Ephrem the Syrian — Commentary on Scripture

Genesis 45:16

And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, Joseph's brethren are come: and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants.

When the things that needed to be said between them were finished, the doors of that judgment room were opened. The princes entered rejoicing and the army commanders full of gladness. This news was pleasing in the eyes of Pharaoh and his servants, for they had believed that he who had become like a father to Pharaoh and ruler over the freemen and princes of Egypt was no slave but was a son of a freeman from the blessed race of the house of Abraham.

Genesis 45:24

So he sent his brethren away, and they departed: and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way.

Joseph commanded them not to quarrel on the way. The quarrel which he forbade them was that one say to another, “It was you who counseled us to throw him into the pit,” while another would contend with his brother, saying, “It was you who urged us to sell him naked and in chains to the Arabs.” “As I have forgiven all of you, you forgive each other.”

Genesis 45:27

And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived:

When they told Jacob about the honor of Joseph, about the wisdom with which he administered his affairs and about how their last judgment was more bitter than the first, their father asked them and said, “Did you not ask Joseph how or why he went down to Egypt?” Then, when they all looked at each other and did not know what to say, Judah opened his mouth and said to his father, “We are recalling our crime today before our father.” Because of the dreams of Joseph, Joseph’s brothers thought, in their simplicity, that you and they would soon serve him as slaves. They also imagined, in their foolishness, that “it was better that he alone should be the servant than that we and our father should serve him as slaves.” They did this because they took pity on you and on Benjamin and not because you loved Joseph. “You also loved Benjamin, but because he did not say that we would become servants to him, all of us love him. Forgive us then for having humiliated Joseph, for it is on account of our humiliating him that he has come to this exalted state.” Their father then accepted their apology an…

When they told Jacob about the honor of Joseph, about the wisdom with which he administered his affairs and about how their last judgment was more bitter than the first, their father asked them and said, “Did you not ask Joseph how or why he went down to Egypt?” Then, when they all looked at each other and did not know what to say, Judah opened his mouth and said to his father, “We are recalling our crime today before our father.” Because of the dreams of Joseph, Joseph’s brothers thought, in their simplicity, that you and they would soon serve him as slaves. They also imagined, in their foolishness, that “it was better that he alone should be the servant than that we and our father should serve him as slaves.” They did this because they took pity on you and on Benjamin and not because you loved Joseph. “You also loved Benjamin, but because he did not say that we would become servants to him, all of us love him. Forgive us then for having humiliated Joseph, for it is on account of our humiliating him that he has come to this exalted state.” Their father then accepted their apology and said to them, “Because of the good news about Joseph by which you have brought me joy, this offense, which caused me great suffering when I heard it, is forgiven you.”

Genesis 46:34

That ye shall say, Thy servants' trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and also our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.

Joseph went out to meet his father with chariots and with many people. [Joseph] got down [from his horse] and bowed down to his father, and they wept on each other’s neck. Then Joseph commanded his brothers to say to Pharaoh, “We and our fathers are keepers of cattle,” so that they might dwell in Goshen and thus keep their distance from those who worship sheep and bulls.

Genesis 48:14

And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.

Here too the cross is clearly symbolized to depict that mystery with which Israel the firstborn departed, just as Manasseh the firstborn, and the peoples increase in the manner of Ephraim the younger.

Genesis 49:4

Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.

Just as the justice of Jacob cursed his firstborn because of his evil deed and this curse of Reuben was blotted out by Moses who was the descendant of Jacob, so too was death decreed by God against Adam when he transgressed the commandment. But the Son of God came and, with the promise of the resurrection that he promised, brought to nought the judgment that accompanied Adam out of paradise.

Genesis 49:5

Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.

These too are figures for Satan and death. For just as Simeon and Levi, in their anger, destroyed a city and, through their greed, plundered its possessions, so also Satan, in his envy, killed the world secretly as Simeon and Levi had killed the sons of Shechem openly, and death fell suddenly upon all flesh as Simeon and Levi did on the possessions of the inhabitants of Shechem. The gospel of our Lord raised up those whom sin had slain in secret, and the blessed promise of the Son raised up the dead upon whom the tyrant Death suddenly fell.

Genesis 49:11

Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:

When our Lord came, he also bound his foal to the true vine. Just as all the symbols are fulfilled by him, he would fulfill in truth even this that was handed down to them in likeness. Either there was a vine in Jerusalem outside of the sanctuary to which he bound his foal when he entered the temple, or in that city from which the foal came it had been bound to a vine. He said, “If they say to you, ‘Why are you untying this foal?’ say to them, ‘The master requires it.’ ”

Genesis 49:16

Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.

If one from Dan judges his people, how much more will that one from Judah, to whom the kingdom belongs, judge all the nations? For our Lord became a serpent to that first serpent and a viper to Satan, just like the serpent of bronze that countered the snakes.

Genesis 49:22

Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:

Just as Jacob depended on Joseph instead of Reuben the firstborn, so also instead of Adam, the firstborn and rebellious one, the world had one Son of old age, in the latter days of the world, so that the whole world might stand and lean on him as if on a pillar. “Rise up, O spring, O building supported” by brothers and sons. Through the power of our Lord the world is supported on the prophets and on the apostles. Joseph became a wall of plenty to his brothers in the time of famine, and our Lord became the wall of knowledge to the world in the time of error.

Genesis 49:27

Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.

[This refers to] Paul, who was a wolf to the wolves and snatched all souls away from the evil one. And “in the evening he will divide what he seizes,” that is, at the end of the world he will also rest with a reward greater than his labors.

Genesis 50:17

So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him.

Joseph wept and said, “Do not be afraid of me, for although your father has died, the God of your father, on account of whom I will never strike you, is still alive. Because he turned the evil that you did to me to my good and he placed many people in my hands, God forbid that I do any evil to those who thus became the cause of life for many. But, just as I did not kill you in Egypt, do not leave my bones in Egypt.” He made them swear to this and said, “God will indeed remember you and will bring you up to the land which he swore to Abraham. Bring my bones up to there, so that even if I do not inherit the land with you, I may be raised up with you from that land.”

Haggai 2:23

In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the LORD, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the LORD of hosts.

“The Jews sent to John and said to him, ‘Who are you?’ He confessed and said, ‘I am not the Messiah.’ They said to him, ‘Are you Elijah?’ He said, ‘No.’ ” But our Lord called him Elijah, as Scripture attests. However, when they interrogated him, he said, “I am not Elijah.” But Scripture does not say that John came in the body of Elijah but “in the spirit and the power of Elijah.” Elijah, who was taken up into the heavens, did not return to them, just as it was not David who later became king but Zerubbabel. The Pharisees, however, did not ask John, “Have you come in the spirit of Elijah?” but “Are you Elijah himself?” That is why he said to them, “No.” Why should he have needed to be Elijah himself, if the actions of Elijah were to be found present in John? Elisha intervened and stood between John and Elijah, lest John be judged by them, since Elijah was taken up in a sacred chariot, whereas [John’s] head was carried away on a dish by a corrupt young girl.

Hebrews 1:1

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

“In many and various ways God spoke,” in the first place, “to our fathers by the prophets.” In fact, he evidently spoke in various and mutable manners to Noah, Abraham and Moses and to the people in the desert, appearing to them under the diverse guises of an old man, a giant and other characters.

Hebrews 1:2

Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

Paul says, “through whom he made the worlds,” that is, both the spiritual and material worlds.

Hebrews 1:3

Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

“He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” because of the flesh he put on.

Hebrews 1:5-7

For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?

And it was never announced to any man, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” In fact, even though men are able to subject their fellow creatures, they will never force the angels to obey them. The angels are not materially formed. “He made,” Paul says, “his angels spirits and his ministers flames of fire.”

Hebrews 1:11-13

They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;

Paul also said, “They will perish,” and all the other things, and again the apostle took up the same words of David. But if all the works of creation perish completely, then paradise, which is not perishable, will also perish. In truth, because of paradise, which does not cease, it is evident that all the works of creation will be renewed for us, as some assert, and they will not perish, as others have said.

Hebrews 2:1-2

Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.

“Therefore we must pay the closer attention to what we have heard” from the Son, “lest we drift away” just like the former people. “If,” because of that message declared through the angel in Sodom, those who did not want to listen to it “received the penalty of punishment, then how can we be saved, if we neglect so great a new life?”

Hebrews 2:9

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

God “tasted death for every one,” but, because his immortal nature could not die in the flesh in which he died, he who was dead, as it is, did not die. He did not die because of his nature; he nominally clothed himself with death for his love to us. Since he was superior to death by his nature, death could not approach him.