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Genesis 43

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Judah Becomes Surety for Benjamin 1–14

1
And the famine was sore in the land. ​
2
And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food.
3
And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you. ​
4
If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food:
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but if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down; for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.
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And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother? ​
7
And they said, The man asked straitly concerning ourselves, and concerning our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we in any wise know that he would say, Bring your brother down?
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And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones. ​
9
I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever: ​
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for except we had lingered, surely we had now returned a second time.
11
And their father Israel said unto them, If it be so now, do this: take of the choice fruits of the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spicery and myrrh, nuts, and almonds; ​
12
and take double money in your hand; and the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks carry again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight: ​
13
take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man:
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and God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release unto you your other brother and Benjamin. And if I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved. ​

The Brothers Arrive and Fear 15–25

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And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph.
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And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, Bring the men into the house, and slay, and make ready; for the men shall dine with me at noon. ​
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And the man did as Joseph bade; and the man brought the men to Joseph’s house.
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And the men were afraid, because they were brought to Joseph’s house; and they said, Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in; that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses. ​
19
And they came near to the steward of Joseph’s house, and they spake unto him at the door of the house,
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and said, Oh, my lord, we came indeed down at the first time to buy food:
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and it came to pass, when we came to the lodging-place, that we opened our sacks, and, behold, every man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight: and we have brought it again in our hand.
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And other money have we brought down in our hand to buy food: we know not who put our money in our sacks.
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And he said, Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them. ​
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And the man brought the men into Joseph’s house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their asses provender. ​
25
And they made ready the present against Joseph’s coming at noon: for they heard that they should eat bread there.

Joseph Meets Benjamin; The Feast 26–34

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And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed down themselves to him to the earth. ​
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And he asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive?
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And they said, Thy servant our father is well, he is yet alive. And they bowed the head, and made obeisance.
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And he lifted up his eyes, and saw Benjamin his brother, his mother’s son, and said, Is this your youngest brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son. ​
30
And Joseph made haste; for his heart yearned over his brother: and he sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there. ​
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And he washed his face, and came out; and he refrained himself, and said, Set on bread.
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And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, that did eat with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians. ​
33
And they sat before him, the first-born according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled one with another. ​
34
And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin’s mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Genesis 43

Verse 1

the famine was sore — 'Sore' is kabed, heavy, the word for a weight pressing down. The famine had begun in the land of Canaan (42:5) and was 'in all lands' (41:54), as Joseph had foretold. The corn bought in Egypt is now eaten up (v.2), while Simeon is still held there.

Verse 3

did solemnly protest — Ud, to bear witness, is doubled in the Hebrew, giving the force of a sworn warning: 'Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.' Judah now speaks for the brothers, where Reuben's offer of his two sons had been refused (42:37).

Verse 6

dealt ye so ill with me — Ra'a, to do evil or harm. Jacob had said of Benjamin, 'Me have ye bereaved of my children… all these things are against me' (42:36). The narrative names him 'Israel' here, as in vv.8 and 11.

Verse 8

that we may live, and not die — The same plea Jacob made when he first sent them to Egypt: 'that we may live, and not die' (42:2). 'Lad' (na'ar) is still Benjamin's name, though by 46:21 Benjamin has sons of his own, so it marks him as the youngest, not as a child.

Verse 9

I will be surety for him — Arab, to pledge oneself as security for another. Judah fulfils the word in 44:32–33, where he asks to abide 'instead of the lad a bondman'. 'Bear the blame' is literally 'I shall have sinned' (chata). Of Christ: 'By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament' (Heb 7:22).

Verse 11

a little balm, and a little honey — 'Balm' (tsori), 'spices' (nekoth) and 'myrrh' (lot) are the three goods the Ishmeelite caravan was 'bearing… down to Egypt' when Joseph was sold to it (37:25). 'Best fruits' is zimrah, found only here; 'present' is minchah, a gift offered to one of higher rank.

Verse 12

double money — Mishneh, a second portion: the returned silver and the price of the new grain. The returned money had been found in the mouth of each sack (42:35). 'Oversight' is mishgeh, an error, found only here; Jacob assumes a mistake.

Verse 14

God Almighty — El Shaddai, the name by which God had appeared to Abraham (17:1) and by which Isaac blessed Jacob (28:3). 'Mercy' is rachamim, compassion, a word tied to the womb. 'Bereaved' is shakol, the verb of 42:36; Rebekah used it in 27:45, 'deprived also of you both'.

Verse 16

the ruler of his house — Literally 'him who was over his house', the steward who receives the brothers in vv.18–19 and fills their sacks in 44:1. 'Slay' (tabach) is the verb for slaughtering animals. 'At noon' is literally 'at the double light', the middle of the day.

Verse 18

seek occasion against us — Literally, 'roll himself upon us' (galal), as one who falls on a prey. The brothers fear to be taken 'for bondmen' (ebed), the very lot they had given Joseph, 'whom ye sold into Egypt' (45:4). The silver in their sacks is the cause they suppose.

Verse 23

your God, and the God of your father — The steward gives the credit to the God of Jacob. 'Treasure' is matmon, a hidden store; 'I had your money' is literally 'your money came to me'. The word 'Peace' is shalom, and the release of Simeon, bound in 42:24, follows at once.

Verse 24

they washed their feet — Rachats, to wash. Water for the feet was a host's first welcome to travellers: Abraham gave it to the three men (18:4), and Laban to Abraham's servant and 'the men's feet that were with him' (24:32). The brothers' asses are fed with 'provender' (mispo, fodder).

Verse 26

bowed themselves to him to the earth — The words Jacob used in rebuking Joseph's dream: 'bow down ourselves to thee to the earth' (37:10). The brothers had bowed before the governor already (42:6); the sheaves 'made obeisance' to Joseph's sheaf in the first dream (37:7).

Verse 29

God be gracious unto thee, my son — Chanan, to show favour, the verb of the priestly blessing, 'the LORD… be gracious unto thee' (Num 6:25). 'His mother's son' marks Benjamin as Rachel's, born as she died (35:16–18); of Jacob's sons only Joseph and Benjamin were hers.

Verse 30

his bowels did yearn — 'Bowels' is rachamim, the word Jacob used in v.14: 'God Almighty give you mercy before the man'. 'Yearn' (kamar) is to be kindled, as in Hos 11:8, 'my repentings are kindled together'. Joseph wept in his chamber (cf. 42:24; 45:2).

Verse 32

an abomination unto the Egyptians — Toebah. Three tables are set: for Joseph, for the brothers and for the Egyptians. The same separation lies behind 'every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians' (46:34) and Moses' words about sacrifice (Ex 8:26). 'Hebrews' (ibri) is the name outsiders use for them.

Verse 33

the firstborn according to his birthright — Bekor is the firstborn and bekorah his right. They are seated from Reuben, 'Jacob's firstborn' (35:23), down to the youngest, Benjamin, in the order of their birth. 'Marvelled' is tamah, to be struck with astonishment.

Verse 34

Benjamin's mess was five times — 'Messes' are portions 'taken' (nasa, lifted) from Joseph's own table and sent to each. Benjamin's was five times the others'; in 45:22 he is given 'three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment'. 'Were merry' is shakar, to drink freely; the same verb is used of Noah in 9:21.