Verse by Verse

²⁸ Then he sent Judah before him to Joseph, to point out before him the way to Goshen. And they came to the land of Goshen.

²⁹ So Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel; and he presented himself to him, and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while.

³⁰ And Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive.”

³¹ Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and tell Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘My brothers and those of my father’s house, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me.

³² And the men are shepherds, for their occupation has been to feed livestock; and they have brought their flocks, their herds, and all that they have.’

³³ So it shall be, when Pharaoh calls you and says, ‘What is your occupation?’

³⁴ that you shall say, ‘Your servants’ occupation has been with livestock from our youth even till now, both we and also our fathers,’ that you may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.”

As the Israelites approached Egypt, they knew they would be stopping in Goshen, according to Joseph’s instructions (Genesis 45:10), whereas Joseph’s headquarters were located farther south and west. Therefore Jacob sent Judah (now fully recognized as the leader among Jacob’s sons) on ahead to tell Joseph to meet them in Goshen, and to direct them exactly where to go.

As soon as he heard his father was coming, Joseph hitched up his chariot and went to Goshen to meet him. When they finally met, for the first time in over twenty-two years, the joy was almost unbearable. — Morris, pages 634-635.

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The Egyptian people, according to both the Bible and secular history, despised the profession of shepherding. Up to this point, apparently, Pharaoh had not been appraised of the fact that the Israelites kept flocks and herds. For this reason, it would be better for them to keep more or less segregated from the Egyptians.

Joseph instructed his brothers to stress this aspect of their activities to Pharaoh, as he also would himself, in order to encourage him to designate Goshen as their home. Otherwise, there might be many—perhaps even Pharoah himself—who would prefer to see the Israelites mix with the Egyptians, the better to encourage intermarriage and eventual assimilation. — Morris, page 635.

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Finally, to ensure a minimum of social contact with (and hence potential molestation by) the Egyptians, Joseph instructs his family to stress (not to lie about) their role as shepherds, since every shepherd is loathsome to the Egyptians). — Wechsler, page 260.

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It appears that hordes of marauders, called hycassos, or shepherd kings, whose chief occupation, like the Bedouin Arabs of the present day, was to keep flocks, made a powerful irruption into Egypt, which they subdued, and ruled, by a succession of kings, with great tyranny for 259 years. Hence the persons and even the very name of shepherds were execrated, and held in the greatest odium by the Egyptians. — Treasury, page 34.

Obviously, God directed Joseph’s advice in this instance. By calling themselves shepherds, the Israelites guaranteed that the Egyptians would stay away, enabling God’s people to remain a separate and distinct people even while living in a foreign land for 400 years.

⁸ Now these were the names of the children of Israel, Jacob and his sons, who went to Egypt: Reuben was Jacob’s firstborn.

⁹ The sons of Reuben were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

¹⁰ The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman.

¹¹ The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

¹² The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.

¹³ The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puvah, Job, and Shimron.

¹⁴ The sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.

¹⁵ These were the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Padan Aram, with his daughter Dinah. All the persons, his sons and his daughters, were thirty-three.

¹⁶ The sons of Gad were Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.

¹⁷ The sons of Asher were Jimnah, Ishuah, Isui, Beriah, and Serah, their sister. And the sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel.

¹⁸ These were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter; and these she bore to Jacob: sixteen persons.

¹⁹ The sons of Rachel, Jacob’s wife, were Joseph and Benjamin.

²⁰ And to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him.

²¹ The sons of Benjamin were Belah, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.

²² These were the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob: fourteen persons in all.

²³ The son of Dan was Hushim.

²⁴ The sons of Naphtali were Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.

²⁵ These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, and she bore these to Jacob: seven persons in all.

²⁶ All the persons who went with Jacob to Egypt, who came from his body, besides Jacob’s sons’ wives, were sixty-six persons in all.

²⁷ And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two persons. All the persons of the house of Jacob who went to Egypt were seventy.

A discrepancy has been imagined between v.26 and v.27. The “souls that came with Jacob” were sixty-six. The “souls of the house of Jacob” (i.e., the entire Jacobean family) were seventy, i.e., the sixty-six who came with Jacob, plus Joseph and Joseph’s two sons, who were already in Egypt, which equals sixty-nine, plus Jacob himself, which equals seventy. — Scofield, page 65.

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[Leah’s offspring] total thirty-one. However Er and Onan died in Canaan, leaving only twenty-nine of Leah’s sons and grandsons who went to Egypt. Presumably, therefore, Leah also had four daughters or granddaughters, making a total of thirty-three (v.15). One of these was, of course, Dinah, whose unique contribution to Israel’s history (chapter 34) warrants her name being given.

The two sons of Pharez, Hezron and Hamul, are also mentioned by name (v.12), even though they could hardly have been born in Canaan. Pharez himself was born after his brother Shelah was a grown man (Genesis 38:14, 29). Since Judah could not have been more than about forty-seven at this time, Pharez was still only a boy. The names of his sons are evidently included to point out that, so far as Judah’s inheritance was to be reckoned, they had taken the place of Er and Onan, who had died in Canaan.

