Genesis 41

Genesis 41:1

JOSEPH’S EXALTATION

[Genesis 41, 1-52]

AFTER two years, Pharao had a dream. He thought he stood by the river Nile¹ out of which came seven cows, very beautiful and fat; and they fed in marshy places. After them came also seven others that were lean and ill-favoured, and they devoured the fat ones. Then the king awoke.

He slept again and dreamed another dream in which he saw seven ears of corn growing upon one stalk; and the ears were full and fair. After these came up seven other ears, thin and blighted, devouring all the beauty of the former. Pharao awoke the second time and, morning having come, he sent for all the soothsayers² and wise men of Egypt, and related to them his dreams. But no one was found who could interpret them.

Then the chief butler remembered Joseph, and was sorry³ that he had so long forgotten him. He told the king that there was in the prison a Hebrew⁴ youth who had interpreted dreams for him and the chief baker, and that all had come to pass just as he said.

The king’s curiosity being excited, he ordered the youth to be brought before him. Then he addressed him, saying: “I have dreamed dreams, and there is no one that can expound them.

¹ Nile. This is the only river in Egypt, and the lower part of it is divided into many branches and channels. It is to this river that Egypt owes its fertility. In the summer (from August to October) the Nile overflows its banks, and inundates the whole plain with its slimy waters (Fig. 14). This water provides the sandy plain with necessary moisture, and the slime, left behind by the inundation, acts as a powerful manure. The crops are sown after the annual overflow, and the ground produces corn in abundance, each stalk bearing from three to seven ears. When the Nile does not overflow, nothing grows, and there is a famine.

² Soothsayers. The men who gave themselves out as capable of interpreting dreams and foretelling the future.

³ Was sorry. The duty of gratitude ought to have made him think of Joseph as soon as ever he had received his pardon.

⁴ Hebrew. He called Joseph a Hebrew, because the descendants of Abraham were known by that name.

— XXI. JOSEPH’S EXALTATION.

Now, I have heard that thou art very wise at interpreting them.” Joseph answered: “God alone can give Pharao a prosperous answer.” Pharao then related what he had seen.

Having heard the dreams, Joseph said: “God hath shown$^(1)$ to Pharao what He is about to do. The seven beautiful kine, and the seven full ears, are seven years of plenty; the seven lean and thin kine, and the seven blasted ears, are seven years of

famine. There shall come seven years of great plenty in the whole land of Egypt, after which shall follow seven other years of so great a scarcity that all the abundance before shall be forgotten; for the famine shall consume all the land, and the greatness of the scarcity shall destroy the greatness of the plenty.

$^(1)$ Hath shown. i. e. these dreams have been sent to you by God in order to show you what is, by His divine Providence, to happen in the future.

— XXI. JOSEPH’S EXALTATION.

Now, therefore, let the king provide a wise and industrious man$^(1)$ and make him ruler over the land of Egypt that he may appoint overseers over all the countries, and gather into barns the fifth part of the fruits during the seven fruitful years that shall now presently ensue, and let all the corn be laid up under Pharao’s hands and be reserved in the cities.'

This counsel was pleasing to Pharao, and he said to his courtiers: “Can we find such another man that is full of the Spirit of God?"$^(2)$ Then the king said to Joseph: “Can I find one wiser and like unto thee? Thou shalt be over my house, and at the commandment of thy mouth all the people shall obey. Only in the kingly throne$^(3)$ will I be above thee.'

Then the king, having made Joseph ruler over all the land of Egypt, took his ring$^(4)$ from his own hand, and placed it on that of Joseph. He also put on him a robe of silk, and a chain of gold around his neck, and caused him to be seated in a triumphal chariot next to his own, the crier proclaiming that all should bow their knee$^(5)$ before him and that they should know he was made governor over the whole land of Egypt (Fig. 15). He also changed his name, and called him saviour$^(6)$ of the world. Joseph was thirty years$^(7)$ old when he was made ruler of Egypt.

COMMENTARY.

Humility. When Pharao said to Joseph: “I have heard that thou art very wise at interpreting dreams”, Joseph replied that it was God alone who could give the interpretation. This was as much as to say:

$^(1)$ Industrious man. A prudent, active man who would be capable of carrying out such a great work.

$^(2)$ Spirit of God. From the wonderful gift of interpreting the dream, Pharao knew that the Spirit of God was with Joseph.

