Origen of Alexandria, Selections on Genesis

But Benjamin worships neither Esau nor Joseph. Therefore the temple is in his portion. 12.137 Yes, for we are in sin concerning our brother, because we disregarded the affliction of his soul, when he was begging. According to what is unsaid, he was begging; for it is not recorded how he was begging. Reuben answered and said to them: Did I not speak to you, saying, 'Do not harm the boy?' and you did not listen to me. And behold, his blood is required. It was said above that when Reuben was not present Joseph was sold to the Ishmaelites, and after he was sold Reuben returned to the pit, and he does not see Joseph in the pit, and he tore his garments; and he returned to his brothers and said: The boy is not here; and I, where shall I go now? And he does not appear to have learned from his brothers about Joseph, that he was sold. Therefore, perhaps, thinking that he had been killed, he now says, "Behold, his blood is required." And Judah said to Israel his father: Send the boy with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live. Perhaps he prophesies that Benjamin was destined to be with the tribe of Judah. And I will be surety for him; from my hand you shall require him, if I do not bring him to you, and so forth. Judah, reckoning none of the things that can happen to Benjamin as a man, promises to his father prophetically, I think. Take some of the fruits of the land in your vessels, and carry down to the man gifts of resin, and of honey, and incense and myrrh, and terebinth, and nuts. From the fruits of the land are brought to Joseph gifts, which Egypt does not have; and they are resin, honey, incense, myrrh, terebinth, nuts; and above also, the camels were laden with incense, resin, myrrh, but not also with honey, and terebinth, and nuts. By the same. The Midianites bring down three kinds of things with Joseph into Egypt, to which the sons of Jacob, adding another three, bring to Joseph. But the seed of Abraham brings both the former and the latter. And it was necessary for the lesser things to be brought from the illegitimate children of Abraham, but the greater things, from the legitimate ones, as Egypt had need of these. They said: Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the beginning we are being brought in; to slander us, and to fall upon us, to take us as servants, and our donkeys. It is unlikely that, thinking themselves to be in such a circumstance, they should be concerned about their donkeys, unless it is allegorized. And he said to them: Peace be to you, do not be afraid. The man in charge of Joseph's house seems to have said these things, having been helped to piety by Joseph. And Benjamin's portion was magnified beyond the 12.140 portions of all, five times as much as theirs. It was magnified either because of Jerusalem, or as a type of the apostle Paul. And Joshua, being of