Ver. 1. At the end of two full years.] After the butler was restored; by whose intercession Joseph hoped to have been presently delivered, but was fairly deceived. So are all such sure to be, as depend upon living men (never true to them that trust in them) or deceased saints to intercede for them to God. Deus O. M. pro ineffabili sua clementia dignetur, et in Tosterum Divo Kiliano intercessore, Amplitudinem tuam contra fidei et Ecclesiae hostes tueri fortiter, et fovere suaviter, saith Eckius, in a certain Espistle to a Popish bishop. Such a prayer begs nothing but a denial, with a curse to boot. Epist. dedicat. ad Episcop. Herbipolens.
Ver. 2. There came up out of the river] Nile; which, by overflowing, fatteneth the plain of Egypt, filling it with fruits; and so fitly deciphering the seven years of plenty. So far as this river watereth, there is a black mould so fruitful, that they do but throw in the seed, and have four rich harvests in less than four months, say travellers. Mercer. Blunt’s Voyage, p. 37.
Ver. 3. Seven other kine came up out of the river.] These, by their leanness, portended drought and dearth, though they came up out of Nile also. This river, when it overflows unto twelve cubits’ height only, causeth famine; when to thirteen scarcity; when to fourteen, cheerfulness; when to fifteen, affluence; when to sixteen, abundance, as Pliny tells us. The greatest increase ever known, was of eighteen cubits, under Claudius (we read of a general famine in his days, Acts 11:28, mentioned also by Suetonius and Josephus); the smallest of five cubits, in the history of the Pharsalian wars. Such a thing might happen now, to cause this sore famine. Or the river, for their sins, might be dried up, as God threatens them. (Ezekiel 29:3,9 Isaiah 19:5,6) And as it happened in the reign of Cleopatra, that prodigiously prodigal queen, the river overflowed not for two years together, saith Seneca: as at another time it overflowed not for nine years together, saith Callimachus; and after him Ovid. How easy is it for God to starve us all, by denying us a few harvests! In case of famine, let us inquire the supernatural cause; as David did, (2 Samuel 21:1) when he knew the natural cause to be the drought. Suet., in Claudio. Joseph., Antiq., lib. xx. cap. 2. Luc., lib. v. cap. 9. Creditur Aegyptus caruisse iuvantibus arva Imbribus, atque annis sicca fuisse novem. -Ovid. Sen., Nat. Quaest., lib. iv. cap. 2.
Ver. 4. Did eat up the seven, &c.] In famine is not only outward want, but a greedy dog-like appetite within (Βουλιμια, appetitas caninus), that an ordinary meal sufficeth not, (Isaiah 9:20) but men are ready to eat one another: as they did at Potidea, in the Peloponnesian war; at Utica, when it was besieged by Hamilcar the father of Hannibal; at Jerusalem, when it was beleaguered by Vespasian; at Tunis, in the African war, when the soldiers were tithed, that is, every tenth man was cut in pieces and devoured. Such a famine there was at Rome in the days of Honorius the Emperor, that they were ready to eat one another; and this voice was heard in the place of public meeting, Pone precium humanae carni. At Antioch in Syria, many of the Christians, in the holy war, through famine, devoured the dead bodies of their recently slain enemies. At the siege of Scodra, they were well-nigh put to this extremity, when horses were dainty meat; yea, they were glad to eat dogs, cats, rats, and the skins of beasts sod. It exceedeth all credit, to tell at what exceeding great price a little mouse was sold, or puddings made of dogs’ guts. And if our relations deceived us not, such things as these we heard of lately, to have happened in Germany. Alterius perditio, tua cautio. Seest thou another man perish? see to thyself. Thucyd.; Polyb.; Joseph.; Manlii., loc. com. 278; Alsted., Chronol., p. 300; Turk. Hist., fol. 18, 426.
Ver. 5. And dreamed the second time.] Divine dreams use to be repeated, and to take deep impression, as this did. (Genesis 41:8) “Pharaoh’s spirit was troubled”; Heb., behammered.
Ver. 6. Blasted with the east wind.] Which is, Ventus urens et exsiccans, saith Pliny: The property of this wind is to burn and blast the fruits. (Ezekiel 17:10 19:12 Hosea 13:15)
Ver. 7. Behold, it was a dream.] That is, It was but a dream, and no more; yet a divine dream: whereof, [See Trapp on “Ge 20:3”]
Ver. 8. All the magicians.] Or, Natural philosophers, that studied the secrets of nature, and could give a ready reason of everything. Magus is a Persian word, and hath affinity with the Hebrew הנחפ, a contemplative person; συφος θεωρητικος: Such as was Aristotle among the heathens, and Augustine among Christians—the greatest and accuratest of men, after the apostles, in contemplation and argumentation, as many are of opinion. The Grecians were so delighted with his learned labours, that they have translated him wholly into their tongue. As for the deep theorems of natural philosophy, they make one learned indeed, but seldom better, ofttimes worse, nearly atheists; as these wise men of Egypt, elsewhere called enchanters, wizards. (Exodus 7:11) Of these were “Jannes and Jambres” that “resisted Moses”; (2 Timothy 3:8) learned they were, and lewd, as were those philosophers. (Romans 1:18-32) But there was none that could interpret.] Because God had smitten them with a spirit of dizziness, and made the “wisdom of the wise to perish”; (Isaiah 29:14) for else, it had been easy for them to have seen plenty in the fat kine, and penury in the lean, &c. But God had reserved that honour to Joseph, as a step or stirrup to further preferment. Planudes eum transtulit anis aliquot ante Constantinopolim captum. Manl., loc. com., p. 684.