Genesis 45:6

_FOR THESE TWO YEARS HATH THE FAMINE BEEN IN THE LAND: AND YET THERE ARE FIVE YEARS, IN THE WHICH THERE SHALL NEITHER BE EARING NOR HARVEST._ For ... yet ... five years ... neither be caring nor harvest. Ear is an old English word, meaning to plow (cf. 1 Samuel 8:12; Isaiah 30:24). This seems to confirm the view given (Genesis 41:57) that the famine was caused by an extraordinary drought, which prevented the annual overflowing of the Nile, and of course made the land unfit to receive the seed of Egypt....

1-15 Joseph let Judah go on, and heard all he had to say. He found his brethren humbled for their sins, mindful of himself, for Judah had mentioned him twice in his speech, respectful to their father, and very tender of their brother Benjamin. Now they were ripe for the comfort he designed, by making himself known. Joseph ordered all his attendants to withdraw. Thus Christ makes himself and his loving-kindness known to his people, out of the sight and hearing of the world. Joseph shed tears of tenderness and strong affection, and with these threw off that austerity with which he had hitherto behaved toward his brethren. This represents the Divine compassion toward returning penitents. "I am Joseph, your brother." This would humble them yet more for their sin in selling him, but would encourage them to hope for kind treatment. Thus, when Christ would convince Paul, he said, I am Jesus; a...

Verse Genesis 45:6. THERE SHALL _NEITHER_ BE _EARING NOR HARVEST._] EARING has been supposed to mean collecting the _ears_ of corn, which would confound it with _harvest_: the word, however, means _ploughing_ or _seed-time_, from the Anglo-Saxon [A.S.] _erian_, probably borrowed from the Latin _aro_, to _plough_, and plainly means that there should be no _seed-time_, and consequently no _harvest_; and why? Because there should be a total want of _rain_ in other countries, and the _Nile_ should not rise above _twelve cubits_ in Egypt; Genesis 41:31. But the expressions here must be qualified a little, as we find from Genesis 47:19,...

- Joseph Made Himself Known to His Brethren 10. גשׁן _gôshen_, Goshen, Gesem (Arabias related perhaps to גשׁם _geshem_ “rain, shower”), a region on the borders of Egypt and Arabia, near the gulf of Suez. The appeal of Judah is to Joseph irresistible. The repentance of his brothers, and their attachment to Benjamin, have been demonstrated in the most satisfactory manner. This is all that Joseph sought. It is evident, throughout the whole narrative, that he never aimed at exercising any supremacy over his brothers. As soon as he has obtained an affecting proof of the right disposition of his brothers, he conceals himself no longer. And the speech of Judah, in which, no doubt, his brothers concurred, does equal credit to his head and heart....

EXPOSITION GENESIS 45:1, GENESIS 45:2 THEN (literally, and) JOSEPH COULD NOT REFRAIN HIMSELF (_i.e._ keep himself from giving way to the impulses of love) BEFORE ALL THEM THAT STOOD BY HIM (_i.e._ the Egyptian officials of his household); and he cried (or made proclamation, issued an instruction), CAUSE EVERY MAN TO GO OUT FROM ME. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. It was true delicacy on the part of Joseph which prompted the discovery of himself to his brethren in private; not simply because he did not wish to pain his brethren by a public reference to their past wickedness, ne facinus illud detestabile m

FOR THESE TWO YEARS [HATH] THE FAMINE [BEEN], IN THE LAND,.... In the land of Egypt and in the countries round about: AND YET [THERE ARE] FIVE YEARS; still remaining, which he knew by the above dreams and the interpretation of them: IN THE WHICH [THERE SHALL] NEITHER [BE] EARING NOR HARVEST; that is, no tillage of land, neither ploughing nor sowing, and so no reaping, or gathering in of the fruits of the earth, as used to be in harvest; at least, there would be very little ground tilled, only it may be on the banks of the Nile, since they had no corn to spare for seed; and besides, as the Egyptians knew by Joseph's prediction that the Nile would not overflow, it was to no purpose to attempt to plough their land, which through seven years of drought was become very difficult, or to sow, could they get the seed into the ground, since there was no likelihood of its springing up again....

Genesis 45:1. _Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him: and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. And he wept aloud:_ Emotion long pent up grows violent; and when at last it does burst forth, it cannot be restrained: «He wept aloud.» Genesis 45:2. _And the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence._ What a rush of thoughts must have passed through their minds when they remembered all their unkind behavior toward him! There is no wonder that «they were troubled at his presence.»...

CHAPTER 45 JOSEPH REVEALS HIMSELF _ 1. He reveals himself (Genesis 45:1)_ 2. His address (Genesis 45:4) 3. He kissed his brethren (Genesis 45:14) 4. Pharaoh's command (Genesis 45:16) 5. His brethren sent away and their return to Jacob (Genesis 45:21) These three Chapter s belong together because they lead up to the great climax in the story of Joseph. The nobility of the character of Joseph is here fully brought out. Besides being a wise man, the great statesman of Egypt, he had a heart of tender

FOR THESE TWO YEARS HATH THE FAMINE BEEN IN THE LAND. The sons of Jacob bad probably made their first trip to Egypt about the close of the first year, and this second trip seems to have been at the close of the second year. Five years yet remained. NEITHER BE EARING NOR HARVEST. The term "earing" once meant plowing, and such is the meaning of the Hebrew. There will neither be tillage nor harvest for five more years. The drought will so continue that the husbandman will not even plant his land. The famine in Egypt was doubtless caused by the failure of the Nile to overflow the land on account of the failure of rains on its upper waters. Without the overflow the land would be in no condition to sow....

Joseph makes himself known to his Brethren 1. _refrain himself_ As in Genesis 43:31. The vehemence of Joseph's emotion forms a trait in his character and a feature in the narrative. Cf. Genesis 45:2_; Genesis 45:14_; Genesis 42:24; Genesis 43:30; Genesis 46:29....