f t a r s ’ , a n d t h e f u n a n d t h e m o o n ; I f a w t h e m m a k e o b e i f a n c e u n t o m e .
J a c o b f a i d , O m y c h i l d , t e l l n o t t h y v i f i o n t o t h y b r e t h r e n , l e f t ' t h e y d e v i f e -
f o i f i e p l o t a g a i n f t t h e e b ; f o r t h e d e v i l i s a p r o f e f f e d e n e m y u n t o m a n : a n d
t h u s , according to thy dream, ( h a l l t h y L o r d c h u f e t h e e , a n d t e a c h t h e e t h e i n t
e r p r e t a t i o n o f dark f a y i n g s c , a n d h e f h a l l ; a c c o m p l i f h h i s - f a v o u r u p o n t h e e
a n d u p o n t h é f a m i l y o f J a c o b , a s h e h a t h f o r m e r l y a c c o m p l i i h e d i t u p o n t h y
f a t h e r s A b r a h a m a n d I s a a c ; f o r t h y L o r d is k n o w i n g and w i f e . S u r e l y
i n the hijlory o f J o s e p h a n d h i s b r e t h r e n t h e r e a r e f i g n s o f -G od’ s providence t o t h e i n q u i f i t i v e r w h e n t h e y f a i d to one another, J o s e p h a n d h i s b r o t h e r 1* -
a r e d e a r e r t o o u r f a t h e r t h a n w e , ' w h o a r e t h e g r e a t e r n u m b e r : o u r f a t h e r
c e r t a i n l y m a k e t h a w r o n g j u d g m e n t . Wherefore f l a y J o s e p h , o r d r i v e h i m
i n t o f o m e dijiant or defart part o f th e e a r t h , a n d t h e f a c e ' o f y o u r f a t h e r f h a l l b e
c l e a r e d t o w a r d s y o u | ; a n d ye f h a l l a f t e r w a r d s b e p e o p l e o f i n t e g r i t y . O n e
o f t h e m f f p o k e a n d . f a i d •, S l a y n o t J o s e p h , b u t t h r o w h i m t o t h e b o t t o t n * f :
t h e w e l l ; a n d f o m e t r a v e l l e r s w i l l t a k e h i m u p , i f y e d o this. T h e y f a i d ,
unto J a c o b , O f a t h e r , w h y d o f t t h o u n o t i n t r u f t J o s e p h w i t h u s , f i n c e wé a r e
f i n c e r e well-wifhers u n t o h i m ? S e n d h i m w i t h u s t o m o r r o w , into the field,
t h a t h e m a y d i v e r t h i m ' f e l f , a n d f p o r t 8 , a n d w e w i l l b e h i s g u a r d i a n s . J aco
b a n f w e r e d , It g r i e v e t h m e t h a t y e t a k e h i m a w a y ; a n d I f e a r l e f t t h e wolf
d e v o u r h i m \ w h i l e y e a r e n e g l i g e n t o f h i m . T h e y f a i d , f u r e l y i f t h e wolf
d e v o u r h i m , w h e n t h e r e a r e f o m a n y . o f u s , w e f h a l l b e w e a k i n d e e d * . And
w h e n t h e y h a d c a r r i e d h i m w i t h t h e m , a n d a g r e e d , t o f e t h i m a t t h e b o t t
o m o f t h e w e l l k , they executed their defign: a n d w e f e n t a r e v e l a t i o n u n t o
I h i m ,
a Eleven ftars ;] The commentators give us
the names of thefe liars,. (which I think it need-
lefs to trouble the reader with,) as Mohammed
repeated them,' at the requeft of a Jew, who
thought to intrap him by the queftion 1. v
b Left they devife fome plot againft thee i] For
they fay, Jacobi judging that Jofeph's dream portended
his advancement above the reft of the
family, juftly apprehended his brethren’s envy
might tempt them to do him fome mifchjef.
c The interpretation o f dark fayings;] That is,
of dreams; or, as others fuppofe, of the profound
palfages of fcripture, and all difficulties
refpedling either religion or juftice.
d His brother;] viz. Benjamin i his brother
by the fame mother.
e The face o f your father fh a ll' be cleared towards
you j] Or, he will fettle his love wholly
upon you, and ye will have no rival in his favour.
{ One o f them, &c.} This perfon, as fome fay,
was Judah, the molt prudent and noble-minded
of them all; or, according to others,, Reuben,
whom the Mohammedan Writers call Rubil2.
And both thefe opinions are fupported by the
account of Mofes, who tells us, that Reuben ad-
vifed them not to kill Jofeph, but to throw him
into a pit privately, intending to releafe him3 ;
and that afterwards Judah, in Reuben's abfence,
perfuaded them not to Jet him die in the pit, but
to fell him ip the Ifhmaelites 4.
8 That he r^ay divert himfelf, &c.J Some copies
read, in the iirft perfon plural, that m may
divert our felves, &c.
h Left the wolf devour him;) The reafon why
Jacob feared this beaft in particular, as the commentators
fay, was either becaufe the land was
full of wolves} or elfe becaufe Jacob had dreamed
he law Jofeph devoured by one of thofe creatures
5.
