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†. Ex 1:8-10 . .Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt. Look; he said to his people: the Israelites have become much too numerous for us. Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.
In other words: Pharaoh Thug-O wasn't worried about Jacob's people conquering Egypt and taking it over. No, he was concerned about them vacating the premises. And why would he even care if they left? Because they were a source of some of the finest blue collar tradesmen in the world; that's why.
†. Ex 31:1-6 . .The Lord spoke unto Moses, saying: See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: and I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship. and I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded you.
I worked as a professional welder for forty years. Some years prior to retiring, I worked for a while in a sheet metal shop whose owner threatened to summarily fire anybody who scratched the finished concrete floor in his pristine new facility. I was aghast. That self-centered moron was totally unappreciative that the skilled tradesmen in his place of business were the very reason behind his company's success, not to mention the source of his wealth. Some of those men had been on the payroll for decades and could produce his products under bid and right to size and quality like nobody's business. What a fool; I thought to myself. He's even dumber than the idiot who killed the goose who laid golden eggs if he can't see that his employees weren't commodities as easily replaced as shopping for a quart of milk or a loaf of bread.
A machinist friend of mine recounted an experience working with his dad as a young apprentice in a machine shop while he was in high school. His dad purchased a spiffy new end mill and assigned my friend to work with it. Well; he was very fond of that mill; and at the close of every work day, he wiped it spotless with fresh rags and covered its work table with plastic sheeting to protect it from dust. His dad got disgusted; and after locking a tool in the mill's chuck, cut a ragged groove in the work table and then told his son; Okay; now make me some money with it. (chuckle) My friend never forgot the lesson that tools, equipment, and facilities are expendable; while profits and skilled labor aren't.
Although the Jews weren't in on building the pyramids, Jacob's people were very in on constructing other things for Egypt.
†. Ex 1:11 . .They built for Pharaoh treasure cities: Pithom and Raamses.
The Hebrew word for "treasure" is mickenah (mis-ken-aw') which means: a magazine. Webster's defines a magazine as: a place where goods and/or supplies are stored; viz: warehouses and/or storage facilities for grain, wine, oil, lumber, stones, bricks, weapons, and/or whatever.
†. Ex 1:10-12 . . Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply . . . therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens . . . but the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew.
Silly man. Everybody knows that underprivileged folk tend to have larger families than those of leisure and wealth.
Note: Jacob's people were not only skilled in the blue collar trades; but also fishing, animal husbandry, and agriculture. (Gen 47:3, Num 11:5). So they weren't a burden to Egypt; no, they were self-sufficient, and contributed quite a bit to the land's gross national product.
Buen Camino
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