Bereshis 45:8

8 So now it was not you that sent me here, but HaElohim; and He hath made me as an Av to Pharaoh, and adon of all his Bais, and Moshel throughout kol Eretz Mitzrayim.

Bereshis 45:8 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 45:8

So now [it was] not you [that] sent me hither, but God
Which is to be understood not absolutely, as if they had no concern at all in sending him thither; they sold him to the Ishmaelites, who brought him down to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, and so were instrumental in his coming to Egypt; but comparatively, it was not they so much as God that sent him; whose providence directed, disposed, and overruled all those events, to bring Joseph to this place, and to such an high station, to answer the purposes and designs of God in providing for and preserving Jacob's family in a time of distress:

and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh:
to be a teacher to him, as Aben Ezra, that is, to be his counsellor, to advise him well in all things, as a father his children; or to be his partner and patron, as Jarchi, to have a share with him in power and authority, and to be reckoned as a father to him, see ( Genesis 41:43 ) ; and to provide for him and the welfare of his kingdom, as parents do for their children: the following phrases explain it of rule and government; and the meaning is, that he was a great man, and a prince ^F19 in Pharaoh's court:

and lord of all his house;
his prime minister, chief counsellor and courtier:

and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt;
to whom all the deputies of the several provinces were subject under Pharaoh, and especially in the affair of the corn.

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FOOTNOTES:

F19 So it is interpreted by R. Sol. Urbin. Ohel Moed, fol. 50. 1.

Bereshis 45:8 In-Context

6 For these two years hath the ra’av (famine) been in the land; and yet there are chamesh shanim (five years), in the which there shall neither be plowing nor harvest.

7 And Elohim sent me before you to save you a she’erit (remnant) in the earth, and to save life for you by a peletah gedolah (great deliverance, escape).

8 So now it was not you that sent me here, but HaElohim; and He hath made me as an Av to Pharaoh, and adon of all his Bais, and Moshel throughout kol Eretz Mitzrayim.

9 Haste ye, and go up to Avi, and say unto him, Thus saith thy ben, Yosef, Elohim hath made me as adon kol Mitzrayim; come down unto me, tarry not;

10 And thou shalt dwell in Eretz Goshen, and thou shalt be karov (near) unto me, thou, and thy banim, and thy bnei banecha, and thy tzon, and thy bakar, and all that thou hast [see Yn 14:3 OJBC]: