TRV
Translation
King James Version
Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him.
Complete Jewish Bible
and he kissed all his brothers and wept on them. After that, his brothers talked with him.
Berean Standard Bible
Joseph kissed each of his brothers as he wept over them. And afterward his brothers talked with him.
American Standard Version
And he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him.
World English Bible Messianic
He kissed all his brothers, and wept on them. After that his brothers talked with him.
Geneva Bible (1599)
Moreouer, he kissed all his brethren, and wept vpon them: and afterwarde his brethren talked with him.
Young's Literal Translation
and he kisseth all his brethren, and weepeth over them; and afterwards have his brethren spoken with him.
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In the KJVVerse 1,374 of 31,102
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Commentary on Genesis 45 verses 1–15
1 ¶ Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren.
2 And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard.
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.
4 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.
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.
6 For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.
7 And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
8 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.
9 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:
10 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:
11 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.
12 And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you.
13 And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither.
14 And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck.
15 Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him.
Judah and his brethren were waiting for an answer, and could not but be amazed to discover, instead of the gravity of a judge, the natural affection of a father or brother.
I. Joseph ordered all his attendants to withdraw, Gen 45:1. The private conversations of friends are the most free. When Joseph would put on love he puts off state, and it was not fit his servants should be witnesses of this. Thus Christ graciously manifests himself and his loving-kindness to his people, out of the sight and hearing of the world.
II. Tears were the preface or introduction to his discourse, Gen 45:2. He had dammed up this stream a great while, and with much ado: but now it swelled so high that he could no longer contain, but he wept aloud, so that those whom he had forbidden to see him could not but hear him. These were tears of tenderness and strong affection, and with these he threw off that austerity with which he had hitherto carried himself towards his brethren; for he could bear it no longer. This represents the divine compassion towards returning penitents, as much as that of the father of the prodigal, Luk 15:20; Hos 14:8, Hos 14:9.
III. He very abruptly (as one uneasy till it was out) tells them who he was: I am Joseph. They knew him only by his Egyptian name, Zaphnath-paaneah, his Hebrew name being lost and forgotten in Egypt; but now he teaches them to call him by that: I am Joseph; nay, that they might not suspect it was another of the same name, he explains himself (Gen 45:4): I am Joseph, your brother. This would both humble them yet more for their sin in selling him, and would encourage them to hope for kind treatment. Thus when Christ would convince Paul he said, I am Jesus; and when he would comfort his disciples he said, It is I, be not afraid. This word, at first, startled Joseph's brethren; they started back through fear, or at least stood still astonished; but Joseph called kindly and familiarly to them: Come near, I pray you. Thus when Christ manifests himself to his people he encourages them to draw near to him with a true heart. Perhaps, being about to speak of their selling him, he would not speak aloud, lest the Egyptians should overhear, and it should make the Hebrews to be yet more an abomination to them; therefore he would have them come near, that he might whisper with them, which, now that the tide of his passion was a little over, he was able to do, whereas at first he could not but cry out.
IV. He endeavours to assuage their grief for the injuries they had done him, by showing them that whatever they designed God meant it for good, and had brought much good out of it (Gen 45:5): Be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves. Sinners must grieve, and be angry with themselves, for their sins; yea, though God by his power brings good out of them, for no thanks are due to the sinner for this: but true penitents should be greatly affected when they see God thus bringing good out of evil, meat out of the eater. Though we must not with this consideration extenuate our own sins and so take off the edge of our repentance, yet it may be well thus to extenuate the sins of others and so take off the edge of our angry resentments. Thus Joseph does here; his brethren needed not to fear that he would avenge upon them an injury which God's providence had made to turn so much to his advantage and that of his family. Now he tells them how long the famine was likely to last - five years; yet (Gen 45:6) what a capacity he was in of being kind to his relations and friends, which is the greatest satisfaction that wealth and power can give to a good man, Gen 45:8. See what a favourable colour he puts upon the injury they had done him: God sent me before you, Gen 45:5, Gen 45:7. Note, 1. God's Israel is the particular care of God's providence. Joseph reckoned that his advancement was not so much designed to save a whole kingdom of Egyptians as to preserve a small family of Israelites: for the Lord's portion is his people; whatever becomes of theirs, they shall be secured. 2. Providence looks a great way forward, and has a long reach. Even long before the years of plenty, Providence was preparing for the supply of Jacob's house in the years of famine. The psalmist praises God for this (Psa 105:17): He sent a man before them, even Joseph. God sees his work from the beginning to the end, but we do not, Ecc 3:11. How admirable are the projects of providence! How remote its tendencies! What wheels are there within wheels, and yet all directed by the eyes in the wheels, and the spirit of the living creature! Let us therefore judge nothing before the time. 3. God often works by contraries. The envy and contention of brethren threaten the ruin of families, yet, in this instance, they prove the occasion of preserving Jacob's family. Joseph could never have been the shepherd and stone of Israel if his brethren had not shot at him, and hated him; even those that had wickedly sold Joseph into Egypt yet themselves reaped the benefit of the good God brought out of it; as those that put Christ to death were many of them saved by his death. 4. God must have all the glory of the seasonable preservations of his people, by what way soever they are effected. It was not you that sent me hither, but God, Gen 45:8. As, on the one hand, they must not fret at it, because it ended so well, so on the other hand they must not be proud of it, because it was God's doing, and not theirs. They designed, by selling him into Egypt, to defeat his dreams, but God thereby designed to accomplish them. Isa 10:7, Howbeit he meaneth not so.
V. He promises to take care of his father and all the family during the rest of the years of famine. 1. He desires that his father may speedily be made glad with the tidings of his life and dignity. His brethren must hasten to Canaan, and must inform Jacob that his son Joseph was lord of all Egypt; (Gen 45:9): they must tell him of all his glory there, Gen 45:13. He knew it would be a refreshing oil to his hoary head and a sovereign cordial to his spirits. If any thing would make him young again, this would. He desires them to give themselves, and take with them to their father, all possible satisfaction of the truth of these surprising tidings: Your eyes see that it is my mouth, Gen 45:12. If they would recollect themselves, they might remember something of his features, speech, etc., and be satisfied. 2. He is very earnest that his father and all his family should come to him to Egypt: Come down unto me, tarry not, Gen 45:9. He allots his dwelling in Goshen, that part of Egypt which lay towards Canaan, that they might be mindful of the country from which they were to come out, Gen 45:10. He promises to provide for him: I will nourish thee, Gen 45:11. Note, It is the duty of children, if the necessity of their parents do at any time require it, to support and supply them to the utmost of their ability; and Corban will never excuse them, Mar 7:11. This is showing piety at home, Ti1 5:4. Our Lord Jesus being, like Joseph, exalted to the highest honours and powers of the upper world, it is his will that all that are his should be with him where he is, Joh 17:24. This is his commandment, that we be with him now in faith and hope, and a heavenly conversation; and this is his promise, that we shall be for ever with him.
VI. Endearments were interchanged between him and his brethren. He began with the youngest, his own brother Benjamin, who was but about a year old when Joseph was separated from his brethren; they wept on each other's neck (Gen 45:14), perhaps to think of their mother Rachel, who died in travail of Benjamin. Rachel, in her husband, Jacob, had been lately weeping for her children, because, in his apprehension, they were not - Joseph gone, and Benjamin going; and now they were weeping for her, because she was not. After he had embraced Benjamin, he, in like manner, caressed them all (Gen 45:15); and then his brethren talked with him freely and familiarly of all the affairs of their father's house. After the tokens of true reconciliation follow the instances of a sweet communion.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–15. Public domain.