the tribe of Ephraim, divided the land among the other tribes. For God sent me before you, to leave you a remnant. Since God sent Joseph ahead of his brothers into Egypt for the life of many, it is clear that God, in sending him to Egypt, made use of the jealousy and the purpose of his brothers for the economy regarding Joseph for the life of many. Therefore, there are times when God, making use of the sins of others, devises his own plans for the salvation of others. Now therefore it was not you that sent me here, but God, and he has made me as a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt. The one who rules over bodily things, and in no way yields to them, might say, "God has made me lord of all the land of Egypt." And do not spare your goods with your eyes. For all the good things of Egypt will be yours. If anything exists in what is tropically called Egypt, it does not belong to the Egyptians, but to Israel. For this reason also in the exodus the Hebrews despoil the Egyptians, and take vessels of gold and silver, and whatever good was in Egypt. And I will bring you up to the end. A fitting promise for God, not only to bring up, but

Πλὴν Βενιαμὶν οὔτε τὸν Ἠσαῦ οὔτε τὸν Ἰωσὴφ προσκυνεῖ. ∆ιὸ ἐν τῇ μερίδι αὐτοῦ γίνεται ὁ ναός. 12.137 Ναὶ, ἐν ἁμαρτίαις γάρ ἐσμεν περὶ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ ἡμῶν, ὅτι ὑπερείδομεν τὴν θλίψιν τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ, ὅτε κατεδέετο. Κατὰ τὸ σιωπώμενον κα τεδέετο· οὐ γὰρ ἀναγέγραπται πῶς κατεδέετο. Ἀποκριθεὶς Ῥουβὶμ, εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Οὐκ ἐλάλησα ὑμῖν, λέγων, Μὴ ἀδικήσητε τὸ παιδάριον; καὶ οὐκ εἰσηκούσατέ μου. Καὶ ἰδοὺ τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ ἐκζητεῖται. Ἐν τοῖς ἀνωτέρω λέλεκται, ὅτι μὴ παρόντος τοῦ Ῥουβὶμ πέπραται τοῖς Ἰσμαηλίταις ὁ Ἰωσὴφ, καὶ μετὰ τὸ πραθῆναι αὐτὸν ἀνέστρεψεν ὁ Ῥουβὶμ ἐπὶ τὸν λάκκον, καὶ οὐχ ὁρᾷ τὸν Ἰωσὴφ ἐν τῷ λάκκῳ, καὶ διέῤῥηξε τὰ ἱμάτια αὑτοῦ· καὶ ἐπέ στρεψεν πρὸς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὑτοῦ, καὶ εἶπε· Τὸ παιδάριον οὐκ ἔστιν· ἐγὼ δὲ ποῦ πορεύσο μαι ἔτι; Καὶ οὐ φαίνεται μεμαθηκὼς παρὰ τῶν ἀδελφῶν περὶ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ, ὅτι ἐπράθη. Μήποτε οὖν, οἰόμενος ἀνῃρῆσθαι αὐτὸν, νῦν φησι τὸ, Ἰδοὺ αἷμα αὐτοῦ ἐκζητεῖται. Εἶπε δὲ Ἰούδας πρὸς Ἰσραὴλ τὸν πατέρα αὑτοῦ· Ἀπόστειλον τὸ παιδάριον μετ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ ἀνα στάντες πορευσόμεθα ἵνα ζῶμεν. Μήποτε προφητεύει, ὅτι ἤμελλε μετὰ τῆς Ἰούδα φυλῆς εἶναι Βενιαμίν. Ἐγὼ δὲ ἐκδέχομαι αὐτόν· ἐκ χειρός μου ζήτη σον αὐτὸν, ἐὰν μὴ ἀγάγω αὐτὸν πρὸς σὲ, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Μηδὲν τῶν δυνατῶν γενέσθαι ὡς ἀνθρώπῳ τῷ Βενιαμὶν λογισάμενος Ἰούδας, προφητικῶς, οἶ μαι, τῷ πατρὶ ἐπαγγέλλεται. Λάβετε ἀπὸ τῶν καρπῶν τῆς γῆς ἐν τοῖς ἀγ γείοις ὑμῶν, καὶ κατάγετε τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ δῶρα τῆς ῥητίνης, καὶ τοῦ μέλιτος, θυμίαμά τε καὶ στακτὴν, καὶ τερέβινθον, καὶ κάρυα. Ἀπὸ τῶν καρπῶν τῆς γῆς φέρεται τῷ Ἰωσὴφ δῶρα, ἃ οὐκ ἔχει Αἴγυ πτος· ἔστι δὲ ῥητίνη, μέλι, θυμίαμα, στακτὴ, τερέ βινθος, κάρυα· καὶ ἀνωτέρω δὲ, καὶ αἱ κάμηλοι ἔγεμον θυμιαμάτων, ῥητίνης, στακτῆς, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ καὶ μέλιτος, καὶ τερεβίνθου, καὶ καρύων. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Τρία εἴδη μετὰ Ἰωσὴφ κατάγουσι Μαδιηναῖοι εἰς Αἴγυπτον, οἷς ἄλλα τρία προσθέντες οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰακὼβ φέρουσι τῷ Ἰωσήφ. Πλὴν σπέρμα Ἀβραὰμ καὶ τὰ πρότερα φέρουσι, καὶ τὰ δεύτερα. Καὶ ἔδει τὰ μὲν ὑποδεέστερα ἀπὸ τῶν νόθων τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ φέρεσθαι παίδων, τὰ δὲ πλείονα, ἀπὸ τῶν γνησίων, ὡς τῆς Αἰγύπτου χρείαν τούτων ἐχούσης. Εἶπαν· ∆ιὰ τὸ ἀργύριον τὸ ἀποστραφὲν ἐν τοῖς μαρσίποις τὴν ἀρχὴν ἡμεῖς εἰσαγόμεθα· τοῦ συ κοφαντῆσαι ἡμᾶς, καὶ ἐπιθέσθαι ἡμῖν, τοῦ λαβεῖν ἡμᾶς εἰς παῖδας, καὶ τοὺς ὄνους ἡμῶν. Ἀπίθανον τὸ, ἐν τοιαύτῃ νομίζοντας εἶναι περιστάσει, περὶ τῶν ὄνων φροντίζειν, εἰ μὴ ἀλληγορεῖται. Εἶπε δὲ αὐτοῖς· Ἵλεως ὑμῖν, μὴ φοβεῖσθε. Ἔοικεν ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ ἄνθρωπος ταῦτα εἰ ρηκέναι, ὠφεληθεὶς εἰς θεοσέβειαν παρὰ τοῦ Ἰωσήφ. Ἐμεγαλύνθη δὲ ἡ μερὶς Βενιαμὶν παρὰ τὰς με 12.140 ρίδας πάντων πενταπλασίως πρὸς τὰς ἐκείνων. Ἐμεγαλύνθη ἢ διὰ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἢ ὡς τύπος τοῦ ἀποστόλου Παύλου. Καὶ Ἰησοῦς δὲ τῆς φυλῆς ὢν Ἐφραῒμ διεμέρισε ταῖς ἄλλαις φυλαῖς τὴν γῆν. Ἀπέστειλε γάρ με ὁ Θεὸς ἔμπροσθεν ὑμῶν, ὑπο λείπεσθαι ὑμῖν κατάλειμμα. Ἐπείπερ ὁ Θεὸς ἀπέ στειλε διὰ τὴν τῶν πολλῶν ζωὴν τὸν Ἰωσὴφ ἔμπρο σθεν τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς Αἴγυπτον, δηλονότι ὁ Θεὸς ἀποστέλλων αὐτὸν εἰς Αἴγυπτον, συγκατεχρή σατο τῷ ζήλῳ καὶ τῇ προαιρέσει τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν περὶ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ ἐπὶ ζωῇ πολλῶν οἰκονομίαν. Οὐκοῦν ἔσθ' ὅτε συγχρώμενος ἑτέρων ἁμαρτίαις ὁ Θεὸς, οἰκεῖα βουλεύεται ἐπὶ ἄλλων σωτηρίᾳ. Νῦν οὖν οὐχ ὑμεῖς με ἀπεστάλκατε ὧδε, ἀλλ' ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ ἐποίησέ με ὡς πατέρα Φαραὼ, καὶ κύριον παντὸς τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἄρχοντα πά σης γῆς Αἰγύπτου. Ὁ ἄρχων τῶν σωματικῶν πρα γμάτων, καὶ μηδαμῶς αὐτοῖς εἴκων, λέγοιτ' ἂν τὸ, Ἐποίησέ με ὁ Θεὸς πάσης τῆς γῆς Αἰγύπτου κύ ριον. Καὶ μὴ φείσησθε τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς τῶν σκευῶν ὑμῶν. Τὰ γὰρ πάντα ἀγαθὰ Αἰγύπτου ὑμῶν ἔσται. Εἴ τι ὑπάρχει ἐν τῇ τροπικῶς καλουμένῃ Αἰγύπτῳ, οὐκ Αἰγυπτίων ἐστὶν, ἀλλὰ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τῇ ἐξόδῳ συσκευάζουσιν Ἑβραῖοι τοὺς Αἰ γυπτίους, καὶ λαμβάνουσι σκεύη χρυσᾶ καὶ ἀργυρᾶ, καὶ εἴ τι ἀγαθὸν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ἦν. Καὶ ἐγὼ ἀναβιβάσω σε εἰς τέλος. Πρέπουσα ἐπαγγελία τῷ Θεῷ, οὐ μόνον ἀναβιβάζειν, ἀλλὰ