It is also noted that Simeon’s son Shaul was the “son of a Canaanitish woman” (v.10). This suggests that the wives of Jacob’s other sons (with the exception of Tamar) were not women of the Canaanites. Probably the other sons of Israel had married women who were descendants of Ishmael or Esau, or possibly of Keturah.

One of the sons of Levi, Kohath, was to become Moses’ ancestor. One of the grandsons of Judah, namely Hezron, was destined to be in the lineage of Christ. — Morris, pages 630-631.

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A daughter of Asher, Serah by name, and two sons of Beriah (therefore great-grandsons of Jacob)—Heber and Malchiel—are listed. These are presumably included because they were the only great-grandsons of Zilpah that had been born prior to the move into Egypt. All of these names [from Zilpah, Leah’s maid] total sixteen (v.18). — Morris, page 632.

Fourteen names are listed as descendants of Rachel. Seven names are listed as descendants of Bilhah, Rachel’s maid.

The numbers do not include any of the wives of Jacob’s sons and grandsons (nor the husbands of his daughters and granddaughters), but only those who were of his own seed.

Even though the ten sons of Benjamin may not actually have been born in Canaan, they are listed in order to make this role of founders parallel and complete, since all of Jacob’s grandsons were to be reckoned among these founders. [Although] they all could have been born while Benjamin was still in Canaan. Though Benjamin was not more than twenty-five at this time, at the most, it is conceivable that he could have married while in his teens and then his wife, or wives, could have borne him ten sons (including multiple births) within this relatively brief period.

The seventy original Israelites, summing up, included Jacob and his twelve sons, fifty-one grandsons, two great-grandsons, one daughter (Dinah), one granddaughter (Serah), one other unnamed daughter of Leah, and one unnamed granddaughter of Leah (v.7). It is unusual—though certainly such things are known to happen occasionally—for one sex to be so predominant in a family throughout two generations. It seems probable that, in this case, providential intervention actively produced an abnormally large percentage of males in order to provide a foundation for rapid enlargement of the Israeli nation. … It may also be that other daughters existed but had married and so did not migrate to Egypt. — Morris, page 633.

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The total of 75 persons given by Stephen in Acts 7:14 is most likely due to the inclusion of Joseph’s three grandsons and two great-grandsons, per Genesis 50:23 (with Numbers 26:29, 35-36)—i.e., all the children of Jacob in Egypt mentioned in Genesis, prior to the Exodus). — Wechsler, page 260.

1 So Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

² Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” And he said, “Here I am.”

³ So He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there.

⁴ I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.”

⁵ Then Jacob arose from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little ones, and their wives, in the carts which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.

⁶ So they took their livestock and their goods, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to Egypt, Jacob and all his descendants with him.

⁷ His sons and his sons’ sons, his daughters and his sons’ daughters, and all his descendants he brought with him to Egypt.

God spake to him in the visions of the night as “Israel,” but addressed him as “Jacob, Jacob.” He repeats the name; and [perhaps] to kindle affection and confidence He uses the personal name and not the official title.

God forbade Abraham and Isaac to go down into Egypt, He now encourages Jacob to go, saying: “I will go down with thee.” When God promises His company there need be neither hesitation nor fear.” — Williams, page 40.

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Each time [Jacob] had made an important move, God had spoken to him directly. When he left his parents to go to Haran, God had appeared to him at Bethel (Genesis 28:13-15); when he had been with Laban long enough, God instructed him to return to Canaan (Genesis 31:3); even when he left Shechem, God had appeared to him (Genesis 35:1, 9-12).

On his way out of Canaan Israel had in mind to stop by the old altar at Beersheba, where he had lived with his father Isaac (Genesis 28:10). Beersheba was near the southern boundary of the land, and would, so to speak, be the “point of no return.” There, at Beersheba, he offered sacrifices …

That night, once again, God appeared to him in a vision, for the eighth and last time, so far as the record goes. … God set Jacob’s mind at ease about going down to Egypt. Identifying Himself as indeed the God of his father Isaac, He also assured Jacob that He (El, the strong Creator and Sovereign of all men) would protect him and bless him in Egypt, even as He had in Canaan.

Furthermore, God promised that He would bring him back up out of Egypt, when it was time to do so. This promise, as applied to Jacob personally, was only fulfilled after his death (Genesis 49:29; 50:4-8), but it found its more complete fulfillment in the lives of his descendants, in the days of Moses and Joshua. …

Last of all, God assured him that he would see Joseph again. Furthermore, when Jacob’s time to die would come, it would be his beloved son, Joseph himself, who would perform the sacred duty of “laying his hand upon thine eyes,” that is, of closing his eyes in death for his burial. — Morris, pages 628-629.

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[Jacob] evidently had daughters (v.7) and granddaughters, even though Dinah is the only daughter whose name or birth is specifically mentioned (Genesis 30:21), and Serah, daughter of Asher, the only granddaughter (v.17). … The word “daughters” (v.7) cannot refer to his sons’ wives, as those who are enumerated are said to be his seed. Evidently neither the daughters-in-law nor any of the servants are included in the various numerical totals given in this chapter. — Morris, page 630.

