Ephrem the Syrian — Commentary on Scripture

And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.

After Jacob and Laban had parted from each other, “angels of God met Jacob” to make known to him that if Laban did not obey God, who had appeared to him in the evening, he and those with him would be destroyed at dawn by the hands of those angels who protect Jacob. Just as God had shown Jacob the angels that accompanied him when he went down, he also showed him angels when he was going up to make him know that the word was true which God had spoken to him: “I will go down with you, and I will bring you up from there.” The army of angels that God had shown Jacob was so that he would not fear Esau, for there were many more [angels] with Jacob than were with Esau.

Genesis 32:29

And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.

That night an angel appeared to [Jacob] and wrestled with him. He overcame the angel and was overcome by the angel so that [Jacob] learned how weak he was and how strong he was. He was weak when the angel touched the hollow of his thigh and it became dislocated, but he was strong, for the angel said to him, “Let me go.” It was to show how long they had been contending with each other that [the angel] said, “Behold, the dawn is rising.” Then Jacob sought to be blessed in order to make known that it was in love that they had laid hold of each other. Then the angel blessed him to show that he was not angry that an earthly being had prevailed over him.

Genesis 37:36

And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard.

Then Jacob sent Joseph to the flock that he might bring back to him a report on his brothers. But the brothers, by means of the cloak that was bespattered with blood, sent Jacob a report on Joseph. With no mercy they cast him into a pit in the desert, but they wept over Joseph with tears in the house. They sold him naked to the Arabs but wept over him and wailed in the presence of the Canaanites. They put irons on his hands and feet and sent him on his way but composed lamentations over him in the village. Joseph went down to Egypt and was sold; within a few days he had changed owners twice.

Genesis 38:14 · 2 passages

And she put her widow's garments off from her, and covered her with a vail, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which is by the way to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife.

When Shelah had become a young man and Judah did not wish to bring her back to his house, Tamar thought, “How can I make the Hebrews realize that it is not marriage for which I am hungering, but rather that I am yearning for the blessing that is hidden in them? Although I am able to have relations with Shelah, I would not be able to make my faith victorious through Shelah. I ought then to have relations with Judah so that by the treasure I receive, I might enrich my poverty, and in the widowhood I preserve, I might make it clear that I did not desire marriage.”

Because Tamar was afraid lest Judah find out and kill her in vengeance for his two sons of whose deaths she was accused, she, like Eliezer, asked for a sign saying, “Let your knowledge not condemn me for this act of desire, for you know that it is for what is hidden in the Hebrews that I thirst. I do not know whether this thing is pleasing to you or not. Grant that I may appear to him in another guise lest he kill me. [Grant] also that an invitation to lie with him might be found in his mouth, so that I may know that it is acceptable to you that the treasure, which is hidden in the circumcised, might be transmitted even through a daughter of the uncircumcised. May it be that, when he sees me, he will say to me, ‘Come, let me come into you.’ ”

Genesis 38:15

When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face.

While Tamar was making supplication to God for these things, behold, Judah came out and saw her. The prayer of Tamar inclined him, contrary to his usual habit, [to go] to a harlot. When she saw him, she was veiled, for she was afraid. After the word of the sign for which she had asked had been spoken, she knew that God was pleased with what she was doing. Afterward she revealed her face without fear and even demanded remuneration from the lord of the treasure.

Genesis 38:26

And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more.

He then said, “She is more innocent than I,” that is, “She is more righteous than I. What great sinners my sons were. ‘Because of this, I did not give her to my son Shelah.’ She is innocent of that evil suspicion that I held against her and [for which] I withheld my son Shelah from her.” She who had been cheated out of marriage was justified in her fornication, and he who sent her out on account of his first two sons brought her back for the sake of his last two sons. “He did not lie with her again” because she had been the wife of his first two sons; nor did he take another wife, for she was the mother of his last two sons.

Genesis 41:33

Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt.

When Joseph said, “Let Pharaoh select a man,” he spoke about himself. Joseph, out of modesty, did not say it openly in his own name, but he would not give it to another, for he knew that no one else would be able to make suitable provision for the great scourge that was coming upon them. Joseph became great in the eyes of Pharaoh through his interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams but even more through the beneficial counsel that his mind had devised.

Genesis 41:44

And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.

