Genesis 42 – Comments added in italics
After focusing on Joseph’s experiences in chapters 39, 40, and 41, the spotlight of Genesis swings back to his family in Canaan. The final verses of Genesis 41 described a worldwide famine, drawing people from all over the region to buy food from Egypt. Where, the brother sold Joseph into slavery (Genesis 37:28) has now become governor of the entire nation.
In Canaan, Joseph’s father Jacob and his family were facing a food shortage, along with everyone else. Jacob would have been quite old by this time. More than twenty years have passed since Joseph’s brothers sold him to passing slave traders to be rid of him. He was seventeen when he was sold into slavery (Genesis 37:28), and it has been more than seven years since he rose to power at the age of thirty (Genesis 41:46, 53–54). For all these years, Jacob has believed his son dead, killed by a wild animal (Genesis 37:31–34).
Now news reaches Jacob and his sons that there is food in Egypt and that it’s for sale. Jacob, still the leader of his clan, becomes unusually impatient. His question is somewhat like the expression “what are you waiting for?” This is not so much a question as a statement: they need to act. They must obtain food before it’s too late. Jacob sends his sons, with the exception of Benjamin, to Egypt to buy food so that they may live and not die.
The unstated understanding, regarding Benjamin, would be: that Benjamin was more important or that they were less important because Jacob specifically stated he did not want calamity to fall upon Benjamin. The ten brothers don’t react to this statement of their father. They don’t react in a negative way because of their guilt over what they did to Joseph. Remember, Benjamin is the full brother to Joseph in addition they saw the suffering of their father over Joseph. This demonstrates that they had remorse for all that they caused, this shows that there was character development in them.
Notice that in this narrative that Jacob is not called by the name God gave him which was Israel. We see that as we progress through the final stories written in Genesis, that sometimes he is referred to as Jacob and at other times he is called Israel.
Joseph’s 10 brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt, because the famine had reached the land of Canaan. So, the sons of Israel arrived into Egypt to buy grain, and Joseph saw them and recognized his brothers. Joseph acted as a stranger to them and spoke in a rough manner to them. Now, the brothers did not recognize their brother.
In previous chapters, we read that Joseph shaved himself when he was summoned from prison to interpret Pharaoh’s dream. Egyptian was abhorred by hair on the body, so they clean shaved themselves. In addition, Pharaoh gave Joseph new cloths, a gold chain to wear upon his neck, and his signet ring. Joseph’s name was changed to an Egyptian name, and he was second in command – the governor over all the land. So, is would be easy to understand why his brothers did not recognize him.
Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him, with their faces to the earth. Joseph asked them where they came from. Joseph was using an interpreter to speak to them. They said they came from Canaan to buy food. Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them when he was a young boy. Remember, in that dream was sheaves of grain and the sheaves representing the brothers bowed before the sheave of Joseph. So, Joseph was first hand witnessing the fulfillment of that dream. Joseph then accuses them of being spies and came to check out the land.
Joseph’s brother told him that they were not spies, but were all of one man’s sons and were honest men. The punishment for spies was death.
A second time Joseph accuses them of being spies. The brothers respond and provide more information about their situation. They tell Joseph that they are twelve brothers and the sons of one man in Canaan. They tell him that the youngest is with their father and one is dead.
A third time Joseph accuses them of being spies and informs them that he is going to verify if what they are saying is true. He tells his brothers that they cannot leave Egypt unless they bring forth their youngest brother. He tells them that one can return to fetch their brother, but the rest would remain in prison. He places them all in prison for three days.
On the third day, Joseph tells his brothers if they do what he says they will live for he himself fears God. He says, IF you are honest men, let one stay confined to prison while the remainder return home with the grain. Then, bring the youngest brother back in order for your story to be verified, and no one will die .
The ten brothers began talking among themselves in their native tongue not knowing that Joseph understood what they were saying. They admit their guilt concerning their brother (Joseph)and they saw his anguish as he pleaded with them; and they confess of their refusal to listen to him. They believe this is why the distress in coming upon them. Reuben called the other nine out by telling them that he warned them not to ‘sin against the boy’ (meaning Joseph), but the nine refused to listen to Reuben and now his blood (Joseph) is required of them.
Upon hearing this, Joseph turned away from them and wept. He then returned to them and spoke with them; taking Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.
Joseph’s brothers bowed before him and called themselves his servants three times. Observing the conversation this far, it seems that there is remorse among them about what they did to Joseph.
Joseph commanded his men to fill their sacks with grain, return their money in their sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. And his men did so.
On the journey back home, one of the brothers opened the sack to feed his donkey and saw his money in the sack. He told his brothers about they money being restored. Their hearts failed them and they were afraid saying “What is this that God as done to us?”
This was a test for the brothers, for they could have brought a servant back and say that he was their brother. However, they were unwilling to lie to Joseph.
Once they got home, they told Jacob their father all that had happened to them. As they emptied their sacks, surprisingly they each found their money was in their sack, this made them all afraid including Jacob.
Jacob said to them “You have bereaved me: Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin. All these things are against me.”
Reuben spoke up and told his father Jacob that if he does not bring Benjamin back to take the life of his own two sons. Reuben said to his father, if you place him in my hand he will be returned to you. Reuben is stating it this way to make an emphatic assurance that he will bring Benjamin back. Reuben was sincere in his commitment to protect Benjamin. In other words, I will protect Benjamin at the expense of my own children…is what he is saying to Jacob.
Jacob then tells them that Benjamin will not return with them for if calamity should strike, it would cause him great distress that would follow him to his grave.