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Jacob—reflecting his consistent progress of spiritual growth ever since the event of Genesis 32:24-32 [when he wrestled with God]—goes first to Beersheba and offers sacrifices t0 (i.e., implores the guidance of) God, proceeding no further until the Lord assures him he can do so. — Wechsler, page 260.

¹⁶ Now the report of it was heard in Pharaoh’s house, saying, “Joseph’s brothers have come.” So it pleased Pharaoh and his servants well.

¹⁷ And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals and depart; go to the land of Canaan.

¹⁸ Bring your father and your households and come to me; I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the fat of the land.

¹⁹ Now you are commanded—do this: Take carts out of the land of Egypt for your little ones and your wives; bring your father and come.

²⁰ Also do not be concerned about your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’”

²¹ Then the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them carts, according to the command of Pharaoh, and he gave them provisions for the journey.

²² He gave to all of them, to each man, changes of garments; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments.

²³ And he sent to his father these things: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and food for his father for the journey.

²⁴ So he sent his brothers away, and they departed; and he said to them, “See that you do not become troubled along the way.”

²⁵ Then they went up out of Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to Jacob their father.

²⁶ And they told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt.” And Jacob’s heart stood still, because he did not believe them.

²⁷ But when they told him all the words which Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived.

²⁸ Then Israel said, “It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

Joseph was greatly esteemed in Egypt, by everyone from Pharaoh on down. He in fact had been Egypt’s deliverer, and the whole nation was grateful. …

Pharaoh instructed Joseph to tell his brothers to return to Canaan and to bring their father and all their households into Egypt, promising that they would receive the good things of Egypt and eat the “fat” (that is, the best food) of the land. Pharaoh so insisted that they come to Egypt that he actually “commanded” them to do this. He even gave them wagons with which they could bring their wives and children and their father, in order to make the journey as easy as possible for them. These “wagons” were essentially carts, usually on two wooden wheels, drawn by oxen or horses. This is the first mention of wagons in the Bible and suggests that they were essentially unique to Egypt at that time.

Pharaoh further instructed them not to try to pack up all their “stuff,” or “vessels.” He would give them all the utensils and miscellaneous household items they would need, when they reached Egypt. — Morris, page 624.

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As Joseph sent his brothers away, he wished them well and admonished them to “fall not out by the way.” The more common meaning [of this word] is “be troubled.” Thus, Joseph was telling them not to let doubts or fears arise again to trouble them after they had left him. Every one of his promises was genuine, and he wanted them all to move down to Egypt with minimum delay. — Morris, page 625.

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It is noteworthy that, as [a] change in attitude came over Jacob, the narrative, which had been calling him by his old name, Jacob (vs. 25-27), suddenly begins calling him Israel again (v.28). …

No comment is made on what his sons must have told him about how Joseph got to Egypt in the first place. … Morris, page 625

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It may mean (v.23) prepared meat; some made-up dishes, delicacies, confectioneries, etc. In Asiatic countries they have several curious methods of preserving flesh by potting, by which it may be kept, for any length of time, sweet and wholesome. Some delicacy, similar to the savory meat which Isaac loved, may be here intended; sent to Jacob in consideration of his age, and to testify the respect of his son; for of other kinds of meat he could have no need, as he had large flocks and herds, and could kill a lamb, kid, etc. when he pleased. — Treasury, page 33.

1 Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Make everyone go out from me!” So no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers.

² And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard it.

³ Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph; does my father still live?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence.

⁴ And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.

⁵ But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.

⁶ For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.

⁷ And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

⁸ So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

⁹ “Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph: “God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not tarry.

¹⁰ You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you and your children, your children’s children, your flocks and your herds, and all that you have.

¹¹ There I will provide for you, lest you and your household, and all that you have, come to poverty; for there are still five years of famine.” ’

¹² “And behold, your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my mouth that speaks to you.

¹³ So you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that you have seen; and you shall hurry and bring my father down here.”

¹⁴ Then he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck.

¹⁵ Moreover he kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after that his brothers talked with him.

After hearing Judah’s passionate plea for his brother and father (Genesis 44:18-34), Joseph could no longer control his emotions or put off revealing his identity.

Joseph dramatically cried for all his servants to leave the room. What was about to transpire would not be appropriate for anyone not in the family to see … When Joseph was alone with his brothers, he cried out to them that he was their brother Joseph, the one they thought was dead. He was sobbing and crying out so loudly that those whom he had dismissed from the room could not help but overhear, and they in turn soon carried the news to Pharaoh’s house (vs. 2, 16). …

The eleven brothers were completely speechless. They were “troubled” at his presence, according to the Authorized Version; but the actual Hebrew word also means “amazed” or “frightened,” or even “terrified.” — Morris, pages 619-620.

