368 
belong unto God ? ” not to Thoth, or any imaginary being, and 
they quite understand him. 
Again, he says to Pharaoh, “ God shall give Pharaoh an 
answer of peace and there is no evidence that the word 
sounded strange in his ears. 
Again, and still more remarkably, “What God is about to 
do, He showeth unto Pharaoh.” This is most remarkable, as 
telling us of prophetic dreams, really God-inspired, granted to 
Pharaoh ; and in such dreams it must be understood the 
Egyptians placed unbounded confidence.* 
Then wc find at last Pharaoh is prepared to say, “ Can we 
find such an one as this is — a man in whom the Spirit of God 
is?” 
Whether or not it was Har-Knum Horus, the good spirit, that 
he thought of, I know not; but certainly he traced the blessing 
to its right source, for “ every good gift and every perfect gift 
is from above, and cometh down from the Father of Lights.” 
Influence of the Israelites. 
The effect of all this on Pharaoh — on his court and people — 
must have been very great. What do we find further but 
Joseph entering into closest relationship with one whom wc 
might deem an idolater — the daughter of Poti-pherah, priest of 
On. Now, On of the text was the sacred name of Heliopolis, 
of which the vulgar name was Pa-Ra, the city of the sun.f 
The magnificent temple was approached between by two obe- 
lisks, one of which, reared by Usertasen I., exists to the 
present day, and the remains are still seen of an alley of 
sphinxes leading up to the temple. 
Now we come to questions more easy to ask than to answer. 
Was Asenath really an idolatress -when Pharaoh gave her to 
Joseph ? If not, was she a disciple secretly of a new faith ? 
But if so, what was her father ? The very priest of the temple ! 
who yet willingly assented, as we must believe, to this alliance 
of his daughter. 
When Israel abode in Egypt there must necessarily have 
gradually arisen a great commingling of the two peoples, and 
many such complicated questions must have occurred, resulting, 
when they left Egypt, in a “ mixed multitude ” of no small pro- 
portions going with them. 
In the mean time they must needs have been witnesses for 
* Compare also 2 Chron. xxxv. 22. 
f Pierret, Diet., sub voce Heliopolis. 
