Joseph took five of his brothers to present to Pharaoh and receive from him the grant of land for their future home. Gratitude to his prime minister would have led the monarch to honor them with appointments to offices of state; but Joseph, true to the worship of Jehovah, sought to save his brothers from the temptations to which they would be exposed at a heathen court; therefore he counseled them, when questioned by the king, to tell him frankly their occupation. The sons of Jacob followed this counsel, being careful also to state that they had come to sojourn in the land, not to become permanent dwellers there, thus reserving the right to depart if they chose. The king assigned them a home, as offered, in "the best of the land," the country of Goshen. | |
Patriarker og profeter kapitel 21. 117. Fra side 232 i den engelske udgave. | tilbage |
Ægypten frembød derimod de bedste betingelser for, at Guds hensigt kunne opfyldes. En landsdel, der var godt afvandet og meget frugtbar, blev stillet til deres rådighed, og den bød på rige muligheder for en hurtig befolkningstilvækst. Desuden ville den modvilje, de ville møde i Ægypten på grund af deres beskæftigelse - thi enhver hyrde er ægypterne en vederstyggelighed - gøre det muligt for dem at forblive et særskilt, afsondret folk, hvorved de ville blive hindret i at tage del i Ægyptens afgudsdyrkelse. |