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The word “posterity” (v.7) is actually the regular word for “remnant.” … Joseph kept emphasizing as strongly as he could, that all of this had been planned of God. He wanted his brothers to recognize this also, that they might understand with great appreciation how God was working on their behalf in order that He might fulfill His great promises to their fathers. So, far from being an insignificant family in the land of Canaan, they were the objects of the special solicitude of the God of all the earth. To fulfill His plans for them, He had even made Joseph a “father” to Pharaoh, advising him on all decisions, as well as lord of his household and ruler of the land of Egypt. Joseph, as usual, gave all the glory to God, and he wanted his brothers to do the same. — Morris, pages 621-622.

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Joseph instructed [his brothers to tell Israel] that he wanted the entire family to move down to Egypt with him. He would arrange for them to have adequate room for all their households, as well as their flocks and herds, in the land of Goshen, a fertile region in northeastern Egypt. The district was about nine hundred square miles in area, and would be ideal for their needs. — Morris, page 622.

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Goshen was the most eastern district of Lower Egypt, and the frontier of that country and Arabia, not far from the Arabian gulf, and lying next to Canaan; for Jacob went directly thither when he came into Egypt, from which it was about eighty miles distant, though Hebron was distant from the Egyptian capital about three hundred miles. — Treasury, page 33.

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Joseph, overcome with emotion, reveals his true identity to his brothers, who are naturally dumbfounded (rather then “dismayed”) at the news. Out of empathy for his brothers—who have up to this point been guiltily assessing their supposed sins of theft against this powerful Egyptian as just recompense for their sin in selling Joseph (see 42:22 and 44:16)—Joseph seeks to comfort them with a theologically mature reflection on God’s all-encompassing goodness and sovereignty—to wit, that despite their sinful intention in selling him as a slave to the Egypt-bound traders, “God sent me before you to preserve life” (see also Genesis 50:20). In other words, all that Joseph suffered during his thirteen years as a slave and then prisoner was due, ultimately, not to the sinful will and actions of his brothers, but to the perfect will and behind-the-scenes work of God Himself. This does not, of course, exonerate his brothers from the sinful part they played, though in response to their obvious repentance this profound theological reflection would have stood as a significant source of comfort and conciliation. — Wechsler, page 259.

1 And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack.

² Also put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his grain money.” So he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.

³ As soon as the morning dawned, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys.

⁴ When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, “Get up, follow the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good?

⁵ Is not this the one from which my lord drinks, and with which he indeed practices divination? You have done evil in so doing.’ ”

⁶ So he overtook them, and he spoke to them these same words.

⁷ And they said to him, “Why does my lord say these words? Far be it from us that your servants should do such a thing.

⁸ Look, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money which we found in the mouth of our sacks. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house?

⁹ With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s slaves.”

¹⁰ And he said, “Now also let it be according to your words; he with whom it is found shall be my slave, and you shall be blameless.”

¹¹ Then each man speedily let down his sack to the ground, and each opened his sack.

¹² So he searched. He began with the oldest and left off with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.

¹³ Then they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey and returned to the city.

¹⁴ So Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, and he was still there; and they fell before him on the ground.

¹⁵ And Joseph said to them, “What deed is this you have done? Did you not know that such a man as I can certainly practice divination?”

¹⁶ Then Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; here we are, my lord’s slaves, both we and he also with whom the cup was found.”

¹⁷ But he said, “Far be it from me that I should do so; the man in whose hand the cup was found, he shall be my slave. And as for you, go up in peace to your father.”

¹⁸ Then Judah came near to him and said: “O my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord’s hearing, and do not let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even like Pharaoh.

¹⁹ My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father or a brother?’

²⁰ And we said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, who is young; his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother’s children, and his father loves him.’

²¹ Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.’

²² And we said to my lord, ‘The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’

²³ But you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more.’

²⁴ “So it was, when we went up to your servant my father, that we told him the words of my lord.

²⁵ And our father said, ‘Go back and buy us a little food.’

²⁶ But we said, ‘We cannot go down; if our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we may not see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’

²⁷ Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons;

²⁸ and the one went out from me, and I said, “Surely he is torn to pieces”; and I have not seen him since.

²⁹ But if you take this one also from me, and calamity befalls him, you shall bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.’

³⁰ “Now therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the lad’s life,

³¹ it will happen, when he sees that the lad is not with us, that he will die. So your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father with sorrow to the grave.

³² For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father forever.’

³³ Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad as a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers.

³⁴ For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me, lest perhaps I see the evil that would come upon my father?”

Morris takes a stab at why Joseph orchestrated the events of this chapter. I believe it makes sense if God was the one making the test.

[Joseph’s brothers] had already shown real sorrow for their sin against Joseph, had confessed it as sin, and had also shown themselves to be honest, God-fearing men. … Furthermore, they had shown no resentment against Benjamin, as Joseph feared might be the case.

But he still was not sure what their attitude might be if forced to make a choice between their own personal welfare and that of Benjamin and their father. Accordingly, Joseph  planned one further test before he could completely accept and forgive them (and, though Joseph was the man responsible, it can better be regarded as a final examination that God Himself was placing on them). — Morris, page 611.

