and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand peradventure it was an oversight :

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

14 And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin. "If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.

15 And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph.

16 And when Joseph saw Benjamin_with them, he said to the ruler of his house, Bring these men home, and 'slay, and make ready; for these men shall dine with me at noon.

1

sack, our money in full weight: and we have brought it again in our hand.

22 And other money have we brought down in our hands to buy food: we cannot tell who put our money in our sacks.

23 And he said, Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks: "I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them.

24 And the man brought the men into Joseph's house, and 15 gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their asses provender.

25 And they made ready the present against | Joseph came at noon: for they heard that they should eat bread there.

26 ¶ And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth.

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?

28 And they answered, Thy servant our father is in good health, he is yet alive. And they bowed down their heads, and made obeisance.

29 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, Is this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son.

30 And Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yern upon his brother: and he sought where to weep; and he entered into his cham- | ber, and wept there.

31 And he washed his face, and went out, and refrained himself, and said, Set on bread.

32 And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians.

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.

34 And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of their's. And they drank, and were merry with him.

18.

Verse 11. For balm, spices,' and 'myrrh,' see notes on ch. xxxvii. 25.

-Nuts,' a botnim.-The nuts here spoken of were the pistachio nuts, produced by one of the terebinthaceous trees once peculiar to Syria, Pistacia vera, whence it was brought into Europe by Lucius Vitellius, governor of Syria, and since that spread over the shores of the Mediterranean. It is more abundant in northern Syria than in Palestine, where it is not much cultivated. But it is found growing wild in some very remarkable situations, as on Mount Tabor, and on the summit of Mount Attarus (Nebo?). The pistachio nuts are about the size of a hazel-nut, covered exteriorly by a greenish flesh, which places the fruit among the drupaceous kind. The meat, which is of a green colour, covered with a red film of great firmness, is soft, oily, and very agreeable to the taste, having much resemblance to the sweet almond in flavour. The leaves are placed in pairs upon a common

foot-stalk, and are egg-shaped, and pointed. The tree, when laden with clusters of ripe nuts, which are of a pale blushing hue, makes a fine appearance; but at other times it is far from being handsome, since the branches are crooked, and ramify in a rude and irregular manner.

-Almonds,' shekedim.-The Amygdalus communis is found wild in some parts of Northern Africa; it is a handsome spreading tree; the leaves are lance-shaped, with a delicately toothed edge. The calyx is bell-shaped, whence an imitation of it was chosen for some of the ornamental parts of the golden candlestick. The fruit is of the drupaceous character, covered with a velvety pubescence. The cortical investment breaks in a fibrous manner, and by degrees lays open the interior, which contains the wellknown nut, singularly perforated with small holes. The almond-tree grows abundantly in Palestine, and may be regarded as one of its characteristic productions; the present and other texts (which will be illustrated as we come to them) show that it was such in very ancient times.

Honey-The learned authors of the Universal History, taking the right view that the presents sent by Jacob to the vizier of Egypt must have consisted of articles which that country did not afford, contend that 'honey' cannot be really intended here, as it is not likely that 'honey' could be a rarity in Egypt. They therefore think

ALMOND (Amygdalus communis).

that dates are meant, which are called by the same name, debesh, and which when fully ripe yield a sort of honey, not inferior to that of bees. Now, on this very principle, dates were still less likely than honey to have been sent; as Egypt is a famous date-growing country, and the tax on date-trees constitutes one of the most considerable articles in the revenue of its government. It is, however, not necessary to understand honey here, as the word certainly does seem to imply different kinds of sweet things and fruits, in different passages. Gesenius understands it here to denote 'syrup of grapes,' that is, must boiled to the thickness of a syrup; and which, as he observes, is still exported from Palestine, especially from the neighbourhood of Hebron, to Egypt. It certainly means bee-honey in Judg. xiv. 8; and if it has that signification here, we must understand that the honey of Palestine was superior to that of Egypt, and this is the opinion to which we incline. At present, however, the natives of the latter country keep a great quantity of bees, which they transport up and down the Nile, to give them the advantage of different climates and productions. The hives are kept in the boats, and the bees disperse themselves over the banks of the river in quest of food, returning regularly on board in the evening.

18. The men were afraid, because they were brought into Joseph's house.'-A more natural picture of the conduct of men, from the country, in Asia, when taken into the house of a superior, cannot be drawn. When they are told to go inside, they at once suspect that they are about to be punished or confined; and as they go through the house, they look in every direction, and are ready for a run at the least appearance of danger.

