LESSON 23
Genesis for Today: Chapters 42-43
by Herb Drake

Copyright (c) 1998, 2020, Herb Drake.

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Joseph's Brothers Go to Egypt

The famine-in-the-land theme recurs and when the predicted famine arrives in Canaan. Jacob orders ten of his sons (that is, all but Benjimen, his favorite) to go to Egypt and bargain for food. That puts them on a collision course with Joseph who, of course, is the official responsible for food in that country. Joseph expects his brothers to be among the many travelers trying to purchase grain from Egypt, and he almost certainly took measures to alert him when they arrive.

Joseph recognizes them right away, but the brothers don't recognize him; they had expected Joseph to have died years ago and certainly couldn't have imagined that the clean-shaved official standing before them was their long lost brother. Joseph, however, does not reveal himself for his own motives. He may have wanted to get even with them for their throwing him into a pit. Or he may have had higher motives--to test them to see whather he could detect any repentance in them.

Joseph listens to their story; he learns that his father still lives and that he has held back Benjamin. He uses that information to force them to retrieve Benjamin, accusing them of being spies and threatening to hold them until one of their number returns to Canaan to fetch Benjamin.

The sons are detained for three days, after which Joseph proposes a new and more generous plan. One of the brothers, Simeon, is to remain in prison while the others return to Jacob to fetch Benjamin and to bring the needed grain with them. The brothers are confused, and discuss their guilt over the way they treated Joseph when he was a boy, not realizing that Joseph understood every word they were saying. As the nine men began their trip back to Canaan, they are further confused by the discovery that the money they had used to pay for the Egyptian grain had been returned to them, hidden in the grain sacks.

When they arrive home and tell Jacob, relating that they had to return to Egypt with Benjamin, their father cries in anguish. The grain they had brougth from Egypt is quicly exhausted and there is no relief from the famine, so a second visit to Egypt becomes necessary. Jacob only allows Benjamin to accompany his brothers on another trip when Judah pledges surety for Benjamin--evidently he would prefer to lose Simeon than to risk the loss of Benjamin. Suitable gifts are gathered for presentation to Joseph.

Joseph swears by the name of Pharaoh twice in this episode, probably to throw the brothers off of his Hebrew ancestry. Nevertheless, this is troublesome.

The Brother's Second Meeting with Joseph

That the brothers are escorted into Joseph's house upon their arrival causes them to fear consequences of their not having paid for the grain they purchased on their prior visit, and they again worry that God is punnishing them for the kidnapping of Benjamin years ago. They tell Joseph's steward about the money that had appeared in their sacks, and the steward assures them that they money for the grain had been received and that the money in the sacks must have been a gift from their God.

When Joseph arrives, he has difficulty containing himself when he sees his brother, Benjamin, and has to excuse himself so that his tears won't ruin his plan. He has a meal prepared and seats each of the brothers in order of birth--a "tell" that adds to the confustion of the brothers because each had aged enough that this arrangment could not be made by appearance alone. Giveing Benjamin an extra large portion is another "tell, and helps set the stage for what is to come." The erriment is attributable to the wine, a flavored beverage preferred by the Egyptians.

Genesis 40-41 | Genesis 44-46a