Genesis 45:19

Gen 45:19 Now thou art commanded, this do ye; take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come.

Ver. 19. Take you wagons out of the land of Egypt.] Christ also will send his wagons for us, his cherubims, and clouds to fetch us up to heaven, at the last day, {1Th 4:15} as they did Moses and Elias. {Mat 17:3} This David foresaw, and therefore envied not the pomp and state of those men of God’s hand, that are whirled here up and down in wagons and chariots, &c. {Psa 17:14-15}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

(19) Wagons.—Egypt being a flat country and carefully cultivated was adapted for the use of vehicles, and consequently they were brought into use there at an early period. Those depicted on the monuments had two wheels, and were drawn by oxen. The chariots of Pharaoh and Joseph were probably drawn by horses, which had about this time been introduced into Egypt.

Your little ones.—Heb., your “taf.” (See Note on Gen_34:29.) The “taf” included the whole mass of dependants; and while “the household” (Gen_45:18) would have reference chiefly to the men, the “taf,” in opposition to it, would consist of the female slaves and the children.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

19. thou art commanded] The versions render “Command thou them”; and this rendering avoids the awkwardness of the sudden transition from sing. to plural, “Thou art commanded, this do ye.” As it stands, Pharaoh turns from Joseph to Joseph’s brethren; but they would hardly be present at such an interview.

wagons] Wheeled conveyances for carrying baggage: a different word from that which is rendered “chariots.” The wagon is for transport, the chariot for purposes of war or state. The Egyptian wagon ‘agolt’e is called by a Semitic name, possibly derived from the same form as the Hebrew ‘agâlah. See 1Sa_6:7 ff.; 2Sa_6:3.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Now thou art commanded, this do ye,.... Had his orders from Pharaoh; had full power and authority to do the above things, and what follows: the sense Joseph Kimchi gives of this clause is, that Joseph was ordered by Pharaoh not to let any wagons go out of Egypt with corn, lest the Egyptians should want; but now Pharaoh said to him, though thou wert thus ordered, yet bid thy brethren do as follows:

take you wagons out of the land of Egypt: and lade them with corn, as the same writer observes; the Targum of Jonathan adds, which were drawn by oxen:

for your little ones, and for your wives: the wagons were to carry the women and children in when they returned:

and bring your father, and come; in one of the carriages, or in what way was most agreeable to him in his old age.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Besides that absolute power which I have given thee to dispose of all things as thou pleasest, I do particularly and especially command thee to do this thing.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

19. Now thou art commanded — “There is a beautiful kindness and courtesy here shown on the part of Pharaoh, in passing from the language of invitation to that of command, where Joseph’s personal interest is concerned.

Take you wagons — Of which there were probably none in Palestine; carts, two-wheeled vehicles which could easily pass through the roadless desert. The modern Egyptian cart has two solid wheels, but carts with spoked wheels are represented in the monuments.

Little ones — And in Gen_45:18, households, all their dependents, servants, amounting probably to several hundreds, are included in the invitation.” — Newhall.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Vers. 19, 20. Now thou art commanded, this do ye; an apostrophe to Joseph, Pharaoh manifestly regarding the cause of Joseph and his brethren as one (Rosenm Keil, Lange, and others)take you wagons out of the land of Egypt the carriages here referred to (twOlG; , from lG; to roll) were small two-wheeled vehicles suitable for a fiat country like Egypt, or for traversing roadless deserts. They were usually drawn by cattle, and employed for carrying agricultural produce. Herodotus mentions a four-wheeled car which was used for transporting the shrine and image of a deity (2:63; vide Rawlinson"s edition, and note by Sir G. Wilkinson) for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. Pharaoh meant them to understand that they had not only Joseph"s invitation, but his (Pharaoh"s) commandment, to encourage them to undertake so serious a project as the removal of their households to Egypt. Also regard not your stuff literally, and your eyes shall not (i.e. let them not) grieve for your utensils (i.e. articles of domestic furniture), although you should require to leave them behind (LXX, Rosenm Keil, Kalisch, Lange, et alii). The rendering of the Vulgate, nee dimittatis quicquid de supellectili vestra, conveys a meaning exactly the opposite of the true one, which is thus correctly expressed by Dathius: Nec aegre ferrent jacturam supellectilis suet. For the good of all the land of Egypt is yours literally, to you it (sc. shall belong).

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

At the same time Pharaoh empowered Joseph ("thou art commanded") to give his brethren carriages to take with them, in which to convey their children and wives and their aged father, and recommended them to leave their goods behind them in Canaan, for the good of all Egypt was at their service. From time immemorial Egypt was rich in small, two-wheeled carriages, which could be used even where there were no roads (cf. Gen 50:9; Exo 14:6. with Isa 36:9). "Let not your eye look with mourning (תּחס) at your goods;" i.e., do not trouble about the house-furniture which you are obliged to leave behind. The good-will manifested in this invitation of Pharaoh towards Jacob's family was to be attributed to the feeling of gratitude to Joseph, and "is related circumstantially, because this free and honourable invitation involved the right of Israel to leave Egypt again without obstruction" (Delitzsch).

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

General Information:

Pharaoh continues to tell Joseph what to tell his brothers.

Now

This does not mean "at this moment," but is used to draw attention to the important point that follows.

you are commanded, 'Do this, take carts out of the land of Egypt for your children and for your wives. Get your father and come. Do not be concerned about your possessions, for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours.'

This is a quotation within a quotation. It can be stated as an indirect quotation. AT: "also tell them to take carts out of the land of Egypt for their children and wives, and to get their father and come here. They should not worry about bringing their possessions, for I will give them the best things we have in Egypt." (See: Quotes Within Quotes and Direct and Indirect Quotations)

you are commanded

This can be stated in active form. AT: "I also command you to tell them" or "also tell them" (See: Active or Passive)

take carts out

"Carts" are wagons with two or four wheels. Animals pull the carts.

translationWords

command

possess

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

ואתה צויתה NOW THOU ART COMMANDED — supply the words by me (lit, by my mouth) to say unto them

זאת עשו THIS DO YE — Thus tell them: that it is done with my permission.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

NOW THOU ART COMMANDED, THIS DO YE. Pharaoh stated the matter in the form of a directive to him because his knowledge of Joseph’s integrity assured him that he would not stretch forth a hand to take from the king’s fortune, and having him, he gave no concern to anything. Therefore Pharaoh thought that perhaps Joseph would not want to send his father anything. Hence he said to him, “I command you that you do this in any case.”

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

ואתה צויתה you have been commanded by me to tell them: זאת עשו, this is what you are to do, etc. My grandfather of blessed memory explained that Joseph commanded that that no carriages loaded with grain should depart from his house so as not to make Egypt short of food in the future. Upon hearing this, Pharaoh said that the standing orders prohibiting the export of grain in carriages notwithstanding, tell your brothers to commandeer carriages and load them with grain so that after arrival at your homes these same carriages can serve to carry their wives and children on their journey to Egypt.

Radak on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash” (CC BY 4.0); “Rabbi Mike Feuer, Jerusalem Anthology” (CC BY 4.0); and “R. David Kimhi on the first book of Psalms, Translated by R.G. Finch, London, 1919” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.