$^(3)$ Kingly throne. Kings sit on a throne, and a throne, therefore, is the type of kingly power. The king meant: I will remain king, but next to me yours shall be the highest authority in Egypt, and you shall govern the country in my name. Joseph was, in fact, made the Viceroy or Prime Minister of the king.

$^(4)$ His ring. Pharao gave Joseph his signet ring, as a sign that Joseph was empowered to give orders in the king’s name, and to seal them with the king’s seal.

$^(5)$ Bow their knee. Pharao commanded that all men should bow the knee to Joseph, as a test whether they were ready to obey and honour him.

$^(6)$ Saviour. Because he had saved Egypt and the neighbouring countries from the horrors of famine.

$^(7)$ Thirty years. Joseph was now thirty years old. He was sixteen when his brothers sold him; therefore, he had been a slave for fourteen years, three or four of which had been passed in prison.

— XXI. JOSEPH’S EXALTATION.

“Of myself I can do nothing: I can only interpret dreams by the inspiration of God.” Thus he was humble, and gave the glory to God. “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Thy name give glory” (Ps. 113, 9).

The reward of virtue. Joseph had suffered for a long time, but his troubles came to an end at last, his patience and trust in God were richly rewarded, and he was fully compensated for all his past sufferings. Once his brothers tore his clothes from his back: now he is clad in a robe of silk. Once he was degraded to a state of slavery: now he is raised to the highest dignity. Once he was loaded with chains in

prison: now he is distinguished by a chain of gold round his neck. Once he was dragged off to prison like the worst of criminals: now he is led through the streets in the king’s chariot, and all men bow before him. “Behold, thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord” (Ps. 127, 4).

The Wisdom of Divine Providence is clearly to be seen in this story of Joseph’s abasement and exaltation. What were Almighty God’s intentions about Joseph? He had signified by the dreams which Joseph had dreamt as a boy, that he would

one day be a great lord, and that his brethren would bow down before him. Man did everything possible to hinder this exaltation. His brothers sold him as a slave on account of those very dreams. The merchants took him far away; Putiphar had him cast into prison like a criminal; the chief butler, who was deeply indebted to him, forgot all about him. Humanly speaking, there was no prospect of either his freedom or his honour being restored to him; much less of his becoming a great Lord. But God made everything which was apparently a misfortune and humiliation conduce step by step to his future exaltation. By being sold, he was taken to the very land where he was to be exalted. By

— XXI. JOSEPH’S EXALTATION.

being put into prison, he became known to the chief butler who, later on, introduced him to the king. Even the chief butler’s ingratitude, which must have deeply wounded Joseph, led, under God’s providence, towards the desired end; for if the chief butler had remembered him sooner, and got him taken out of prison at once, Joseph would not have remained in Egypt, but would have returned to Chanaan, to his sorrowful old father. Thus all these misfortunes led, under divine providence, to the future exaltation of Joseph. Moreover, by his troubles he was confirmed in prayer, confidence, humility, and love of his neighbour, and was thus prepared for the important post for which God had destined him. When we think of all this, we can only exclaim with St. Paul: “How incomprehensible are God’s judgments, and how unsearchable His ways!” (Rom. 11, 33.)

Joseph, the sixth type of Jesus Christ. Joseph, the beloved, obedient, and innocent son of his father, was envied by his brethren, ill-treated by them, sold, and given over to the Gentiles: so also Jesus. Joseph was repeatedly tempted, and yet did not sin: so also Jesus. Joseph was falsely accused and unjustly condemned. Jesus suffered patiently and resignedly between two malefactors, to one of whom he foretold pardon: Jesus, crucified between two thieves, said to the one on His right hand: “This day shalt thou be with Me in Paradise.” Joseph was set free from prison, and made ruler over the whole land: Jesus was raised from the prison of the tomb, and sitteth at the right hand of His Father. Joseph was called the saviour of the world, because he saved the Egyptians from famine; Jesus is indeed the Saviour of the world, because He has redeemed the whole world from sin and hell. The Egyptians bowed the knee before Joseph to testify the homage they owed him. “In the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2, 10, 11). (Repeat the first five types.)

Joseph’s exaltation is a type of the glory of the just in heaven. God does not always reward the just in this world; for we were created, not for a temporal, but for an eternal happiness. But we may be sure that He will reward them in the next world by an “eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor. 4, 17). The just have to pass through many trials on earth. They may, like Joseph, be persecuted and ridiculed for their faith, piety, or conscientiousness, but some day they will be exalted, and rewarded with everlasting happiness. The more good a man has done on earth, and the more he has suffered for the love of God, the greater will be his reward in heaven. “Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye when they shall revile you and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you untruly, for My sake. Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in heaven” (Mat. 5, 10—12). “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation, for, when he hath been proved,

— XXII. THE SONS OF JACOB GO INTO EGYPT.

he shall receive the crown of life” (James 1, 12). “The sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come” (Rom. 8, 18).

APPLICATION. Men often take that to be a misfortune which is really the contrary. Never complain of the ways of God, but always, and in all things, submit to His holy will. Have you ever complained? Are you not cowardly and desponding under suffering? Say to yourself: “God knows what is best for me. Not my will, but Thine be done!”

Genesis 41:43

THE SONS OF JACOB GO INTO EGYPT

[Genesis 41, 43 to 47]

THE seven years of plenty came, as Joseph had foretold. There was great abundance everywhere. And Joseph gathered the surplus of the grain¹ every year, and stored it up in the granaries. But, after the years of plenty, the seven years of scarcity set in, and a famine prevailed in all the countries. The people of Egypt cried to the king for bread, but he answered them: “Go to Joseph, and do all that he shall say to you.”

Joseph opened all the granaries and sold to the Egyptians. Likewise the people from other countries came to Egypt to buy corn. At last the famine reached Chanaan, and Jacob, having heard that there was wheat in Egypt for sale, sent ten of his sons with money to buy food. But Benjamin, the youngest, he kept at home, fearing lest some evil might befall him on the way.

The ten sons of Jacob arrived safely in Egypt, and seeing Joseph, they bowed down before him, not knowing² that he was their brother. But he at once recognized them, and remembered

¹ Grain. Corn, wheat &c. (Fig. 16).

² Not knowing. Joseph was a boy of sixteen, when they sold him, and was now thirty-eight years old. He would have changed a great deal in appearance in twenty-two years. Besides that, they could never have dreamt that their young slave-brother could have become this great ruler.

— XXII. THE SONS OF JACOB GO INTO EGYPT.

the dreams¹ he had dreamed. He wished to know whether they were now sorry² for their sin; so he spoke to them, as if they were strangers to him, and said: “You are spies.‘³

They answered: “It is not so, my lord, but we have come to buy food. We, thy servants, are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Chanaan. The youngest is with our father; the other⁴ is not living. Joseph then cast them into prison⁵ for three days.

On the third day, he brought them out and said: “If you be peaceable men, let one of your brethren be bound in prison, and go ye your ways, and carry the corn, that you have bought into your houses; and bring your youngest brother to me, that I may find your words to be true, and you may not die.”

Then they said one to another: “We deserve⁶ to suffer these things, because we have sinned against our brother, seeing the anguish of his soul when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this affliction come upon us.” They thought that Joseph did not understand them, for he spoke to them through an interpreter⁷. But he understood all that they said, and his heart was moved with pity, so that, turning aside from them, he wept⁸.

But in order to see if their repentance was sincere, he returned to them and ordered Simeon⁹ to be bound before their

¹ Dreams. The first of which was then fulfilled.

² Sorry. And if they had improved. Above all things, he wished to find out if they treated his younger brother Benjamin as harshly and unlovingly as they had treated him. This was why he forced them to bring Benjamin back with them, so that he might be convinced with his own eyes that he was still alive.

³ Spies. i. e. you are foreign informers, and wish to find out how this country could be most easily invaded and conquered.

⁴ The other. The brothers might well have hesitated and wondered what to say about Joseph.

⁵ Into prison. He did this, so that they might have time to enter into themselves, and confess the sin which they had committed against him.

⁶ We deserve. We can see by these words that they had entered into themselves in prison, and now confessed their guilt towards Joseph.

⁷ Interpreter. A man who understood and translated both the Hebrew and Egyptian languages. In order not to betray himself to his brethren, he spoke to them in Egyptian, and the interpreter translated what he said to his brethren.

⁸ He wept. He was moved by the penitent dispositions of his brothers. We can see by Joseph’s tears that his harshness to his brothers arose from no desire of revenge, but from the very best intentions.

⁹ Simeon. Simeon was the brother next in age to Reuben. Joseph would not have Reuben bound, because he had wished to save him; therefore he kept

— XXII. THE SONS OF JACOB GO INTO EGYPT.

eyes. Then he commanded his servants to fill their sacks with wheat, and put each man’s money$^(1)$ secretly in his sack, and give them, besides, provisions for their journey. This being done, they loaded their asses with the corn, and returned home.

They related to their father all that had happened, and, on opening their sacks, every man found his money tied in the mouth of his sack. Seeing this, they were troubled and afraid$^(2)$. And Jacob said to them: “You have made me childless. Joseph is not living. Simeon is kept in bonds, and Benjamin ye will take away. My son shall not go down with you, for, if any evil befall him, you will bring my grey hairs in sorrow to the grave.”

COMMENTARY.

Admonishing sinners. Joseph treated his brethren severely, not out of revenge, but out of love. He wished to bring them to self-examination, repentance and amendment of life. To admonish sinners, so as to convert them and lead them to see their sins and repent of them, is a duty of brotherly love and one of the spiritual works of mercy. St. James says (5, 20): “He who causeth a sinner to be converted from the error of his way, shall save his soul from death, and shall cover a multitude of sins.”

The object of sufferings. God, in His love, inflicts temporal sufferings on sinners, so that they may thereby be saved from the eternal sufferings of hell. These sufferings, such as sicknesses, misfortunes &c., ought to have the effect of turning the sinner’s thoughts to God, death, judgment and eternity, of teaching him to see the vanity of earthly things, and of leading him to repent of his sins, do penance, and care for the things of his soul. Such troubles are called visitations, for it is in this way that God visits His wandering children, and seeks to bring them back to the right way. “For, whom the Lord loveth, He chastiseth” (Hebr. 12, 6). Millions of the blessed would not now be in heaven, if God had not visited them with tribulations in this world.

The strictness of parents. Parents must punish their children sometimes, so as to keep them from evil. They do so, and must do so, out of love. Parents who indulge their children in everything have no true love for them, because they spoil them. Happy the child,

the next eldest as a hostage. Very likely Simeon had been the chief instigator of Joseph’s ill-treatment, and therefore a longer captivity was necessary to bring him to repentance.

$^(1)$ Each man’s money. He would not take money for the bread, which was to feed his own family.

$^(2)$ Afraid. They feared that the great Egyptian governor would take them for thieves, and would be more severe than ever with them.

— XXII. THE SONS OF JACOB GO INTO EGYPT.

whose parents are strict. “He that spareth the rod, hateth his son, but he that loveth him, correcteth him betimes” (Prov. 13, 24).

Economy. Joseph practised economy in the time of plenty, in order to be able to help others in the time of need. The wise son of Sirach says: “Remember poverty in the time of abundance, and the necessities of poverty in the day of riches” (Ecclus. 18, 25).

Feeding the hungry. On one hand, we should guard against extravagance, on the other, against the detestable vice of avarice. Joseph fed the hungry Egyptians with bread: we too ought to be willing to help those in need.

A bad conscience. It was really from kindness that Joseph secretly returned their money to his brothers, and gave them provisions for their journey. But his generosity caused them no joy, only anxiety and fear, because their consciences were guilty. They feared that God meant to punish them for the crime they had committed against Joseph, and had brought it about that their money should be left in their sacks, so that they might be regarded and punished as thieves. An evil conscience spoils every joy. It fills the sinner with fear, and follows him about wherever he goes.

The treasury of Christ’s merits. Even as Pharao said to the hungry Egyptians: “Go to Joseph”, so does the Heavenly King say to all those who are laden with sin and misery: “Go to Jesus, and do all that He tells you”, even as He said at the Transfiguration: “This is my beloved Son, hear ye Him.” If we obey this command, we shall be saved from death. Jesus Christ bequeathed to His Church a treasury of His superabundant merits and graces, from which, by means of the seven Sacraments, we can draw for all our needs.

St. Joseph. The Church applies those words: “Go to Joseph”, to the holy foster-father of our Lord, to whom the Joseph of Egypt bore much resemblance. St. Joseph was holy, chaste, and innocent, received revelations from God, was put in charge of the Holy Family, and is now in heaven, the true guardian and protector of every child of Jesus. His powerful intercession opens to us the treasury of divine grace. He is the special patron of Holy Church. We ought to venerate St. Joseph very much, follow his virtuous example, and implore his intercession.

APPLICATION. If you have any pain to bear, such as toothache &c., offer it to God, and resolve to lead a better life for the future. If you are punished by your parents, say to yourself: “It is what I deserve.”

Have you not often been extravagant? Do not waste anything, and do not spend money unnecessarily, for instance, on sweets. Do not purposely spoil your clothes, books &c.; and willingly give of your savings to the poor.

— XXIII. BENJAMIN’S JOURNEY TO EGYPT.