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Caesarius of ArlesAD 542
SERMON 90.4
You have admired the chastity of Joseph; now behold his generosity. He repays hatred with charity. When he saw his brothers, or rather enemies in his brothers, he gave evidence of the affection of his love by his pious grief when he wanted to be recognized by them. He tenderly kissed each one of them and wept over them individually. As Joseph moistened the necks of his frightened brothers with his refreshing tears, he washed away their hatred with the tears of his charity. He loved them always as with the love of their living father and dead brother. He did not recall that pit into which he had been thrown to be murdered; he did not think of himself, a brother, sold for a price. Instead, by returning good for evil, even then he fulfilled the precepts of the apostles that were not yet given. Therefore, by considering the sweetness of true charity, blessed Joseph, with God’s help, was eager to repel from his heart the poison of envy with which he knew his brothers had been struck.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Genesis 45:15 encapsulates the emotionally charged culmination of Joseph's reconciliation with his brothers, depicting his profound embrace of each sibling and the re-establishment of open, unhindered communication. This pivotal moment signifies not only complete forgiveness and the release of years of pain and guilt but also the miraculous restoration of a fractured family bond, all unfolding within the grand tapestry of God's redemptive and sovereign plan.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: This verse immediately follows Joseph's dramatic and tearful self-revelation to his brothers, who had previously sold him into slavery. The preceding verses (Genesis 45:1-14) detail Joseph's inability to restrain his emotions, his command for all Egyptians to leave his presence, and his subsequent declaration, "I am Joseph!" This revelation initially paralyzes his brothers with fear and dismay, as they stand before the powerful vizier of Egypt, whom they had so grievously wronged. Joseph quickly moves to reassure them, emphasizing divine providence over human malice. Genesis 45:15 then serves as the emotional and relational climax of this reunion, transitioning from the shock and terror of the brothers to a profound, physical expression of forgiveness and the re-establishment of intimate family fellowship. It sets the stage for the practical arrangements of their relocation to Egypt and the subsequent reunion with Jacob.
Historical & Cultural Context: In ancient Near Eastern cultures, physical expressions like kissing and weeping were common and deeply significant displays of affection, grief, and reconciliation, especially among family members. The act of kissing, particularly on the cheek or forehead, often conveyed deep respect, affection, and acknowledgment of kinship. Weeping together was a powerful communal expression of shared emotion, whether joy, sorrow, or relief, and often served as a cathartic release. The power dynamic between Joseph, the vizier, and his brothers, who were mere supplicants, was immense. For Joseph, in his position of authority, to initiate such intimate physical contact and emotional vulnerability with those who had wronged him was an extraordinary act of grace, transcending typical social hierarchies and expectations. This act underscores the depth of his forgiveness and the genuine nature of the reconciliation, moving beyond a mere political pardon to a true restoration of family ties.
Key Themes: Genesis 45:15 powerfully reinforces several overarching themes within the Joseph narrative and the book of Genesis. The most prominent is Divine Providence and Sovereignty, as Joseph repeatedly articulates that God orchestrated his suffering and exaltation for the ultimate good of his family and the preservation of life (see Genesis 45:5-8 and Genesis 50:20). Another crucial theme is Forgiveness and Reconciliation, demonstrated by Joseph's radical grace towards his brothers, which breaks the cycle of familial dysfunction that had plagued Jacob's household since its inception, from the deception of Jacob and Esau to the jealousy of Joseph's brothers. This verse also highlights Emotional Healing and Restoration, illustrating how God can bring comfort and wholeness after prolonged suffering and fractured relationships, paving the way for the nascent nation of Israel to grow in unity and strength.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Genesis 45:15 describes Joseph's deeply personal acts of reconciliation: "Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him." This verse captures a moment of profound emotional release and the restoration of a relationship fractured for over two decades.
