- Zaphnathpaaneah:
- Which in Coptic signifies a revealer of secrets, or, the man to whom secrets are revealed. Jerome says this name signified in Egyptian, Savatorem mundi, "the Saviour of the world;" and Psotem-phaneh, in Coptic, is certainly "salvation of the world," from CΩT, for σωτηρια [Strong's G4991], salvation, em, the sign of the genitive case, and ΦΕΝΕΗ, world. If this interpretation be correct, Pharaoh must have meant Egypt by the world, or which Joseph might be justly termed the Saviour. We know that the Romans called their empire Universis Orbis-Orbis Terrarum, "all the world:" the Chinese say the same of their empire at the present day, and the phrase is used in the East: Nadir Shah is described on his coins as "Conqueror of the World," i.e., Persia. See the same phraseology applied to Syria, Palestine, etc. "Andª it came to passª° inª thoseª days,ª that there went outª° a decreeª fromª Caesarª Augustus,ª that allª the¹ worldª should be taxed.ª°" {Lke 2:1} + "Andª there stood upª° oneª ofª themª namedª Agabus,ª and signifiedª° byª the¹ Spiritª that there should¹ beª²°° greatª dearthª throughoutª allª the¹ world:ª whichªª came to passª° in the days ofª Claudiusª Caesar.ª" {Act 11:28}
|