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The use of the pronoun [“this” in v. 5] without reference to any antecedent, would indicate that [the steward] believed they all knew full well what it was they had stolen. Joseph had a well-deserved reputation for prophetic insight, and the brothers themselves had noted with wonder how Joseph had been able to have them seated at the table in order of their respective ages. The inference seems to be that this may well have been an object coveted by many. …

It is known that the Egyptians used such cups, as did other ancient peoples, for the purpose of predicting, professing to see tokens of future events in the reflections of water in the cup or in the arrangements assumed by small particles of gold or silver in it. … It is probably that Joseph … was simply adapting his image to that expected of an Egyptian leader who had priestly functions as well as political. — Morris, pages 612-613.

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The final evidence that their characters had indeed really be transformed by this time, was that, to a man, they were willing to stand by Benjamin no matter what! They all “rent their clothes” in grief , but immediately turned around and went back to Joseph’s city. …

Joseph opened the interview with a formal charge and inquiry as to why they had done such a thing. …

Judah was clearly the spokesman for the brothers from this time on. … He confessed their recognition that they all deserved punishment. Even though they were innocent in this particular situation, they were very guilty sinners, and “God hath found out the iniquity” of them all. He and his brothers were deeply burdened with the enormity of their deed in selling Joseph into bondage twenty years ago; now, it was only fitting that they themselves should also become slaves in Egypt for the rest of their days. — Morris, pages 615-616

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Judah spoke very respectfully, but very earnestly and intensely. … He demonstrated that, whatever may have been his earlier weaknesses, whether resentment of Joseph (though it will be recalled that he at the time had saved Joseph’s life) or the lusts of the flesh (which had showed up especially in his dealings with Tamar), he now was a strong man of godly character and compassion. — Morris, page 617.

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Judah had promised Israel he would be surety for Benjamin, perhaps not fully realizing at the time how near this promise would come to fulfillment. … Judah’s intense love for his father is exhibited most of all in his final plea: “How shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? How can I see the evil that shall come on my father?” — Morris, page 618.

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The brothers return to Joseph’s house, where Judah—whose preeminent role is anticipated by the statement “Judah and his brothers” in v.14—steps forward to intercede for the life of his brothers (v.18). After summarizing the entire situation (from 42:13), Judah draws his plea to a conclusion in v.32 by telling Joseph that he has become surety for Benjamin—again employing the verbal form of the same root used nominally in 38:17-18 to denote Judah’s “surety” or “pledge.” Whereas in this latter passage, however, the “surety” consists of certain inanimate possessions (i.e., Judah’s seal, cord, and staff), in the present passage it consists of the person of Judah himself—the theological-Christological significance of which is vividly borne out by use of the nominal form of this same root applied in the New Testament to the “surety” of believers as centered in Jesus and represented by His abiding Spirit (so in all 3 NT occurrences: 2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5; Ephesians 1:14). Indeed, this messianic significance of the term—and hence of Judah typologically—is already expressed in the Hebrew Bible in the Lord’s eschatological declaration through Jeremiah (in Jeremiah 30:21) that He will one day reconcile His people Israel to Himself because “their leader (who) shall be one of them … will give Himself in surety” for them. — Wechsler, page 259.

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[Judah’s words (beginning in v.18) are] perhaps one of the most tender, affecting pieces of natural oratory every spoken or penned; and we need not wonder to find that, when Joseph heard it, he could not refrain himself, but wept aloud. …

Every word in [verse 20] is simplicity and pathos itself. No man of the least sensibility can read it without great emotion. Indeed the whole speech is exquisitely beautiful, and perhaps the most complete pattern of genuine natural eloquence extant in any language. When we read this generous speech, we forgive Judah all the past, and cannot refuse to say, “Thou are he whom they brethren shall praise” (Genesis 49:8). …

What must Benjamin have felt when he heard his brother conclude his speech by a proposal which could never have been thought of if it had not been actually made! Perhaps the annals of the whole world do not produce an instance of so heroic and disinterested affection in any mere man. — Treasury, pages 32-33.

¹⁵ So the men took that present and Benjamin, and they took double money in their hand, and arose and went down to Egypt; and they stood before Joseph.

¹⁶ When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men to my home, and slaughter an animal and make ready; for these men will dine with me at noon.”

¹⁷ Then the man did as Joseph ordered, and the man brought the men into Joseph’s house.

¹⁸ Now the men were afraid because they were brought into Joseph’s house; and they said, “It is because of the money, which was returned in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may make a case against us and seize us, to take us as slaves with our donkeys.”

¹⁹ When they drew near to the steward of Joseph’s house, they talked with him at the door of the house,

²⁰ and said, “O sir, we indeed came down the first time to buy food;

²¹ but it happened, when we came to the encampment, that we opened our sacks, and there, each man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight; so we have brought it back in our hand.

²² And we have brought down other money in our hands to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.”

²³ But he said, “Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.

²⁴ So the man brought the men into Joseph’s house and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys feed.

