Ver. 1. And the famine was sore in the land.] In the Promised Land. Hold out faith and patience. Os quod in sorte tua cecidit, rodas: Bear thy cross, and be content. Drus., in Adag.
Ver. 2. Buy us a little food.] They had learned to live with a little, which is a great skill; nature is content with a little, grace with less. Epicurus himself was wont to say, if he might have but aquam et offam, a draught of water, and a morsel of meat, he could live happily. Paratum se esse cum Iove de faelicitate contendere, si aquam haberet et offam. -Aelian.
Ver. 3. Ye shall not see my face, &c.] No acceptation without Benjamin, that son of sorrow: so, neither with God, without sound repentance. This is the rainbow, which if God sees shining in our hearts, he will never drown our souls.
Ver. 4. And buy thee food,] q.d., Thou art as much concerned as any of us, and more; because thou art master of the family.
Ver. 6. And Israel said, &c.] Here he begins to outwrestle his fears, by resting upon God; and is therefore called Israel.
Ver. 7. Could we certainly know, &c.] Inferences many times axe made upon what we say or do, such as we never thought of, Arbitror nonnullos in quibusdam locis librorum meorum opinaturos, me sensisse quod non sensi, aut non sensisse quod sensi, saith Augustine. And it fell out accordingly. For, as Baronius witnesseth, after St Austin’s death, there arose up divisions, who, out of his writings, wrested and misconstrued, brought in many errors; which they endeavoured to maintain by the name and authority of St Augustine. And the like may be said of Luther. Aug., lib. i., De Trin., cap. 3, ad finem. Qui ex eius scriptis male perceptis complures invexerunt errores. -Annal, tom. vi., ad Ann. 450.
Ver. 8. Send the lad.] A large lad, that was thirty years old, and had ten children. But he is so called, because the youngest son of them, and the father’s darling.
Ver. 9. I will be surety for him.] Herein he was a type of Christ, that came of him, who is both our surety to God, for the discharge of our debt and duty, and God’s surety to us, for the performance of his promises. (Hebrews 7:22)
Ver. 10. For except we had lingered, &c.] In the words of God there is not any hyperbole to be found. In the words of men, related by the Scripture, if we meet with such kind of expressions as this and that in John 21:25, it nothing derogates from the authority of the Scripture, as Pareus here noteth.
Ver. 11. If it must be so now, &c.] Perplexity is blind and untractable. Let the mind but settle, and it will soon yield to a reasonable motion, if seasonable, especially, as this of Judah was: for, besides the weightiness of his words, necessity now spake for him, that most powerful orator. Take of the best fruits.] De laudatissimis rebus, saith Juulus. Of the verse or melody, saith the original; that is, of the most praiseworthy fruits; such as deserve to be commended in verse, and sung of, to the praise of God the giver. A little balm, and a little honey.] Great men regard not the worth of the gift, but the will of the giver. If I had had more, I would have given more, said that Greek to Augustus, and it was accepted. The poor Persian that met Artaxerxes with a handful of water, out of the river Cyprus, went away well rewarded. So did the gardener that presented the Duke of Burgundy with a rape root; which, when the master of his house observed, he presented his lord with a brave small saddle horse, looking for like liberality, but was disappointed. Ex carmine, vel melodia, vel modulatione, vel denique Psalmo. -Isa. lxv. 8. Ει πλεον ειχον, πλεον εδιδουν.— Aelian.
Ver. 12. And take double money.] Invaluerat enim fames, (Genesis 43:1) ideoque annonae pretium auctum erat, saith Junius. It went hard with the inhabitants of Samaria, when an ass’s head was worth four pounds. Peradventure it was an oversight.] Which called for restitution; we must buy and sell by that standard, (Matthew 7:12) “Whatever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye the same to them.” Now no man would be cheated. Woe be to him that cries Caveat emptor; He that cannot lie, cannot live, &c. “God is the avenger of all such.” (1 Thessalonians 4:6) Qui nescit dissimulare, nescit vivere.
Ver. 13. Take also your brother.] Since there is no other remedy. But if I could otherwise do, he should never go. God doeth us good sometimes against our wills, and crosseth us with a blessing. The heathens could pray thus— “Great God, the good thou hast to give, Whether we will’t or no, Let’s still receive: no mischief thrive To work our overthrow.”
Ver. 14. And God Almighty give you mercy.] Heb., Give you bowels, the seat of mercy. Here God not only grants Jacob’s prayer, but fulfils his counsel, gives him the very particular he prays for. (Genesis 43:30) Joseph’s “bowels yearned upon Benjamin.” If I be bereaved, I am bereaved.] This is like that of Esther, committing herself and her attempt to God, “If I perish, I perish”; (Esther 4:16) and like that of those saints in the Acts, “The will of the Lord be done”; which is, saith one, Vox vere Christianorum. Jacob prays for Benjamin’s safety, but will be content his own will be crossed, so that God’s will may be accomplished. This is the right way of praying; this is to “draw near with a true heart.” (Hebrews 10:22) Hypocrites seek God only out of self-love; which is as little pleasing to him, as if a woman should strive to content her husband, not out of love to him, but to another.
