REFRAIN HIMSELF. Le-hitappek (refrain himself) means to bear.

BEFORE ALL THEM THAT STOOD BY HIM. Its meaning is, until all that stood by him left. Joseph was therefore compelled to call and have them withdrawn.¹

footnotes: ¹ Joseph could not bear to wait until all those in his presence left. He therefore had the hall cleared.

AND HE WEPT ALOUD. The word reads bi-vechi (wept) even though it is a pausal.² beneath the first bet and a segol beneath the second bet. Our word is vocalized chirik, sheva (Weiser). Oni (affliction) in I am the man that hath seen affliction (oni) (Lam. 3:1) is similar.³ in Lam. 3:1 is vocalized with a chataf kamatz even though it is a pausal. At such times the word is usually vocalized with a cholam. Cf. Deut. 16:3. We thus see that Scripture occasionally vocalizes a pausal as a non pausal.

footnotes: ² In such cases the word is vocalized with a sheva ³ Oni

BUT GOD. Sent me.

A FATHER. A teacher. Father in he was the father of all such as handle the harp and pipe (Gen. 4:21) is similar.⁴

footnotes: ⁴ Jubal obviously was not the biological father of all harp and pipe players.

LEST THOU COME TO POVERTY. Tivvaresh (come to poverty) means thou be cut off. Le-horish in to drive out (le-horish) nations (Deut. 4:38) is similar.⁵, which usually means to inherit, can also mean to cut off, to destroy. I.E. renders Deut. 4:38 to destroy nations. He renders our verse, lest thou be destroyed (cut off).

footnotes: ⁵ The point is that the root yod, resh, shin

THAT IT IS MY MOUTH. It is well known that peh (mouth) spelled peh, heh is in the absolute. However, when it appears in the construct the silent heh⁶ in peh is not sounded. changes to a silent yod,⁷ becomes pi (my mouth) or fi when the rules of grammar call for the omission of the dagesh. I.E. refers to the yod following a chirik as a silent yod. as in The mouth of (pi) the righteous (Ps. 37:30). The same form (pi) is also used for the plural, as in But the mouth (pi) of the wicked (Prov. 10:11).⁸ (wicked) is in the plural. Thus the mouth of the wicked should be rendered, the mouths of the wicked men (Cherez). Now when the yod that takes the place of the heh comes together with the yod of the first person pronominal suffix, one of the yods is dropped,⁹, one yod serving as the first person pronominal suffix and the other substituting for the heh. However, one yod is dropped to simplify enunciation. Thus pi can mean either my mouth or mouth of. as in my mouth (fi) that speaketh. The meaning of my mouth that speaketh unto you is: I speak directly to you in Hebrew without the use of an interpreter.

footnotes: ⁶ The heh ⁷ Peh ⁸ Resha’im ⁹ My mouth should be written peh, yod, yod

NECK. Scripture employs both the plural and singular forms for the neck.¹⁰. Cf. Is. 8:8 and Jer. 28:10; tzavvare is a plural. However, the plural is occasionally also used for the singular when this noun is employed. We also find the word for neck spelled with a nun.¹¹ (thy neck) in Cant. 4:9. However, its alef is never dropped.¹² in tzavveronayikh. Filwarg suggests that in I.E.’s copy of the Bible tzavveronayikh had an alef. Also, Kimchi in his book of roots says that tzavveronayikh is spelled with an alef. Weiser suggests that what I.E. means is that tzavveronayikh should have been written with an alef but for some reason it was dropped.

footnotes: ¹⁰ The singular of neck is tzavvar ¹¹ Cf. tzavveronayikh ¹² According to Weiser. The problem is that there is no alef

LADE. Ta’anu means load. The word meto’ane in thrust through (meto’ane) with the sword (Is. 14:19) is close in meaning to it.¹³ to meto’ane; therefore he connects meto’ane with an Arabic word meaning pierced.

footnotes: ¹³ I.E. renders this, laden with wounds of the sword (Krinsky). It is noteworthy that in Isaiah, I.E. says that it is farfetched to connect ta’anu

BEASTS. Be’irekhem means your cattle. Be’irenu in we and our cattle (u-ve-irenu) (Num. 20:4) is similar.

THE FAT OF THE LAND. Its meaning is shuman ha’aretz (fat of the land).¹⁴ (fat), it follows that the fat of the land is a metaphor for the best of the land (Weiser).

footnotes: ¹⁴ What I.E. apparently intends to say is that since the choicest part of an animal is its shuman

CHANGES OF RAIMENT. Two garments, each different from the other, two being the minimum for a plural.¹⁵ (changes of raiment) is in the plural. The minimum of the plural is two. Hence two garments are implied. Had Scripture intended more than two their number would have been listed, as in the case of Benjamin. Chalifot (changes) implies each garment was different from the other. He didn’t give them two identical garments (Cherez).

footnotes: ¹⁵ Chalifot semalot

[IN LIKE MANNER.] That is, of the finest changes of raiment¹⁶ (in like manner) not only applies to what follows but also to what comes before, viz., garments (Weiser). Or ke-zot applies only to what comes before; i.e., the verse is to be understood: And to his father he sent in like manner ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, viz., the finest changes of raiment that were found in Egypt (Cherez). that were found in Egypt.

footnotes: ¹⁶ Ke-zot

CORN. Bar (corn) means grain.

AND BREAD. That is to be taken literally.¹⁷ (bread) can mean food, hence I.E.’s comment.

footnotes: ¹⁷ Lechem

AND VICTUAL. The term mazon (victual) refers to peas, beans, lentils, millet, spelt, figs, raisins and dates, for only these, excluding wheat¹⁸ (grain) but he means wheat (Weiser). and barley, are termed mazon.¹⁹ but bar (Krinsky, Filwarg).

footnotes: ¹⁸ I.E. reads dagan ¹⁹ Wheat and barley are not deemed mazon

[SEE THAT YE FALL NOT OUT BY THE WAY.] Don’t be angry with each other because of my being sold into slavery.²⁰ (fall out) as be angry (Cherez); i.e., don’t be angry and thus quarrel with each other, the idea being, don’t be angry that you sold me and thus quarrel with each other about who was responsible. It should be noted that in Ps. 4:5 I.E. renders rigzu as fear.

footnotes: ²⁰ I.E. renders tirgizu

AND HIS HEART FAINTED. Va-yafag (fainted) comes from the same root as fugat²¹ in Give thyself no respite (fugat) (Lam. 2:18). It means his heart stopped and was still. It has the same meaning as and his heart died within him (I Sam. 25:37). Jacob reacted in this manner because he didn’t believe them.²² However, when he saw the wagons, his spirit revived. Do not be surprised at the term his heart stopped for it is the style of the prophets to speak in hyperbole. Compare, neither was there breath left in me (Dan. 10:17).

footnotes: ²¹ That is, stop. ²² Jacob reacted in this manner because what his sons said reminded him that Joseph was dead.

IT IS ENOUGH; JOSEPH MY SON IS YET ALIVE. This happiness is enough for me.²³. I.E. suggests that enough is short for “this happiness is enough for me” (Weiser). What Jacob was saying was, I am not concerned with the fact that he is a ruler over Egypt; the fact that he is alive is joy enough for me (Krinsky). Cherez suggests rendering I.E., I have great happiness since Joseph is yet alive.

footnotes: ²³ The Hebrew reads, Enough, Joseph my son is yet alive