seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Genesis 47:1 Joseph went and told Pharaoh, “My father and brothers, with their flocks and herds and everything they own, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in Goshen.” 2 He chose five of his brothers and presented them before Pharaoh.
3 Pharaoh asked the brothers, “What is your occupation?”
“Your servants are shepherds,” they replied to Pharaoh, “just as our fathers were.” 4 They also said to him, “We have come to live here for a while, because the famine is severe in Canaan and your servants’ flocks have no pasture. So now, please let your servants settle in Goshen.”
5 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you, 6 and the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land. Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them with special ability, put them in charge of my own livestock.”
3 Pharaoh asked the brothers, “What is your occupation?”
“Your servants are shepherds,” they replied to Pharaoh, “just as our fathers were.” 4 They also said to him, “We have come to live here for a while, because the famine is severe in Canaan and your servants’ flocks have no pasture. So now, please let your servants settle in Goshen.”
5 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you, 6 and the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land. Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them with special ability, put them in charge of my own livestock.”
I simply don't know why Joseph bothers talking to those brothers of his. He told them what to say when they met Pharaoh but they still went right ahead and told Pharaoh they were shepherds. Still, Pharaoh gave them the "best part of the land".
This is from bible-commentaries.com.
We are not told who were the five brothers that Joseph picked to have an audience with Pharaoh. It could be speculated that they were the five sons that Lea, Jacob's only legal wife, had born to Jacob, but we do not know. It seems logical that Joseph would have introduced Benjamin, his only full brother, to the king. It could be that court etiquette ruled out the appearance of large groups at audiences. Probably Joseph wanted to make the best impression possible upon the monarch.
Pharaoh's question: "What is your occupation?" seems to have been more than a polite inquiry. According to The Pulpit Commentary : "Pharaoh's inquiry was characteristically Egyptian, being rendered necessary by the strict distinction of casts that then prevailed. According to a law promulgated by Amsis, a monarch of the 26th dynasty, every Egyptian was obliged to give a yearly account to the monarch or State governor of how he lived, with the certification that if he failed to show that he possessed an honorable calling he should be put to death." No wonder Joseph was careful in whom he chose!
Pharaoh treats Joseph's relatives in a very generous way by making the best of the land available to them. We have to remember, though, that all the kindness Pharaoh bestows upon Joseph's brother is done for Joseph's sake, not for theirs
Pharaoh's question: "What is your occupation?" seems to have been more than a polite inquiry. According to The Pulpit Commentary : "Pharaoh's inquiry was characteristically Egyptian, being rendered necessary by the strict distinction of casts that then prevailed. According to a law promulgated by Amsis, a monarch of the 26th dynasty, every Egyptian was obliged to give a yearly account to the monarch or State governor of how he lived, with the certification that if he failed to show that he possessed an honorable calling he should be put to death." No wonder Joseph was careful in whom he chose!
Pharaoh treats Joseph's relatives in a very generous way by making the best of the land available to them. We have to remember, though, that all the kindness Pharaoh bestows upon Joseph's brother is done for Joseph's sake, not for theirs
The commentary at easyenglish.info offers one more thing.
‘Let them look after my cows.’ Pharaoh offered employment to some of Jacob’s family. Pharaoh expected that they would mix with the Egyptian people. But they did not mix. About 400 years after this time, they were still separate. (See Exodus 1:8-9.)
I wonder. If Pharaoh hadn't welcomed Joseph's family, would Joseph have stayed? Just a thought.
