Genesis 46-50: the Twelve Tribes of Israel and more family trouble brewing?

So, with Joseph having duly loaded up his brothers with food to see them through a journey in famine-stricken territory, Jacob decides that he wants to see the son he thought was dead.
The entire family decamps to Egypt, which gives an opportunity to list all of Jacob's sons and grandsons, which include the wonderfully named Huppim and Muppim, two of the many sons of Benjamin. They all settle in a land called Goshen, the whereabouts of which seem to be a bit hazy but is somewhere in the Nile Delta.
The famine, however, continues, and with his distinctly profit-oriented mind Joseph manages to get the desperate population of Egypt to swap first their cattle and horses and then all their land for bread, effectively reducing them all to sharecroppers:

"The Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land.
And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones."
(Ch 47 v23-24)

Meanwhile, the dying Jacob calls Joseph to his bed and gives his blessing to Joseph's younger son Ephraim, instead of to the older Manasseh. You'd think, after the trouble that this kind of thing caused with first Ishmael and Isaac and then Esau and Jacob himself that people in this family would leave off giving complicated blessings, but apparently not.
Jacob also calls all of his other sons to him and decides to enumerate their failings and virtues, including Reuben's 'instability' (for sleeping with one of his father's concubines) abd Simeon and Levi's 'cruelty' (at last these two are getting some come-uppance for going around stabbing people left right and centre.) Judah, Zebelun and Issachar are apparently all ok, while the rest of the sons - Dan, Gad, Naphthali and Benjamin - all get rather ambivalent reviews, including:

"Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward."
(Ch 49 v17)

and:

"Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil."
(Ch 49 v27)

And so are listed the Twelve Tribes of Israel, setting a framework for many of the political and religious developments of the rest of the Old Testament.
Like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob's own first wife Leah, Jacob himself is buried at the tomb in Hebron built on land bought by Abraham. This is also described as being near Mamre, an intriguing site which is mentioned at a number of points in Genesis and seems connected with Sarah and Rebekah. The archaeological record suggests that it was an ancient cult site from bronze age times, prior to the eras associated with Biblical figures insofar as Old Testament characters can be identified with pre/historic periods, and which continued as a religious shrine under Jewish, Roman, Muslim and Crusader Christian rule. Christian pilgrims seem to have managed to destroy the last remains of the ancient


tree which was associated with the site. There is a nice little discussion of whether the trees actually associated with the site were oaks or terebinths here. Terebinths, by the way, may sound grand but are also the source material for turpentine, which is less swanky sounding.
As so, with a grand act of final forgiveness of his conniving brothers by Joseph, the Book of Genesis ends.

Genesis 46-47: feast then famine...

Chapter 46

So on the long journey to Egypt, Israel/Jacob hears voices again. Apparently a good thing, rather than cause for a different psychotropic prescription.

And another of those big lists of names that give the Old Testament its bad reputation. Interestingly though, only sons seem to count as worth of mention...

Anyway, it's all family reunions

Verse 29-30 “And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto him: and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while. And Israel said unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou art yet alive.”

And Joseph coaches his family on what to say in the job interview with the Pharaoh. So much for the strength of weak ties hypothesis, eh?

Basically the line to take is “We but simple shepherd folk, yurr m'jesty.” Can't say pharer than that...

Chapter 47

Pharaoh talks with them. Israel/Jacob rabbits on like the seriously Old Man that he is. And it ends well, for now (in the sequel, I believe it's called “Xbox, or Xrayspecs” or something like that, all has not gone swimmingly well in Egypt. Sequels eh, so derivative)

Verse 11 “And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, and the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh has commanded."

But the crop crunch becomes a credit crunch

Verse 15 “And when the money failed in the land of Egypt,and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? For the money faileth.”

So Joseph accepts barter- cattle, horses, flocks and stuff.

But next year folks come back and say 'we really don't got nothing now, no word of a lie.'

Verse 10 “Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh, and give us seed that we may live and not die, that the land be not desolate.”

Thank god (no, really) we've moved on from such barbaric conditions and there aren't billions hungry and semi-starving, and Indian farmers topping themselves in huge numbers. I mean, that would be a damning indictment, wouldn't it?

So via Joseph, the Pharaoh becomes rich in deed.

Verse 20 “And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh: for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh's.”

and he ethnically cleanses-

Verse 21 “And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof.”