Ver. 15. Double money in their hand.] Both that they met with in their sacks’ mouths, and new money to buy more.
Ver. 16. Slay, and make ready.] Heb., Slay a slaughter of beasts, as at feasts is usual. Quaere nunc cur subito moriamur? saith Seneca; quia mortibas vivimus; What wonder we die suddenly, that live by the death of others? Shall dine with me at noon.] After serious business despatched in the morning. Aristotle disposed of the morning in studying philosophy; of the afternoon in eloquence, or whatever else he made his recreation.
Ver. 17. And the man did as Joseph bade.] Things then go well within doors, when the hands take counsel of the head, the servants of their master, and are active to execute.
Ver. 18. And the men were afraid.] Where no fear was; but that an ill conscience haunted them, and so “the sound of a shaken leaf” (Leviticus 26:36) put them into a fright. As every body hath its shadow, so hath every sin its fear; and fear torment. (1 John 4:18)
Ver. 19. And they came near.] [See Trapp on “Ge 43:20”]
Ver. 20. O sir, we came indeed, &c.] We must not lie wretchlessly under suspicion of dishonesty; but carefully clear ourselves, as there is opportunity.
Ver. 21. Every man’s money.] This made their hearts even ready to go out of their mouths, as the Heb. hath it. (Genesis 42:35)
Ver. 22. We cannot tell.]
Ver. 23. Peace be to you, fear not.] “The feeble minded” must be “comforted”; (1 Thessalonians 5:14) not crushed, or cashiered, as the wounded deer is by the whole herd. David, in the spirit of prophecy, pronounceth a bitter curse upon those that “persecuted him whom God hath smitten, and talked to the grief of those whom he had wounded.” (Psalms 69:26) Joseph’s steward had learned better things of his master.
Ver. 24. Washed their feet.] [See Trapp on “Ge 18:4”]
Ver. 25. And they made ready the present.] For, “a man’s gift makes room for him, and bringeth him before great men.” (Proverbs 18:16) So it doth also before God, who looks for “a present,” (Psalms 72:10) and loves to hear from us. “Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion, and unto thee shall the vow be performed.” (Psalms 65:1)
Ver. 26. And bowed themselves to him.] In their father’s name, as well as their own. (Genesis 43:28) And here Joseph’s dream (Genesis 37:9) was accomplished.
Ver. 27. And he asked them of their welfare.] Heb., Of their peace; which is a comprehensive, voluminous mercy.
Ver. 28. [See Trapp on “Ge 43:26”]
Ver. 29. God be gracious unto thee, my son.] Governors should temper clemency with severity, so as to be at once loved and feared. Mercy is the brightest star in the sphere of majesty. Queen Elizabeth, next to the Bible, took special delight in Seneca’s tract, “De Clementia.”
Ver. 30. And Joseph made haste, &c.] He hid his affection, as a wise and valiant man, till he had once more beaten vehemently upon their guilty consciences; and so brought them to a more sound and serious sight of their sin, that they might repent and make sure work for their souls.
Ver. 31. Set on bread.] Which the Latins call panis of παν, either because all covet it, or because whatever else the cheer be, men always set on bread. Isidor., lib. xx.
Ver. 32. Because the Egyptians might not eat, &c.] Such was their pride and superstition. Such was the hatred between the Jews and Samaritans: as is little less at this day between Papists and Protestants. If a Protestant give thanks at his food, though this chaseth not a Catholic from his dinner, which were to his loss, yet he must forbear to say Amen to it. As on the other side, some Roman Catholics will not say grace, though it be at their own table, when a Protestant is present; thinking it better to leave God unserved, than that a Protestant join in serving him. They hold us no better than dogs, worse than Turks or Jews, damned heretics, cursed captives, unworthy to live on God’s ground, fit for nothing but fire and fagot. Certain it is, that whosoever in this new faith and service hath ended this life, is in hell most certainly, saith Bristow, in his 36th Motive. It cannot be that a Lutheran so dying can escape the damnation of hell, saith Coster the Jesuit; if I lie, let me be damned with Lucifer. Are not God’s Hebrews an utter abomination now to these Romish Egyptians? Sandys’s Relation of West. Relig., sec. 32. Coster, Resp. ad Enchirid. Osiand., propos. 8.
Ver. 33. And they sat before him, &c.] He marshalled them in their right rank and degree; and this amazed them. He made them an absolute feast, such as Varro describes with these conditions; Si belli conveniant homines, si temporis sit habita ratio, si locus sit non ingratus, si non negligens apparatus. This feast is of that sort in use among the Romans, that were called χαριστια, to which were invited none but kinsfolks, to continue love and seek reconciliation where had been any breach. In Veter. Fragm. Val. Max., lib. ii. cap. 1.
Ver. 34. And he took and sent messes.] So did Cyrus in Xenophon, to such as he favoured. But Benjamin’s mess, &c.] Love will creep where it cannot go; and good blood will never belie itself. Ambrose makes it a type and token of St Paul’s excellent parts and gifts above the rest of the apostles, &c.