Genesis 45

What Joseph hoped to achieve with his silver cup subterfuge, I have no idea. But once he hears Judah's plea of supplication, he can no longer keep up the pretense. He kicks his officials out of the room, and "he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him" (verse 2). Keep in mind that the Egyptians weren't even in the room, so Joseph must have been blubbering something fierce. After "Joseph Makes Himself Known" (as the NIV chapter heading so aptly puts it), his brothers are dumbstruck. After all, this high and mighty Egyptian official had just bawled his eyes out for no apparent reason before dropping this wee little bombshell.

In verse 8, Joseph explains, "So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God." God, as He so often does, takes a malevolent act and uses it for His purposes. Of course, this doesn't mean that we should treat others with abhorrence and think, "Well, God will make it all good in the end." In The Lord of the Rings, Gollum's outwardly baleful action at the climax actually ends of solving a whole bevy of problems. But, and I won't give away just what happens, Gollum probably regrets the effect that said action had on himself. Likewise, we often reap the bitter fruits of our dastardly actions ourselves.

After a manly tear-fest, Joseph's "brothers talked with him" (verse 15). At first glance, this rather vague sentence seems like one the author should have excised. Yet, in the best Raymond Carver tradition, this understated, unadorned phrase adroitly encapsulates how much Joseph's relationship with his brothers has flourished. They are talking freely as family members should, unshackled from the chains of jealousy, spite, or consternation. Maybe they're merely talking about frivolous matters, topics not "important" enough to be chronicled, but, by their very nature, manifesting the warmth and tenderness of the moment. And if you're comfortable with someone, you should feel free to talk about goofy topics, like the biological purpose of the philtrum, or why people say "the" 101 (the California freeway).

Joseph tells his brothers that they and their father can hang their hats with him in Egypt. Pharaoh is only too happy to concur, inviting Joseph's family to "enjoy the fat of the land" (verse 18). Rather poor choice of words (though not quite Dan Quayle-esque), since the whole region is, well, undergoing a famine--one that's been going on for two years, at this point. Pharaoh also says, "Never mind about your belongings, because the best of Egypt will be yours" (verse 20). I find a subtly insidious undercurrent to this phrase. Pharaoh probably isn't doing this purely out of the goodness of his heart; he may see Joseph's family as just more subjects to kowtow before him. At any rate, it does presage the Israelites' subjugation under the Egyptians in The Bible: Book II.

Verse 23 features some oddly specific and oddly vague language. Ten donkeys (gender unspecified) are carrying "the best things of Egypt." ("Like what?" the English tutor in me wants to ask. "Use concrete language!") Ten female donkeys are carrying "grain and bread and other provisions for the journey." Why do the female donkeys carry the food and supplies? Why be specific about that while not listing what the "best things of Egypt" are? Why do we still have the electoral college?

Finally, Joseph admonishes his brothers not to get into a spat with each other. Family dynamics never change, I guess.