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He counseled the king to exact in the years of plenty a tax of one-fifth of the produce
of the land, and to have it stored under royal supervision against the seven years of
famine. Viewed as an impost, this was certainly not heavy, considering that they were
years of unexampled plenty; viewed as a fiscal measure, it was most beneficial as
compared with what we may suppose to have been previously a mere arbitrary
system of taxation, which in reality was tyrannical exaction; while at the same time it
would preserve the people from absolute destruction. Lastly, regarded in the light of a
higher arrangement, it is very remarkable that this proportion of giving, on the part of
Pharaoh's subjects, afterwards became the basis of that demanded from Israel by
Jehovah, their heavenly King.^64 We can scarcely wonder that Pharaoh should have at
once appointed such a council or to superintend the arrangements he had proposed. In
point of fact he naturalized him, made him his grand vizier, and publicly proclaimed
him "ruler over all the land." Once more every trait in the description is purely
Egyptian. Pharaoh gives him his signet, which "was of so much importance with the
ancient Egyptian kings, that their names were always enclosed in an oval which
represented an elongated signet."^65 He arrays him "in vestures of byssus,"^66 the
noble and also the priestly dress; he puts the chain, or "the collar of gold"^67 "about
his neck," which was always the mode of investiture of high Egyptian officials; he
makes him ride "in the second chariot which he had," and he has it proclaimed before
him: "Avrech," that is, "fall down," "bend the knee," or "do obeisance."^68 To
complete all, on his naturalization Joseph's name is changed to Zaphnath-paaneah,
which most probably means "the supporter of life," or else "the food of the living,"
although others have rendered it "the savior of the world," and the Rabbis, but
without sufficient reason, "the revealer of secrets." Finally, in order to give him a
position among the highest nobles of the land, Pharaoh "gave him to wife Asenath"
(probably "she who is of Neith," the Egyptian goddess of wisdom^69 ), "the daughter
of Poti-pherah ("dedicated to the sun"), priest of On," that is, the chief priest of the
ancient ecclesiastical, literary, and probably also political capital of the land,^70 "the
City of the Sun." This is the more noteworthy, as the chief of the priesthood was
generally chosen from among the nearest relatives of Pharaoh. Yet in all this story
there is really nothing extraordinary. As Egypt depends for its produce entirely on the
waters of the Nile, the country has at all times been exposed to terrible famines; and
one which lasted for exactly seven years is recorded in A.D. 1064-1071, the horrors
of which show us the wisdom of Joseph's precautionary measures. Again, so far as
the sudden elevation of Joseph is concerned, Eastern history contains many such
instances, and indeed, a Greek historian tells us of an Egyptian king who made the
son of a mason his own son-in-law, because he judged him the cleverest man in the
land. What is remarkable is the marvelous Divine appointment in all this, and the
equally marvelous Divine choice of means to bring it about.
Joseph was exactly thirty years old on his elevation, the same age, we note, on which
our blessed Lord entered on His ministry as "the Savior of the world," "the Supporter
(^)