And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived:
All Commentaries on Genesis 45:27 Go To Genesis 45
John Chrysostom
AD 407
Despite these words and the fact that they brought what he had sent, the carts and the gifts sent by Joseph, only with difficulty did they succeed in convincing their father that what they had told him was a lie. In fact, when Jacob saw the carts that had been sent to carry him down to Egypt, “he gained new life,” the text says. This old graybeard, all stooped and bent, suddenly takes on new vigor and heart: observe the text says, “he gained new life.” What is the force of “he gained new life”? Just as the light of the lamp, when the supply of oil runs out and the light is on the point of going out, suddenly emits a brighter flame … when someone puts in a little oil, in just the same way this old man … on the point of expiring from disappointment … next learned that Joseph was alive and was in charge of Egypt. Seeing the carts, “he gained new life,” the text says. From being old, Jacob became young; he put aside the cloud of disappointment; he repelled the storm in his mind and then found himself at peace, with God disposing everything so that the good man should enjoy relief from all these awful trials and share the happiness of his son. In particular, the dream was to be fulfilled that Jacob himself had interpreted in the words, “Do you mean to say that I and your mother and your brothers will come to bow to the ground before you?” Homilies on Genesis