²⁵ Then they made the present ready for Joseph’s coming at noon, for they heard that they would eat bread there.

²⁶ And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed down before him to the earth.

²⁷ Then he asked them about their well-being, and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?”

²⁸ And they answered, “Your servant our father is in good health; he is still alive.” And they bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves.

²⁹ Then he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your younger brother of whom you spoke to me?” And he said, “God be gracious to you, my son.”

³⁰ Now his heart yearned for his brother; so Joseph made haste and sought somewhere to weep. And he went into his chamber and wept there.

³¹ Then he washed his face and came out; and he restrained himself, and said, “Serve the bread.”

³² So they set him a place by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; because the Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians.

³³ And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth; and the men looked in astonishment at one another.

³⁴ Then he took servings to them from before him, but Benjamin’s serving was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.

One can imagine [Joseph’s] emotion as he saw Benjamin, his beloved younger brother, for the first time in over twenty years. He had been only a little child then; so it was practically like seeing him for the very first time. Joseph was quickly assured that his brothers had done nothing harmful to Benjamin [Joseph hadn’t been certain because of what they had done to him]; he was in quite good health and apparently was well regarded by his brothers. — Morris, page 607.

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The ten brothers, who had been so apprehensive about merely seeing this man again, hardly knew what to make of this invitation. He had been so harsh with them, and here he was inviting them to dine with him! … After they were gathered in the dining hall, unarmed and unprepared to offer any resistance, [they thought he might] have his guardsmen fall on them, and make slaves out of them. …

Since they had brought Benjamin with them, as they had been instructed, the only remaining excuse the man could have for taking such action would be the money that had been found in their sacks when they returned home after their first trip to Egypt. Accordingly, before they entered Joseph’s house, they tried to explain to Joseph’s steward that they had really not stolen the money; it had somehow been placed in their sacks by someone other than themselves, and they had now brought it back again, along with additional money to buy new supplies. …

Their fear must have changed to surprise and wonder when the steward replied that he had indeed received their money, and their account was fully settled. It must therefore have been “your God and the God of your father” who had placed the money in the sacks! … It almost seems that the steward himself acknowledged their God to be the true God. Perhaps Joseph had told him about God, and in this way he had come to have faith in Him. — Morris, page 608.

bowed down before him to the earth (v.26) — fulfilling Joseph’s dream (Genesis 37:5-10)

Herodotus and other ancient writers have commented on the exclusiveness of the Egyptians. In keeping with their segregation practices, three separate tables had to be set: one for the Hebrews, one for the Egyptian guests, and one for Joseph himself—the last table because of his high position. In particular, the Egyptians abhorred the thought of eating at the same table with Hebrews. They were of a different race, a different language, a different religion. Of course the Egyptians knew that Joseph was a Hebrew and that he worshiped the Hebrews’ God; this had been clearly expressed by Joseph when he first met Pharaoh and was appointed to his position, nevertheless, as far as social customs were concerned, he now had an Egyptian name, an Egyptian wife, and in general lived in the manner of the Egyptian rulers.. He therefore could not eat directly with his brothers without giving undue offense to the Egyptian guests who were present.

After they were assigned to seats at their table, the eleven brothers noted a remarkable thing. They had been seated in order of age, from the eldest through the youngest … Evidently, this man knew a great deal more about their family than they had realized; or else he had some kind of supernatural power. They had no answer, and could only wonder.

Then the waiters, on Joseph’s orders, did another odd thing. They gave Benjamin five times as much as they gave the other men. … This [probably] refers to portions sent from the head table, as a gift of honor. The reason for this … [may have been] to ascertain whether the other brothers would manifest resentment toward Benjamin as they had toward Joseph. Apparently it did not bother then, and this was another very good sign to Joseph. — Morris, page 610.

I wonder if Joseph was deliberately giving his brothers hints as to his identity to see if they would figure it out.

1 Now the famine was severe in the land.

² And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, “Go back, buy us a little food.”

³ But Judah spoke to him, saying, “The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’

⁴ If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food.

⁵ But if you will not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ ”

⁶ And Israel said, “Why did you deal so wrongfully with me as to tell the man whether you had still another brother?”

⁷ But they said, “The man asked us pointedly about ourselves and our family, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?’ And we told him according to these words. Could we possibly have known that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”

⁸ Then Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones.

⁹ I myself will be surety for him; from my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever.

¹⁰ For if we had not lingered, surely by now we would have returned this second time.”

¹¹ And their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best fruits of the land in your vessels and carry down a present for the man—a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds.

¹² Take double money in your hand, and take back in your hand the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks; perhaps it was an oversight.

¹³ Take your brother also, and arise, go back to the man.

¹⁴ And may God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved, I am bereaved!”