33. The firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled.Josephus says that they were set according to their seniority as they used to sit at home at their father's table; and their wonder of course arose from considering how their respective ages could be so accurately known in the house of the governor of Egypt, particularly as some of them were nearly of the same age with others. The statement is interesting, however understood, as it shows the distinction which in those early times was given to seniority of birth even in the common intercourse of life. The Orientals are, however, particularly punctilious at their meals.

34. Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of their's.'-This seems best explained by an allusion to exist145

ing Persian customs. The dishes are not brought in successively during the course of an entertainment, but are placed at once upon the table, or rather floor. A tray containing a variety of dishes is placed between every two, or at most three guests, from which they help themselves, without attending in any degree to the party at the next tray. The number of dishes on the tray is proportioned to the rank of the guest or guests before whom it is set, or to the degree of preference and attention which the entertainer desires to manifest towards them. The trays, when they are brought in, contain only five or six different dishes and bowls, and they thus remain in ordinary circumstances; but when the guest is a person of much consideration, other dishes are introduced between, or even piled upon the former, until at last there may be fifteen or more dishes upon the same tray. It is not therefore to be supposed that Benjamin ate five times as much as his brethren, who were all no doubt amply and variously supplied; but his distinction consisted in the greater variety offered for his selection, and in the palpable mark of preference, on the part of his entertainer, which it indicated. A Persian feast seems to illustrate other particulars in this Egyptian entertainment. The plan of setting a tray between every two

persons forms them into distinct groups in the act of eating, as will be understood by recollecting that the Orientals make no use of plates, but transfer their food immediately from the dishes or bowls to their mouths, unless they may occasionally find it convenient intermediately to rest the morsel they have detached upon the cake of bread which is spread out before them. Hence there is a concentration of each group upon the tray which is set before it. The separation so distinctly marked in Joseph's feast may have been effected much in the same way, Joseph having a tray wholly to himself, while, in the distribution into groups, care was taken that no Egyptian should be obliged to eat out of the same tray with a Hebrew. Herodotus bears witness to this distinction of quantity among the Egyptians. He says that, in their public banquets and entertainments, twice as much was set before the king as before any one else. If a double quantity was the mess for a king, Benjamin's quintuple proportion was a great distinction indeed. The representations of persons at meals, in the Egyptian sculptures, confirm, so far as they go, the analogies we have indicated; and these details from existing usages may be regarded as filling up the outlines of information which these representations offer.

CHAPTER XLIV.

1 Joseph's policy to stay his brethren. 14 Judah's humble supplication to Joseph.

AND he commanded 'the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth.

2 And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his corn money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.

3 As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses.

4 And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when

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thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good?

5 Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he 'divineth? ye have done evil in so doing.

6 And he overtook them, and he spake unto them these same words.

7 And they said unto him, Wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing:

8 Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks' mouths, we brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan: how then should we steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold?

9 With whomsoever of thy servants it be

2 Or, maketh trial.

found, both let him die, and we also will be my lord's bondmen.

10 And he said, Now also let it be according unto your words: he with whom it is found shall be my servant; and ye shall be

blameless.

11 Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack.

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

13 Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city.

14 ¶ And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house; for he was yet there: and they fell before him on the ground.

15 And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine?

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.

17 And he said, God forbid that I should do so but the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father.

18 ¶ Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh.

19 My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother?

20 And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him.

21 And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring

him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him.

22 And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die.

23 And thou saidst unto thy servants, 'Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more.

24 And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.

25 And our father said, Go again, and buy us a little food.

26 And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will we down for we may not see the man's face, except our youngest brother be with us.

go

27 And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons:

28 And the one went out from me, and I said, 'Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not since :

29 And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.

30 Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life;

31 It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die : and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave.

32 For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, "If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for ever.

33 Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren.

34 For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? Test peradventure I see the evil that shall 'come on my father. 7 Heb. find my father.

Chap. 43. 9.

Verse 5. Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth ?—The cup in question was silver; Josephus says gold. The Egyptians of rank had drinking vessels of silver and gold, the forms of which may be seen from the figures which we introduce. We have thus one proof among many of the luxury and refinement to which the Egyptians had even at this early time attained. The vessels (translated jewels') of gold and of silver which Abraham sent to Mesopotamia by Eliezer, probably formed part of the presents which he had received at a former period from the king of Egypt. There is considerable difficulty in what is said about divination

by this cup. As the last clause of the sentence may fairly be rendered, and for which he would carefully inquire,' it is perhaps safest to accept this rendering, as most consistent with the general character of Joseph. It is, however, certain that there was a sort of pretended divination by cups among the Egyptians and other eastern people; and there is and was a very ancient tradition of a famous cup which exhibited all that was passing in the world. The possession of this cup, or else of the power of divination by cups, is still occasionally pretended to by great persons, when they wish to alarm others, or to extort some discovery or compliance from them; and it is barely pos