Читать книгу Boyd's Commentary - R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation - Страница 23

The children who were born to Joseph before the predicted years of the famine were evidence of the economic prosperity Egypt enjoyed. The names of his two sons represented the mind Joseph had regarding his new life in Egypt. The naming formula, which included the explanation for the name, is well-documented in Genesis 3:20; 4:25; 26:20. Commonly, the Israelite mother assigned the name of the child based on her interpretation or sentiment of the event (Gen. 4:25; Ex. 2:10; 1 Sam 1:20). Joseph, however, gave his sons Hebrew names that conveyed his response to his Egyptian experience. The name of his firstborn Manasseh, or “he who makes someone forget,” implied that the joy of his son had made him forget the sadness he experienced in his father’s house, a sadness he had not forgotten but had carried for a long time. That he made no attempt to learn about his family even after his rise to power confirmed not that he forgot his past but rather was trying to forget his past. He also had forgotten the hard trail in Egypt that it took to get to this point. Though his life had changed for the better, his bitterness remained and impeded his ability to forgive those of his past. While he recognized the Lord’s faithfulness in making him fruitful in the land of his affliction, the name he gave his second son Ephraim, or “to bear fruit,” conveyed his attempt to build a new family on top of the hurt from the past of the old. The names of his sons stood in contrast. Joseph forgot even as he was fruitful. His most difficult moments placed him in position to become his best self. That which he attempted to forget was also what caused him to be fruitful. It was the gift and curse of pain that was both blessing and blight.

Ironically, the births of his sons caused Joseph to consciously remember the pain he had experienced. He did not mention his father’s household or allude to his painful experiences until they were born. Even as he forgot, he remembered. The only thing that could heal his wounds were not the trappings of success, but family.