Thou shalt be over my house, and at the commandment of thy mouth all the people shall obey: only in the kingly throne will I be above thee.

“See how all of a sudden the prisoner is made king of the whole of Egypt; the one sent to prison by the chief steward was raised by the king to the highest rank; his former master suddenly saw that the man whom he had cast into prison as an adulterer was awarded authority over the whole of Egypt. Do you see how important it is to bear trials thankfully? Hence Paul also said, "Distress promotes endurance, endurance promotes character, character promotes hope, and hope does not disappoint." So take note: Joseph bore distress with endurance, endurance gave him character, having such character he acted in hope, and hope did not disappoint him.”

“ישק —The Targum renders it by יתזן which means SHALL BE FED — all my people’s needs shall be provided through you. Similar are (15:2) “and the steward (ובן משק) of my house”, and (Psalms 2:12) “Provide yourselves (נשקו) with purity” old French garnison. רק הכסא ONLY IN THE THRONE — only in the fact that they shall call me king. כסא THRONE is a metaphorical term for royal rank, like (1 Kings 1:37) “And he has made his throne (כסאו) greater than the throne of my lord king”.”

“And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had,.... By which it appeared that he was next to Pharaoh, but not above him; as kings were wont to have more chariots than one, those were distinguished by first, second, &c. being of greater state the one than the other, see Ch2 35:24, and they cried before him, bow the knee; that is, his guard that attended him, when he rode out in his chariot, called to the people, as they passed along, to bow the knee to Joseph, as a token of veneration and respect; or they proclaimed him "Abrech", which Onkelos paraphrases, this is the father of the king; and so Jarchi, who observes, that "Rech" signifies a king in the Syriac language; and this agrees with what Joseph himself says, that God had made him a father to Pharaoh, Gen 45:8. Others render it a tender father; and the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem take in both senses,"this is the father of the king, (or let the father of the king live, so the Jerusalem,) who is great in wisdom, and tender in years:''though rather he may be so called, because he acted the part of a tender father to the country, in providing corn for them against a time of scarcity: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt; appointed him to be governor of the whole land, and invested him with that office, and made him appear to be so, by the grandeur he raised him to.”

“According unto thy word shall all my people be ruled - Literally, At thy mouth shall all my people kiss. In the eastern countries it is customary to kiss any thing that comes from a superior, and this is done by way of testifying respect and submission. In this sense the words in the text are to be understood: All the people shall pay the profoundest respect and obedience to all thy orders and commands. Only in the throne will I be greater than thou - This, in one word, is a perfect description of a prime minister. Thou shalt have the sole management, under me, of all state affairs.”

“Thou shalt be over my house--This sudden change in the condition of a man who had just been taken out of prison could take place nowhere, except in Egypt. In ancient as well as modern times, slaves have often risen to be its rulers. But the special providence of God had determined to make Joseph governor of Egypt; and the way was paved for it by the deep and universal conviction produced in the minds both of the king and his councillors, that a divine spirit animated his mind and had given him such extraordinary knowledge. according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled--literally, "kiss." This refers to the edict granting official power to Joseph, to be issued in the form of a firman, as in all Oriental countries; and all who should receive that order would kiss it, according to the usual Eastern mode of acknowledging obedience and respect for the sovereign [WILKINSON].”