성경 주석서

And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread [in exchange] for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year.

And Joseph gave them bread in exchange, — An ancient and yet usual way of traffic, with savages and barbarians especially; as in Virginia, …, where they usually change, as Glaueus did with Diomedes, χρυσεα χαλκειων . Homeri Ilias, lib. vi.

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When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide [it] from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands:

We will not hide it from my lord. — Confess we our pitiful indigence also to God, and he will furnish us with food and seed. Say with learned Pomeran, Etiamsi non sum dignus, nihilo minus tamen sum indigens.

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Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give [us] seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.

Buy us and our land for bread. — It was their own desire, therefore no injury. Nay, it was charity in Joseph, in remitting their services, and taking only their lands: yea, liberality, in reserving the fifth part only to the king; when husbandmen usually till for half the increase. And this the Egyptians thankfully acknowledge, Genesis 47:25 .

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And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh’s.

So the land became Pharaoh’s. — Regi acquisivit imperium despoticum. This the Egyptians would never have yielded unto, but that stark hunger drove the wolf out of the wood, as the proverb is. Philo Judaeus reports of a heathenish people who in their wars used only this expression, to put spirit into their soldiers; estote viri, libertas agitur. The contention was hot in this land between prince and people for fourscore years together, about liberty and property; and ceased not till the great charter, made to keep the beam right between sovereignty and subjection, was in the maturity of a judicial prince, Edward I, freely ratified. Dan., Hist. of Engl.

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And as for the people, he removed them to cities from [one] end of the borders of Egypt even to the [other] end thereof.

And as for the people, he removed them. — So to alter tim propriety of their land, and to settle it upon Pharaoh; who with his own money had bought it. See his prudence and policy for his lord and master. So Daniel, though sick, did the king’s business with all his might. These were, as the philosopher saith, πεπραγωνοι ολοκληροι ; few such now-a-days. Great need we have all to flee to Christ who "dwells with prudence"; Proverbs 8:12 as Agur did, when he found his own foolishness. It was he that made Aholiab wise-hearted.

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Only the land of the priests bought he not; for the priests had a portion [assigned them] of Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them: wherefore they sold not their lands.

Only the land of the priests bought he not. — Ministers’ maintenance, we see, is of the law of nature. Jezebel provided for her priests; Micah for his Levite. "Do ye not know," saith that great apostle, "that they which minister about holy things, live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar, are partakers with the altar?" 1 Corinthians 9:13 Where, by "holy things," St Ambrose understands the law of the Gentiles by "the altar," the law of the Jews. Before them both, Melchizedek, δεδεκατωκε , tithed Abraham; by the same right, whereby he blessed him. Hebrews 7:6 As after them, the apostle rightly infers, "Even so hath the Lord ordained, that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel." 1 Corinthians 9:14 But where hath the Lord ordained it? "The workman is worthy of his meat," saith Matthew; Matthew 10:10 "of his hire," saith Luke: Luke 10:7 of both, no doubt; as the labourers in harvest, who have better fare provided than ordinary, and larger wages. See Nehemiah’s zeal for church maintenance, Nehemiah 13:10 ; Nehemiah 13:14 . He knew well that a scant offering makes a cold altar; and that, ad tenuitatem beneficiorum necessario sequitur ignorantia sacerdotum; as in Ireland, where, in former time, some of the bishops had no more revenue than the pasture of two milk cows, … In the whole province of Connaught the stipend of the incumbent is not above forty shillings; in some places but sixteen shillings. Panormitan. Heyl., Geog., p. 524. Melancthon Manlii, loc. com., 472. complains of his Germany, that the ministers for most part were ready to say with him in Plautus: Ego non servio libenter: herus meus me non habet libenter, tamen utitur me ut lippls oculis. Such use Micah made of his Levite; more fit to have made a Gibeonite, to cleave wood, than to divide the word; and yet he maintained him; and doubted not, thereupon, to promise himself God’s blessing. He is a niggard to himself, that scants his beneficence to a prophet; Matthew 10:41 whose very cold water shall not go unrewarded. Many rich refuse to give anything to the minister’s maintenance; Perstringit tenaces. - Pareus. because they cannot be tithed. But "be not deceived; God is not mocked," saith the apostle in this very case. "Let him that is taught in the word, communicate unto him that teacheth in all his goods." Galatians 6:6-7 Such tribes as had more cities in their inheritance were to part with more to the priests: such as had fewer, with less. Numbers 35:8 The equity of which proportion is still in force. The Jews, Godw., Heb. Antiq. , 277. at this day, though not in their own country, nor having a Levitical priesthood, yet those who will be reputed religious among them do distribute, in lieu of tithes, the tenth of their increase unto the poor: being persuaded that God doth bless their increase the more; according to that proverb of theirs, Tithe and be rich. But how is both the word and the world now altered among us? All is thought by the most to be well saved that is kept from the minister; whom to deceive is held neither sin nor pity. Fisco potius apud multos consulitur quam Christo, ac tonsioni potius gregis quam attentioni; as one complaineth, Episc. Winton. Covetous patrons care not to sauce their meat with the blood of souls; while by them, et succus pecori, lac et subducitur agnis, Virgil. Besides, they bestow their benefices, non ubi optima, sed ubi quaestuosissime; being herein worse than these Egyptians, shall I say? nay, than the traitor Judas. He sold the head, they the members: he the shepherd, they the sheep; he but the body, they the souls; like that Romish strumpet, Revelation 18:13 of whom they have learned it. But let them look to it, lest they ruin their wages of wickedness, with Judas. In the meanwhile, let them give us a just commentary upon that in Proverbs 20:25 , and tell us who hath authority to take that, from a church, shall I say? nay, from God, that hath been once given him? We can tell them a sad story, of five servants of Cardinal Wolsey’s, employed by him, in tot piorum hominum donariis intervertendis, saith the annalist, Scultet., Annal., p. 332. and came all to fearful ends. Two of them disagreed; and, challenging the field, one killed the other, and was hanged for it. A third drowned himself in a well. The fourth, from great riches, fell to extreme beggary and was starved with hunger. The last, one Dr Alan, being Archbishop of Dublin, was there cruelly murdered by his enemies. Now, if divine justice so severely and exemplarily pursued and punished these that converted those abused goods of the Church to better uses without question, though they looked not at that, but at the satisfying of their own greedy lusts, what will be the end of such sacrilegious persons as enrich themselves with that which should be their minister’s maintenance? Sacrum, sacrove commendatum qui clepserit rapseritque, parricida esto, said the Roman law. Ex duod. tab. - Neand. Chron. It is not only sacrilege, but parricide, to rob the Church.

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Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, [here is] seed for you, and ye shall sow the land.

Lo, seed for you, and ye shall sow. — This was the last of the seven years of famine: they might therefore sow "in hope." 1 Corinthians 9:10 Spes alit agricolas.

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And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth [part] unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones.

Ye shall give the fifth part. — See Trapp on " Genesis 47:19 "

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