Race that knows Joseph, secret garden and rolling rock.
1. In L. M. Montgomery's Anne books, a character called Miss Cornelia Bryant describes people she likes and who understand her as 'The race that knows Joseph'. I don't know where the phrase comes from - I always imagined it must be from the Bible. A Google search turns up nothing but Anne references.
2. Sitting in a little garden behind high privet hedges talking and drinking wine as the sun goes down.
3. Watching a fat, egg-shaped moon roll over the rooftops.
2. Sitting in a little garden behind high privet hedges talking and drinking wine as the sun goes down.
3. Watching a fat, egg-shaped moon roll over the rooftops.
Genesis 42:7-8:
ReplyDelete"And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spoke roughly with them; and he said unto them: 'Whence come ye?' And they said: 'From the land of Canaan to buy food.' 8 And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew him not."
... i.e., the brothers (who sold Joseph -- Mr. Coat of Many Colors -- into slavery in Egypt) do _not_ belong to the "race that knows Joseph."
Joseph then makes his brothers (who still don't know him) go back to the land of Canaan and get his brother Benjamin, whom Jacob/Israel wouldn't let the other brothers take to Egypt because of what happened to Joseph the last time he sent all them brothers off together, etc. Jacob relents, but he's not happy about it. When Benjamin gets to Egypt, Joseph contrives to make it appear that Benjamin has stolen a goblet, and Joseph tells the other brothers that Benjamin must become Joseph's slave as punishment for the contrived theft, and directs tells them to go back to Canaan and leave Benjamin with him.
But the other brothers let Joseph know what severe anguish this will cause for Jacob/Israel (i.e., if he loses Benjamin on top of Joseph).
Finally, Joseph can't take it any more (Genesis Chapter 45):
"1 Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried: 'Cause every man to go out from me.' And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren."
... i.e., so _now_ those mean old brothers finally _do _ belong to "race that knows Joseph" -- because "Joseph made himself _known_ unto his brethren"
Wow, that's some good research, Anonymous. Thanks for sharing it!
ReplyDeleteOne of the first pieces of prose I ever wrote was a play based on the story of Joseph and his coat -- I was about seven, and it ends with the brothers telling Jacob he's been eaten by wild beasts, and Jacob saying: 'Oh, oh my favourite son has been devoured by wild beasts. Oh well, that's life, I suppose.'
The other possible place the phrase comes from:
ReplyDeleteExodus 1:8
"Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph."
This is the Pharaoh who (out of fear of a hostile takeover) issues an edict to kill all the Israelite baby boys, makes the Israelites slaves, and eventually has a titanic confrontation with Moses and the power of God (ending with the Exodus).
Not a complimentary comparison by any means... but that was always what I thought Miss Cornelia and Cap'n Jim were referring to. I like the additional depth of the idea that it could refer to Joseph's brothers.