Torah Pearls #10 – Mikeitz (Genesis 41:1-44:17)

In this episode of The Original Torah Pearls, Mikeitz (Genesis 41:1-44:17), we learn about the earliest manipulation of Hebrew translation in history and Joseph's plot to fulfill his own dream. Linda wrote: “Nehemia, thank you so much for your explanation for Joseph and his divining. I have wondered for years how to reconcile that issue and have asked others but never gotten an answer that seemed plausible.”

I look forward to reading your comments!

Download Torah Pearls Mikeitz Transcript

Torah Pearls #10 - Mikeitz (Genesis 41:1-44:17)

You are listening to The Original Torah Pearls with Nehemia Gordon, Keith Johnson, and Jono Vandor. Thank you for supporting Nehemia Gordon's Makor Hebrew Foundation. Learn more at NehemiasWall.com.

Jono: G‘day to Peggy listening in Kentucky, and everybody listening wherever you may be around the world. Thank you for your company. It’s time for Pearls from the Torah Portion with Nehemia Gordon and Keith Johnson. Their books and DVDs are available from truth2u.org. Their websites are hishallowedname.com and nehemiaswall.com. Gentlemen, welcome back to the program.

Nehemia: It’s great to be back.

Keith: Thanks for having us, Jono.

Jono: It’s marvelous to have you once again. This week we are in Mikeitz, Genesis 41 verse 1 to 44 verse 17. It begins like this: “Then it came to pass, at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh had a dream, and behold, he stood by the river. And suddenly there came up out of the river seven cows, fine looking and fat, and they fed in the meadow. And behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ugly and gaunt, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the river. And the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven fine looking and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke. And he slept and dreamed a second time, and suddenly seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, plump and good. And behold, seven thin heads, blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them. And the seven thin heads devoured the seven plump, full heads. So Pharaoh awoke, and indeed, it was a dream. Now it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh.” That’s some pretty weird dreams. What do you make of that?

Keith: You know what’s amazing about it? He has these dreams and he knows that it means something. Sometimes you have a dream and you just pass it off, “Okay, so what?” He obviously knows there’s something to this, so he brings the people that are close to him, the ones that are supposed to know everything, and no one can interpret the dream. I think it’s kind of interesting. Especially I think it’s interesting in that we’re back into this issue of dreams and then how dreams are communicated.

What’s really interesting, to me, is who it is that’s actually having the dream. We’re not talking about Jacob having a dream. Or we’re not talking about Joseph having a dream. Now the dream is being communicated to Pharaoh. There is something about that caught my attention.

Jono: It’s being communicated to Pharaoh from God. I mean it is that significant. You’re right, we have these dreams, but so often we wake up from these dreams and we know we’ve kind of had a bad dream, and like 30 seconds after waking up, I can’t tell Chani what I dreamt. I had a dream, I don’t know what it was about, I forget now, and it’s gone. But every now and then, you have a vivid dream and you remember all the details of it, and they seem so significant. Clearly this was one of those. I mean, if you had a dream where seven cows walk up out of a river, I mean there’s something in itself, and it just gets more and more bizarre.

So clearly he’s woken up and he’s gone, “Well, this is significant. Not only are there some similarities between the first and second dream, I don’t know what it means.” So he gets the guys together and says, “Look, tell me.” And no one could interpret it for them. And then the cupbearer, the chief butler, spoke to Pharaoh saying, “Oh, I remember my faults this day. When Pharaoh was angry with his servant, and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, both me and the chief baker, we each had a dream one night, he and I. Each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream. Now there was a young Hebrew man with us there, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him, and he interpreted our dreams for us, and each man interpreted according to his own dream. And it came to pass, just as he interpreted for us, so it happened. He restored me to my office, and he hanged him.” Interesting that he’s talking to Pharaoh and refers to him as “he.”

Nehemia: What I find really interesting is in verse 8, where we’re told here that no one could interpret Pharaoh’s dream for him, and then Pharaoh later repeats that. It really doesn’t add up because here he called all the magicians of Egypt and he called all of the wise men of Egypt. I find it hard to believe that none of them offered an interpretation. I think maybe what it means is that they gave their theories of what it might have meant, what they thought it meant, but Pharaoh somehow knew that “No, I don’t know what this dream means, but I know that’s not it.”

Jono: “That’s not it,” yes.

Nehemia: I think Pharaoh not only received this dream, he received the understanding of it without being able to express it. When he heard Joseph interpret the dream, he knew that was the truth.

Keith: What verse is that, Nehemia?

Nehemia: What’s that?

Jono: That’s verse 8.

Keith: What verse is that?

Nehemia: Well, I’m looking at verse 8. Now, this is a very interesting story because it’s almost an identical story in Daniel chapter 2, where Nebuchadnezzar has a dream. He also calls the magicians to interpret the dream, and the only one who can interpret it, in the end, offer a satisfactory interpretation is Daniel. It’s a very similar story. So, Keith, you seem to have a different understanding of it. Why don’t you offer it?

Keith: No, I don't actually have a different understanding. It’s so interesting with Nehemia, you know when we’re doing Bible study and I’ll say, “I think this,” and he’ll say, “What verse is that? Where does it say that?”

Nehemia: Well, I’m saying that this is a possible understanding of it.

Keith: Yes, I actually appreciate what you’re saying because what I find is so interesting - and again, it goes back to what I brought up earlier - the fact that we’re reading this, and what made me slow down, again, was who was having the dream - that it’s actually Pharaoh. So God is communicating through Pharaoh. Something’s coming, obviously, the idea is for what we’re going to read later, but it just kind of caught my attention, and so I appreciate what you’re saying. Maybe these folks came around and, “Hey, I called you in, give me the interpretation.” They don’t just sit there and stay silent. You’ve got to do like the false prophet.

Nehemia: Right. I’m sure they did. It stands to reason that they did. Although you’re right it doesn’t say it explicitly. Another really interesting point is in verses 2 and 3, and this is repeated a few times, which is that you have these two categories of cows. The first one is beautiful and - how does yours actually translate that in verse 2, Jono?

Jono: Verse 2, “Suddenly there came up out of the river seven cows, fine looking and fat, and they fed in the meadow.”

Nehemia: Right, so we have “fine looking and fat,” and the opposite of that is “bad looking and thin.” So as a person who is challenged, as far as my circumference is concerned, I appreciate...

Keith: Wait, Nehemia, I thought you were…

Jono: Well, my understanding, Keith, is that he’s saying, “Suddenly there came up out of the river seven cows, fine looking and fat,” as opposed to the other ones that came out ugly and gaunt.

Nehemia: I rest my case.

Keith: No, no, Jono.

Nehemia: The word for gaunt in Hebrew, “dakkot,” literally means thin.

Jono: There you go.

Nehemia: But in all seriousness, that’s a very culturally conditioned response. We’re so obsessed in the Western world with women being thin and people being thin, and there are countries where starvation is a constant problem, to this day I’m talking about. In those countries being portly is considered to be beautiful. These are very subjective things. I think what’s important is to be healthy.

Keith: Amen.

Jono: Amen. Keith?

Keith: They were healthy, but what caught me was I thought Nehemia was going to slow us down for the big Torah Pearl. You know, he’s going to come up with some great Hebrew word here. Instead, he caught me off-guard.

Nehemia: It’s important.

Jono: It’s important.

Nehemia: There are women around the world starving themselves because they have this obsession with being thin. Actually being thin can be a bad thing.

Jono: It’s funny that you should bring it up, because Chani was just showing me today some newspaper advertising of the early 20th century saying to women, “Are you too thin? Do you want to put on weight and be beautiful?” There was quite a list of these newspaper clippings of such advertising. So it wasn’t that long ago, not even maybe 80 years ago, that women were actually thinking like that, “Let’s not be too thin. Let’s be well rounded. Let’s be voluptuous,” if like you or whatever it may be. But to put on weight was the idea of these advertisements. So interesting that you should bring it up.

Anyhow, it’s kind of backwards today. But in any case, here we go. The most important thing is to be healthy. “Now there was a young Hebrew man with us there, a servant of the captain of the guard. And we told him…” and then he tells Pharaoh. “Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph,” now, Nehemia, here we go, this is one of your favorite topics, I think. “They brought him quickly out of the dungeon; and he shaved.” I know it’s funny to stop there, but that’s actually a big controversy with some people.

Nehemia: Yes.

Keith: What’s the controversy? Please tell the Methodist. What’s the controversy, guys?

Nehemia: Well, there’s a passage in Leviticus, and maybe we should save this topic for Leviticus, I think. But there’s a passage in Leviticus that talks about shaving the corners of your beard and the corners of your head. Some people take that to mean that you’re not allowed to shave your beard. If you look at the context there, those are actually mourning practices. What the ancients used to do is they used to rip out the hair of their head and they would shave off their beard and they would cut themselves and tattoo the name of the dead person on themselves. Those four things are actually mentioned, tattooing and cutting, as well. That seems to be the context in Leviticus where it’s talking about the corners of your head and the corners of your beard.

Here we can see that Joseph shaved. We can see that there are other instances where people shaved. There’s actually a purification rite in the Book of Leviticus where you’re required to shave all the hair of your body, not just the hair on your head. That was a form of purification. So if God really wanted to forbid shaving, I don’t see why He would then tell us in certain instances, as a way of purification, to shave.

Jono: To shave, sure. Certainly.

Keith: There it is, Jono.

Jono: There it is.

Keith: Now, there’s an example to shave your beard.

Jono: We’ll get into that. Well, we’ll see how hot it gets this summer. We’ll get into that when we get to Leviticus 19:27. “And he changed his clothes and he came to Pharaoh, and Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream, to interpret it.’ So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, ‘It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh the answer of peace.’” That’s an interesting response. “God will give Pharaoh the answer of peace. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: ‘Behold, in my dream…’” and he basically recounts the dream to him.

Keith: Hold on, Jono. Wait a minute.

Jono: Yes, Keith?

Keith: So you’re telling me your translation says, “‘I cannot do it,’ Joseph replied to Pharaoh, ‘but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.’” I’m looking in my Methodist Bible here it says ‘desires.’ Yours says, “The answer he seeks for peace.”

Jono: Yes, I’ve got, “God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.” Nehemia, what do you have?

Nehemia: It literally says, “God will answer the peace of Pharaoh.” What does that mean, exactly? That seems kind of ambiguous.

Keith: Well, that’s it. I’m going to get rid of my Bible translation. Are you kidding me?

Nehemia: I think what it means, in this context, is that you’re going to have peace in that you’re going to have the answer. The answer might not be something that you like, but you’ll have peace in that what is plaguing you and not knowing the answer will be satisfied.

Keith: Well, what I do like about this line, I like the fact that this is where evangelism begins for Joseph. He’s brought before Pharaoh, and he could have come out… I mean, listen, he’s been in prison this whole time, he could’ve come out mad at God. He could’ve have come out saying, “I’m finally free. This is going to be my opportunity to stay out. I’ve got to be the one. It’s got to be all about me.” And what did he do? He says…

Jono: “It’s not in me.”

Keith: “I can’t do it.” I mean, look, be in prison now, thinking this is my chance to get out. Joseph still puts it back on the One who knows that can do it and he comes out and within a few words of his coming out of prison, where he’s been there unjustly. He comes out and he says, “But God will give Pharaoh his answer.” Now, think about this: Doesn’t Pharaoh ask the question, “Which god? What is this Hebrew man doing coming up and speaking about this god? You mean the God of the Nile?” I just think it’s interesting that in coming from the difficult situation where he’s in prison, unjustly, he comes out and the first thing he says to Pharaoh is, “God will do it, Elohim,” is what it says.

Jono: Elohim.

Nehemia: It’s really interesting because in Hebrew the way it reads is it literally says, “Elohim, He will answer.” Pharaoh must be sitting there thinking, “Elohim, they will answer you mean, because Elohim is plural, right?” But Joseph, being a Hebrew, and hence, a monotheist, understands that Elohim is what’s called a majestic plural, meaning “great God”, and there’s only one of them, so He will answer, not they.

Keith: Amen.

Jono: Sure. Absolutely. Pharaoh recounted the dream to Joseph, and he says, “So I told this to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.” Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, in verse 25, “The dreams, Pharaoh, they are one; God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do: The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads are seven years; the dreams are one. And the seven thin and ugly cows which came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty heads blighted by the east wind are seven years of famine. This is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. Indeed, seven years of great plenty will come throughout the land of Egypt, but after them, seven years of famine will arise, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will deplete the land.” And so it happened.

Keith: The thing that gets me in this whole verse, you know, this is my thing, the verse at the end, I guess we should ask what it says exactly in Hebrew here. It says, “The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.” So here’s… there’s something about this “two”.

Jono: Yes. I underlined that, Keith. I thought that was interesting, too.

Keith: Yes. This is where I get very excited, Nehemia. When I say it happened twice, once for heaven and once for earth.

Nehemia: Two witnesses.

Jono: Two witnesses.

Keith: The two witnesses, but I want to know what does it say, if you were to read it in Hebrew, Nehemia, when you get to this verse, does it make you stop? Do you slow down? Do you get up and shout or do you just keep reading?

Nehemia: I’ve got to read it twice.

Jono: All right. Well, let me tell you what it says in this translation. “So the plenty will not be known in the land because of the famine following, for it will be very severe.” Verse 32, this is the one. “And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.” What have you got, Nehemia?

Nehemia: Yes, it says, “The doubling of the dream of Pharaoh twice is because the matter is established, or on a foundation from God, and God will quickly do it.”

Keith: Amen.

Jono: There it is.

Keith: Jono, this is revival music, man. This is something that makes me jump and shout. I just get excited about this that Joseph is coming and he’s telling him what it means. And then he gets his tagline on it, and this tagline is, “Listen, let me tell you something, Pharaoh. This doubling has been established by God, and it’s going to happen soon.” I mean when he does something twice you’re supposed to get excited, it catches your attention.

Jono: It’s set in concrete. It’s going to happen. “Now, therefore, let Pharaoh select…” I like this. This is where he’s kind of going, “Let me just put my hand up.” I mean he didn’t even put his hand up, but he’s kind of, I think, nudging him. “Now, therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, to collect one-fifth,” not a tenth, but a fifth, “of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years. And let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. The food shall be as a reserve for the land in the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt, that the land may not perish during the famine.” Now, one of the first things that sort of popped into my head, Nehemia, there is no observance of a shmita year or anything here. We’re looking at seven full years of planting and harvesting and putting away, right?

Nehemia: Certainly the historical Jewish understanding, and I think this fits with the text, is that the whole idea of shmita, of the sabbatical year, letting the land rest once every seven years, really only applies to the land of Israel and has to do with the holiness of that land. So here in the land of Egypt, the whole idea of shmita wouldn’t even be relevant.

Jono: Sure. Okay. Of course, that’s introduced much later, but it’s just something that popped into my head. I found that interesting. Joseph’s Rise to Power. “So the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh,” and he said, “You know what?” Keith, here’s one for you, verse 38, “Can we find such one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?”

Keith: You have to stop there for a second. What is he saying?

Jono: I’m stopping.

Keith: Look, has Pharaoh been to Acts chapter 2?

Jono: I know!

Keith: What is he talking about here? I mean has he already read ahead in the story and realized something? Or, in that context, was he’s saying something different? Is this something normal that he has context for, that the Spirit of the Gods is in a person because of wisdom and discernment? Or is he speaking in Christian terms? I mean, if I was reading this in my background, that means that he’s been touched by the Holy Ghost. Therefore, he’s the one that we’re going to give the power to.

Nehemia: He’s anointed with the Spirit?

Keith: What I’m saying is obviously, I mean the context for Pharaoh’s speaking this would be what? In other words, if I read this, and just based on what we talked about earlier, where he came and said, “I can’t do it, but God can.” He says, “Elohim.”

Jono: I’ve got in front of me, “in whom is the Spirit of Elohim.” Nehemia, how do you understand that?

Nehemia: That’s what it says.

Jono: Yes.

Nehemia: How do I understand that? That the spirit of Elohim can enter people. I mean that’s something you see throughout the Tanakh, that the Spirit will enter people.

Jono: Amen.

Keith: What do you think he means when he says that?

Nehemia: In the pagan mentality, and Pharaoh was a pagan, in their mentality they have no problem recognizing the God of the Hebrews as being a true God, they just have lots of gods. They will accept the Hebrew god, and the Christian god, and the Muslim god, and all the gods of the world, even the Hindu gods. They would recognize all those gods, but they would just say, “Well, we’re going to worship Ra, our sun god, because he’s our god, but you go worship your god.” So I don’t think he had a problem recognizing the reality and truth of the God of Israel, or in this case, the God of the Hebrews, of Yehovah. He just saw him as one of many. That was the bondage that Pharaoh was in.

Keith: Come on with that.

Jono: But particularly, after this confirmation that he’s received, it was clear to him that in Joseph, he is the Spirit of Elohim. “Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is none like you, as discerning and as wise as you. You shall be over my house.’” So he’s gone straight from prison, and this is where he’s about to go, “‘You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.’ And Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.’ Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. And he had him ride in the second chariot which he had, and they cried out before him, ‘Bow the knee!’” And so we start to see here, obviously, in these few verses, the fulfilling of Joseph’s dream, right?

Nehemia: Right. It was the precursor for that. What’s really interesting is verse 40. Can you read that in your translation, Keith, in your Methodist translation?

Keith: In 40 it says, “You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.”

Nehemia: In the Hebrew, if you translate this very literally, it says, “You will be over my house and on your mouth will all my people kiss.”

Keith: Come on.

Jono: Really?

Nehemia: Really. That’s what it says. This may be like some form of honor, kind of like how in The Godfather they kiss his ring. So this might be some kind of thing like that, where they would actually kiss him on the mouth as a form of saying, “You’re the boss.” It’s difficult to translate that literally because we don’t have that cultural reference, but that’s what it literally says.

Jono: Wow.

Keith: Okay, I’ve got to bring this verse to my wife.

Nehemia: Okay. “I’m the boss, kiss me on the lips!”

Keith: Torah Pearl! Torah Pearl! Every time you kiss me on the lips, you’re saying I’m in charge.

Nehemia: What about when you kiss her on the lips?

Keith: May it be. Let’s move on.

Jono: Moving right along.

Keith: I want to say something, Jono. So one of the things that’s so interesting about this is this idea that, okay, Joseph has this - and I don’t know if we can do this off the top of our heads right now - how long from the time Joseph had his first dream, where he spoke to his brothers and spoke to his father and told them what was going to happen, until this? Do we have a clear age?

Jono: We know he was 17, I think, when he had the dream, is that right? If I recall correctly, he was 17.

Nehemia: Yes. He’s 30 now, so this was 13 years later.

Jono: 13 years.

Keith: It was 13 years later.

Nehemia: 13 years of slavery and prison.

Keith: So what I think is really interesting is just this idea that in our society, at least over where I live... Nehemia, you’re in Israel, and Jono, you’re in Australia, I’m not sure what happens there.

Nehemia: They’re upside down there.

Keith: In the United States over here we’re a very instant society, very quick, microwaves, I mean, “It happened, I got to push the button, I got to have it now, instant coffee; everything’s quick.” Sometimes, I think a lot of times, we take that same mentality and we put it upon God. “I had a revelation, this is what God said, and I’m clear this is what God meant.” And yet we find ourselves in the pit, and then they give up completely on God or give up completely on what it was that He said. Here’s Joseph, again why this is so important, he’s in the pit for however long he’s in the pit. He’s in the pit for a long time; he doesn’t make it to the palace until how long. In the midst of that, obviously, Joseph didn’t give up on who God is. He didn’t give up on the power of God. He didn’t give up on giving honor and glory to God, even to the point that he’s got Pharaoh now saying, “Look, this Elohim that you speak of, since Elohim has made all of this known to you there is no one as discerning and wise, and of course, now people are going to kiss your mouth.”

But think of this, he’s in the pit, now he’s in the palace. I think the one thing that’s consistent by his own words is God, Elohim. That his understanding of who Elohim is that gave him this dream 13 years earlier is now coming to pass. There’s something about that, again, that it’s not instant, it didn’t happen in 10 days or 10 weeks or two years - 13 years until he sees this thing happen, and yet, he’s still consistent in his understanding of who God is.

Nehemia: He never lost his faith. That’s impressive.

Jono: Yeah, he never lost faith. But at the same time, there is the hand of God on him, everywhere he goes God blesses the work that he is doing, and he can see that God is present and working out a plan for him. But it’s interesting, because as you say, it goes on for 13 years, and that’s a patient, faithful lad Joseph is. So here he is…

Nehemia: Just to add one more thing, you see that in verse 51 where he names his son Menashe, and it says, “Because God has caused me to forget my toil and the entire house of my father.”

Jono: Yeah.

Nehemia: So he’s cut off from his father’s house, he’s a foreigner in a strange land, and he’s thrown into this situation of slavery in prison. This is so impacting on him that he names his firstborn son after this experience, after overcoming this experience. That’s impressive.

Jono: It is, because it also highlights the fact that he had toiled, he had painful memories, and he had, I suppose, anguish about what has happened to him and where he is at the moment. But in all of that, he never gave up on God. But as you say, in the naming of his first son, he says, “Because God has made me forget all my toil and I’m over it now, I’m good.” But in any case…

Keith: Well, you know what, guys?

Jono: Yeah?

Keith: Jono, I apologize, but we can’t go to the naming of the son until we talk about this controversial section here.

Nehemia: Uh-oh. Kill the microphone; stop recording!

Keith: No, this is controversy here because here comes Joseph. He claimed that Elohim is the one who’s done this, Pharaoh says it, and then Pharaoh says, “If we’re going to really do this, look, I’ve got a lot of people around me, I can’t have you… we’ve got to do a name change here.” So what does he do? He says to him, “Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah.” What does it say in Hebrew?

Nehemia: Tzaphnat-Pa’aneakh.

Keith: And what does that mean Nehemia?

Nehemia: Presumably that’s an Egyptian name. It may also have a meaning in Hebrew. If we take it to be a Hebrew name, Tzaphnat would be from the word “tzophen,” which is a code, and Pa’aneah would be to decipher, a code decipherer. So that’s interesting - here the name has a meaning in Hebrew, even though it’s clearly not a Hebrew name, it’s an Egyptian name. This is actually a pattern we see throughout history, when the Israelites are in exile, when they’re in foreign lands, they’re given these positions of power, and they’re also given the foreign names, the names of their captors.

For example, Daniel is called Belshazzar. Why is he called Belshazzar? Because it says, “After the name of the king’s god,” the god Bel, which is a form of Ba’al. So Daniel is actually given an exilic name after the name Ba’al. We see Mordechai, who is the character in the book of Esther. Well, Mordechai is from the Babylonian god Marduk. So that was his Babylonian name. His captors gave him that name. What his real name was, his Hebrew name, we don’t know. We know that Hadassah was renamed Esther. Esther is after Ishtar, the goddess Easter. We see this pattern.

Actually, this was something I was hesitating if I should mention, which is that there’s something in the history of my people, which really even transcends, it goes past the Bible. I call this the Kissinger syndrome. Henry Kissinger was the American Secretary of State, and he was a Jew, a Jew who hates other Jews; he’s still alive and did horrible damage to Israel. But he was a Jew who was second-in-command. As a Jew, he could never be in charge. He could only ever be second-in-command to Richard Nixon. You see this with Joseph; as the Hebrew, he can never be in charge, he can only be number two. He’s actually running the show because he’s smarter than everybody else, but he’s only ever number two. We see that with Mordechai. We see that with Daniel. We see that with, actually, Nehemiah, who I’m named after. He was the cupbearer of the king. He could never be king of Persia because he’s a Hebrew, but he could be in charge of some responsibilities, and actually be carrying the king in some respects, but he’s only ever number two. This seems to be this pattern in the exile, and maybe, this has to do with what we saw with Joseph - that God blesses the people of Israel with certain skills and abilities, but because they’re in exile, because of that situation, they’re never number one; always the man behind the scenes.

Keith: Okay, so Nehemia, from now on, remember you’re always number two here.

Nehemia: I know that, Keith. I know my place.

Keith: But listen, the thing that’s interesting about this, we saw Joseph the code breaker. Joseph the code breaker is given Asenath daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On. I mean, here’s the reason I wanted to stop here, and I’m actually glad you brought what you brought. But what hits me again when I read this is - it’s almost like I want to rush past this and say, “Well, wait a minute - so the daughter of the priest is given to Joseph, and that’s going to be the mother of his sons.”

Again, the reason I say I have to slow down is it makes me slow down and ask, “So God what are you doing? Why are You doing it this way?” And later we’ll talk about the significance of his sons, but the root of it isn’t just that Pharaoh says, “Listen, continue to be in your Hebrew culture, go back to Israel, get yourself a wife, bring her back, and you can be in charge as a Hebrew.” He’s trying to make him be as Egyptian as he can get him to be. So what do you do? You give him a wife and change his name. But in his heart and his soul, we know as readers, he’s still Joseph the Hebrew. Whether they want to say he’s not, I mean the bottom line is, this is God’s man in this situation. Though they can fix him up, change him, and put makeup on him, who is he behind all of that? And we find that later. So I just think it’s just interesting that what they’re trying to do is to get him to be as Egyptian as they can get him to look. Because look, we can’t really say, “This is Joseph the Hebrew. It’s got to be Joseph – No, we don’t even want to call him Joseph. We want to call him this other name. He’s the code breaker, that’s why he’s in charge.”

Jono: There it is. The other thing that I’d like to just point out; the priest of On. The word priest there, Nehemia, that’s Kohen, right?

Nehemia: That’s right. Kohen is a priest.

Jono: Kohen is a priest. So it’s an interesting thing, because if I remember correctly, I think this is the second time it’s mentioned in the Tanakh. We have Melchizedek, that’s the first time it’s mentioned. This is the second time it’s mentioned. Coming from the tradition that I came from, I find this interesting. Because where I came from there were only two kinds of priests. There was the priesthood in the order of Melchizedek, and there was the priesthood in the order of Aaron. There were no other priests, and there are no other applications for the word Kohen. So I just thought I’d throw that into the mix, because here’s one that is outside of both those concepts.

Nehemia: We don’t know that this is a good Kohen. I mean this may be an evil Kohen.

Jono: Oh, sure.

Nehemia: We really don’t know. We don’t have the answer to that, if he’s a good priest or a bad priest. Later on, we see references to priests, certainly, run-of-the-mill Egyptian Kohanim, priests, and they’re obviously priests to their pagan deities, not to one true God. So the word Kohen by itself doesn’t necessarily imply a true priest. You have false priests who are also called Kohen, that Jeroboam sets up, that were set up at the high places, and specifically, were not descended from Aaron. The people of Israel were rebuked for having these non-Aaronic priests.

Jono: There we go. “Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went throughout the land of Egypt. Now in the seven plentiful years, the ground brought forth abundantly. So he gathered up all the food in the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid it up… the food in the cities, and it was all good. And he gathered so much grain…” now this is interesting, “he gathered so much grain as the sand of the sea, until he stopped counting, for it was immeasurable.” As numerous as the sand of the sea, we see that as an expression a few times, don’t we?

Nehemia: Yes. That’s a Hebrew way of saying something is so much it can’t really be counted. We can’t actually count how many grains of sand there are in the sea. We can estimate maybe, but we can’t really count.

Jono: Often applied to the descendants of Jacob, right?

Nehemia: Amen.

Jono: Amen. “And so to Joseph were born two sons,” and so here they are. We’ve already mentioned, of course, Manasseh: “For God has made me forget all of my toil and all my father’s house.” And the name of the second he called Ephraim: “For God has…”

Keith: Hold it. Torah Pearl.

Jono: Torah Pearl.

Keith: Wait a second, guys. I’ve got to stop for a second, because I would have thought he would have said this: “It is because God has made me forget all of my trouble.” When he adds, “all my father’s household,” then I see this like - and again maybe I’m over-reading it - but it’s almost like Joseph is trying to say, “Yes, my troubles have gone and my past is gone.” Now, his father’s household isn’t a bad memory, right?

Nehemia: Well, it’s a bad memory that he’s been cut off from it, that he’s been kidnapped from it. That’s what he says.

Keith: And his father’s household, does that also mean all that it represented? When I stopped - and this is just me now, guys - I read it and I hear him saying, “I want to forget all my troubles and all of my father’s household.” It’s almost like Joseph is in this place of saying, “Yes, I’m going to accept my new role, and I’m going to accept my new family, and I’m going to accept my new name… He’s helped me forget all of that other stuff, that I’m Joseph and that my family is in Israel, in Canaan, and all of these things. I’m going to forget all of that, and I’m going to accept that this is where I am, and God has allowed me to do that.” So when I hear Manasseh, if it didn’t have the second part of the verse, I would have been fine with it, but the second part of the verse makes me slow down again and not to over-read it, but is Joseph saying to forget my heritage, to forget everything I am? It just made me slow down that’s all.

Jono: Ephraim: “For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.” Fruitful, now, is this is the definition of the name?

Nehemia: So the name is Ephraim and the word is "He made me fruitful," all those words in English, "He made me fruitful," is one word in Hebrew, hifrani. And so it’s a word that sounds like the name Ephraim. It’s possibly been derived.

Jono: Okay. There it is. “Then the seven years of plenty which, when they ended,” people got hungry. They went to Pharaoh, Pharaoh said, “Hey that guy over there.” “And Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. And the famine became very severe in the land of Egypt. All the countries came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all the lands.” Not just Egypt, all the surrounding countries, at least. Interesting.

“When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, ‘What are you looking at one another for? Get up and get yourselves together, go to Egypt and get some grain. I’ve heard that it’s all good there, and buy some for us, bring it back so that we’ll live and not die.’” That’s a good idea. So they got themselves together and they’re setting up for basically what the rest of the Book of Bereshit is about. Joseph was governor over the land and he was selling to the people. “And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him,” and this is verse 6, “with their faces to the earth.” This is the first literal fulfillment of the dream, right?

Nehemia: Yes. Well, he realized there’s something’s missing in verse 9. “Joseph remembered the dream that he had dreamed concerning them and he said to them, ‘You’re spies!’” So what’s the connection to them? Why is he saying, “You’re spies”? He’s trying to draw the 12th brother in because he knows in the dream there were 11 people bowing down to him, not just 10. So if he can’t get the 12th brother and his father to come, then the dream isn’t going to be fulfilled, if you take it literally.

One of the interesting things is that in the dream is he sees 11 stars bowing down to him and the sun and the moon, and his father hears this and he says, “What? Are me and your mother going to come and bow down to you?” Which is interesting, so interesting because his mother is dead. So why did the father even say that? What did the dream really mean? In other words, his father assumed that in the original dream the 11 stars were the 11 brothers, and the sun and the moon were him and his wife. But in fact, it may be that the sun and the moon were… maybe that was Egypt and Canaan.

Jono: Oh, perhaps. I’ve never ever thought of that until now. I never connected that, of course, his mother is dead.

Nehemia: Is that a Torah Pearl?

Jono: That’s a Torah Pearl!

Nehemia: I’m just stating the obvious.

Jono: It’s obvious, right?

Keith: Nehemia, you’re going outside of what it says. You’re coming up with this great idea. Is there some reason to make you think that?

Nehemia: Well, it can’t be the mother, because the mother died when Benjamin was born. So we know it’s not the mother. The traditional Jewish answer is to say, “Well, he meant the stepmother, who was one of the other three wives, who must have raised him when his birth mother died.” That’s a possibility, but it’s also possible that the sun and the moon refers to Egypt and Canaan, which would make sense…

Jono: Do we know how many wives he returns with? How many of them are still alive when Jacob comes to… in the 70, how many of his wives are with him? Do we know that?

Nehemia: We don’t know that, no.

Jono: Okay, we’re going to get to that at some stage.

Keith: Jono, this whole time I read this story, and I never even slowed down to think about that. I just thought that Joseph was taunting his brothers…

Nehemia: What do you mean? It was a dream from God. It wasn’t him taunting.

Keith: Do you mean he was really trying to get the dream fulfilled? He’s still thinking about that?

Nehemia: Oh, yes. It says, “And Joseph remembered the dream, and he said to them, ‘You’re spies! To see the nakedness of the land you have come!’” So why is he saying that? It’s very clear he’s trying to draw the other brother in, and the father.

Keith: We find that out later, because he keeps one of the brothers.

Nehemia: Right. Well, that’s the continuation of this section.

Keith: Yeah.

Jono: So he interrogates them somewhat, and they admit to him that, “The youngest is with our father today, and one is no more.” They tell him, “One is no more.”

Nehemia: He’s just not around anymore, you know.

Jono: Yes, well, it kind of implies…

Nehemia: He just disappeared, right?

Keith: Well, hold on. Torah Pearl! Torah Pearl! I want to stop here. Verse 13, Nehemia, read this, this is just one little thing I want to throw out, and I’m kind of setting you up here. 42 verse 13, what does it actually say in Hebrew, “The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.” What does it say?

Nehemia: Eneino. “He is no more.” “He is not,” literally.

Keith: So, literally, in their mind, are they saying, “no more,” meaning that he is…

Nehemia: It could imply that he’s dead, but not necessarily. So it uses the exact same… is this the setup? It uses the exact same word when it talks about Enoch, or Chanoch. “And he was not for God took him.”

Jono: So Joseph was raptured.

Keith: Hold on.

Nehemia: Maybe he was raptured. You don’t know.

Keith: Look, I’m trying to set him up, Jono, don’t help him. So Nehemia, you mean to tell me this same phrase is used as it pertains to Enoch?

Nehemia: Same exact term, yes, absolutely.

Keith: Then it’s implied here that he is no more, not maybe that he was taken by God…

Nehemia: The chariot of fire took him up into heaven.

Jono: That’s it. There it is.

Keith: Okay. Let’s move on. Those listening will understand where I’m going here.

Jono: “‘Your servants are twelve brothers, the son of one man in the land of Canaan; and in fact, the youngest is with our father today, and one went to heaven.’ But Joseph said to them, ‘It is as I spoke to you, saying, ‘You are spies! In this manner you shall be tested: By the life of Pharaoh…’” and so on and so forth.

Nehemia: I’ve got to stop you there. So the way he swears to them in verse 15, he’s making a vow, a solemn oath, he says, “Chei Pharaoh,” “as Pharaoh lives,” or, “by the life of Pharaoh.” That’s really interesting because we see Israelites later on swearing “Chei Yehovah,” “As Yehovah lives.” Here we see the significance of that, that an Egyptian who says that Pharaoh is a god will swear in the name of Pharaoh, and a Hebrew is commanded in Deuteronomy, in two separate places, it says, “In his name, you will swear.” The way they swore was to say, “As Yehovah lives,” or “By the life of Yehovah.”

What you’re basically saying is, “If what I’m saying is not true then I’m denying the life of Yehovah,” which obviously, is not something you want to say. The same thing here with Pharaoh being a god, he’s saying, “as Pharaoh lives;” if I’m lying then I’m denying the life of Pharaoh, which of course, in that context is treason and blasphemy. This is of course part of the ruse. He wants them to think he’s a genuine Egyptian, so he’s got to swear in the name of Pharaoh. He doesn’t want to swear in the name of Ra, because Ra is actually a pagan deity. Pharaoh just claims he’s a God. He’s just a king.

Jono: Sure. And yet in verse 18, “Then Joseph said to them the third day, ‘Do this and live, for I fear God.’” How do we understand that?

Nehemia: God is a generic term; he didn’t say which one.

Jono: Okay. Fair enough. “Do this and live, for I fear God.”

Keith: Wait. So Nehemia, you don’t think this is just full assimilation on Joseph’s part? Do you still think that Joseph is trying to get the dream fulfilled?

Nehemia: Oh, absolutely.

Keith: He’s been able to look ahead and say, “This is what I have to have done…”

Nehemia: He’s saying, “Wait a minute. We’re almost there. We got 10 out of 11. We need one more brother.”

Keith: I’m reading here and I’m thinking, “He’s forgotten his father’s household. He’s got his new Egyptian name. He’s got the new Egyptian wife. He’s got the nice house. He’s got the nice chariot. He looks Egyptian. He speaks Egyptian. Everything is set.” You’re telling me, he’s still thinking about the dream?

Nehemia: Of course. You realize… this is the guy who understands dreams, who realizes that dream - maybe when he was a kid he thought, “This is just a dream and who knows if it’ll be real or not.” Now he knows for a fact that dreams that he interprets come true, and he must have thought, “My brothers are never going to come and bow down before me. I’ve forgotten all about that, the pain of losing my father’s household.” Then the ten brothers show up bowing down before him, and he says, “Okay, we need to get my other brother here and my father here.”

Keith: This is a great encouragement to me, guys because I’ve seen this in operation, when you have a dream and seeing different parts of a dream come to pass. He could have accepted earlier, “Look, I’m now in charge of Egypt and this is the interpretation of the dream. It’s not going to be anything else.” And he had to have been even surprised when his brothers came. At that point, he’s literally saying, “I’m so close to this happening. The full dream has to be fulfilled.” That’s just an amazing thought to me, Nehemia. That makes me read the story in an even more amazing way. So I want to tell you I appreciate that.

Nehemia: Okay.

Jono: It’s also a possibility too. Because it was unraveling so quickly before his eyes now, that it could have been possible that he was eagerly awaiting to see when his brothers would turn up. That’s also a possibility. And so when he sees them he jumps upon the opportunity. Now, were you going to say something, Nehemia?

Nehemia: I love verses 21 and 22 because he’s listening in to their discussions, and it says in verse 23, “And they didn’t know that he could hear them,” meaning that he could understand them. “Because there was an interpreter between them.” Joseph was sitting there on the throne speaking in Egyptian, and they’re speaking to each other in Hebrew. They don’t realize Joseph understands their Hebrew words. That’s really significant because he takes one of the brothers, throws him in prison, saying, “You’re only going to get this brother back when you bring your youngest brother Benjamin to bow down before me.” Which brother does he take?

Jono: Simeon.

Nehemia: Why does he take Shimon, Simeon? Why not Reuben? Reuben is the eldest brother; he knows that. Why Simeon?

Keith: Don’t keep us in suspense.

Nehemia: Because he just overheard in the deliberation in verses 21 and 22 that Reuben tried to save his life, that Reuben was never really complicit in having him sold into slavery. So he’s not going to take Reuben as the firstborn, and the next in line is Simeon. He’s the second brother.

Keith: Oh, my goodness. That’s a Torah Pearl, Jono.

Jono: There’s a Torah Pearl. Because here they are, they’re saying, “We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw…” Now, there’s obviously, a bit of, “Man, we’re getting it now. We deserve this because we knew it was going to happen. We did something wrong, and now we’re paying for it, right?” “We are truly guilty concerning our brother, we saw the anguish of his soul,” this is the first time we’re reading about, “for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; therefore this distress has come upon us.” And Reuben said, “Man, I told you so. Boy, you wouldn’t listen to me.”

Nehemia: Does he have an Australian accent?

Jono: Yes. If he was Aussie he would’ve said something else, but I can’t say it on the radio.

Nehemia: Oh. If he was Aussie would he been called Robbo?

Jono: Yes, he would’ve been!

Keith: And in verse 34, listen, I have this image in my mind in verse 34, Joseph turns away from them, and he begins to weep. I’m imagining at this point that he’s weeping, and I have this image that he’s wearing makeup and his eyeliner…

Jono: Yeah, the mascara’s running down his face.

Nehemia: He’s like Tammy Faye.

Jono: He’s got the spiders on the eyes and all of that. But it does actually say that a little later on, and he does even wash his face, it mentions that he washes his face and then goes back out there, and it wouldn’t surprise me if that’s just why.

But he sends them on their way, and he gives them all the grain, and he secretly puts the money back in their sacks, as well, which really freaks them out. And in verse 28, they say, “What is this that God has done to us?” As if this is some terrible thing, and we’re being set up and, man, we’re going to be in trouble.

In any case, they get back to Jacob and tell him everything that has happened, and he’s none too impressed. Jacob, their father, said to them, “You have bereaved me: Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more,” he’s as good as dead as well, poor guy, “and you want to take Benjamin. All these things are against me.” Now, this: “Reuben spoke to his father, saying, ‘Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you.’” What? Really? What’s that about?

Nehemia: Yes, well, he realizes they’re all going to starve to death if they don’t do something. Eventually, they break and they have no choice later on.

Jono: “Aw, thanks, dad.” But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is left alone. If any calamity should befall him on the way which you go, then you would bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.” Basically, Keith, if I’m to understand this correctly, they went, “Ah, Simeon, we’ve got a few more, Simeon. Let’s just stick around.”

We read on in chapter 43, it’s not until they run out of food again that they go, “We need some more food.” And Judah said, “If you want more food, we’re going to have to take Benjamin because this guy will see us again, and there’s Simeon, we’ve got to get him, maybe.” But how long do you reckon… how long? I mean it just makes me wonder.

Nehemia: Who knows? It might have been months; it might have been a year. How much grain can you carry on a donkey?

Keith: I’m not sure how much time we have here, but I would say that one of the things that does catch me when I’m reading this… because they’re talking about a famine, and when you’re talking about a famine, I’m assuming that this means they’re really out of food…

Nehemia: Yes. Well, they’re out of food; at the same time they’re able to take all these things down to Egypt as a gift. So they’re not completely out of food.

Keith: Exactly.

Jono: Yeah, “A little balm, a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds.”

Nehemia: But they’re definitely scraping by, and they’re probably slaughtering some of the animals saying, “Look, there’s no food to feed these animals. There’s no grass. There’s nothing for them to eat. We’re having steak tonight.”

Jono: Sure.

Nehemia: As you gradually whittle down your supplies, you realize, “Okay, let’s do the math, how long do we have to live here?”

Jono: Verse 16, “When Joseph saw Benjamin,” so here they are. They’ve arrived, they’ve brought Benjamin, and he says, “Take these men to my home, and slaughter an animal and make it ready.” They’re going to have dinner with him. The men were afraid because they still hadn’t explained that they brought money back with them. And so the first thing they did when he came in is said, “Listen, you gave us grain last time we went away, but when we looked in our sacks, the money was there, as well. Just letting you know because there’s no funny business, we didn’t do it.” And he said, “Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your fathers has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.” Where are we now? We’ve got to jump ahead because we’re running out of time.

Nehemia: Can we look at something in verse 18, which I find comical?

Jono: Yes.

Nehemia: There’s this whole issue of silver in the sacks and that whole thing going on. Then they’re brought to the house of Joseph and they’re afraid, they’re like, “What’s going on here? We’ve been brought to the house of Joseph,” and they said, “It’s because of the silver that was returned in our sacks at first. And now we were brought, he’s seeking an excuse against us to attack us and to take us as slaves,” and then it says, “and our donkeys.” I don’t know why that’s so comical to me.

Jono: Our poor, innocent donkeys.

Nehemia: They’re about to be taken as slaves and they’re thinking that. That’s how petty this is. They want to kidnap us, take us as slaves, and steal our donkeys. But you know what? The world was a tough place back then. It still is in some places.

Jono: Yeah, I guess so.

Nehemia: That was probably a legitimate fear. If Joseph had been a regular Egyptian, had been somebody else, that might have been a legitimate fear.

Jono: And in any case, in verse 28, here it is again, “And they bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves.” And here are all the brothers, at least. Now, that the sun and the moon aren’t there yet, but all the brothers are bowing down to him, once again. “He lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, ‘Is this your youngest brother of whom you spoke to me?’ And he said, ‘God be gracious to you, my son.’ Now his heart yearned for his brother; so Joseph made haste and sought somewhere to weep. And he went into his chamber and wept. Then he washed his face and came out; and he restrained himself, and said, ‘Serve the bread.’”

Nehemia: “And he restrained himself,” Keith, can you comment on that?

Keith: No, I can’t do that.

Nehemia: Come on, Keith. You’ve got to do it.

Keith: No, I was just getting to the point that I’m getting this picture here. So the picture is he’s there and he’s holding himself from weeping, they’re doing the whole thing where he’s eating by himself. And then he does the foreshadowing, he does this thing with his brother, and he has the youngest, it says, “The men had been seated before him in the order of their ages.” At that point, if I’m one of the brothers, I mean, of course, maybe I don’t notice this, but in our family, I’ve got three boys, and we take pictures all the time and there is always a meaning in the pictures. So even when we sit down to eat dinner, I sit in a certain place, my wife sits in a certain place; my one son sits to my left and right hand. So if I were one of them and all of a sudden it was all switched around because of the culture, understanding the significance of ages, and this person has got us seated according to ages, that would be an indicator to me that there’s something going on here.

Jono: Yes, certainly. But if that wasn’t enough, in verse 34, “And he took servings to them from before him, and Benjamin’s serving was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.” But you’d be looking down at the end of the table going, “Man, he’s got a lot.” Don’t you think?

Keith: Yes.

Jono: All right. Now, we’ve got to move forward. We’re running out of time. We have to touch on this. I’m going to go right to…

Nehemia: Can we just quickly look at verse 32 in chapter 43? It says, so he’s sitting, them by themselves, and the Egyptians are eating, them by themselves. Why? It says, “Because the Egyptians could not eat with the Hebrew’s bread because it’s an abomination to Egypt.”

Now, why is it an abomination? We find this in two places, later on in Genesis, and also in Exodus, it explains even more that the Egyptians worship sheep, they worship the lambs. The Israelites, who are shepherds and eat lambs are therefore an abomination because they’re lamb eaters. They’re eating the Egyptian gods. Therefore, the Egyptians won’t eat at the same table as these shepherd lamb-eaters.

This actually becomes a central issue in Egyptian history that archaeologists have uncovered in Egyptian writings. They talk about the Shepherd Kings; that was a group from the land of Canaan who came in and ruled Egypt, and the Egyptians never accepted this rule. They always considered this to be abominable because these rulers, these Shepherd Kings, were eating their gods, the lambs. Some historians actually say that was Joseph and some of his brothers, those Shepherd Kings, that that’s actually not two different things.

Jono: Okay. There it is.

Keith: My goodness.

Jono: Torah Pearl.

Keith: Yeah.

Jono: Jumping ahead, he sends them on their way, puts the silver cup in Benjamin’s sack. Anyway, he sends his men to chase them down after they left, Joseph does. And he says to them, “Say this: ‘Why have you repaid evil for good? Is not this the one from which my lord drinks, with which he indeed practices divination?’”

Nehemia: We’ve seen that before. Remember that was the issue that happened with Jacob and Laban, that Laban chased him down, and he said, “Don’t you know a man like me is going to divine? You think you can get away from me?” And here, again, it’s a very similar scene where somebody’s chasing somebody else down, and he’s saying, “Look, there’s divination here, you can’t get away from this.”

In both cases that turned out not really to be entirely true, that it was the divination that gave them away. In the case of Laban, it was that he went to look for his idols, and he was like, “Wait a minute they’re missing. Well, where’s that son-in-law of mine?” Then here we know this is just Joseph’s ruse. But they’re kind of using this superstition to provide a plausible explanation of why they’re being taken back to Joseph’s house. This is part of the test he set up for them.

