EGW → Biblical Foundation
Select an Ellen White book from the sidebar to see each passage mapped to the Bible verses it amplifies, cites, or echoes.
Scripture Index
Ellen White & Bible Cross-Reference
Genesis 45:3
"And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence."
"Joseph was satisfied. He had seen in his brothers the fruits of true repentance. Upon hearing Judah's noble offer he gave orders that all but these men should withdraw; then, weeping aloud, he cried, “I am Joseph; doth my father yet live?” PP 230.3"
The EGW passage directly quotes Genesis 45:3: "I am Joseph; doth my father yet live?"
"His brothers stood motionless, dumb with fear and amazement. The ruler of Egypt their brother Joseph, whom they had envied and would have murdered, and finally sold as a slave! All their ill treatment of him passed before them. They remembered how they had despised his dreams and had labored to prevent their fulfillment. Yet they had acted their part in fulfilling these dreams; and now that they were completely in his power he would, no doubt, avenge the wrong that he had suffered. PP 230.4"
The EGW passage elaborates on the emotional state of Joseph's brothers after he reveals his identity, which is directly prompted by the verse in Genesis 45:3. While not a direct quote, it expands on the immediate aftermath and the brothers' reaction, making it a thematic parallel.
"I gained strength very slowly. As I became able to join in play with my young friends, I was forced to learn the bitter lesson that our personal appearance often makes a difference in the treatment we receive from our companions. At the time of my misfortune my father was absent in Georgia. When he returned, he embraced my brother and sisters, and then inquired for me. I, timidly shrinking back, was pointed out by my mother, but my own father did not recognize me. It was hard for him to believe that I was his little Ellen, whom he had left only a few months before a healthy, happy child. This cut my feelings deeply, but I tried to appear cheerful, though my heart seemed breaking. 1T 11.4"
Both passages involve a delayed recognition. In Genesis, Joseph's brothers don't immediately recognize him. In EGW's account, her father doesn't recognize her after her illness. The shared theme is the shock and emotional impact of this delayed or failed recognition.
Genesis 45:4-5
"And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life."
"Seeing their confusion, he said kindly, “Come near to me, I pray you;” and as they came near, he continued, “I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.” Feeling that they had already suffered enough for their cruelty toward him, he nobly sought to banish their fears and lessen the bitterness of their self- reproach. PP 230.5"
EGW directly quotes and paraphrases Genesis 45:4-5.
Genesis 45:5
"Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life."
“For these two years,” he continued, “hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and He hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me tarry not: and thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast: and there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty. And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that …
EGW directly quotes and paraphrases Genesis 45:5 and surrounding verses.
"Remember that your experience is not the first of the kind. You know the history of Joseph and of Daniel. The Lord did not prevent the plottings of wicked men; but He caused their devices to work for good to those who, amidst trial and conflict, preserved their faith and loyalty. 8T 123.2"
The EGW passage references the story of Joseph, and Genesis 45:5 is a key verse illustrating how God used Joseph's trials for good. The connection is thematic, showing God's providential hand in difficult situations.
Wonderful is the work which God designs to accomplish through His servants, that His name may be glorified. God made Joseph a fountain of life to the Egyptian nation. Through Joseph the life of that whole people was preserved. Through Daniel God saved the life of all the wise men of Babylon. And these deliverances were as object lessons; they illustrated to the people the spiritual blessings offered them through connection with the God whom Joseph and Daniel worshiped. So through His people today God desires to bring blessings to the world. Every worker in whose heart Christ abides, everyone who will show forth His love to the world, is a worker together with God for the blessing of humanity. As he receives from the Saviour grace to impart to others, from his whole being flows forth the tide of spiritual life. Christ came as the Great Physician to heal the wounds that sin has made in the human family; and His Spirit, working through His servants, imparts to sin-sick, suffering human be…
Both passages highlight God's use of individuals (Joseph and believers today) to bring blessings and preserve life. The EGW passage explicitly draws a parallel between Joseph's role in saving the Egyptians and the role of believers in bringing spiritual blessings. The connection is valid and meaningful.
Genesis 45:24
"So he sent his brethren away, and they departed: and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way."
"upon the others. Then, fearing that disputes would arise among them on the homeward journey, he gave them, as they were about to leave him, the charge, “See that ye fall not out by the way.” PP 231.2"
EGW directly quotes Genesis 45:24.
Genesis 45:26
"And told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob’s heart fainted, for he believed them not."
"The sons of Jacob returned to their father with the joyful tidings, “Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt.” At first the aged man was overwhelmed; he could not believe what he heard; but when he saw the long train of wagons and loaded animals, and when Benjamin was with him once more, he was convinced, and in the fullness of his joy exclaimed, “It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die.” PP 231.3"
EGW directly references and paraphrases Genesis 45:26.