וְיוֹסֵ֗ף ה֚וּא הַשַּׁלִּ֣יט עַל־הָאָ֔רֶץ ה֥וּא הַמַּשְׁבִּ֖יר לְכָל־עַ֣ם הָאָ֑רֶץ וַיָּבֹ֙אוּ֙ אֲחֵ֣י יוֹסֵ֔ף וַיִּשְׁתַּֽחֲווּ־ל֥וֹ אַפַּ֖יִם אָֽרְצָה׃
Adapun Yusuf, dialah penguasa atas negeri itu; dialah yang menjual gandum kepada seluruh rakyat negeri itu. Maka datanglah saudara-saudara Yusuf, lalu sujud kepadanya dengan muka sampai ke tanah.
Midrash Tanchuma Buber
Another interpretation (of Prov. 14:23): IN ALL TOIL THERE IS PROFIT. This was Joseph, who suffered in prison and had gain.6Gen. R. 89:2; Exod. R. 7:1. NOW (according to Gen. 42:6) JOSEPH WAS THE GOVERNOR. (Prov. 14:23:) BUT TALK FROM THE LIPS < LEADS > ONLY TO A LOSS. Because he had spoken < merely > with his lips and said < to a cupbearer rather than to God > (in Gen. 40:14): BUT KEEP ME IN YOUR REMEMBRANCE, the Holy One said to him: By your life, inasmuch as you spoke improper words with your lips; by your life, you are doing two years more in the prison. Thus it is stated (in Genesis 41:1): NOW IT CAME TO PASS AT THE END OF TWO FULL YEARS.
Devarim Rabbah
Another matter: “Hear Israel” (Deuteronomy 6:4) – this is what the verse said: “Fear the Lord, my son, and the king…” (Proverbs 24:21). What is “and the king”? Abraham, who feared Me, did I not crown him king over the world, as it is stated: “To the valley of Shaveh, which is the valley of the king” (Genesis 14:17). Joseph, who feared Me, as it is written: “I fear God” (Genesis 42:18), did I not crown him king over the world? “Joseph was the ruler over the land” (Genesis 42:6).70Thus, the midrash understands the verse to mean “fear the Lord…and you will be a king.”
Another matter: “Fear the Lord, my son, and the king [vamelekh]” (Proverbs 24:21) – and rule [umlokh] over your inclination. There was an incident involving Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar who went to a certain city in the South, and he entered a synagogue and asked a scribe; he said to him: ‘As you live, is there wine for sale here?’ He said to him: ‘Rabbi, this city is [inhabited by] Samaritans, and they do not prepare wine in ritual purity in the way that my ancestors would prepare it.’ [Rabbi Shimon] said: ‘If you have any extra [wine] of your own, give it to me, and I will purchase it from you.’71Rabbi Shimon did not believe the scribe’s claim that the wine in town was not ritually pure, and he offered to buy any wine that the scribe had (Matnot Kehuna; cf. Etz Yosef). He said: ‘If you are master of your desires do not taste it.’ Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar said: ‘I am the master of my desires.’ That is, “and the king [vamelekh]” – rule [umlokh] over your inclination.
Another matter: “Fear the Lord, my son, and the king [vamelekh]” (Proverbs 24:21) – what is vamelekh? But not Molekh [ve’al lamolekh], as it is stated: “You shall not give of your offspring to pass to Molekh” (Leviticus 18:21). Alternatively, what is vamelekh? Crown Him King [hamlikhehu] over you.
“Do not mix with those who are different [shonim]” (Proverbs 24:21) – do not mix with those who say there is a second [sheni] god. Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon said: “It will be in all the land, the utterance of the Lord, that two portions [pi] of it will be eliminated and expire” (Zechariah 13:8) – the mouths [piyot] that say that they are two authorities will be eliminated and expire. Who is destined to survive? “And the third will remain in it” (Zechariah 13:8) – this is Israel, who are called “threes” because they are tripartite – priests, Levites, and Israelites; and they are from three patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Alternatively, because they laud the Holy One blessed be He with three sanctifications: “Holy, holy, holy” (Isaiah 6:3). Rav Aḥa said: The Holy One blessed be He became angry at Solomon when he said this verse.72The verse in Proverbs (24:21) cited above. He said to him: Is it proper to express a matter of sanctity with an obscure expression: “Do not mix with those who are different”? He73Solomon, who wrote Ecclesiastes after having written Proverbs (see Shir HaShirim Rabba 1:1:10). immediately came and stated the matter explicitly: “There is one and no other, without even a son or a brother” (Ecclesiastes 4:8) – [God] has no brother or son; rather, “hear, Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4).
Another matter: “Fear the Lord, my son, and the king [vamelekh]” (Proverbs 24:21) – and rule [umlokh] over your inclination. There was an incident involving Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar who went to a certain city in the South, and he entered a synagogue and asked a scribe; he said to him: ‘As you live, is there wine for sale here?’ He said to him: ‘Rabbi, this city is [inhabited by] Samaritans, and they do not prepare wine in ritual purity in the way that my ancestors would prepare it.’ [Rabbi Shimon] said: ‘If you have any extra [wine] of your own, give it to me, and I will purchase it from you.’71Rabbi Shimon did not believe the scribe’s claim that the wine in town was not ritually pure, and he offered to buy any wine that the scribe had (Matnot Kehuna; cf. Etz Yosef). He said: ‘If you are master of your desires do not taste it.’ Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar said: ‘I am the master of my desires.’ That is, “and the king [vamelekh]” – rule [umlokh] over your inclination.
Another matter: “Fear the Lord, my son, and the king [vamelekh]” (Proverbs 24:21) – what is vamelekh? But not Molekh [ve’al lamolekh], as it is stated: “You shall not give of your offspring to pass to Molekh” (Leviticus 18:21). Alternatively, what is vamelekh? Crown Him King [hamlikhehu] over you.
“Do not mix with those who are different [shonim]” (Proverbs 24:21) – do not mix with those who say there is a second [sheni] god. Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon said: “It will be in all the land, the utterance of the Lord, that two portions [pi] of it will be eliminated and expire” (Zechariah 13:8) – the mouths [piyot] that say that they are two authorities will be eliminated and expire. Who is destined to survive? “And the third will remain in it” (Zechariah 13:8) – this is Israel, who are called “threes” because they are tripartite – priests, Levites, and Israelites; and they are from three patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Alternatively, because they laud the Holy One blessed be He with three sanctifications: “Holy, holy, holy” (Isaiah 6:3). Rav Aḥa said: The Holy One blessed be He became angry at Solomon when he said this verse.72The verse in Proverbs (24:21) cited above. He said to him: Is it proper to express a matter of sanctity with an obscure expression: “Do not mix with those who are different”? He73Solomon, who wrote Ecclesiastes after having written Proverbs (see Shir HaShirim Rabba 1:1:10). immediately came and stated the matter explicitly: “There is one and no other, without even a son or a brother” (Ecclesiastes 4:8) – [God] has no brother or son; rather, “hear, Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4).
Devarim Rabbah
Another matter, “When [the Lord your God] will expand [your border]” – that is what the verse said: “I rejoice and am happy in Your kindness, for You have seen my affliction. You have known my soul’s distress, and You did not deliver me into the hand of the enemy; You set my feet in open space” (Psalms 31:8–9). The Rabbis say: This verse is speaking of Joseph. Joseph said: ‘Master of the universe, “I rejoice and am happy in Your kindness” that You performed with me. Had You exacted revenge on my behalf from Potifera’s wife, and had not given me the kingship, I would have rejoiced and been happy. Now that I have the kingship, “I rejoice and am happy in Your kindness….”’ “For You have seen my affliction” – this is Joseph, in whose regard it is written: “[He had sent a man before them, Joseph, who had been sold as a slave.] They tortured his legs with chains; his body was placed in irons” (Psalms 105:17–18). “You did not deliver me into the hand of the enemy” – this is Potifera. “You set my feet in open space” –You made me ruler over the entire land of Egypt. From where is this derived? As it is stated: “Joseph was the ruler over the land; he was the provider of grain to all the people of the land. Joseph's brothers came, and prostrated themselves to him, faces to the ground. Joseph saw his brothers, and he recognized them, but he acted as a stranger to them, and spoke harshly to them; he said to them: From where did you come? They said: From the land of Canaan, to acquire food” (Genesis 42:6–7).
Another matter, [the verse] “I rejoice and am happy in Your kindness” is speaking of Israel. Israel said: ‘Master of the universe, “I rejoice and am happy in Your kindness” that You performed with us. Had You exacted revenge against the Egyptians and not given us their wealth, we would have rejoiced. We have joy and happiness because You gave us their wealth.’ “For You have seen my affliction” – this is Israel, in whose regard it is written: “The Egyptians mistreated us, and afflicted us, and imposed upon us hard labor. We cried out to the Lord, God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice, and He saw our affliction…” (Deuteronomy 26:6–7). “You have known my soul’s distress” – this is Israel, in whose regard it is written: “They embittered their lives” (Exodus 1:14). “You did not deliver me into the hand of the enemy” – this is the wicked Pharaoh, as it is written: “The enemy said: I will pursue” (Exodus 15:9). “You set my feet in open space” – as you expanded my border, as it is stated: “When [the Lord your God] will expand [your border].”
Another matter, [the verse] “I rejoice and am happy in Your kindness” is speaking of Israel. Israel said: ‘Master of the universe, “I rejoice and am happy in Your kindness” that You performed with us. Had You exacted revenge against the Egyptians and not given us their wealth, we would have rejoiced. We have joy and happiness because You gave us their wealth.’ “For You have seen my affliction” – this is Israel, in whose regard it is written: “The Egyptians mistreated us, and afflicted us, and imposed upon us hard labor. We cried out to the Lord, God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice, and He saw our affliction…” (Deuteronomy 26:6–7). “You have known my soul’s distress” – this is Israel, in whose regard it is written: “They embittered their lives” (Exodus 1:14). “You did not deliver me into the hand of the enemy” – this is the wicked Pharaoh, as it is written: “The enemy said: I will pursue” (Exodus 15:9). “You set my feet in open space” – as you expanded my border, as it is stated: “When [the Lord your God] will expand [your border].”