Genesis 47

Genesis 47:1

THE PROPHECY AND DEATH OF JACOB AND JOSEPH

[Genesis 47-50]

JACOB lived seventeen years in Gessen. When the day of his end approached, Joseph, with his two sons, Ephraim and Manasses¹, went to visit him. Jacob kissed the boys, blessed them, and prayed that the angel, who had delivered him from evil during life, might protect the sons of Joseph. To Joseph he said: “Behold, I die, and God will be with you, and bring you back into the land of your fathers.”

Then, his children and grandchildren having assembled round his couch, he blessed them all. To Juda² he gave a special

¹ Ephraim and Manasses. “Thy two sons shall be mine”, Jacob said to Joseph, “and shall inherit with mine.” What should they inherit? Joseph was much richer than his father, and neither he nor his sons required that which Jacob possessed in Gessen. The inheritance which he meant, was that which God had promised to his descendants, namely, the Promised Land. Of this land the two sons of Joseph were to have equal shares with the eleven brothers of their father, and thus Joseph was to have a double portion. In chapter XLV you will learn how precisely these last wishes of Jacob were carried out.

² Juda. Who, after Joseph, was the noblest of his sons. — XXVII. THE PROPHECY AND DEATH OF JACOB AND JOSEPH. 119

blessing. “Juda”, said he, “thy hand shall be on the neck of thy enemies. The sons of thy father shall bow¹ down to thee, and the sceptre² shall not be taken away from Juda, till He come³ that is to be sent, and He shall be the expectation⁴ of nations.”

Then, having told them to bury him with his fathers in the land of Chanaan, he died.

When Joseph saw this, he fell upon his father’s face, weeping and kissing him. He then ordered the body to be embalmed⁵. And Pharao commanded that all Egypt should mourn Jacob for seventy days. When the time of mourning was passed, Joseph, accompanied by all the elders of the house of Pharao, set out for the land of Chanaan, and buried the remains of his father at Hebron⁶. Now, Jacob being dead, the brothers feared that Joseph would remember the wrong they had done him, and therefore they came to him and begged forgiveness. Joseph received them kindly, saying: “You thought⁷ evil against me, but God turned it into good.”

Joseph lived one hundred and ten years, and saw his children’s children to the third generation. When his end drew near,

Egyptian painted coffin for depositing the embalmed body

¹ Shall bow. Thy brothers will be subject to thee, i. e. the tribe of Juda will be the dominant tribe of the twelve.

² Sceptre. The sceptre, next to the crown, is the sign of royalty.

³ Till He come. i. e. the royal dignity will last in Juda, until the Redeemer comes. Reuben, by an evil deed, had made himself unworthy of his birthright; hence, the double portion went to Joseph, and the rulership to Juda.

⁴ Expectation. Expected with longing by all the people of the earth. As they were the heirs of the promises, God inspired the patriarchs, Noe, Isaac and Jacob, in the making of their last testaments, and they foretold the will of God, as if it were their own. The blessings they gave, and the arrangements they made, were in reality prophecies about the future destiny of the people of God.

⁵ Embalmed. This was a custom among the Egyptians. Balm and sweet smelling drugs were introduced into the body, and the limbs tightly bandaged up. By this means the body was preserved from corruption (Fig. 17).

⁶ At Hebron. In the double cave, where Abraham, Sara, Isaac and Rebecca were already buried.

⁷ You thought. Your intention was to do evil. — XXVII. THE PROPHECY AND DEATH OF JACOB AND JOSEPH.

he said¹ to his brethren: “God will visit you² after my death, and will make you go up out of this land, to the land which he swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Carry my bones³ with you out of this place.” He then died, and they embalmed him and laid him in a coffin (Fig. 18).

COMMENTARY.

The fifth promise of the Messias. Jacob’s dying prophecy treated, firstly, of Juda’s precedence over his brethren, and secondly, of the coming of the Redeemer. Both prophecies have been fulfilled. Even in the time of Moses, the tribe of Juda was the most numerous of the twelve. To this tribe belonged the royal race of David; and with it remained the capital, Jerusalem, with the Temple and the High-Priest.