It is at this point (v.3) that Judah’s role begins to expand and theologically overshadow that of Joseph, for to ensure the safety of Benjamin he takes the positive initiative (just as he took the negative initiative to sell off Joseph) and declares to his father that he will be surety for his brother. The expression used here is significant, for it is from the same root used previously—and certainly not coincidentally!—by Judah in 38:17-18 to describe the “surety” or “pledge” that Tamar takes from him and which serves as the catalyst for his own spiritual “turning point.” The use of the same root here thus serves as an unmistakable—even if literarily subtle—link between the two episodes that serves to underscore that thematic relevance of the former as well as the moral-behavioral shift of Judah in this latter. — Wechsler, page 257.

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It is interesting that, at this point in the narrative (v.6), the name Israel begins to be used instead of Jacob. This name had not been used since Genesis 37:13. It seems that, as long as Jacob seemed completely broken and defeated by virtue of Joseph’s apparent death, his old name, Jacob is used. Now, for the first time, he begins to consider the possibility of allowing Benjamin to go. His faith is in process of revival, and so he is called Israel again. …

Judah spoke up again, promising that he himself would be surety for Benjamin. He put the matter kindly, but bluntly. This was really their only possible course of action. If they didn’t follow through on it, not only would Benjamin die, but all of them, including Jacob’s grandchildren. Death by starvation was becoming a very real possibility, so severe was the food shortage. … He concluded by reminding Jacob that, if they had not procrastinated so long, they could already have made the trip to Egypt and back twice over. — Morris, page 605.

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[The Hebrews] kept putting off a second trip (v.10) [probably] because of their certainty that it would prove disastrous unless Benjamin were with them and because of Jacob’s adamant refusal to let him go. — Morris, page 603.

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Both Israel and his sons seem to speak of [Joseph], this stubborn Egyptian official only as “the man.” Evidently they were never informed of his name (Zaphnath-paaneah) or else were reluctant to use it for some reasons. Israel prepared a gift for the man. … The gift included balm, myrrh, and spices (the same articles mentioned in Genesis 37:25 as being carried into Egypt by the Midianite tradesmen, and thus apparently considered by the Egyptians as valuable imports), as well as nuts (probably pistachios) and almonds, neither of which were produced in Egypt, and honey (probably grape “honey,” a thick syrup boiled down from fresh grape juice, which also was not produced in Egypt). [The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge suggests the “honey” came from dates.]

Beside these items, Israel reminded them to take back the bundles of money which had been restored in their sacks on the first trip, and which evidently they had left undisturbed since, as well as “double money” to pay for the new purchase of grain. …

Finally, Israel told them to take their brother Benjamin with them to the man down in Egypt, expressing the prayerful hope and confidence that God Almighty (El Shaddai), who had been the God of the Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 17:1), would overrule in the heart of the man and constrain him to return both Benjamin and Simeon … If not, Israel was content to leave the matter with God. — Morris, page 606.

²⁵ Then Joseph gave a command to fill their sacks with grain, to restore every man’s money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. Thus he did for them.

²⁶ So they loaded their donkeys with the grain and departed from there.

²⁷ But as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey feed at the encampment, he saw his money; and there it was, in the mouth of his sack.

²⁸ So he said to his brothers, “My money has been restored, and there it is, in my sack!” Then their hearts failed them and they were afraid, saying to one another, “What is this that God has done to us?”

²⁹ Then they went to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan and told him all that had happened to them, saying:

³⁰ “The man who is lord of the land spoke roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.

³¹ But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies.

³² We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is with our father this day in the land of Canaan.’

³³ Then the man, the lord of the country, said to us, ‘By this I will know that you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, take food for the famine of your households, and be gone.

³⁴ And bring your youngest brother to me; so I shall know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. I will grant your brother to you, and you may trade in the land.’ ”

³⁵ Then it happened as they emptied their sacks, that surprisingly each man’s bundle of money was in his sack; and when they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.

³⁶ And Jacob their father 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.”

³⁷ Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, “Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you; put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.”

³⁸ But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is left alone. If any calamity should befall him along the way in which you go, then you would bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.”

Their journey back home must have been over a distance of about 250 miles or more. Presumably Jacob was still living in Hebron, and Joseph’s headquarters were possibly at or near the city of Memphis, which is about 10 miles south of the present city of Cairo. Thus, the journey would take them probably about three weeks. — Morris, page 601

Their hearts failed them and they were afraid (v.28) — presumably because they believed the Egyptians would consider that they’d not paid for the grain and so had, in fact, stolen it. When the time came to return to Egypt (which they would have to do eventually to recover Simeon), the governor would have an extra thing to accuse them of.

When Jacob discovered that all his sons had money in their sacks, he reacted with horror (v.36) and expected the worst.

Jacob accused his nine sons (more truly than he knew) of having been responsible for the loss of two of his children, Joseph and Simeon, and now surely they were going to cause the loss of Benjamin also, which was more than he could bear. And not only this, if they went into Egypt with Benjamin as the man had instructed them, they could all be charged with robbery, and maybe none of them would be allowed to return! Jacob would lose his entire family … Before he could really think through the situation and regain his trust and faith in God, he cried out that everything was against him. …

Upset by his father’s distress, Reuben (typically concerned, and meaning well, but nevertheless confused and unstable) rashly promised that he would be responsible for Benjamin if Jacob would let him go with them. If anything happened to him, he assured his father, then Jacob could slay his (Reuben’s) own two sons in punishment. Exactly what satisfaction he thought his father could get out of killing two of his grandsons, after already losing his sons, is hardly clear. …

Jacob simply refused altogether to consider letting Benjamin go down to Egypt … And there the matter stood for the time being. — Morris, pages 602-603.