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The verse employs several powerful literary devices. Climax is evident as this moment represents the emotional peak of the entire Joseph narrative, resolving decades of conflict and pain. Symbolism is richly present: the acts of kissing and weeping symbolize profound forgiveness, the breaking down of barriers, and the restoration of intimacy. The tears themselves are symbolic of shared catharsis and healing. There is a strong sense of Irony, as the powerful vizier, whom his brothers once sought to destroy, now embraces them with unconditional love, reversing the power dynamic and the initial malicious intent. The narrative also uses Repetition ("his brethren" appears twice) to emphasize the familial bond and the collective nature of the reconciliation, underscoring that the entire family unit was being restored.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Genesis 45:15 stands as a powerful testament to the transformative power of radical forgiveness and divine providence. Joseph's actions embody a profound, unconditional love that transcends deep betrayal, offering a tangible example of reconciliation that mirrors God's own character. His ability to see God's hand in his suffering, transforming evil intent into redemptive purpose, elevates this personal family drama to a grand theological statement about God's sovereignty over all circumstances, even human sin. This narrative not only mends a fractured family but also secures the lineage through which God's covenant promises would be fulfilled, ultimately leading to the Messiah.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Genesis 45:15 offers profound lessons for believers today, challenging us to extend radical forgiveness even to those who have deeply wronged us, just as Joseph did. His initiative to reconcile, despite his position of power and the immense suffering he endured, serves as a powerful model. It demonstrates that true forgiveness leads to freedom and healing not only for the one who forgives but also for all parties involved, proving that even the most fractured relationships can be mended through humility, grace, and a willingness to forgive. Furthermore, the narrative reminds us that God can work through painful circumstances to bring about good, even when human actions are malicious, reinforcing the truth that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God. This passage invites us to trust God's overarching plan, even when our personal experiences are marked by injustice, and to participate in His redemptive work by extending grace and seeking reconciliation in our own lives.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why did Joseph weep so much throughout this narrative, particularly in Genesis 45:15?
Answer: Joseph's frequent and intense weeping throughout this narrative, culminating in Genesis 45:15, signifies a profound emotional release. His tears are a complex expression of overwhelming joy at reunion, the deep pain of past separation, the immense relief of forgiveness extended and received, and the enduring love he held for his family despite their betrayal. His weeping is a genuine and cathartic expression of his humanity, the depth of his suffering, and the miraculous reconciliation that was unfolding.
Does "after that his brethren talked with him" imply they were previously silent?
Answer: Yes, it strongly implies that. Prior to this moment, the brothers were speechless with fear and guilt upon realizing Joseph's true identity. Their earlier interactions with Joseph, while he was disguised as the Egyptian vizier, were characterized by his commands and their fearful, often one-sided, responses. This phrase in Genesis 45:15 signifies the breaking of that silence, the dismantling of emotional and relational barriers, and the restoration of open, genuine, and reciprocal communication, which is essential for true and complete reconciliation.
What is the significance of Joseph kissing all his brethren?
Answer: The act of Joseph kissing each brother individually underscores the completeness, personal nature, and unconditional depth of his forgiveness and reconciliation. It demonstrates that his forgiveness was not a general or superficial gesture, but extended to every single one who had wronged him. This intimate act signifies a full and unreserved restoration of their relationship, acknowledging each sibling as a beloved family member, and moving beyond the past betrayal to a renewed bond of kinship.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Joseph's story, culminating in the profound reconciliation of Genesis 45:15, serves as a powerful and poignant foreshadowing of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Like Joseph, who was unjustly rejected by his own brothers and suffered immensely, Jesus was rejected by His own people and endured unimaginable suffering, culminating in His crucifixion. Yet, through His suffering and subsequent exaltation to a position of ultimate authority, Joseph became the means of salvation for his family, preserving the lineage through which the Messiah would ultimately come. Similarly, Christ, through His sacrificial death and glorious resurrection, became the ultimate Savior, offering radical forgiveness and complete reconciliation to all humanity. He invites those who were once alienated by sin to be embraced as His brethren, to weep with Him in shared catharsis, and to enter into restored, intimate fellowship with God the Father, fulfilling the divine plan to redeem a people for Himself, just as Joseph's suffering led to the preservation of Israel. This narrative beautifully illustrates how God uses the rejection and suffering of the innocent to bring about ultimate salvation and restoration for His beloved.