Joseph. Who represents all the family of Israel, as he took care of it. (Calmet) (Psalm lxxix. 2.) (Worthington) --- Not. The Israelites heard the voice of God at Sinai, (St. Jerome, &c.; Calmet) and for the last time, where forced to hear the insults of the Egyptians at their heels; (Haydock) whose language was barbarous to them, (Psalm cxiii. 1.; Menochius) and not well understood by all, as they had very little society together. Joseph spoke to his brethren by an interpreter. (Haydock) --- Some explain this of Joseph himself, when he first came into Egypt, (Chaldean. Bossuet) or of the Israelites, at their arrival there. (Vatable) --- But this agrees not with the Vulgate or Hebrew, (Haydock) the latter of which is very confused and incorrect, though it be adopted (Calmet) by St. Jerome: "I heard a tongue which I knew not, I withdrew," &c., (Haydock) or, making a small alteration, " God hast established this festival in Joseph, when He appeared in the land of Egypt to rescue his people: then said the Lord, I made him hear a language which he knew not, that I was the protector of my people, I will remove," &c. (Calmet) --- The authors of the Pin. disc. take this liberty, which would make the sense pretty clear. But the Hebrew means, "I heard," &c. Some not being able to understand this, have substituted, "He heard," with the German version. (Berthier) --- The ancient Greek interpreters seem to have read the same, as no variation is noticed. (Calmet) --- If, however, we must explain the Hebrew of St. Jerome, we must suppose that, " I knew not, means I condemned, as it often does; and God certainly reprobated the harsh language of the Egyptian task-masters, and came to deliver his people from oppression, Exodus ii. 25., and iii. 8., and v. 14. (Haydock)

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