1 When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?”

² And he said, “Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may live and not die.”

³ So Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt.

⁴ But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “Lest some calamity befall him.”

⁵ And the sons of Israel went to buy grain among those who journeyed, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

⁶ Now Joseph was governor over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the earth.

⁷ Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as a stranger to them and spoke roughly to them. Then he said to them, “Where do you come from?” And they said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.”

⁸ So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.

⁹ Then Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them, and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land!”

¹⁰ And they said to him, “No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food.

¹¹ We are all one man’s sons; we are honest men; your servants are not spies.”

¹² But he said to them, “No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land.”

¹³ And they said, “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and in fact, the youngest is with our father today, and one is no more.”

¹⁴ But Joseph said to them, “It is as I spoke to you, saying, ‘You are spies!’

¹⁵ In this manner you shall be tested: By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.

¹⁶ Send one of you, and let him bring your brother; and you shall be kept in prison, that your words may be tested to see whether there is any truth in you; or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies!”

¹⁷ So he put them all together in prison three days.

¹⁸ Then Joseph said to them the third day, “Do this and live, for I fear God:

¹⁹ If you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined to your prison house; but you, go and carry grain for the famine of your houses.

²⁰ And bring your youngest brother to me; so your words will be verified, and you shall not die.” And they did so.

²¹ Then they said to one another, “We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; therefore this distress has come upon us.”

²² And Reuben answered them, saying, “Did I not speak to you, saying, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? Therefore behold, his blood is now required of us.”

²³ But they did not know that Joseph understood them, for he spoke to them through an interpreter.

²⁴ And he turned himself away from them and wept. Then he returned to them again, and talked with them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.

Here’s Williams’ take on why Joseph acted as he did.

He loved [his brothers], and therefore sought their spiritual welfare. He acted so as to bring their sin to remembrance, to make them confess it with their own lips, and not just to him and in his presence, for he still concealed himself from them, but to God and in His presence. His detention of Simeon, and, afterwards, of Benjamin, was skillfully designed so as to find out if they still were indifferent to the cries of a captive brother and the tears of a bereaved father. His plans succeeded admirably, his sternness and his kindness both conspired to disquiet them; and his goodness helped to lead them to repentance. — Williams, page 39.

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Apparently, everyone coming into Egypt from foreign lands to buy grain had to obtain a direct permit from Joseph before he would be allowed to do so. It might well be that, under cloak of such a purchasing mission, outsiders might enter the land for subversive purposes. Foreign kings might covet Egypt’s wealth and desire to infiltrate and sabotage and possibly invade and plunder the land. It was up to Joseph to carefully screen all such alien travelers to be sure of their purposes. — Morris, page 595.

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[Joseph] had been a lad of seventeen when [his brothers] last saw him; now he was about thirty-eight. Furthermore, he was not dressed as a slave, but as a king. Also, he spoke to them through an interpreter (v.23), and so they did not even know he could speak their language.

As did everyone who come into Joseph’s presence, except Pharaoh himself (Genesis 41:43), they had to bow down before him. The did not realize, of course, that in so doing they were making the very dream come true for which they had hated him (Genesis 37:7-8). The word “bowed down” in verse 6 is the same as “make obeisance” in 37:7. — Morris, page 596.

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In [chapters 42-45] God “ties together” the various strands of circumstance that are spun in the previous five chapters (from 37:2), bringing the brothers face-to-face with their sin for the purpose of reconciliation and, consequently, refinement in godliness as He continues to mold them into the ideal covenant people that they will one day be (cf. Deuteronomy 10:12-22; Isaiah 1:25-26; Malachi 1:5). This dénouement commences when as a result of the famine—which extended even to the land of Canaan (see 41:57)—Jacob sends the ten brothers of Joseph to buy grain from Egypt. When they arrive, though Joseph recognizes his brothers, they do not recognize him, which situation Joseph then wisely exploits in order to (1) determine whether their collective character has improved and they have moved beyond their predilection to deceitfulness, while (2) ensuring that a connection is established which will ensure their continued interaction. Towards this end Joseph accuses the brothers of being spies, which they of course deny, whereupon Joseph sets a condition to determine whether the truth is really with them. Though initially this condition is that one of them will return to fetch Benjamin while the other nine remain confined (i.e., held as prisoners), Joseph compassionately mitigates this condition (he will not do to them, even for a much shorter period, what they did to him) and confines only one of them, Simeon, while the other nine return to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. — Wechsler, pages 256-257.

One wonders if Simeon was the one chosen as the hostage because he was a ringleader in the murder of the Shechemites (Genesis 34:25-31) and, perhaps, in selling Joseph into slavery.