Joseph’s [former] master was there when the dreams of Pharaoh were being interpreted. When [Potiphar] saw that only in respect to the throne was [Joseph] less than Pharaoh, he returned quickly to his house. In his haste to go to tell his wife of [Joseph’s] greatness, he closely resembled his wife when she had come out to meet him to accuse Joseph. Potiphar said to his wife, “Joseph, our servant, has become our master. He whom we sent to prison without clothing, Pharaoh has now clothed with a garment of fine white linen. He whom we cast prostrate into prison now sits upon the chariot of Pharaoh. He whom we had bound in irons now has a gold necklace set on his neck.… How then can I look again upon him whom my eyes are unable to look upon?”Then she said to him, “Do not fear Joseph to whom you did no evil, for he knows that the disgrace that came upon him in our home, whether justly or not, came upon him from my hands. Go, then, without fear with the princes and army commanders who follow behind his chariot, lest he think that the royal dignity that he has received is an affliction to us…

Joseph’s [former] master was there when the dreams of Pharaoh were being interpreted. When [Potiphar] saw that only in respect to the throne was [Joseph] less than Pharaoh, he returned quickly to his house. In his haste to go to tell his wife of [Joseph’s] greatness, he closely resembled his wife when she had come out to meet him to accuse Joseph. Potiphar said to his wife, “Joseph, our servant, has become our master. He whom we sent to prison without clothing, Pharaoh has now clothed with a garment of fine white linen. He whom we cast prostrate into prison now sits upon the chariot of Pharaoh. He whom we had bound in irons now has a gold necklace set on his neck.… How then can I look again upon him whom my eyes are unable to look upon?”Then she said to him, “Do not fear Joseph to whom you did no evil, for he knows that the disgrace that came upon him in our home, whether justly or not, came upon him from my hands. Go, then, without fear with the princes and army commanders who follow behind his chariot, lest he think that the royal dignity that he has received is an affliction to us. To show you that he is not evil, I will now speak the truth, which is contrary to my previous lie. I was enamored of Joseph when I falsely accused him. I made assault upon his clothing because I was overcome by his beauty. If he is just, it is I whom he will bring to grief and not you. And if he is [truly] upright, he will not bring me to grief, either, because if he had not been wronged he would not have been imprisoned. If he had not been imprisoned, he would not have interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh and he would not have come to this royal dignity of which you just informed me. Although we did not exalt him, it is as if we did exalt him, for it was due to our afflicting him that he has been accorded such honor and become second to the king.”
Then Joseph’s [former] master went and, with those who were higher in rank than he, followed Joseph’s chariot through the streets of Egypt. But Joseph did him no evil because he knew that it was God who had permitted his brothers to throw him into the pit in the desert, and [who had delivered him] from the pit, in order to send him in irons to Egypt, and who had permitted his master to send him to prison so that from that humble seat he might set him upon the chariot of Pharaoh.

Genesis 41:55

And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do.

Joseph went out to gather in the grain, and he stored it in every city.… Then at the end of the good years, when those of famine came, Joseph took special care of the orphans, widows and every needy person in Egypt so that there was no anxiety in Egypt.

Genesis 41:57

And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands.

If this famine had been only in Egypt, Egypt would have had no fear, because of the grain Joseph [had stored up]. However, there was famine throughout the entire world, and because the entire earth stood in need of [the grain in] Egypt, the grain supply quickly dwindled and became expensive even for the Egyptians. The Egyptians would have consumed the grain at little expense, because of its abundance, if the entire earth had not come down to buy grain there. To make known that the entire earth hungered, [Moses] said, “The entire world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph.”

Genesis 42:9

And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.

They answered and said, “We do not even know the Egyptian language so that, by speaking Egyptian, we might escape notice and deceive the Egyptians. That we dwell in the land of Canaan you can learn from our offering. Moreover, there are twelve of us, and it is impossible that we should all have the same evil purpose of spying. We have come of our own will to stand before you. That we are completely ignorant of the Egyptian language and do not wear the clothing of Egyptians also testifies to our truthfulness. It is clear that we are not spies, for we are twelve. We are recognized everywhere because of our race and our number. “Behold, one of our brothers is with our father and another is no more.”

Genesis 42:38

And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.

After they had loaded their supplies, the [brothers] went up and related to their father the evils that they had endured on this trip and how they had become objects of ridicule in Egypt, having been falsely accused of spying in Egypt, and that they would not have escaped this suffering had it not been for Benjamin. While some of them were recounting these things to their father, the others were emptying their sacks, and behold, each one found his money in the opening of his sack.Jacob was full of grief because of all that had happened to them, but even more because of Simeon who was imprisoned. Although the brothers implored him daily to send Benjamin with them, Jacob would not assent because of his fear due to [what had happened to] Joseph. Then, when their grain had run out and all the children of his household were languishing from hunger, all his sons drew near and said to Jacob, “Spare Simeon for the sake of his children and be without your youngest son for a few days, lest Simeon’s wife be widowed of Simeon.”

Genesis 43:13

Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man:

Then Jacob was constrained by the famine, whether he was willing or not, to send Benjamin with them. So he gave them supplies and sent them off with blessings and said, “Just as I was bereaved of Rachel, so am I now bereaved of Rachel’s children.” Judah comforted his father and said, “If I do not bring back Benjamin and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever.” Then they took some of the choice fruits of the land: gum, pistachio nuts, which are berries, and so forth. They then went down and stood before Joseph. Joseph commanded his steward to give them lodging in his house.

Genesis 43:18

And the men were afraid, because they were brought into Joseph's house; and they said, Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in; that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses.

But when the [brothers] saw Joseph’s servants hurrying to unburden their beasts and to bring in their baggage, they said to themselves, grieving, “We have bereaved our father of Benjamin, and we shall never again see the face of our father. It was with treachery that our money was put into the openings of our packs, so that if we escape [the charge of] spying they might seize us and make us slaves [on the charge] of theft. Let us confess to the steward about the money before he begins to accuse us so that our brother Benjamin might free us from [the charge of] spying and the confession of our lips from [the charge of] theft.”

Genesis 43:19

And they came near to the steward of Joseph's house, and they communed with him at the door of the house,

Then the [brothers] approached Joseph’s steward and said to him, “When we returned the first time we opened our sacks, and behold, there was each one’s money in the opening of his sack. We are now returning it to you because it is not right that we take the money for the grain together with the grain.” But when the steward saw how terrified they were, he consoled them and said, “Rest assured, do not be afraid. It is not because of the money, which I received, that we are bringing you into this house. We have eagerly awaited you because of the truth that is found among you. You are not going to be condemned for something that you did not take. You have been summoned to recline and be seated before our master, for he is just, and by the honor that he has reserved for you this second time, he wishes to make you forget the disgrace that you endured the first time.”

Genesis 43:27

And he asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive?

When Joseph entered the house, his brothers brought him an offering and bowed down to him trembling. He inquired about their welfare, and they took heart. He asked if their father was alive, and they were put at ease. He asked whether that one was their brother, and he blessed him and said, “God be gracious to you my son,” and all fear was taken from their mind. It was in the Egyptian language that Joseph blessed Benjamin, and it was through an interpreter that they heard these initial [exchanges].

Genesis 43:33

And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled one at another.

Joseph began to make his brothers sit down as if around his [divining] cup; the elder according to his status as elder and the youngest according to his youth. It is amazing that his brothers did not recognize him: not by the money in their provisions when they went home the first time, not when Joseph had Simeon bound, not when he asked about his old father when they brought Benjamin back, not when they were accused of cheating, not from the fact that he made them stay in his house and blessed Benjamin, not even from the fact that he knew the names of all of them. This was all the more [amazing] since even his appearance was so similar. Even if his majesty had deluded them, his dreams should have jarred their memory. Although they did not recognize Joseph because of his majesty, his rank and his angry tongue, it was nevertheless because of the Lord that he remained hidden from them until his dreams should be fulfilled in them who had sold him in order to render them false.

Genesis 44:12

And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

The brothers did not know what to say; they found it impossible not to put the blame on Benjamin because the cup had come out from his sack, but the money that had twice come out from their own sacks did not permit them to put the blame on him. Then the brothers, confounded by the things that had befallen them, rent their garments and went back weeping to that house from which they had just departed rejoicing.

Genesis 44:16

And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are my lord's servants, both we, and he also with whom the cup is found.

Then Judah said, “Before God the sins of your servants have been discovered”—not this one [of the cup] but the one for which we have been requited with these things. “Therefore not only he in whose sack the cup was found but we also will become slaves to our master.” And Joseph said, “Far be it from” the just Egyptian “to do this!” These men, because of their great virtue, do not even eat bread with Hebrews lest they become unclean by them. How then can we do what is foreign to our conduct? The justice that hinders us from sinning against one who has not sinned against us compels us to be avenged on that one who has caused us offence. “The one in whose hand the cup was found shall remain and be a slave.” This will be better for him than freedom, for this later servitude, which will free him from theft, will be better for him than that first freedom that enslaved him to theft.