Genesis 43

1. And the famine was sore in the land. And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the 2 corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a 3 little food. And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, 4 saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you. If thou wilt send our 5 brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food: 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 6 you. And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had 7 yet a brother? 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 ac- cording to the tenor of these words: could we in any wise know that he would say, Bring 8 your brother down? 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, 10 and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever: for except we had lingered, 11 surely we had now returned a second time. 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 12 a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spicery and myrrh, nuts, and almonds: and take double money in your hand; and the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks 13 carry again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight: take also your brother, and 14 arise, go again unto the man: 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. 15 And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin: 16 and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph. And when Joseph saw Ben- jamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, Bring the men into the house, and slay, 17 and make ready; for the men shall dine with me at noon. And the man did as Joseph bade; 18 and the man brought the men into Joseph’s house. And the men were afraid, because they were brought into 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 19 upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses. And they came near to the steward of 20 Joseph’s house, and they spake unto him at the door of the house, and said, Oh my lord, we 21 came indeed down at the first time to buy food; 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 22 his sack, our money in full weight: and we have brought it again in our hand. And other money have we brought down in our hand to buy food: we know not who put our money in 23 our sacks. 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 24 them. And the man brought the men into Joseph’s house, and gave them water, and they 25 washed their feet; and he gave their asses provender. And they made ready the present 26 against Joseph came at noon: for they heard that they should eat bread there. And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, 27 and bowed down themselves to him to the earth. And he asked them of their welfare, and 28 said, Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive? And they said, Thy servant our father is well, he is yet alive. And they bowed the head, and made obei- 29 sance. 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 30 unto thee, my son. And Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother: 31 and he sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there. And he 32 washed his face, and came out; and he refrained himself, and said, Set on bread. And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for 33 that is an abomination unto the Egyptians. And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled one with 34 another. 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.

The careful student of Stephen’s speech can hardly fail to see that he had One greater than Joseph in his mind, when he reminded his hearers how their fathers, “moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt; but God was with him, and delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he made him gov- ernor over Egypt, and all his house.” Even so had they, too, moved with envy, delivered Jesus into the hands of Gentiles; even so had God been with Him, and highly exalted Him, and given Him a name that was above every name; and even so, though His own nation might re- ject Him, yet in Him should the Gentiles trust. J. P. N.—When the chosen family were in the process of assuming the rudimentary form of that people through whom salvation and bless- ing were to come to other kindreds of the earth, the beginning was rendered prophetic of the end; the operations both of the evil and the good in the infancy of the nation were made to image the prospective manifestation that was to be given of them when the things of the divine kingdom should rise to their destined maturity. Especially in the history of Joseph, the representative of the covenant in its earlier stage, was there given a wonderful similitude of Him in whom its powers and blessings were to be concentrated in their entire fulness, and who was therefore in all things to obtain the pre-eminence among His brethren. Like Joseph, the Son of Mary, though born among brethren after the flesh, was treated as an alien; envied and persecuted even from His infancy, and obliged to find a temporary refuge in the very land that shielded Joseph from the fury of his kindred. His supernatural and unblemished righteousness continually provoked the malice of the world, and at the same time received the most unequivocal tokens of the divine favor and blessing. It was that righteousness, exhibited amid the greatest trials and indignities, in the deepest debasement, and in worse than prison-house affliction, which procured His elevation to the right hand of power and glory, from which He was thenceforth to dispense the means of salvation to the world. In the dispensation, too, of these blessings, it was the hardened and cruel enmity of His immediate kindred which opened the door of grace and blessing to the heathen; and the sold, hated, and crucified One becomes a Prince and Saviour to the nations of the earth, while His famishing brethren reap in bitterness of soul the fruit of their inexcusable hatred and malice. Nor is there a door of escape to be found for them until they come to acknowledge, in contrition of heart, that they are verily guilty concerning their brother. Then, however, looking unto Him whom they have pierced, and owning Him as, by God’s appointment, the one channel of life and blessing, their hatred shall be repaid with love, and they shall be admitted to share in the inexhaustible fulness that is treasured up in Christ. P. F.

1-10. The pressure of famine is again upon the encampment in Hebron; and Jacob says to his sons, “Go again, buy us a little food.” This is what his sons have waited for. Judah comes now to the front, and manifests the highest wisdom and the greatest consideration for all parties concerned. He reminded his father that it would be only making matters worse for them if they should return to Egypt without Benjamin, since that would be interpreted by the Egyptian lord as an evidence that they had spoken untruly on their former visit, and would probably end in the imprisonment of them all along with Simeon; so that, as the result, he would have neither food nor sons, save Benjamin only. And when his father asked why they had told the great man that they had ananother brother, he defended their conduct by describing how the information had been forced out of them by the accusation that they were spies, and by the repeated interrogations of their questioner, consequent upon their statement that they were all sons of one man. There was no resisting the force of his words when he asked, “Could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother down?” But the power of his appeal was strengthened when with a noble spirit of self-sacrifice he offered himself as surety for the safety of Benjamin. W. M. T.

8. The lad.** The peculiar usage of the Hebrew in regard to “lad” is here to be borne in mind. Benjamin was now at least thirty years of age; and had children of his own yet he is here called “a lad,” because he was the youngest of all the sons of Jacob, and, in the lack of Joseph, the favorite of his aged father. Bush.

14. God Almighty.** El Shaddai Jacob here uses that name of the Most High, by which He made Himself known to Abraham, and afterward renewed His covenant with Jacob himself. Hereby he calls to mind the promise of protection to himself and his house, as well as the power of Him who had promised. E. H. B.—God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin. Yet, if God had otherwise appointed,—if He saw fit to take from him his children, his faith would rise to this also: “And I, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved?"—good is the will of the Lord, and he would bow before it. It is touching (vs. 11, 12) to watch his feeble attempts to ward off the wrath of the dreaded Egyptian. It was a famine-year, and there would be scarcity of the luxuries which were usually exported from the East to Egypt. Let them, then, take a present of such dainties to the Egyptian—“a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds.” As for the money which had been put back into their sacks, it might have been an oversight. Let them take it again with them, along with the price of what corn they were now to purchase. And so let them go forth in the name of the God of Israel—Benjamin, and all the rest. He would remain behind alone, as at the fords of Jabbok,—no, not alone; but in faith and patience awaiting the issue. A. E.

18. They were afraid, because they were brought into Joseph’s house. The just challenges of their own consciences and Joseph’s suspicions of them forbade them to expect any favor, and suggested to them that this was done with a bad design upon them. Those that are guilty and timorous are apt to make the worst of everything. H.—Their accusing consciences represented everything to them through a disheartening medium. Yet according to the prevailing custom of the East, the very fact that they had been invited to Joseph’s table was in itself an encouraging circumstance.

18-26. They imagined that they were to be called in question about the money which they had found in their sacks on their return from their former visit; therefore they took the opportunity, as they were approaching the palace, to make the steward acquainted with the true state of the case. But he reassured them by telling them that he had received their money, and by bringing Simeon out to them that they might be all united once again. One cannot but marvel at the spirit manifested by this servant. He seems, indeed, to have been taken by his master into his confidence for the occasion, and the words which he uses would indicate either that Joseph had told him precisely what to say, or that he was himself, under the influence and example of Joseph, a believer in Jehovah; for thus he speaks: “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.” Surely now, therefore, they would be set at rest, for was not this an answer to their father’s prayer, “God Almighty give you mercy before the man”? That impression would be deepened when they saw that the steward treated them as his master’s guests, and gave them water for their feet and provender for their asses, telling them at the same time that they should eat bread there. So they got their present ready, and when Joseph came they put it into his hands and bowed themselves to the earth, thus once again fulfilling the dream of his youth. W. M. T.

26. Present.** There was still more in the incident than a proof of Jacob’s wish to conciliate the lord of Egypt. The giving of costly presents was and ever has been in that quarter of the world, the usual token of homage to superiors. As this present came from Jacob by the hand of his sons, Joseph’s dream might now be considered as verified, that the sun, moon, and eleven stars did obeisance to him. When his brethren bowed down themselves to the earth before him, they humbly solicited his favor for their father as well as for themselves. Bush.

27-30. Little could they imagine what thoughts passed through his mind, as in true Oriental fashion they laid out the humble presents his father had sent, and lowly “bowed themselves to him to the earth.” His language ill concealed his feelings. Again and again he inquired for his father, and as they replied: “Thy servant our father is in good health; he is yet alive,” they again “bowed down their heads, and made obeisance.” But when he fastened his eyes on Benjamin, his own mother’s son, and had faltered it out, so unlike an Egyptian: “God be gracious unto thee, my son,” he was obliged hastily to withdraw, “for his bowels did yearn upon his brother.” Twenty-two years had passed since he had been parted from his brother. Would they who had once sacrificed him on account of jealousy, be ready again to abandon his brother for the sake of selfishness? A. E.

29. My son.** Benjamin was only seven years younger than Joseph—therefore thirty-two years old. This term is rather the kind expression of a superior, than any allusion to Benjamin’s youth. The words contain not so much a particular blessing, but an usual form of friendly salutation in the East. Geri.

33. The brothers of Joseph sat before him at the table, while according to patriarchal practice they were accustomed to recline. It appears from the sculptures that the Egyptians also were in the habit of sitting at table, although they had couches. Sofas were used for sleeping. In a painting in Rosellini each one of the guests sits upon a stool, which, in accordance with the custom, took the place of the couch. Hengs.—That the brethren of Joseph were seated according to their age must have increased the mystery which they felt hanging about their relation to him. It must have made the impression on them that the man on whom their life and happiness depended had more than human knowledge; that he could penetrate into the most intimate relations and circumstances of their family-life. 34. But the remarkable distinction bestowed on Benjamin must have appeared to them even more strange and important. In the family of his father Benjamin occupied the position of Joseph, and it was soon to appear whether the want of affection which had characterized their conduct toward Joseph would also characterize that toward Benjamin. For the circumstance that Benjamin received a fivefold portion forms quite a parallel to the peculiar dress by which the affection of his father had distinguished Joseph. At that time only envy, hatred, and vengeance had been the consequences of this distinction; it was now to appear whether the same would result in the case of Benjamin. K.

The host appears to become satisfied of one thing, that his guests are no longer envious one of another. They do not murmur, though the representative of Egypt’s monarchy confers especial favors upon the youngest. Ambition no longer sways their hearts as once it did. Malice has given place to kindly feelings; hatred, to love. J. S. V.—We may be sure that if they had been envious of Benjamin they would have revealed it by their remarks upon his procedure. But no such manifestation was made by them, and the feast was one of harmonious gladness, “for they drank and were merry with him.” W. M. T.