Lesson #19

Family Reunion

(46: 1 47: 31)

After weaving a brilliant and disconcerting dreamscape; plunging his brothers into a dreadful, illogical nightmare; uncovering their motives; and testing their loyalty to Benjamin, Lesson #18 saw Joseph reunite with his brothers, understanding at last why his life had taken the course it had. In the narrative arc of our story Joseph has grown from a spoiled, self-centered adolescent into a confident, immensely skilled administrator at the peak of his powers, one who saves not only his own family, but the entire nation of Egypt.

As we enter Lesson #19, Jacob has not seen his son Joseph in twenty-two years. At seventeen Joseph went missing, and all the evidence suggested that he had been killed; his brothers inferred as much when they presented Jacob with Josephs bloody coat of many colors. Jacob mourned the loss of his son deeply; he never truly recovered from the loss. And now, as an old man, Jacob learns that Joseph is alive; and not just alive, but Prime Minister of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh! The family reunion that follows in Egypt is poignant, tear-stained . . . and very funny.

There God, speaking to Israel in a vision by night, called : Jacob! Jacob! He answered, Here I am (46: 2).
This is an exact verbal parallel to Genesis 22: 1 where God calls to Abraham, telling him to sacrifice his son, his only son, Isaac, creating a verbal frame between Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac and Jacob and his family about to go down to Egypt. 1. 2. As Abraham went down to Egypt at the beginning of our story, so shall Jacob go down to Egypt at the end of our story. As Abraham went down to Egypt empty with no children, Jacob goes down with 12 sons and their families, illustrating how God has fulfilled his promise of progeny. And as the sacrifice of Isaac story began in tension and resolved in fulfillment, so does Jacob and family going down to Egypt begin in tension and end in fulfillment.

3.

. . . all the people comprising the household of Jacob who had come to Egypt amounted to seventy persons in all (46: 27).
If we add up the people enumerated in 46: 8-27, its difficult to the square with the number 70; they dont add up. As our Catholic Study Bible notes: The best solution is to take the number as expressing totality. Indeed, the structural architecture of the Bible is built on the numbers 3, 7, 12, 40 and 70, both at the marco-level and the micro-level. They are numbers of completion.

Royal Chariot of Tutankhamun (King Tut)

(Tutankhamuns intact tombKV62 was discovered by Howard Carter in 1922 in the Valley of the Kings, Egypt.)

Photography by Ana Maria Vargas

Jacob Blesses Pharaoh (47: 10)

The History of Joseph and His Brethern, Owen and Henry Warren Jones, Illus. London: Day & Son, 1865.

As soon as Israel made his appearance, Joseph threw his arms around him and wept a long time on his *neck+ (46: 29).
This 5th weeping episode parallels Josephs weeping when he meets his brother, Benjamin in 45: 14. Oddly, Jacob doesnt weep as well (Benjamin does in 45: 14, although our NAB translation oddly omits it). We noted previously how Jacobs heart stopped when he heard Joseph was still alive in 45: 26. Perhaps, as Robert Altar suggests, We are invited to imagine . . . a sobbing Joseph who embraces his father while the old man stands dry-eyed, perhaps even rigid, too overcome with feeling to know how to respond, or be able to respond . . ..

Jacob Blesses Pharaoh (47: 10)

The History of Joseph and His Brethern, Owen and Henry Warren Jones, Illus. London: Day & Son, 1865.

1.

2. 3.

4.

Joseph gathered in as payment for the grain that they were buying all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan, and he put it in Pharaohs house (47: 14). Give me your livestock if your money is gone (47: 16). Take us and our land in exchange for food, and we will become Pharaohs slaves and our land his property . . .. So Joseph acquired all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh (47: 1920). But when the harvest is in, you must give a fifth of it to Pharaoh (47: 24).

1.

2.
3. 4.

By placing all land under Pharaohs ownership and control, Joseph maximizes economies of scale and administrative efficiency. A monarch/serf structure ensures equitable treatment of all in a time of immense crisis. Each family farms the land, keeping 80% of the profit and paying 20% to the government. Priests are exempt from the system, living on a fixed allowance from the government.

1.

2. 3.

4. 5.

God tells Jacob: I will go down to Egypt with you and I will also bring you back here, after Joseph has closed your eyes (46: 4). What might we infer about God from this statement? When Joseph meets his father he weeps, but Jacob does not. Why? When Joseph tells Pharaoh that his family has arrived in Egypt, Pharaoh is extraordinarily magnanimous. What might we infer about Joseph and Pharaohs relationship? The scene of Jacob blessing Pharaoh can be read with great seriousness or great humor. What do you think? Although Josephs land policy demonstrates his administrative brilliance and indeed saves Egypt, what negative consequences might occur as a result?

Copyright 2013 by William C. Creasy

All rights reserved. No part of this courseaudio, video, photography, maps, timelines or other mediamay be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval devices without permission in writing or a licensing agreement from the copyright holder.