Jono: And he says in verse 15, “And Joseph said to them, ‘What deed is this that you have done? Did you not know that such a man as I can certainly practice divination?’” And so the question is, is he practicing divination? It raises all sorts of questions, particularly coming from the background that myself, and Keith, maybe you feel the same way. Was he a dabbler in the occult? Is the question that so many people ask…

Nehemia: I think the significance here in this context is that the way they perform divination is they would take that cup, the cup that was missing, that goblet, and they would drip oil into a liquid and see the patterns of the oil and then interpret them. So he’s coming out for his morning divination and his cup is missing. So he immediately says, “Well, who were the last people here? Oh, those Hebrews! Let’s go after them.” So I don’t think he’s exactly claiming here that it was divination that he found them through, but that because the cup was missing… You know, this is the ruse; because the cup is missing we’re going after them and saying, “You were the last guys here, do you have it? If not, we’ll let you go.”

Jono: So the question is, does he practice divination?

Keith: Of course not.

Nehemia: Of course not.

Keith: It says here, “Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack...”

Nehemia: Right. It’s a ruse.

Keith: Then he tells him, “When you get there, say this to them…”

Nehemia: Right. It’s got to be a plausible story of how they knew that the cup was missing immediately. Like, immediately they noticed the cup is missing? The guy has got hundreds of cups. Then immediately he knows who has taken it? So the plausible explanation here is, “Oh, I went to divine, and it was gone and you were the last guys here.”

Jono: Fair enough. It’s a story. And so honestly, that’s the first time I’ve heard that explained in that way.

Nehemia: Really?

Jono: Yes, absolutely. It’s the first time I’ve heard that.

Nehemia: I could be wrong. Unlikely, but I could be.

Jono: It’s a possibility. But that makes a lot of sense. It makes so much sense, because why would a man who has such a relationship with the Living God, who speaks to him in dreams, and just why does he need to divine? There’s the question…

Nehemia: On the other hand, Balaam, who is a true prophet, spoke directly with God through his dreams and visions; he did divine. That was because he was so deeply ingrained in his pagan culture that he couldn’t get past that. And despite that, God had grace and still spoke to him.

Jono: True. I’m looking forward to getting to that in Numbers 24. But right now, we’ve got the last couple of verses. What do you want to do with it, Keith?

Keith: “Joseph was still in the house when Judah and his brothers came in,” I want to be like Jono. I’d like to read it. You get the powerful stuff that you read it, you read the Scripture right there. It says, “Joseph was still in the house when Judah and his brothers came in, and they threw themselves to the ground before him. And Joseph said to them, ‘What is this you have done? Don’t you know that a man like me can find things out by divination?’” I mean, I’m thinking he’s going to say…

Nehemia: Well, that’s not what it says in Hebrew. It says, “Don’t you know that a man like me would divine?” It doesn’t say anything about finding things out.

Jono: Okay. But I suppose the implication is there; fair?

Nehemia: No, I think the implication is, “I’m missing my cup because… don’t you know that I’m a diviner? You can’t just take my divination cup.”

Jono: Fair enough.

Nehemia: I guess either one’s possible, but the phrase that is necessary for the other interpretations has been added in. Meaning, what it literally says is, “Did you not know that a man such as me will surely divine?” It doesn’t say anything about finding things out.

Jono: In any case, Judah declares, “All right, checkmate. What are we going to do? I mean, I can’t do anything. This is checkmate; the game is over. What am I going to say to you? Do I have a defense that you would even possibly listen to?” But he said, “Far be it from me that I should do so; the man in whose hand the cup was found, he shall be my slave.” This is Benjamin. “And as for you, go in peace to your father.” That’s a major thing that we’re going to read about in the next Torah portion, but that’s a huge thing because it was Judah who said, “Blame it on me forever if I do not bring the young lad back to you.” And it was Jacob who said, “If anything happens to my youngest, if anything happens to my only son of Rachel,” as far as he knows, “it’ll bring my gray head down to the grave. I’m going to die if anything happens to him.” And so this is potentially what is about to happen.

Keith: Well, I’m going to take the week to look at the next section and see if I can’t trip Nehemia up somewhere. That’s all I’m going to be doing…

Nehemia: To our listeners, I say to you, go in peace to your Father.

Jono: Nice. Beautiful.

Keith: Amen.

Jono: Amen. Next week, Vayigash, Bereshit 44:18 to 47:27. In the meantime, listeners, be blessed and be set apart…

Keith: Wait, Jono. I’m sorry. I have to interrupt you. I have to apologize to our listeners. We told them that we would have a special Hebrew prayer for each section, that their eyes would be opened. I won’t let us end it without Nehemia at least praying that their eyes will be opened, not only for this session, but the one coming. Please according to Psalms 119, Nehemia, would you please? You could do it in English if you want.

Jono: I’m glad that you remembered that.

Nehemia: Just because you asked, I’m going to do it in Hebrew. “Yehovah, Avinu shebashamayim, gal eneinu v’nabitah niphlaot mi-Torahteha.” “Yehovah, our Father in heaven, please uncover our eyes that we may see the hidden wonderful things of Your Torah.” Amen.

Keith: Amen.

Jono: Amen. Thank you. As I was saying, be blessed and be set apart by the truth of our Father’s word. Shalom.

You have been listening to The Original Torah Pearls with Nehemia Gordon, Keith Johnson and Jono Vandor. Thank you for supporting Nehemia Gordon’s Makor Hebrew Foundation. Learn more at NehemiasWall.com.

We hope the above transcript has proven to be a helpful resource in your study. While much effort has been taken to provide you with this transcript, it should be noted that the text has not been reviewed by the speakers and its accuracy cannot be guaranteed. If you would like to support our efforts to transcribe the teachings on NehemiasWall.com, please visit our support page. All donations are tax-deductible (501c3) and help us empower people around the world with the Hebrew sources of their faith!

SUPPORT NEHEMIA'S RESEARCH AND TEACHINGS!
Makor Hebrew Foundation is a 501c3 tax-deductible not for profit organization.

Subscribe to "Nehemia Gordon" on your favorite podcast app!
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | 
Amazon Music
 | TuneIn
Pocket Casts | Podcast Addict | CastBox | iHeartRadio | Podchaser
 | Pandora

Share this Teaching on Social Media
Related Posts: Prophet Pearls - Mikeitz (1 Kings 3:15-4:1) Torah and Prophet Pearls Hebrew Voices Episodes Support Team Studies Nehemia Gordon's Teachings on the Name of God
  • shell says:

    There was a couple verses i was reminded of when you mentioned the kiss and authority:

    Pro 24: v26. [Every man] shall kiss [his] lips that giveth a right answer

    *the verses immediately preceding are about judges and the importance of judging properly, so this man would be one in authority and gain admiration, maybe their trust and faith, for righteous judgement

    1Ki 19: v18. Yet I have left [me] seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.

    *theres a certain prominent place where a certain idol is still kissed to this day. Maybe this aspect has stood the test of time a little better than kissing a man

  • It appears that the name Zaphnath-Paaneah was a Hebrew translation of the Egyptian name given to Yosef. On page 35 of Mary Nell Wyatt’s book, “Battle for the Firstborn”, there is a picture of Famine Stele that identifies Imhotep as “Chancellor of the King of Lower Egypt, Cheif under the King, Administer of the Great Palace, Hereditary Lord, High Priest of Heliopolis, Imhotep the Builder, the Sculptor, the Maker of Stone Vases . . .” referred to as the Interpreter of Dreams.

  • Cindy Vaughan says:

    So, The 7 years of plenty have passed, we are now in the 7 yrs. of famine, so how long was he actually in prison. ???

  • Cindy Vaughan says:

    Yes, I am tooo thin !!! Feed me, Seymore !!!!! I love, love, love these teachings. I will get you funding as soon as I get some for sure !!!

  • Terri says:

    Joseph’s name: according to the book I’m reading (“The Writing of God” by Dr. Miles R Jones) Joseph’s Egyptian name means “the one who lives”.

