father’s heart and the vicissitudes of fate. Gen.45:24. And he sent his brothers away, and they went. And he said to them: Do not quarrel on the road. Dismissing the brothers, Joseph gives them advice not to quarrel, not to reproach each other on the way. The Hebrew ragaz often means: to fear, to tremble (Ex. 15:14; Deut. 2:25), which is why some interpreters of the words of Joseph (v. 24) convey: do not be afraid on the way (M. Philaret: “do not worry on the road”). But according to the connection of speech, according to the general meaning of Joseph’s conversation, which tended (cf. vv. 5–8) towards the calm and reconciliation of the brothers, one should in this case prefer, following the LXX (ὀργίζεσθε), Vulg. (irascamini), etc., another meaning of the same verb: to quarrel, argue, be angry (so in Russian and Slavic), the brothers could no longer be afraid, walking along the same path for the fourth time; but disputes and quarrels about the cause of the misadventures of Joseph, their father and themselves could easily arise between them: Joseph warns them against everything like this. Gen.45:25–27. And they departed from Egypt and came to the land of Canaan to Jacob their father, and they told him, saying: Joseph [thy son] is alive, and now ruleth over all the land of Egypt. But his heart was troubled, for he did not believe them. When they told him all the words of Joseph that he had spoken to them, and when he saw the chariots that Joseph had sent to carry him, then the spirit of Jacob their father revived. With the sudden, unexpected and amazing news that Joseph was not only still alive, but also occupied an extremely high position as the ruler of all Egypt, Jacob, as if awakening from a heavy sleep (Vulg: quasi de gravi somno evigilans), did not dare to believe and even lost his presence of mind (Sim.: animo deliquit, LXX: ἐξέστη τἡ διάνοια ). Only when his sons told him in detail everything concerning Joseph, therefore, the fact that they had once sold him, that now he was the first nobleman of Egypt, forgave them and was calling them with their father to Egypt; when their story about the greatness of Joseph and the commission given to him was confirmed by the Egyptian chariots Jacob saw, “then the spirit of Jacob came to life” - he felt a renewal of vitality in himself (according to the Jewish interpreters, the prophetic spirit that had left him from the day of the loss of Joseph now returned to Jacob). Gen.45:28. and Israel said, It is enough for me, my son Joseph yet liveth; I will go and see him before I die. Filled with a youthful freshness of strength, Jacob quickly and irrevocably decides on the issue of moving to Egypt. According to Jewish interpreters, with the word “enough” Jacob expressed that neither the gifts sent by Joseph nor his greatness mattered to him; that the most important thing to him is that Joseph is alive. “Just as the fire in a lamp, when the oil becomes scarce, begins to fade, but as soon as someone adds even a little oil to the lamp, the fire, already ready to go out, immediately emits the clearest light, so this old man, already ready to fade away from grief (Gen. 37:35), now... from an old man became a youth, dispelled the cloud of sadness, calmed the storm of thoughts and finally calmed down.” (Zlat., Bes. 65, 697). You might be interested in: