JACOB IN EGYPT
Not so, my father,
for this one is the firstborn.
—Joseph
“When Joseph’s brothers arrive back in Canaan they tell their father, ‘Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt,’ and Jacob’s heart stops because he doesn’t believe them. But when they tell him everything Joseph had said and show him the carts to carry him there, the spirit of Jacob is revived.”
“I can only imagine,” said the boy, “after twenty years of mourning a dead child. I have to think his sons are feeling some guilt resurface in the face of his reaction as well.”
“I’m sure, although they don’t exactly admit the extent of the whole story.”
“That probably would’ve stopped his heart beyond reviving,” said the boy.
“Perhaps so,” said the man. “But instead Israel says, ‘It’s enough. My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.’”
“How old is he at this point?”
“Around one hundred and thirty,” said the man. “But although his age was great for a long and taxing journey, his desire to see Joseph was greater.”
“Not to mention the last time he traveled he lost Rachel,” said the boy. “That’s probably weighing on his mind.”
“Perhaps, but he begins the journey nonetheless. And when they come to Beersheba he offers a sacrifice to God, and God comes to Jacob in the night to tell him this,” said the man:
“I am God, the God of your father. Do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again, and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.”200
“I take it that means Joseph will be the one to cover his eyes after he dies?”
“That’s right,” said the old man, reading on again:
Then Jacob arose from Beersheba, and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little ones, and their wives, in the carts which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. So they took their livestock and their goods, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to Egypt, Jacob and all his descendants with him.201
“And after they settled in Goshen,” said the man, “Joseph rides his chariot to see them. And when he sees his father he falls on his neck and weeps a good long while. Then Jacob says to Joseph, ‘Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive.’”
“I love how Jacob’s eyes are dry as a bone,” said the boy.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, when Joseph hugged Benjamin it said they both wept on each other’s necks, but when Joseph saw Jacob there was a one-way stream of tears. All Jacob said was ‘kill me.’”
“I think you need to see someone about these interpretations of yours.”
The boy laughed. “Probably.”
“Even if you’re right,” said the man, “perhaps we’re supposed to imagine a sobbing son on the shoulder of a father stiffened by disbelief, too overcome with feeling to know how to respond. That is, until he can summon the words of being so happy he could die.”
“Fine,” said the boy, “we’ll go with that one.”
The old man rolled his eyes. Then he said, “From there Joseph tells his brothers he’ll inform Pharaoh that his family has arrived and they have brought with them their flocks and herds. He instructs them that when Pharaoh asks about their occupation, they shall say their occupation has been with livestock since youth so that they may dwell in the land of Goshen, for shepherds are an abomination to the Egyptians.”
“I’m guessing there’s significance there?”
“While it’s not entirely clear, one explanation is that the Egyptians, who utilized agriculture in a single place, considered the semi-nomadic herdsmen from the north inferior. Joseph’s mention of a distaste for shepherds is pushing his brethren to emphasize their role in raising cattle, a more respectable species in Egyptian culture in that time. Perhaps Joseph is also working to make sure Pharaoh feels justified in giving his family such a large swath of land, assuring him they’ll be able to support themselves throughout the famine if they reside Goshen.”
“Gotcha,” said the boy.
“I believe Joseph also desires that his people live separately from the Egyptians so they may be less influenced by the vices of Egyptian people, or even insulted by their malice. He could easily employ them under himself as farmers in the corn trade, or perhaps members of the court or the army, but special treatment could have exposed them to the envy of the Egyptian people, or perhaps tempted the Israelites to forget their ways and the land of Canaan. He would not summon his people to Egypt just to be trampled upon, so he wishes to have them continue their tradition on separate land.”
“That makes sense,” said the boy. “So what happens next?”
“Pharaoh asks their occupation as Joseph said, and they do as Joseph told them. Then they say, ‘We have come to dwell in the land, because your servants have no pasture for their flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.’ And Pharaoh speaks to Joseph and grants this desire, wisely maintaining the understanding that his family is there under Joseph’s care, not Pharaoh’s. But Pharaoh goes a step further and says, ‘And if you know any competent men among them, then make them chief herdsmen over my livestock,’ which would make his brothers official members of the court, affording them benefits not usually offered to immigrants.”
“Why do I get the feeling that might come into play down the road?”
“You’ll have to wait and see,” said the man. “But then Joseph brings in his father before Pharaoh, and Jacob blesses Pharaoh.”
“Jacob blesses Pharaoh?” said the boy. “Shouldn’t it be the other way around?”
“Not only was this an act of civility, but also a feeling of religious duty. While Pharaoh might be greater in earthly wealth, Jacob was greater in the interest of the Lord. You’ll see as the conversation unfolds, the dynamic is not the same as Jacob’s sons before him, bowing and calling themselves his servants. Here Pharaoh asks Jacob how old he is, seemingly out of respect for his age, and Jacob speaks freely, openly, even negatively, the last of which is a tone that becomes characteristic in his later years. Here, listen,” said the man:
“The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.”202
“Evil?” said the boy. “Considering how the story began I think he’s done alright for himself with his wealth and four wives.”
With a sly smirk the old man said, “Well if it isn’t Mr. Glass Half Empty coming around to see the light of day. While that might be true, let’s not forget the murderous tension with his brother that loomed over his shoulder, years of unjust servitude to his uncle, his beloved wife dying prematurely, and his favorite son’s supposed death. But you’re right, he chooses to view life through a pessimistic lens when he could also see his good fortune and legacy, and now his family’s safety with food in the land of Goshen during a famine.”
The boy gave a nod, so the man read on:
But there was no food in the entire region, for the famine was very severe. The land of Egypt and the land of Canaan were exhausted by the famine. Joseph collected all the silver to be found in the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan in exchange for the grain they were purchasing, and he brought the silver to Pharaoh’s palace.
When the silver from the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan was gone, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us food. Why should we die here in front of you? The silver is gone!”
But Joseph said, “Give me your livestock. Since the silver is gone, I will give you food in exchange for your livestock.”203
“What are they putting in that bread?” said the boy.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean you’re gonna trade a whole cow that could be dried into a long-term supply of jerky for a loaf of bread that will go stale in a day? Seems like you’d get more meals out of livestock.”
“Perhaps the trade was for more meals in grain than from that of slaughter,” said the man. “Or perhaps the beasts had become more of a burden in the sense there was nothing left to feed them in the famished land.”
“I’ll let it slide,” said the boy. “Keep going.”
“I think the point being driven home is that a man will trade all that he has in order to preserve his life in desperate times. As we see, they traded all their livestock in exchange for bread that year. Then listen to what they come back and say the following,” said the man:
“We cannot hide from our lord the fact that since our money is gone and our livestock belongs to you, there is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land. Why should we perish before your eyes, we and our land as well? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh. Give us seed so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate.”204
“Hope that bread was worth it,” said the boy.
“These remarks about the land becoming desolate show how dire the situation had become. Unless the people could go on sowing grain in the land, nature would reclaim the land as wilderness. Joseph didn’t even have to suggest any bargains himself this time. The people came to him with the idea of offering their land and servitude.”
The boy sat quietly, looking unsatisfied, so the man read on:
So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. All the Egyptians sold him their fields because the famine was so severe, and soon all the land belonged to Pharaoh. As for the people, he made them all slaves, from one end of Egypt to the other. The only land he did not buy was the land belonging to the priests. They received an allotment of food directly from Pharaoh, so they didn't need to sell their land.205
“Politics at its finest,” said the boy. “The little man suffers while the higher-ups prosper.”
“It’s a timeless tradition,” said the man, reading on again:
Then Joseph said to the people, “Indeed I have bought you and your land this day for Pharaoh. Look, here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land. And it shall come to pass in the harvest that you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh. Four-fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and for your food, for those of your households and as food for your little ones.”
So they said, “You have saved our lives. Let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.”
And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt to this day, that Pharaoh should have one-fifth, except for the land of the priests only, which did not become Pharaoh’s.206
“See,” said the boy, “things like this are where you lose me.”
“How so?” said the man.
In a cheery voice, the boy said, “You’ve saved our lives and now we’re happily enslaved! Hoorayyy!” In a more serious tone he said, “Here’s what really happened. Government established a twenty percent tax which eventually people questioned, so they came up with a story to justify it.” The boy tightened up an imaginary tie and put on his best political impersonation. “Well, you see, my simple-minded commoners. Way back in the day there was a big famine, and you peasants neglected to prepare. But we, the wise old government, were smart enough to stash bread away for an entire population for five years without even using preservatives. And when you went hungry, you looked to us to save you like the heroes we are, because not a single one of you was smart enough to figure out that a cow provides more meals than a loaf of bread. And when you had nothing left to trade, you agreed to give up your freedom in exchange for food conveniently just before the famine ended. This was all your idea and you have no one to blame but yourselves. Now pay up!”
