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Ancient Egyptian brings to light the true meaning of the name and its prophetic import.
Zaph-en-to was a title of the last of the Shepherd Kings of Egypt and means `The
nourisher of the world', Zap means `abundance'.
"Its well ascertained meaning is `food', especially `corn' or `grain' in general"
(Canon Cook).
Nt (nath) is the preposition `of', common on the early monuments. Pa is the definite
article `the'. Anch signifies `life'. Thus one name of Memphis is ta-anch, the land of
life, or, the land of the living. The name therefore means "Food of the life", and is a
far-off anticipating of that wondrous claim which the Greater than Joseph was to make
when He said "I am the Bread of Life".
Is there not also an echo of Pharaoh's words in the lips of Mary? Pharaoh said, when
the people had no bread, "Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do" (Gen. 41: 55).
Mary said to the servants, when they had no wine, "Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it"
(John 2: 5).
Chapter 42: resumes the broken thread of the story of Jacob and his sons. One event,
however, has happened that it is important to remember. Joseph blesses the Gentiles
during his rejection by his brethren. He is united to a Gentile by marriage while exiled
from his father's house. The names of his two children speak of forgetting his toil, and
his father's house, and being fruitful in the land of his affliction. The famine at length
appears and among those who are forced to sue at Joseph's feet are his ten brethren. The
story is a long one and we will not spoil it by attempting to summarize, we know how it
all ends. The outstanding typical features number among them the following:
(1) THE REPENTANCE OF ISRAEL.--When Joseph's brethren came before him
and are charged with being spies, they aver that they are twelve brethren, the sons of
one man in the land of Canaan; and they say:
"The youngest (brother) is this day with our father, and one is not" (Gen. 42: 13).
The mention of the fate of Joseph and the harshness of their treatment at the hands of
the ruler of Egypt causes their conscience to awaken and they said:--
"We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul,
when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us"
(Gen. 42: 21).
Reuben uses even more forceful words: "Behold, also his blood is required"
(Gen. 42: 22). The type is clear. Israel must repent before they can be blessed.
(2) THE REVELATION TO ISRAEL.--"Then Joseph could not refrain himself
. . . . . I am Joseph" (Gen. 45: 1-4). When Israel's blindness is removed and for the
first time they recognize the Lord Jesus as their Messiah, "They shall look upon Me
whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him" (Zech. 12: 10). These are the
words of prophecy.