IN THE LAND OF GOSHEN. The land of Goshen refers to the entire land, the land of Rameses (v. 11) to an area within it.¹ The ayin in Rameses is vocalized with a quiescent sheva. I believe that the city Raamses (Ex. 1:11) which is vocalized with a pattach beneath the ayin². is not to be identified with the Rameses in which the Israelites dwelt, for Raamses was one of the store cities that the Israelites built for Pharaoh.³

footnotes: ¹ In our verse we are told that the Israelites lived in the land of Goshen. However, verse 11 tells us that they lived in the land of Rameses. I.E. solves this discrepancy by explaining that the land of Goshen was divided into a number of subdivisions one of which was called Rameses (Weiser). Thus the Israelites dwelt both in the land of Rameses and in the land of Goshen. ² Rameses and Raamses have identical consonants. They differ only with regard to the vocalization of the ayin ³ It was not even in existence when the Israelites came to Egypt.

RULERS OVER MY CATTLE. Such as horses and mules.⁴

footnotes: ⁴ I.E. explains thus because he held that the Egyptians did not keep sheep. Cf. I.E.’s comments on Gen. 46:34 (Cherez).

LANGUISHED. Va-telah (languished) follows the paradigm of va-teta (and strayed) (Gen. 21:14).⁵ is lamed, heh, heh. The root of va-teta is tav, ayin, heh. Both words drop the final root letter and are similarly vocalized. Similarly ke-mitlahle’ah (as a madman) (Prov. 26:18) is like ki-metate’ah (as a mocker) (Gen. 27:12).⁶ and tav ayin, tav ayin. Its meaning is, the land was like a person who has lost his wits.⁷ means crazed. Cf. I.E. on Prov. 26:18 and Kimchi on our verse.

footnotes: ⁵ The root of va-tela ⁶ Both of these words also follow similar patterns in their quadriliteral form. In Prov. 26:18 and in Gen. 27:12 these words appear as quadriliteral; i.e., their first root letters are similarly doubled forming the stems lamed, heh, lamed, heh ⁷ Its inhabitants couldn’t think clearly because of exhaustion (Krinsky). Thus according to I.E. va-telah

WAS ALL SPENT. Va-yittom (was all spent) comes from a root whose second and third letters are identical.⁸ and it is a kal (Filwarg). It is similar to va-yiddom (stood still) in And the sun stood still (va-yiddom) (Josh. 10:13).⁹. It, too, is a kal (Filwarg).

footnotes: ⁸ Its root is tav, mem, mem ⁹ Its root is dalet, mem, mem

GIVE. According to the rules of Hebrew grammar the heh of havu should have been vocalized with a chataf pattach.¹⁰ is yod, heh, bet. Such a word drops its first root letter in the plural masculine imperative and its second root letter is vocalized with a sheva. Compare, yada and yatza which in the imperative plural masculine become de’u and tze’u. Thus havu should have a chataf pattach beneath the heh. However, it does not. The heh is vocalized with a kamatz. It is therefore irregular.

footnotes: ¹⁰ The root of havu

IF MONEY FAIL. Afes (fail) is a perfect.¹¹. However, some words are conjugated according to the paradigm of pa’el. These words are vocalized kamatz, tzere both in the third person masculine perfect and in the present tense. Thus afes can either be a perfect or a participle, hence I.E.’s comment. It is similar to the word yare¹² is a third person masculine perfect. in for he feared (yare) to dwell in Zoar (Gen. 19:30).

footnotes: ¹¹ A third person perfect is usually vocalized kamatz, pattach ¹² See above note. I.E. points out that yare

[WHEREFORE SHOULD WE DIE…BOTH WE AND OUR LAND.] One should not be surprised that the Bible employs the term death to the land. We also find the reverse in Thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all things that are thereon…and Thou givest them all life (Neh. 9:6).¹³

footnotes: ¹³ Translated according to I.E. In this verse we find life, which is the opposite of death, applied to heaven and earth.