  • Michael Tom says:

    Don’t you think the brothers felt a strong sense of trepidation, a foreboding that the hand of Yehovah was taking them to Egypt, the country to whom they sold their brother? I imagine they were whispering among themselves of this very thing and may be a reason why they seem to be procrastinating going to Egypt until finally their father orders them to go.

  • Michael Tom says:

    When Joseph says, “For God has made me forget… all my father’s house” maybe he’s talking about forgiveness. He was dearly loved of his father. It would be very difficult indeed to forgive brothers whom you loved and found out only too late in the most bitter fashion that they hated you and wouldn’t even show pity for the sake of their elderly father. That’s true hatred. It would be a difficult thing to forgive from a ‘complete heart’ that type of hurt. I think he had to ‘forget’ – to determine never to look at it again – the good as well as the bad in order to begin to forgive.

  • Andries Louw says:

    They also found out that Joseph was Imotep

  • Ray”Dean” Sanders says:

    I love to hear this one about Joseph meeting his brothers and finally breaking down and telling them who he really is as he wants to see his father, it was very emotional to me.

  • Paulette Gray says:

    I noted that the gifts Jacob suggested were not large crop items, they may have been crops from previous years or, excluding the honey, crops that do well in response to unusual conditions for the area. The ‘bread of life’ in natural terms needed grain. A food staple, not an extra. Lots of farmers have had to dispose of their livestock because of a drought and if they were eating directly from the land then this would have been necessary because sheep especially will overgraze and turn arable land into desert. This is a constant item of interest for farmers where I live where local charities are, at this moment. providing food to farmers because of the effects of drought on their income.

  • Linda says:

    Nehemia, thank you so much for your explanation for Joseph and his divining. I have wondered for years how to reconcile that issue and have asked others but never gotten an answer that seemed plausible.

  • LeilaniC says:

    Nehemia, We really enjoy your sense of humor. This is our 2nd time going through the Torah Portion with you and today in chapter 43:18, you said you always find this verse funny cause of the donkeys. Well in the LITV version it’s even funnier and I thought I’d just share it with you.
    Shabbat Shalom, Leilani

    “And the men were afraid because they were brought into Joseph’s house. And they said, Because of the silver that was returned in our sacks before, we are being brought in, to throw himself on us and to fall on us, and to take us and our asses for slaves.” (Gen 43:18)

  • It would be an interesting search to find the actual skin color of pharaonic egypt. The old tomb colored sculptures indicate negroid. As far as I know skin color did not lighten until the roman and later islamic incursions.

  • Jan says:

    Ancients, when a new King arose, the political captives were set free, debts were released, a man could return to his homeland – the King build a temple to reflect his gods. This meant a churing in populace as Kings came and go.

    yeshova put order in the Yovel, we could know when a Yovel was to come.

    Also about Ancient King and Priests, this made religions oppresive to the commoners. While Yehovah, said to Israel, I will make you a nation of Kings and Priests; all Isrel was meant to hear the voice of Yeshovah; that was the original plan.

  • Jan says:

    Ancients believed only Kings and Priest could interact with the gods, since Joseph was able to interpret dreams; therefore he must be a king or priest. That’s why he was exalted. Pharough had no son to inherit him. So this shaving of body is like being born; Pharough adopted him, since he was made son; then have enthronement ceremony, the new clothes, new name, ring as heir.

    Jacob adopted the two sons, before Joseph died, thereby the sons wouldn’t inherit the Eqyptian Kingdom, but they were released to Jacob for the coming Kingdom of Israel.

    After Joseph dies, there were no heirs, therefore the new Pharogh , did not know Joseph, he was not related to Joseph in anyway.

  • Ana Lopes says:

    I loved this explanation about the sun and the moon.
    Thank you for another blessed recording!

  • YHVH who declares the end from the beginning, prophetically speaks through Joseph’s naming of his sons, that the end result when Joseph’s house is separated from his father and his brethren, especially Judah, is fulfilled in Hosea 1 when they are scattered, mercilessly, and lost their family and national identity.

    Yet in the diaspora, Israel, especially Ephraim and Manasseh, will be fruitful in the land of their affliction, even as their father/relative Joseph is fruitful in the land of his affliction. In their diaspora Ephraim becomes a melo goyim and Manasseh becomes a great people, in the land of their slavery and affliction like Joseph.

    • In the volume of the book it is written of Yahoshah, therefore the the Son of Joseph fulfills concerning Joseph’s second dream what could not be fulfilled literally in Joseph. All people are to kiss the son (the WORD, the Aleph Tav, which is the house and/or the family seed), lest they die. The flesh prophets nothing, but the Word of YHVH that is Spirit and Life.

      Joseph’s life in Seven Words:

      1) Pride – he did not acknowledge YHVH concerning his two dreams. Joseph’s coat of many colors dipped in blood is removed as he is humiliated. Later, the pride of Ephraim will separate him according to Hosea 1.

      2) Pit – The Bor in which there was no water is the means by which he is separated from his father’s house to Egypt. A pit associated with water will be used in the future to separate Ephraim and Manasseh.

      3) Potiphar – Slavery in Egypt, in which Joseph is faithful to make contributions by YHVH’s favor. However, refuses to commit adultery but proclaims himself to be the greatest (“none greater than”). His Ephraim will boast pridefully that he is the greatest even in his captivity.

      4) Prison – Joseph’s coat or covering again comes off taking him to the dungeon or prison (again to the “bor” to learn not to be prideful).

      In prison Joseph sees the light. when he has the opportunity to repent in acknowledging ELoHYM concerning two more dreams. The baker and the butler represent, the bread and wine of (Melchisedeq) served by the Priest of the most high EL. Three days represent the Besorah (Gospel) of Yahoshah Mashiach in which he is hung from a tree and restored to life to serve Pharaoh (the god of this world) the cup of YHVH’s wrathful winepress. Here Yoseph receives the type of the Gospel. When Ephraim and Manasseh see the light of the Besorah in the last days they will return (Deut 30:1-6) with all of the tribes of Israel and Judah to YHVH. But they like Joseph must wait two years (2,000 years) to learn not to trust in the arm of flesh by want to be mentioned before government for favors based upon their service (servitude).

      5) Palace – Joseph after two years is promoted to the palace in the land of his slavery and affliction. Likewise Ephraim and Manasseh, the two allies of Judah, are represented in Nelson Mandella and Obama coming to office in association with the two nations where Joseph’s plight is highlighted.

      6) Praise – Joseph demonstrates that he credits ELoHYM (God) for his plight and forgives his brothers for their deeds and intentions concerning him. Joseph’s descendants must forgive their family (11 tribes, Ishamael, Midian) and people of the world (Egypt) and praise YHVH for what he has done.

      7) Promise – Joseph is blessed through Israel (Jacob) laying his hands on Ephraim (right hand for younger) and Manasseh (left hand for first born). They inherit the name Israel and of the fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They receive the birthright (1 Chr 5:1-2). Ephraim and Manasseh who in the latter end are identified with a Greco-Roman culture as Christianity, must along with Judah repent (return) to YHVH from the practices and places like Egypt, Babylon, and Sodom. The must embrace the Torah and the faith of Yahoshah, for only Joshuah (Yahoshah) can bring them into the land of Promise in these last days.

      from the 7 P’s of Joseph (2012 CWMIII)

  • Shana Tova says:

    Another perspective on the shmitta year concept, as it could relate to the Egyptian agricultural system, even before the giving of Torah:
    If “The whole earth is Yehowah’s, and everything in it…” as the Psalmist says,
    and, seeing that Leviticus 26 tells us that the guarding of the shmitta year would allow the people to remain in the land, whereas the failure to do so would result in the land being left fallow by reason of their exile so that the land would have its sabbaths without them, and seeing that the “peoples before you” were “vomited out” of the land for their failures to honor whatever instruction they’d been given by God, (whether in the Breath of Life conscience, or other covenant), perhaps the 7 years of plenty, followed by 7 years of famine is a foreshadowing of the shmitta concept and philosophy. Perhaps the whole earth is, indeed, Yehowah’s, and will enjoy its sabbaths one day.