The man stared blankly for a moment. “Your imagination never ceases to amaze me.”
The boy playfully pounded a fist on the table and said, “This book has Uncle Sam Publications written all over it.”
“The reduction of a population to serfdom wasn’t meant to be seen as an act of cruelty,” said the man, “but rather a display of Joseph’s administrative prowess in the eyes of Pharaoh.”
“Don’t they say history’s always written by the winners?”
“I think we agreed to put historical disputes aside for the sake of the story,” said the man. The boy pulled a zipper across his lips and laced his fingers in front of him. “Besides, I think you’re losing sight of how this is a tale of the Israelites, not the perspective of the Egyptian government and its people.”
The boy said nothing, so the man read on:
Now Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in Goshen, and they acquired property in it and were fruitful and became very numerous. And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt for seventeen years, so the length of Jacob’s life was one hundred and forty-seven years.207
“What a guy,” said the boy. “One day he’s on his deathbed, seventeen years later he’s thriving through a famine.”
“Yes, it seems Jacob was so satisfied with Joseph’s reunion that he found the strength to carry on. But it’s worth noting that our time isn’t up to us,” said the man, “it’s in God’s hands. We die when God plans for it, not once we’ve reached a peak of pleasure or a valley of grief. This is also a good time to point out the symmetry of seventeen years in which Jacob cared for Joseph before he was sold into slavery, and now seventeen years in which Joseph cared for Jacob in the declining years of his life.”
The boy whispered, “Magical.”
The man shook his head with rolling eyes and read on:
And when the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh and promise to deal kindly and truly with me. Do not bury me in Egypt, but let me lie with my fathers. Carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burying place.”
And he said, “I will do as you have said.”
Then he said, “Swear to me.”
And he swore to him.208
“Yes, son, reach down and grab ahold of my ancient—”
“Then Jacob became sick. When Joseph hears of this news he takes his two sons to visit him. Jacob gathers the strength to sit up in bed and speak to Joseph here,” said the man:
“God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, and He said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and numerous, and I will make you a multitude of peoples, and will give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.’ Now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine. Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are. But your children that you have fathered after them shall be yours, they shall be called by the names of their brothers in their inheritance.”209
“What does that mean exactly?”
“The language used here is a form of adoption, similar to placing a child upon the knee as we’ve seen before. Jacob mentions Joseph’s sons on the level of his own, perhaps implying they’ll receive an inheritance of equal or even greater value than his own children. He goes on to groan about Rachel’s premature death in this dialogue, a loss from which he never recovered, so it’s possible the adoption is an expression of desire for the additional sons his favorite wife never had.”
“This certainly falls in line with the ongoing theme of screwing up the inheritance order.”
“It does indeed,” said the man, reading on again:
When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, and said, “Who are these?”
Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.”
And he said, “Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them.”
Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see.210
“Uh-oh,” said the boy. “I sense a parallel with Isaac coming.”
“Very good,” said the man, reading on:
And Joseph brought them close to him, and he kissed them and embraced them. And Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face, and behold, God has let me see your children as well!”
Then Joseph took them from his knees, and bowed with his face to the ground. And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel’s left, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel’s right, and brought them close to him.211
“Perfect,” said the boy. “And the oldest will receive his proper blessing and we’ll be on our merry way.”
The old man smiled as he said, “Israel stretches out his right hand and lays it on Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s, and then he blesses them. But when Joseph sees that his father’s right hand is on Ephraim he tries to remove it and place in on Manasseh’s, saying:
“Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.”
But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great, but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.”212
“Shocking,” said the boy.
“Yes,” said the man, “you’d think Joseph in all his favoritism amongst his older brothers, and surely knowing the story of his father’s own blessing, might have seen this coming. But Jacob acts neither by mistake nor partial affection, but rather from divine inspiration that goes against tradition. This image of Jacob crossing his arms to reach the younger son with his right hand and the older son with his left paints the summary of the Book of Genesis perfectly.”
“Sure does,” said the boy. “It sure does.”
“We had Abel above Cain, Abraham above his brothers, Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, Joseph before Reuben, and now Ephraim before Manasseh. God often gives the most to those that are least likely to have it,” said the man, “chooses the weak to prosper, raises the poor to be rich. He doesn’t follow the order of nature, nor does He prefer those who might be fit to be preferred, but chooses as He sees necessary.”
“So does Jacob have any blessing for his other sons, or was he like Isaac with only one?”
“He sure does,” said the man. “He goes through and blesses each one of his sons, tying a prophecy of their future to the blessing. For the sake of time, I’ll tell you things look better for Joseph and Judah than for Simeon and Levi, but I’m sure you could have guessed that on your own.”
“Another shocker,” said the boy.
“Yes, well, it seemed he wanted to make examples of those who drift toward evil, as to not inspire similar action in the future of the rest of his kin. And with Jacob’s dying words, he asks to be buried in the cave with his fathers in the field of Ephron, where he buried Leah some unknown years before.”
“I was wondering if she was going to get the Eve treatment,” said the boy. “No surprise there either.”
“Yes, well, the Scripture is all we have to go by in these regards. But as Jacob finished giving his command, he drew his feet up into his bed and breathed his last breath. Joseph falls on his father’s face and weeps over him. Then he commands his servants to embalm his father, and so the physicians did so.”
“Really?” said the boy. “Was this part of the Hebrew culture? I thought this was an Egyptian thing.”
“Well the tradition was certainly Egyptian,” said the man, “but my guess is that this was done because he had to be carried to Canaan. This would be a trek of days, and therefore preserving the body was necessary to prevent putrefaction.”
“Ah, that makes sense,” said the boy.
“Forty days were required for this,” said the man, “and, out of a great respect for Joseph, even the Egyptians mourned him during this time. And when the time comes, Joseph speaks to Pharaoh and pleads permission to carry his father to the cave in Canaan and promises to return. Pharaoh tells him, ‘Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.’ So Joseph goes to bury his father, along with all the servants of Pharaoh, all the elders of Egypt, and all of Jacob’s house. Only the little ones with their flocks and herds were left behind.”
“Ah yes,” said the boy. “Collateral.”
“Both chariots and horsemen accompany them along this journey, and there was a great gathering to honor and mourn Israel. And after their father was buried, Joseph and his brothers return to Egypt.”
“What a beautiful way to end the story,” said the boy.
The man smiled. “But when Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, ‘Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him.’ So they sent messengers to Joseph with a message,” said the man:
“Before your father died, he instructed us to say to you, ‘Please forgive your brothers for the great wrong they did to you, for their sin in treating you so cruelly.’ So we, the servants of the God of your father, beg you to forgive our sin.”213
“Jeez,” said the boy, “leave it to this family to come up with lies and trickery at a funeral.”
“Yes, well, a guilty conscience never rests,” said the man, “and even when there is no danger it drums up fear and suspicion. But Joseph weeps when he hears this message, and when his brothers arrive before him they fall to their knees and bow, saying, ‘Behold, we are your servants.’ So here we have the fulfillment of the dream.”
“So he rules over them after all,” said the boy.
“Well, that was certainly the brothers’ interpretation when a young Joseph first sought help finding its meaning. But here we see what an older Joseph discovers the meaning to be. He tells them this,” said the man:
“Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.”214
“So he views it as taking care of them through the famine,” said the boy.
“Precisely,” said the man. “And so Joseph dwells in Egypt with the rest of his father’s household and lives long enough to see his own grandchildren. But as he approaches the age of one hundred and ten years old, he tells his brothers, ‘I am dying, but God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.’ He hopes this will motivate them not to settle in Egypt, but rather encourage them to return to the promised land when the time comes. And with his dying words he commands an oath from the sons of Israel, saying, ‘God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.’ And then Joseph dies, being one hundred and ten years old, and they embalm him and he’s placed in a coffin in Egypt. And here we see a story that began with God breathing life into His first creation come full circle in the end with the image of a chosen figure embalmed in a coffin.” With that the man closed his Bible.
“We’re done?” said the boy.
“We’re done,” said the man.
“Well, it certainly got a little weird at times,” said the boy, “but overall not too shabby.”
“I’m not sure shabby is the word I’d choose to describe the Holy Bible,” said the man, “but I’m glad you could at least appreciate it.”
“For sure,” said the boy. “Lot of good takeaways.”
“Indeed,” said the man, “one of my favorites arriving in the story of Joseph, when we see who arises to the pinnacle of our tale. It is not those with inexcusable flaws or justified evil ways or pessimistic views, but rather he who sees positively and acts accordingly in times of chaos, who time and again lands on his feet and is elevated to the highest place in our story. Because Joseph is never resentful, nor bitter, nor malevolent, nor shaking his fist at God, he alone rises to become the shining symbol of the twelve tribes of Israel.”
“And,” said the boy, “he never ratted out his brothers again. Which to me means the real lesson of Genesis is don’t be such a fuckin’ tattletale.”
The man shook his head with a laugh and said, “Why am I not surprised?”