Ben-Jamin

BEN-JAMIN, the youngest Son of Jacob and Rachel. Jacob being upon his journey from Mesopotamia, as he was proceeding Southward with Rachel in his company, she was surprized with the pains of child-bearing, about a quarter of a league from Bethlehem¹, and died after the delivery of a Son, whom with her last Genes. xxxv. 16, 17, &c.breath she named Ben-oni, that is to say, the Son of my sorrow. But Jacob changed this name, and called him Ben-jamin, the Son of my right hand. He is often called in Scripture Jemini only, that is my right hand.

During the great famine which laid waste the land of Canaan and the Countries round about, Jacob having sent his Genes. xlii. xliii.Sons into Egypt to buy corn there, kept Benjamin at home, to be a comfort to him, and to prevent any misfortune, which might happen to him in the way. Joseph knew very well his Brethren, tho’ they did not discover who he was, and seeing Benjamin was not among them, he enquired in a very artificial manner, whether he were living, and would give them no corn but upon condition they would bring him to him; and for the better security of their promise, detained Simeon in custody till their return. Jacob with all the uneasiness in the world at last permitted Benjamin to undertake this journey; the extremities he was reduced to by famine, and the sollicitations of his Sons with great difficulty prevailed; he committed him therefore to their care, and they set out for Egypt.

Gen. xliii. 16, 17, &c.Joseph seeing Benjamin with the rest of his Brethren, carried them to his house, made them eat with him, but not at his own table, because he was not willing to discover himself as yet to them, nor that the Egyptians should eat with the Hebrews. Joseph appointed his Brethren to be placed according to their age, and in the distribution which he made of the meat he sent to them, took care that Benjamin’s portion should be five times larger than that of any of the rest. After this, Joseph, as a trial of their fidelity and friendship for their Brother Benjamin, commanded his Steward Gen. xliv. 1, 2, 3, &c.to fill their sacks with corn, and in that belonging to the youngest of them, to put the silver cup which he made use of, and the money which Benjamin brought to pay for the quantity of corn he was to purchase. This order was executed; and when Joseph’s Brethren were gone out of the City, he sent his Steward after them; who reproached them with robbery, and told them they had carried off his Lord’s cup with them. They excused themselves, and declar’d that they were with all their hearts consenting, that he who should appear to be guilty of this theft, should immediately be put to death, and that the rest should become Joseph’s Slaves. The Steward answered, that he had to do with him only, who had committed this fact, and for the rest, they were at liberty to pursue their journey.

At the same time he searched all the sacks, and in that of Benjamin the cup was found. Then they rent their clothes, and returned to the City. Joseph reproached them with their treachery; and Judah said what he could to excuse it. He conjured Joseph to detain him as his slave in the room of his Brother; told him, that their Father was an old Man, and would never be able to survive the loss of his Son; that moreover he had charged himself with him, and was to be responsible for him. Hereupon Joseph could no longer contain his tears, revealed himself to them, fell on Benjamin’s neck and kissed Gen. xlv.him, and all his Brethren after him. He invited them to come and settle in Egypt, and bring their Father thither. He gave to each of them two suits of raiment, that is to say, two coats and two cloaks, but to Benjamin five suits, with three hundred pieces of silver. He gave them likewise presents for his Father, and so dismissed them, recommending peace and union to them.

From this time the Scripture says nothing particularly of Benjamin’s person; for that I count for nothing which is related in the Testament of the twelve Patriarchs, which, as is very well known, is an apocryphal piece and of no authority. Jacob on his death-bed says to Benjamin; Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf, in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil. And Moses in his last Song says of Benjamin, The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Deut. xxxiii. 12.him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders. These words, Benjamin is a ravening wolf, are generally explained either of S. Paul, who was of the Tribe of Benjamin, or of the valour of those, belonging to this Tribe, who carried on a War against all the other Tribes, in defence of the crime committed by the inhabitants of Gibeah, that violated the Levite’s Wife, as she passed through their City.

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