Abrech
(Gen 41:43). Translated "bow the knee" in English Bible. Others translate "a pontifical," or "pure prince," a common title in ancient Egyptian tombs; Origen and Jerome, "a native Egyptian." Thus Abrech will be a proclamation of Joseph's naturalization, a requisite for his executing successfully his great, undertaking among a people most jealous of foreigners.
Canon Cook (Speaker's Commentary) makes it imperative, from the Egyptian," Rejoice thou;" but Harkevy understands it as Ap-Rach, "Chief of the Rech", or "men of learning."
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia on Abrech
Abrech a'-brek: Transliteration of the Hebrew 'abhrekh, in Ge 41:43 the Revised Version, margin, of which both the origin and meaning are uncertain. It was the salutation which the Egyptians addressed to Joseph, when he was made second to Pharaoh, and appeared in his official chariot. ⇒See also the McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia. (1) The explanations based upon Hebrew derivation are unsatisfactory, whether as the King James Version "bow the knee," from barakh (hiphil imperative) or marginal "tender father," or "father of a king" of the Targum. The form as Hiphil Imperative instead of habhrekh, is indefensible, while the other two derivations are fanciful. (2) The surmises of Egyptologists are almost without number, and none are conclusive. Skinner in his Commentary on Genesis selects "attention!" after Spiegelberg, as best. Speaker's Commentary suggests "rejoice thou" from ab-nek. BDB gives preference to the Coptic a-bor-k, "prostrate thyself." (3) The most satisfying parallel is the Assyrian abarakku, meaning "grand vizier" or "friend of a king," as suggested by Fried. De…
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible on Abrech
A word called out before Joseph as he passed through the land of Egypt in his ofllcial capacity of prime minister to the Pharaoh ((in 41"). Its exact signification ia not a matter of agieement amongst scholars. The LXX (tKipvitv lp.Trpoaeei> airov K-qpu^) and the Vulg. {clamante prcccone, lit omnes coram eo genu flecterent) are not literal or direct translations. The Targ. of Onk. interprets it as ' father of the king,' on the ground possiblv of Gn 45'. Jewish scholars who have derived it from Heb. refer it to the root tii; bend the knee, in the Hiph. Imv., where, for the usual n, an K has l>een substituted (cf. Jer 25'). Luther regarded the case as hopeless, in saying, 'Was ahrec/t heisse, lassen wir die Ziincker suchen bisz an den jiingsten Tag' (Ges. Thes. p. 19). Of the many proposed Egyp. (and Coptic) derivations, we need note only the following :—(!) Abrek (oTrpe/c) caput inclinare (Rossi, Etyinnl. cegypt. p. 1, in Ges. Thci. p. 19) ; (2) ap-rex-v, heiidofthe wise (Harkavv, Ikrl. yEgypt. Zeitschr. 1869, p. 132) ; (3) ab-rck, rejoice thou (Cook, Speaker's Com. in loco, p. 482) ;…
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Easton, M.G. (1893) Easton's Bible Dictionary. 3rd edn. Thomas Nelson. [Public Domain]
- Nave, O.J. (1897) Nave's Topical Bible. Topical Bible Publishing Co.. [Public Domain]
- Hastings, J. (ed.) (1909) A Dictionary of the Bible. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Smith, W. (ed.) (1884) Smith's Bible Dictionary. London: John Murray. [Public Domain]
- Fausset, A.R. (1878) Fausset's Bible Dictionary. [Public Domain]A Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopaedia