“To bind his princes at his pleasure

And to teach his Elders wisdom.”

(Psalm 105:22)

We have discussed the notion that Joseph consolidated the power of Pharaoh, making him supreme ruler over the land and subjecting his princes. Yet, the psalmist tells us one further point. He states that Joseph was there to teach the Elders of Egypt wisdom. What are we to make of that?

Here, we need to use some inference, but first, we should ask the question, what is wisdom? It is a word that we use often, but sometimes it is a word that we use without thinking clearly as to what the word means. In Hebrew, the word for wisdom is חָכְמָה (chokmah). The term is used broadly to refer to ones practiced skill at a given trade as well as one’s skillful living. Normally, it is applied when one is using their skills for pious purposes and for the glory of God (see Exodus 28:3; 1 Kings 7:14; 2 Samuel 20:22; 1 Kings 2:6; Psalm 90:12). 

In the end, though, wisdom begins with the fear of Yahweh (Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 9:10). A parallel application of this principle is that wisdom is demonstrated by being able to rightly handle and apply the Word of God (Mark 6:2) so that we can rightly divide the Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15). Finally, wisdom built on the fear of the Lord also manifests itself in obedience to God’s commands and Laws (Ecclesiastes 12:13; Acts 10:35). 

So, how did this apply to Joseph in Egypt when it comes to his teaching their Elders wisdom? To begin with, Joseph was set over all of the house of Egypt because he had greater wisdom and discernment than all of the “wisemen” at the Pharoah’s disposal (Genesis 41:39-40). In this capacity alone, those who were Elders in Egypt would have had to come to Joseph for instruction and guidance. As Solomon wrote, “whoever walks with the wise will become wise” (Proverbs 13:20). So, in this sense, the Elders of Egypt would have learned wisdom from Joseph.

There is another point that is worth bringing into the discussion. Many scholars have noted the similarities in the language and structure between an Egyptian text known as “The Instruction of Amenemope and the book of Proverbs. Yet, Amenemope was written between 300 and 400 years prior to the book of Proverbs, causing some to speculate that Solomon simply appropriated Amenemope’s work. What becomes interesting is that Joseph in Egypt predates the time of Amenemope, implying that just as Solomon was compiling wisdom to include in the book of Proverbs, so too, Amenemope likely was doing the same and either knowingly or unknowingly, many of his proverbs could have easily dated back to Joseph. Solomon, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, may have preserved some of Joseph’s wisdom, explaining the parallels between these two texts. Yes, this is speculative, but it is a hypothesis worth considering.