Genesis 45:8

_SO NOW IT WAS NOT YOU THAT SENT ME HITHER, BUT GOD: AND HE HATH MADE ME A FATHER TO PHARAOH, AND LORD OF ALL HIS HOUSE, AND A RULER THROUGHOUT ALL THE LAND OF EGYPT._ It was not you that sent me hither, but God. This statement must not be interpreted more strictly than the general tenor of the history warrants-certainly not as implying that the commission of the outrageous abduction of Joseph by his brethren was necessitated by anything like a direct, compulsory influence upon their minds. The strong phraseology in which the declaration was made is to be ascribed to the special circumstances of the speaker; and the meaning which underlies the expression is evidently this-That as nothing, whether great or small, important or trivial, can happen without God's will, His wisdom and providence had ordered a train of circumstances, so that bad and malignant individuals, subjected to their pr...

8._So now, it was not you that sent me hither_. This is a remarkable passage, in which we are taught that the right course of events is never so disturbed by the depravity and wickedness of men, but that God can direct them to a good end. We are also instructed in what manner and for what purpose we must consider the providence of God. When men of inquisitive minds dispute concerning it, they not only mingle and pervert all things without regard to the end designed, but invent every absurdity in their power, in order to sully the justice of God. And this rashness causes some pious and moderate men to wish this portion of doctrine to be concealed from view; for as soon as it is publicly declared that God holds the government of the whole world, and that nothing is done but by his will and authority, they who think with little reverence of the mysteries of God, break forth into various que...

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 45:8. _HE HATH MADE ME A FATHER TO PHARAOH_] It has already been conjectured that _father_ was a name of _office_ in Egypt, and that _father of Pharaoh_ might among them signify the same as _prime_ _minister_ or the _king's minister_ does among us. Calmet has remarked that among the Phoenicians, Persians, Arabians, and Romans, the title of _father_ was given to certain officers of state. The Roman emperors gave the name of _father_ to the prefects of the Praetorium, as appears by the letters of Constantine to Ablavius. The caliphs gave the same name to their _prime ministers_. In Judges 17:10, Micah says to the young Levite, _Dwell with me, and be unto me a_ FATHER _and a priest_. And Diodorus Siculus remarks that the _teachers_ an...

- 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

SO NOW [IT WAS] NOT YOU [THAT] SENT ME HITHER, BUT GOD,.... Which is to be understood not absolutely, as if they had no concern at all in sending him thither; they sold him to the Ishmaelites, who brought him down to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, and so were instrumental in his coming to Egypt; but comparatively, it was not they so much as God that sent him; whose providence directed, disposed, and overruled all those events, to bring Joseph to this place, and to such an high station, to answer the purposes and designs of God in providing for and preserving Jacob's family in a time of distress: AND HE HATH MADE ME A FATHER TO PHARAOH: to be a teacher to him, as Aben Ezra, that is, to be his counsellor, to advise him well in all things, as a father his children; or to be his partner and patron, as Jarchi, to have a share with him in power and authority, and to be reckoned as a father t...

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

SO NOW IT WAS NOT YOU THAT SENT ME HITHER, BUT GOD. If Joseph's brethren had said this we would have been justified in charging them with the crime of trying to shuffle off the responsibility for their guilt upon God. But when Joseph is the speaker we recognize at once the drift of the words and see that they are free from exceptionable meaning. HATH MADE ME. FATHER TO PHARAOH. Calmet has remarked that among the Phœnicians, Arabians, Persians and Romans, the title of "father" was given to certain officers of state. The Roman emperors gave the name of father to the Prætorian prefects, as appears by the letters of Constantine to Ablarius. The Caliphs gave the same name to their prime ministers.--_ Clarke._...