And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck;
Ver. 42. And Pharaoh took off his ring.] Pliny therefore is mistaken, who thinks the use of rings came not up before the Trojan war. How happy had he been, that was so great a book devourer, a had he lit upon the Bible. He was insighted in all the secrets of nature, as appears by his works, which is non minus varium quam ipsa return natura, saith Erasmus: he never read anything but he excerpted it; neither in his library only, but in his couch: and while he was on horseback, he either wrote or dictated somewhat to be written. b When he saw his nephew walk out some hours without studying, he said to him, Poteras has horas non perdere. He lived in the days of Vespasian, and was a great dealer under him. What pity it was that neither by Jews nor Christians he came to the knowledge of the Scriptures, where he might have met with many antiquities, as this of the use of the ring, an ornament of honour, not elsewhere to be read of. But God had "hid these things from the wise and prudent, because it so seemed good in his sight." Mat 11:25-26
And put a gold chain about his neck.] Behold, saith a learned interpreter, c one hour hath changed his fetters into a chain of gold, his rags into robes, his stocks into a chariot, his jail into a palace; Potiphar's captive to his master's lord; the noise of his chains into Abrech. God commonly exalts his people to the contrary good to that evil he had cast them into; as Joseph here, of a slave to be a ruler; Christ judged, to be Judge of all. So Gaius, so soon as he came to the empire, the first thing he did was to prefer Agrippa, who had suffered imprisonment for wishing him emperor: he made him king of Judea (this was that Herod that was eaten with worms, Act 12:23), and gave him a chain of gold, as heavy as the chain of iron that was upon him in prison.
a Helluo librorum.
b Nihil unquam legit, quin excerperet: nec in Bibliotheca tantum, sed in lectica; sed equitans quoque vel scribebat vel scribendum aliquod dictabat. - Textor Officina.
c D. Hall.