Genesis 47

made them odious. Against which I see no exception but this; that Aulus Gellius tells us, (lib. xi. cap. 18.) out of an ancient lawyer, that tho old Egyptians held all manner of thefts to be lawful, and did not punish them. And Diodorus Siculus mentions this law among them, That they who would live by robbery, were to enter their names, and bring what they stole immediately to the priest, who mulct the man that was robbed a fourth part, and gave it to the thief; by which means all thefts were discovered, and men were made more careful, to look well after their goods. But one cannot believe this law was of such antiquity as the times of Joseph: or, if it was, those outlaws (as I may call them) Avho robbed upon the borders, were not concerned in it: nor had their neighbours, who were no less addicted to theft, the benefit of it. Particularly thoso in Palestine, from whence Jacob came, one would guess by what we read 1 Chron. vii. 21, 22. were then much addicted. to robbery. For, before this generation ended, we are told there the men of Gath slew several of the sons of Ephraim (who himself was then alive), " for they came down to take their cattle," saith that holy writer; that is, to get what plunder they could in Goshen: where the Ephrairaites, defending their cattle, were some of them killed by the Philistines, to the great grief of their father. The Ethiopians also are noted by Strabo(lib.xvii. p. 787.) to live for the most part, No/ia8ocwc koI awopuyg, after a very poor, sharking, roving manner, by feeding cattle, where they could find food for them. And immediately adds, To7c 8* Alyvwrioig awavra ravavria <TVfi(5if5riK€, that all things were quite contrary among the Egyptians, who were a more civilized people, inhabiting certain and known places, &c. Which shews that their manners were very different; which easily bred hatred. Which appears by what Plutarch saith (in his book de Isid. et Osir.) that the Egyptians avoided the conversation of black people: wfcich was the complexion of the Ethiopians. And for some such reason, he saith, in the same book, they avoided all mariners (of other nations, that is), as here Moses says they did shepherds, upon some or other of the accounts beforcmentioned. < It looks like a piece of greatgenerosity in Joseph, not to conceal from Pharoah the quality of his family: though such kinds of men were under a very ill character. He hoped they would distinguish themselves from such vile shepherds as had made the name odious: and if they did not gain the love of the Egyptians, they would be the more secured in the love of God, by not learning their evil manners and superstitions: from which they would be preserved, by having no conversation -with them.