completely
harmonized.
J
represents
Judah
as
inducing
his
brothers
to
sell
Joseph
to
a
company
of
Ishmaelites;
but
E
makes
Reuben
a
mediator,
whose
plans
were
frustrated
by
a
band
of
Midianites,
who
had
in
the
interval
kidnapped
Joseph
and
stolen
him
away
(40").
The
phraseology
is
against
the
identification
of
the
two
companies;
and
the
divergent
traditions
point
to
a
natural
absence
of
real
agreement
among
the
brothers,
with
a
frustration
of
their
purposes
by
means
of
which
they
were
ignorant.
What
became
of
Joseph
they
did
not
really
know
;
and
to
protect
themselves
they
manu-factured
the
evidence
of
the
blood-stained
coat.
In
Egypt,
Joseph
was
bought
by
Potiphar,
a
court
official,
whose
title
makes
him
chief
of
the
royal
butchers
and
hence
of
the
body-guard;
and
the
alertness
and
trustworthiness
of
the
slave
led
quickly
to
his
appoint-ment
as
major
domo
(Egyp.
mer-per),
a
functionary
often
mentioned
on
the
monuments
(Erman,
Li/e
in
Anc.
Egypt,
187
f.).
Everything
prospered
under
Joseph's
management;
but
his
comeliness
and
courtesy
attracted
the
notice
of
his
master's
wife,
whose
advances,
being
repelled,
were
transformed
into
a
resentment
that
knew
no
scruples.
By
means
of
an
entirely
false
charge
she
secured
the
removal
of
Joseph
to
the
State
prison,
which
was
under
the
control
of
Potiphar
(40'),
and
where
again
he
was
soon
raised
to
the
position
of
overseer
or
under-keeper.
Under
his
charge
were
placed
in
due
course
the
chief
of
the
Pharaoh's
butlers
and
the
chief
of
his
bakers,
who
had
for
some
unstated
reason
incurred
the
royal
displeasure.
Both
were
i>erplexed
with
dreams,
which
Joseph
interpreted
to
them
correctly.
Two
years
later
the
Pharaoh
himself
had
his
duplicated
dream
of
the
fat
and
lean
kine
and
of
the
full
and
thin
ears;
and
as
much
significance
was
attached
in
Egypt
to
dreams,
the
king
was
distressed
by
his
inability
to
find
an
inter-preter,
and
'his
spirit
was
troubled.'
Thereupon
the
chief
butler
recalled
Joseph's
skill
and
his
own
indebted-ness
to
him,
and
mentioned
him
to
the
Pharaoh,
who
sent
for
him,
and
was
so
impressed
by
his
sagacity
and
foresight
that
exaltation
to
the
rank
of
keeper
of
the
royal
seal
followed,
with
a
degree
of
authority
that
was
second
only
to
that
of
the
throne.
The
Egyptian
name
of
Zaphenath-paneah
(of
which
the
meaning
is
perhaps
'The
God
spake
and
he
came
into
life,'
suggesting
that
the
bearer
of
the
name
owed
his
promotion
to
the
Divine
use
of
him
as
revealer
of
the
Divine
will)
was
conferred
upon
him,
and
he
married
Asenath,
daughter
of
one
of
the
most
imimrtant
dignitaries
in
the
realm,
the
priest
of
the
great
national
temple
of
the
sun
at
On
or
Heliopolls,
seven
miles
north-east
of
the
modern
Cairo.
So
far
as
Egypt
was
concerned,
Joseph's
policy
was
to
store
the
surplus
com
of
the
years
of
plenty
in
granaries,
and
afterwards
so
to
dispose
of
it
as
to
change
the
system
of
land-tenure.
Famines
in
that
country
are
due
gener-ally
to
failure
or
deficiency
in
the
annual
inundation
of
the
Nile,
and
several
of
long
endurance
have
been
recorded.
Brugsch
(Hist.^
i.
304)
reports
an
inscription,
coinciding
in
age
approximately
with
that
of
Joseph,
and
referring
to
a
famine
lasting
'many
years,'
during
which
a
dis-tribution
of
corn
was
made.
This
has
been
doubtfully
identified
with
Joseph's
famine.
Other
inscriptions
of
the
kind
occur,
and
are
sufficient
to
authenticate
the
fact
of
prolonged
famines,
though
not
to
yield
further
particulars
of
the
one
with
which
Joseph
had
to
deal.
His
method
was
to
sell
com
first
for
money
(rings
of
gold,
whose
weight
was
certified
by
special
offlclhls),
and
when
all
this
was
exhausted
(471*),
com
was
given
in
exchange
for
cattle
of
every
kind,
and
finally
for
the
land.
The
morality
of
appropriating
the
surplus
produce
and
then
compelling
the
people
to
buy
it
back,
must
not
be
judged
by
modern
standards
of
Justice,
but
is
defensible,
if
at
all,
only
in
an
economic
condition
where
the
central
govern-ment
was
responsible
for
the
control
of
a
system
of
irriga-tion
upon
which
the
fertility
of
the
soil
and
the
produce
of
its
cultivation
directly
depended,
and
where
the
private
benefit
of
the
individual
had
to
be
ignored
in
view
of
a
peril
threatening
the
community.