BE NOT DESOLATE. Tesham (be desolate) comes from the same root as tishamenah in and the high places shall be desolate (tishamenah) (Ezek. 6:6). Tesham follows the paradigm of teda (she will know).¹⁴ is yod, shin, mem (Filwarg). The yod drops out and the letters prefixed to the root which indicate that the word is an imperfect are vocalized with a tzere, as in the case of the imperfect of the word yada from the root yod, dalet, ayin. The Midrash tells us that the hunger ceased because of Jacob’s merit.¹⁵ 89:11. See also Tosephta, Sotah 10, “Before Jacob came down to Egypt there was a famine there…after he came there Scripture tells us, Then Joseph said unto the people…Lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land. And it shall come to pass at the ingatherings (Gen. 47:23-24), which indicates that the famine ceased.” However, it is possible that the hunger lasted for seven years but that it was less intense in the final three years than during the first four years.¹⁶. 38 has the reading: “The Midrash tells us that the hunger ceased because of Jacob’s merit. This is possible. It is also possible that the hunger continued during the last three years of the famine but that it was less intense than during the first four years.” According to Weiser, I.E. is of the opinion that Joseph’s collection of the money (v. 14 and 15); of the cattle (v. 16 and 17); and of buying the land (v. 18 and 19) took place successively during the last three years of the famine and that it eased during these years. For another interpretation see Filwarg, Weiser and Krinsky.

footnotes: ¹⁴ According to I.E. the root of tesham ¹⁵ Bereshit Rabbah ¹⁶ I.E. wants to reconcile the Midrash with Joseph’s prophecy that there would be seven years of hunger. He does so by accepting the fact that there were seven years of hunger and interprets the Midrashic statement as meaning that the hunger eased. It should be noted that Vat. Ebr

AND AS FOR THE PEOPLE, HE REMOVED THEM. He uprooted each and every Egyptian from his place.¹⁷ (And as for the people, he removed them city by city). Am (people) is a plural. Oto (him) is a singular, hence I.E.’s interpretation (Krinsky). This is the way I.E. explains the combination of singulars and plurals. Some say that Scripture speaks of the people of Egypt’s main city. Joseph removed them from the capital to villages so that they would till the soil.¹⁸ literally means: And as for the people, he removed them to the cities, hence I.E.’s second interpretation.

footnotes: ¹⁷ The verse reads, ve-et ha-am he-evir oto le-arim ¹⁸ Ve-et ha-am he-evir oto le-arim

THE PRIESTS. This is to be rendered as Onkelos does.¹⁹ pagan priests.

footnotes: ¹⁹ Onkelos renders kohanim

AND THEY GOT THEM POSSESSIONS THEREIN. They bought property with title.²⁰ (and they got them possessions therein). Va-ye’achazu is a denominative of achuzah which means property with a title.

footnotes: ²⁰ The text reads, va-ye’achazu vah

AND JACOB LIVED. The terms put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh and kindly and truly have been explained in the account dealing with Eliezer.²¹

footnotes: ²¹ Cf. I.E.’s comments on Gen. 27:2 and 24:49.

BUT WHEN I SLEEP WITH MY FATHERS. This is a euphemism for death.²². Or it may mean: bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt (v. 29), but I will sleep (be buried) with my fathers.²³ (but when I sleep with my fathers) means, but I will be buried with my fathers. The latter will come to pass because thou shalt carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burying place.²⁴. If ve-shakhavti im avotai (but when I sleep with my fathers) means I will be buried with my fathers, then the verse is redundant, hence I.E.’s interpretation.

footnotes: ²² According to this interpretation the verse reads, But when I die (when I sleep with my fathers), thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their burying-place ²³ According to this interpretation, ve-shakhavti im avotai ²⁴ The verse reads, But when I sleep with my fathers, thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their burying place

AND ISRAEL BOWED DOWN. He payed homage to Joseph because he held royal position. However, I believe it means he bowed to God in praise. Our verse is different from the verse which records the bowing of Abraham (Gen. 23:7), for in the latter case it is explicitly stated that Abraham bowed to the children of Heth.²⁵. However, here Scripture does not explicitly state that Jacob bowed down to Joseph. Hence we may interpret that Jacob bowed to God. Cf. I.E.’s comments on Gen. 23:6 and the notes thereto.

footnotes: ²⁵ Gen. 23:7 tells us that Abraham bowed before the children of Heth. Some interpret that verse to mean that Abraham bowed before God. I.E. on Gen. 23:6 rejects that interpretation on the grounds that Scripture explicitly states, And Abraham rose up, and bowed down to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth