Page:The Story of Joseph and His Brethren.djvu/102

Rh Lord never had any actual sin, but only the hereditary tendencies to evil derived from His fallen human parent. All this garment of frailty and mortality the Lord put off, and put on as "change of raiment" a garment of infinite purity and immortality, such as that in which He appeared on the mount of transfiguration, when His raiment was white as the light. But Joseph not only changed his garment, but he shaved himself. And this part of his change was like that of the Nazarite when the days of his Nazariteship were ended; on which occasion he shaved his head. It was a law amongst the Israelites, also, that if any man desired to marry a beautiful captive who had been taken in war, she should shave her head and pair her nails, and put off the raiment of her captivity, after which they should be married. (Deut. xxi. 13.) In all these cases, shaving and changing the raiment was meant to be a sign of putting off what is old, and putting on what was new, and thus symbolizing a change of state.

It has been formerly remarked that Joseph, being made governor over all the land of