1 We fhall be weak indeed;] i. e. It* will be
an inftance of extream weaknefs and folly in us,
and we fhall be juftly blamed for his lofs.
k At the bottom o f the well:] This well, fay
fome, was a certain well near Jerufalem, or not
far from the river Jordan j but others call it the
well of Egypt, or Midian. The commentators
tells us, that when the Tons of Jacob had gotten
Jofeph with them in the field, they began to
abufe and to beat him fo unmercifully, that they
had
1 -^Zamakhshari. 2 Idem. 3 Gen, xxxvii. 21, 4 Ibid, v. 26, 27*
^ n tiD AW i, Jallalo’ddin, ^ /Z amakhshari.
him*, ,faying, Thou (halt hereafter declare this their action unto them 5 and
they fhall not perceive thee to be J oseph. And they came to their .father
at even, weeping, and faid, Father, we went and ran races with one anotherb,
and we left J o s e p h -with our baggage, and the Wolf hath devoured him ;
but thou wilt not believe us, although we fpeak the truth. And th‘ey pro^
duced his inner garment ftained with falfe blood. J a c O'b anfwered, Nay, but
ye your felves have contrived the thing for your own fakes c : however patience
is moft becoming, and G o d ’ s afiiftance is to be implored to enable trie to
fupport the misfortune which ye relate. And certain travellers'1 came, and
fent one e to draw water for them: and he let down his bucket1, and faid,
Good news8! this is a youth. And they concealed him h , that they might f e l l
him as a piece of merchandize: but G o d knew that which they did. And
they
had killed kim, had not Judah, on his crying out
for help, infilled on the promife they had made
not to kill him, but to call him into the well.
Whereupon they let him down a little way; but
as he held by the fides of the well, they bound
him, and took off his inner garment, defigning
to Itain it with blood, to deceive their father.
Jofeph begged hard to have his garment returned
him, but to no purpofe, his brothers telling him,
with a fneer, that the eleven ftars, and the fun
and the moon might cloath him and keep him
company. When they had let him down half
way, they let him fall thence to the bottom;
and there being water in the well (tho’ the fcripture
fays the contrary,) he was obliged to get
upon a ftone, on which as he ftood weeping, the
angel Gabriel came to him with the revelation
mentioned immediately 1 .
a We fent a revelation unto him.] Jofeph being
then but feventeen years old, A l Beidawi
obferves that herein he relembled John the Bap-
tift and J e su s , who were alfo favoured with the
divine communication very early. The commentators
pretend that Gabriel alfo cloathed him
in the well with a garment of filk of paradife.
for they fay that when Abraham was thrown
into the fire by Nimrod 2, he was ftripped j and
that Gabriel brought this garment and put it on
him ; and that from Abraham it defcended to
Jacob, who folded it up and put it into an amulet,
which he hung about Jofeph's neck, whence
Gabriel drew it out 3.
b And ran races, &c.] Thefe races they ufed
by way of exercife; and the commentators generally
underftand here that kind of race wherein
they alfo Ihewed their dexterity in throwing
darts, which is ftillufed in the eaft.
c Ye your felves have contrived the thing, &c.]
This Jacob had reafon to fufpe£l, becaufe when
the garment was brought to him, he obferved
that tho’ it was bloody, yet it was not torn 4.
d Certain travellers j] viz. A caravan or company
travelling from Midian to Egypt, who relied
near the well, three days after Jofeph Tiad
been thrown into it.
e They fent one to draw water, &c.] The commentators
are fo exafl as to give us the name of
this man, who, as they pretend, was Malec Ebn
Dhbr, of the tribe of Khozdah T.
f He let down his bucket;] And Jofeph,. making
ufe of the opportunity, took hold of the
cord, and was drawn up by the man.
s Good news /] The original words are Yabojh-
ra: the latter of which fome take for- the proper
name of the water-drawer’s companion, whom
he called to his affiilance; and then they mull
be tranllated, O Bojhra.
h They concealed him, &c.] The expofitors are
not agreed whether the pronoun they relates to
Malec and his companions, or to Jofeph's brethren.
Thofe who efpoufe the former opinion
fay, that thofe who came to draw water concealed
the manner of their coming by him from
the reft of the caravan, that they might keep
him to themfelves; pretending that fome people
of the place had given him to them to fell for
them in Egypt. And they who prefer the latter
opinion, tell us, that Judah carried victuals to
Jofeph every' day while he was in the well, but
not finding him there on the fourth day, he acquainted
his brothers with i t : whereupon they
all went to the caravan and claimed Jofeph as
their Have, he not daring to difcover that he was
their brother, left fomething worfe fhould befal
him j and at length they agreed to fell him to
them 6.
1 Iidem. 2 See chap. 21. 3 A l Beidawi, A l Z amakhsrari. * ^/ Beidawi.
Idem. J Idem.