Instead
of
regarding
the
arrangement
as
a
precedent
to
be
followed
in
different
states
of
civilization,
ground
has
been
found
in
it
for
charging
Joseph
with
turning
the
needs
of
the
people
into
an
occasion
for
oppressing
them;
and
certainly
the
effect
upon
the
character
and
subsequent
condition
of
the
people
was
not
favourable.
The
system
of
tenure
in
existence
before,
by
which
large
landed
estates
were
held
by
private
proprietors,
was
changed
into
one
by
which
all
the
land
became
the
property
of
the
crown,
the
actual
cultivators
paying
a
rental
of
one-fifth
of
the
produce
(47").
That
some
such
change
took
place
is
clear
from
the
monuments
(cf.
Erman,
Life
in
Anc.
Egypt,
102),
though
they
have
not
yielded
the
name
of
the
author
or
the
exact
date
of
the
change.
An
exception
was
made
in
favour
of
the
priests
(.i7^),
who
were
supported
by
a
fixed
income
in
kind
from
the
Pharaoh,
and
therefore
had
no
need
to
part
with
their
land.
In
later
times
(cf.
Diodorus
Siculus,
i.
73
f.)
the
land
was
owned
by
the
kings,
the
priests,
and
the
members
of
a
military
caste;
and
it
is
not
likely
that
the
system
introduced
by
Joseph
lasted
long
after
his
death.
The
need
of
rewarding
the
services
of
successful
generals
or
partisans
would
be
a
strong
temptation
to
the
expro-priation
of
some
of
the
royal
lands.
The
peculiarity
of
the
famine
was
that
it
extended
over
the
neighbouring
countries
(4i™f-);
and
tfiat
is
the
fact
of
significance
in
regard
to
the
history
of
Israel,
with
which
the
narrative
in
consequence
resumes
contact.
The
severity
of
the
famine
in
Canaan
led
Jacob
to
send
all
his
sons
except
Benjamin
(424)
to
buy
corn
in
Egypt.
On
their
arrival
they
secured
an
interview
with
Joseph,
and
prostrated
themselves
before
him
(37'
42')
;
but
in
the
grown
man,
with
his
shaven
face
[on
the
monuments
only
foreigners
and
natives
of
inferior
rank
are
repre-sented
as
wearing
beards]
and
Egyptian
dress,
they
entirely
failed
to
recognize
their
brother.
The
rough
accusation
that
they
were
spies
in
search
of
undefended
ways
by
which
the
country
might
be
invaded
from
the
east,
on
which
side
lines
of
posts
and
garrisons
were
maintained
under
two
at
least
of
the
dynasties,
aroused
their
fears,
and
an
attempt
was
made
to
allay
Joseph's
suspicions
by
detailed
information.
Joseph
catches
at
the
opportunity
of
discovering
the
truth
concerning
Benjamin,
and,
after
further
confirming
in
several
ways
the
appreliensions
of
his
brothers,
retains
one
as
a
hostage
in
ward
and
sends
the
others
home.
On
their
return
(42»
E),
or
at
the
first
lodging-place
(42*'
J)
on
the
way,
the
discovery
of
their
money
in
their
sacks
increased
their
anxiety,
and
for
a
time
their
father
positively
refused
to
consent
to
further
dealings
with
Egypt.
At
length
his
resolution
broke
down
under
the
pressure
of
the
famine
(43"").
In
Egypt
the
sons
were
received
courteously,
and
invited
to
a
feast
in
Joseph's
house,
where
they
were
seated
according
to
their
age
(43"),
and
Benjamin
was
singled
out
for
the
honour
of
a
special
'mess'
(cf.
2
S
11')
as
a
mark
of
distinction.
They
set
out
homewards
in
high
spirits,
unaware
that
Joseph
had
directed
that
each
man's
money
should
be
placed
in
his
sack,
and
his
own
divining-
cup
of
silver
(44';
the
method
of
divination
was
hy-dromancy
—
an
article
was
thrown
into
a
vessel
of
water,
and
the
movements
of
the
water
were
thought
to
reveal
the
unknown)
in
that
of
Benjamin.
Overtaken
at
almost
their
fljst
halting-place,
they
were
charged
with
theft,
and
returned
in
a
body
to
Joseph's
house.
His
reproaches
eUcited
a
frank
and
pathetic
speech
from
Judah,
after
which
Joseph
could
no
longer
maintain
his
incognito.
He
allayed
the
fears
of
his
conscience-
stricken
brothers
by
the
assurance
that
they
had
been
the
agents
of
Providence
'to
preserve
life'
(45';
cf.
Ps
105'™);
and
in
the
name
of
the
Pharaoh
he
invited
them
with
their
father
to
settle
in
Egypt,
with
the
promise
of
support
during
the
five
years
of
famine
that
remained.
Goshen,
a
pastoral
district
in
the
Delta
about
forty