And Joseph is like a smug Monopoly player, with hotels on those green and blue spaces. And devises a 20% flat tax, which is of course very regressive...

Verse 24 “And it shall come to pass in the increase that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones.”

And these craven capitalist running dog lick-spittle ragged trousered philanthropist lilly-livered black leg freeloading scabs from Nottingham say

Verse 25 “... Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants.”

And so it goes. Anyhow...

Verse 28 “And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen: and they had possessions therein and grew, and multiplied exceedingly.”

And Israel/Jacob hits 147 and makes Joseph promise to bury him (once he's dead of course) in his burying place, which is not in Egypt.

Genesis 39-42: Crying Rape, Interpreting Dreams and Yanking Chains

Chapter 39
Meanwhile, back to the kidnapped Joseph

Verse 1 “And Joseph was brought down to Egypt: and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh,captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites , which had brought him down thither”

But he has God on his side and becomes prosperous. And in true Calvinist style, other folks spot he is wealthy and therefore one of the Elect. So the guy who bought him (and this isn't transatlantic slavery, red in tooth and claw, more sort of Greco-Roman slavery. There's a difference) hands over lots of autonomy/responsibility. And you know how these things end...

Verse 7 “And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Jospeh: and she said, Lie with me.”

Don't do it Joseph, don't get laid where you get paid!

Verse 8 “But he refused, and said unto his master's wife. Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand. There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickendess and sin against God?”

And she persists, and he resists, and she really persists and he has to run out of the house, leaving his “garment”. And she Cries Rape, hell having no fury like a woman scorned. Oh, and she throws in some anti-Semitism, just to add to the charm of it all...

Verse 17 “And she spake unto him [hubby] according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me...”

Joseph gets banged up in chokey, but God is Still On His Side, and gets the chief warder on Joseph's side.

So by not screwing, Joseph gets well-Screwed, virtue being its own reward and all that...

Chapter 40
The Pharaoh bangs up his butler and baker and Joseph serves 'em. Joseph interprets their dreams. (Cue flowery stuff about vines and birds and so forth)

The butler is gonna be back in favour- Joseph asks to be remembered.

The baker is gonna hang- and Dead Men do no favours.

And so it comes to pass, but the butler forgets his mate wot he did porridge wiv. Like always.

Chapter 41
Two years go by. And Pharaoh has some weird dreams involving seven fat and thin cattle, and likewise ears of corn that no-one can interpret. But then t'butler fesses up to having forgotten that nice young Hebrew lad with the talent for dream interpretation.

Verse 14 “Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.”

Joseph lets God take the dream interpretation credit and says

Verse 26-7 “The seven good kine are seven years: and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one. And the seven thin and ill favoured kine that came up after them are seven years: and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine.”

So unlike our current bunch of clowns, Pharaoh listens to the best scientific advice of the day and makes preparations. He appoints Joseph, who's pushing 30, as his Preparer-for-Famine-in-chief.

Verse 47 “And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls. And he gathered up all the foods of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same.”

Verse 49 is cute-“And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering: for it was without number.”

Reminds me of Marvin Harris' point again- that centralised power is possible when leaders can store food. No long-term storage, no credibility as saviours from famine, no authority...

Joseph has two kids before the predicted bad years hit.

Verse 56 “And the famine was over all the face of the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians: and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt. And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands.”

Chapter 42
Jacob, peckish up north, sends his sons to buy corn, keeping his youngest Benjamin (the one he re-named despite Rebekkah dying in childbirth) at home.

They turn up in Egypt...

Verse 8 “And Joseph saw his brethren, but they knew not him.”

And accuses them of being spies. “Nah, just merchants” they say.
And Joseph creates a hostage situation, and can overhear Reuben and the others arguing, (because he has been pretending not to speak their lingo, using an interpreter subterfugily.)

Verse 24 “And he turned himself about from them, and wept: and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes.”

And Joseph sends the rest away with bags of corn and their money hidden inside, which they discover on the way back to Canaan and get weirded out by.

Verse 28 “...and their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying on to another What is this that God hath done unto us.”

The sons explain to Jacob what's gone on, and he doesn't want to lose Benjamin too.

Verse 37 “And Reuben spake unto his father saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again.”

But Jacob it too risk-averse...