After the Babylonian captivity, this tribe gave its name to the whole nation, all its people being thenceforward known by the name of Jews. Finally, from the tribe of Juda sprang the Messias (Hebr. 7, 14), to whom the second part of Jacob’s prophecy refers. In this wonderful prophecy, uttered 1000 years B. C., the very time of our Lord’s coming was foretold, namely that in which the dominion of Juda should cease. This came to pass exactly as foretold, for, at the time of our Lord’s birth, the foreigner, Herod, placed as king over the subjected people, ruled in Judaea. Jacob also prophesied that the Redeemer would be expected by all nations, i. e. that not only the children of Abraham, but all the nations would be looking for Him. This also came to pass.

¹ He said. Filled with a prophecical spirit.

² Visit you. First with servitude, sufferings and persecutions, then with deliverance.

³ My bones. The splendour of Egypt had not made Joseph forget the Promised Land. He always looked on that as his country, and wished to have his body buried there.

— XXVII. THE PROPHECY AND DEATH OF JACOB AND JOSEPH. 121

Conduct towards aged parents. Joseph had always been a good son, and he honoured and loved his father as long as he was alive, and faithfully carried out his last wishes. His example shows us that we ought to support our parents in their old age; to visit and comfort them when they are sick; to be by their side at the hour of death; to faithfully carry out their last wishes; to pray diligently for the repose of their souls, and always have a grateful remembrance of them. “Son, support the old age of thy father, and grieve him not in thy life” (Ecclus. 3, 14).

The reward of virtue. Almighty God often visibly rewards virtue, and especially that which is shown by children to their parents. We can see this in the case both of Joseph and of Juda. a) Joseph loved and honoured his father; therefore, he was blessed by God even in this world. He lived fifty-four years after his father’s death, rejoiced in his children and grandchildren, was protected and enlightened by God, and died a happy death. b) Next to Joseph, Juda was the best of Jacob’s sons. He saved Joseph from death, saying: “It is better he be sold than that our hands be defiled, for he is our brother.” He made himself surety for Benjamin, and when Joseph wished to keep the latter as a slave, he said: “I will stay, instead of the boy; for, if he is not with us, we shall bring our father’s grey hairs with sorrow to the grave.” Juda was rewarded for this generous conduct; for his tribe was the dominant one, and of it was born the Saviour. “Honour thy father in work and word and all patience. The father’s blessing establisheth the houses of children: but the mother’s curse rooteth up the foundation” (Ecclus. 3, 9-11).

Happy death. Is not Jacob’s death striking and beautiful? Surrounded by his children, he gives his blessing to each one, foretelling God’s will concerning them. Dying in a strange land, he fixes his mind on the divine promises, and leaves this world calm and joyous, solemnly proclaiming his belief in the coming Redeemer. Joseph, too, died a holy and happy death, mourned by his brothers, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He died firm in the hope that his people would possess the Promised Land, and that, some day, the Redeemer would come. Both Jacob and Joseph had led holy, God-fearing lives; therefore they both died happy, peaceful deaths, firm in the hope of the future Saviour. As they lived, so they died. “With him that feareth the Lord, it shall go well in the latter end, and in the day of his death he shall be blessed” (Ecclus. 1, 13).

The words of Jacob to his son Juda refer to the Saviour, who was expected by the nations, and who was descended from Juda. The patriarch Joseph is a figure of St. Joseph, the foster-father of Christ. The one was ruler in Egypt; the other is the protector of the Catholic Church.

The twelve sons of Jacob were a type of the twelve Apostles. As from Jacob’s twelve sons sprang the whole chosen people, even so, in

— XXVIII. JOB’S PATIENCE.

a spiritual way, have the chosen people of the New Testament, the faithful, sprung from the twelve Apostles, who converted both Jews and Gentiles, receiving them into the Church of Christ.

