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Genesis 45:22

To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment.

To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment,.... Rich apparel, two suits of clothes, to shift and change upon occasion, such as Homer {k} calls imatia exameiba, "changeable garments"; those he gave to everyone of his brethren, partly that they might have something to show to their father and to their wives, which would cause them to give credit to the report they should give of Joseph, and his great prosperity; and partly that they might, upon their return, be provided with suitable apparel to appear before Pharaoh, and chiefly this was intended to show his great respect and affection for them, and reconciliation to them:

but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver; or shekels, as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan, which amounted to between thirty and forty pounds of our money; the Septuagint very wrongly renders it three hundred "pieces of gold"; and besides these he gave him also

five changes of raiment; because of his greater love and affection for him.


{k} Odyss. 8.

 

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