And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
Not long after Israel arrived in Egypt, Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented him before Pharaoh at court. At that meeting Pharaoh stood as a king surrounded by royal pomp and magnificence, the proud heir of a kingly line, while Jacob stood before him as a stranger. Jacob was unawed by the display, for amid the sublime scenes of nature he had communed with a mightier Monarch.
In conscious spiritual superiority he raised his hands and blessed Pharaoh, and the blessing was an expression of that standing. He came to that act after having been crippled in his struggle with the covenant Angel, where his weakness and surrender had brought him the victory of conquering faith. So it was that Pharaoh stooped to seek his blessing. The blessing was also an expression of kindness in return for Pharaoh's kindness to Joseph.
In speaking with Pharaoh, Jacob called his 130 years a pilgrimage and described them as few and evil. By evil he meant that he had known much trouble and perplexity, and by few that he had not reached the years of his forefathers. His life had been troubled by jealousy in his household and grief over his children, though its final years were more peaceful.
Not long after Israel arrived in Egypt, Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented him before Pharaoh at court. At that meeting Pharaoh stood as a king surrounded by royal pomp and magnificence, the proud heir of a kingly line, while Jacob stood before him as a stranger. Jacob was unawed by the display, for amid the sublime scenes of nature he had communed with a mightier Monarch.
In conscious spiritual superiority he raised his hands and blessed Pharaoh, and the blessing was an expression of that standing. He came to that act after having been crippled in his struggle with the covenant Angel, where his weakness and surrender had brought him the victory of conquering faith. So it was that Pharaoh stooped to seek his blessing. The blessing was also an expression of kindness in return for Pharaoh's kindness to Joseph.
In speaking with Pharaoh, Jacob called his 130 years a pilgrimage and described them as few and evil. By evil he meant that he had known much trouble and perplexity, and by few that he had not reached the years of his forefathers. His life had been troubled by jealousy in his household and grief over his children, though its final years were more peaceful.