APPLICATION. If you wish to die a happy death, you must fear God from your youth upward, and pray diligently for the grace of final perseverance, because this most important of all graces can only be obtained by prayer. Only the foolish and cowardly hope for a sudden death. The Church teaches us to pray: “From sudden and unprovided death, Lord, deliver us.” It is a great blessing not to die suddenly, but to watch death approaching as Jacob did, and be able to prepare ourselves for it. “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death.”

Some day you will stand by the death-bed of your father or mother. How you will then grieve, if you have caused them sorrow or suffering in their life-time!

Genesis 47:48

JACOB’S FLIGHT.—HIS VISION OF THE LADDER AND SOJOURN WITH LABAN

[Genesis 47, 48 to 29, 19]

ESAU was very angry, because he had lost the blessing. He resolved to kill Jacob. Rebecca knew¹ the evil intentions of Esau, and saw that the life of Jacob was in danger. She therefore called Jacob and said to him: “My son, flee to Laban², my brother, and dwell with him, till the wrath³ of thy brother hath passed away.” Jacob at once set out⁴. As he went on, it hap-

¹ Knew Rebecca knew this by the threatening looks and hostile hearing of Esau

² Laban. In Haran. You know already that Abraham had lived for a long time in Haran, before he came to Chanaan. Nachor, Abraham’s brother, had remained there. His son was Bathed, and Rebecca and Laban were his grand children. It was to this Laban, her brother, that Rebecca now told her son to go.

³ Wrath. Esau’s anger had passed into hatred, and hatred into fury and thirst for his brother’s blood. Rebecca rightly hoped that, when Esau no longer saw his brother, this fury would die away.

⁴ Set out. How sad Jacob must have felt when he bade farewell to his beloved parents, and went out into an unknown land. Sad at heart, and with his stall in his hand, he started forth, not knowing whether he would ever reach the end of his journey, or ever return home again. At that time Isaac was living at Bersabee, on the southern borders of Chanaan, and from thence to Haran was several hundred miles.

— XVI. JACOB’S FLIGHT, VISION, AND EXILE.

pened that night overtook him in an open plain. Being tired from the journey, he lay down¹ on the ground and slept, having a stone for a pillow. In his sleep he saw a ladder standing upon the earth, the top touching heaven; and by it the angels of God ascended and descended. The Lord was leaning upon the ladder

and said to him: “I am the Lord God of Abraham, thy father, and the God of Isaac². The land wherein thou sleepest I will give to thee and to thy seed. And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth; and in thee and thy seed all the tribes of the earth shall be blessed.”

¹ He lay down. Jacob had already travelled for several days, and when he arrived, tired out, at Bethel (four hours’ journey north of Jerusalem, Fig 4), he had to sleep in the open air. Wild beasts might have devoured him, or hostile men might have seized him and taken him prisoner. But Jacob trusted in God: he prayed fervently and commended himself to the care of the Almighty. Then God comforted him by revealing Himself to him in a dream.

² God of Isaac, i. e. the same God who appeared to thy grandfather Abraham and thy father Isaac, and gave them the promises. Almighty God then repeated to Jacob the same promises, namely, that the land of Chanaan should belong to his descendants; that his posterity should be very numerous, and that of his family should be born the Redeemer.

KNIGHT, Commentary. I. 1. ed. — XVI. JACOB’S FLIGHT, VISION, AND EXILE.

And when Jacob awoke from sleep, he said: “Indeed, the Lord is in this place¹, and I knew it not. How terrible² is this place! This is no other but the house of God³ and the gate⁴ of heaven.” As soon as morning dawned, he took the stone upon which his head had lain during the vision, and set it up as a monument; he also poured oil⁵ upon it, in honour of God, and changed the name of the place from Luza to Bethel, that is to say, the house of God. He also made a vow, saying: “If God shall be with me, and I shall return prosperously to my father’s house, the Lord shall be my God; and of all things that Thou shalt give me I will offer tithes to Thee.”

This being done, he continued his journey, and having come to a well near which three flocks of sheep were lying, he addressed the shepherds who were tending their flocks, saying: “Brethren, whence are you?” They answered: “Of Haran.” He then asked them if they knew Laban, the son of Nachor. They replied: “We know him and behold! Rachel, his daughter cometh with his flock.” When Rachel drew near, Jacob met her in a friendly manner, and rolled the stone from the mouth of the well so that her flock might drink. He informed Rachel that he was the son of Rebecca, her father’s sister. She joyfully ran home and announced the glad tidings to her father who, coming out, embraced Jacob and then conducted him to his house. Jacob remained⁶ twenty years⁷ with Laban, tending his flocks with

¹ In this place, i. e. the Lord is in a special manner in this place, not only in the general manner in which He is everywhere by His Omnipresence. God chose this place to make this grand revelation and promise to Jacob.

² How terrible. Jacob cried out in this way, because the fear of God had seized him.

³ House of God. Because Almighty God had shown Himself visibly there.

⁴ Gate of heaven. He calls the place the gate or door of heaven, because heaven had there opened itself before him, and he had gazed upon God and His holy angels.

⁵ Poured oil. He placed the stone on which he had rested his head upright, to serve as a memorial of the wonderful vision of God, and, anointing it with oil, he consecrated it to God. By virtue of God’s promises to him, Jacob had become a patriarch, and the patriarchs were not only the heads, but also the priests of their families, and offered sacrifice. It was only in the time of Moses that God instituted a special priesthood (Old Test, XXXIX). It was by right of his priestly dignity that Jacob consecrated the memorial stone.

⁶ Remained. And God increased Laban’s riches, for Jacob’s sake. He, being blessed of God, brought a blessing on the master whom he served.

⁷ Twenty years. Fourteen of which (seven for each) he had to serve in order to obtain Lia and Rachel, daughters of Laban, for his wives.

— XVI. JACOB’S FLIGHT, VISION, AND EXILE.

great care and fidelity. But Laban tried, by various unjust means, to withhold from Jacob a part of the hire to which he was justly entitled. Nevertheless, God blessed Jacob, and he became rich in flocks, and herds, and servants.

COMMENTARY.

All good things come from God. When Jacob made his vow, he did not say: “Of all things that I shall gain I will offer tithes to Thee”, but: “of all things that Thou shalt give me”. By these words the holy servant of God expressed his conviction that any riches or possessions which he might acquire, would all be a gift from God. Every true believer in God ought to say thus: “From Thee, O God, comes every gift. I thank Thee for what I am, and what I have.”

The fourth promise of the Messias. The promise of the Redeemer was made to Jacob in these words: “In thy seed shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed”, i. e. by one of your descendants shall grace and blessings be brought to all mankind. This Descendant of Jacob is Jesus Christ.

Our holy Guardian Angels. What does the heavenly ladder signify? Do the holy angels require a ladder, by which to ascend into heaven and descend to the earth? No! for they can pass to and from heaven with the swiftness of thought. God made this heavenly ladder to appear to Jacob so that he might understand that he was not forsaken; and that the holy angels had him in sight, took his prayers and good works to the throne of God, and returned to earth in order to stand by him and protect him. The angels help us in the same way, being, as St Paul tells us, “ministering spirits, sent to minister to them who shall receive the inheritance of salvation” (Hebr. 1, 14). “That which Almighty God showed visibly to Jacob for his comfort, takes place continually, in an invisible manner, with those whom God loves. Day and night, even when they are asleep, God looks down on them, well pleased, and has given His angels to them to be their guardians. These holy angels ascend and descend the heavenly ladder. They ascend to carry the sighs and prayers of the just, to offer them as fragrant incense before the throne of God; they descend to bring back to them help, strength and consolation from above” (Overberg). See Old Test. LXIX, where the Archangel Raphael says to Tobias: “When thou didst pray with tears, and didst bury the dead, I offered thy prayer to the Lord.” The holy angels are, therefore, ever working for our good.

Every Catholic church is a house of God and a gate of heaven. The words of Jacob: “How terrible is this place! This is no other but the house of God, and the gate of heaven!” apply to every Catholic church still more than they applied to Bethel. For every Catholic church is, in very deed, a house of God, because every day, in the holy sacrifice of the Mass, our Divine Saviour descends on the altar, is there present

6* — XVI. JACOB’S FLIGHT, VISION, AND EXILE.

under the form of bread and wine, and remains there with us, day and night, in the Most Blessed Sacrament. Every Catholic church is, also, a gate of heaven, because in it the one true faith is taught, and the Sacraments of Baptism, Penance and the Holy Eucharist are continually administered, through which we receive the remission of our sins, and obtain grace and life everlasting. Those words of the God fearing Jacob might well be written over the entrance of every one of our churches. And, as for us, we ought to be very devout and re-collected in the house of God.

Vows. Jacob vowed to God that, if he returned safe to Chanaan, he would build an altar at Bethel and offer sacrifices to God; and you will see that, later on, Jacob faithfully kept his vow. We learn by this vow of Jacob that, even in quite ancient days, God-fearing men used to make vows to God, and that He was well pleased with such holy vows; for He gave Jacob everything for which he prayed, when he made that vow.

Diligence. Jacob served his uncle diligently and faithfully. All who love and fear God try to fulfil faithfully the duties of their state of life. Diligence is a virtue, if we are working, each one in his state, for the glory of God. Sloth is a sin, and one of the seven capital sins.

The efficacy of penance. Jacob’s separation from his parents, and his long and hard servitude were a penance for his sin; and as he practised these penances willingly, they were pleasing to God, who forgave him his sin, and bestowed many blessings on him. Jacob left home quite poor, and returned a rich man. His confidence in God was richly rewarded. Nothing avails without the blessing of God.

The ladder of Jacob’s vision, a type of the Redemption. This ladder stood on the earth, and its top reached to heaven, even to the throne of God; and thus it joined earth to heaven. By sin, this earth (or the men living on earth) had separated itself from heaven (from God). Men had become the enemies of God, and had lost all means of attaining to heaven. It is impossible to reach heaven by any human strength or effort, as the men who built Babel tried to do: heaven must first come down to earth, and draw men back to God. Therefore the Son of God came down from heaven, and, by so doing, put an end to the enmity between heaven and earth. He made satisfaction for us, and regained for us the grace and inheritance of heaven which we had lost. Jesus Christ is the true heavenly ladder. By His teaching He has shown us the way to heaven, and by His death He has won for us grace, in the strength of which we may climb up. Almighty God showed Jacob, by this vision, that some day the Redeemer would come and restore the union between heaven and earth, and would open to all men the way to heaven.

Oil is the type of grace. Even as oil illuminates, softens, strengthens, and heals, so does the grace of the Holy Ghost illuminate, comfort, strengthen, and heal the human soul. Thus, under the Old Law, men

— XVII. JACOB RETURNS HOME AND IS RECONCILED TO ESAU.

(priests and kings), as well as things, which were dedicated to the service of God, were anointed with oil. Under the New Law, Jesus Christ has made oil to be a great means of grace in the holy Sacraments of Confirmation, Extreme Unction and Holy Orders. The holy oils are blessed on Maundy Thursday.

APPLICATION. Jacob had a great reverence for the place where God had appeared to him. Our churches are still holier places, and yet you often behave irreverently in church; your thoughts wander, you look about you, and you even laugh and talk! Examine your conscience on this point, and make resolutions of amendment. “The Lord is in His holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before Him!” (Hab. 2, 20.) Each time you enter a church, say to yourself: “This is the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”

Are you as diligent as Jacob was? Do you learn your lessons, and especially your catechism, diligently? Are you willing to help your parents, or your brothers and sisters, in their work? Resolve to overcome slothfulness, and to fulfil your duties faithfully for the love of God.