Genesis
42
1 “Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in
Why do ye look one upon another?” Now when Jacob saw - literally, and Jacob saw,
i.e. perceived by the preparations
of others for buying corn in
more probably learned by the report
which others brought from.
that there was corn - שֶׁבֶר, either that which is broken, e.g. ground as in a mill,
from שָׁבַר, to break in pieces, to shiver (Gesenius), or that which breaks forth,
hence sprouts or geminates, from an unused root, שָׁבַר, to press out, to break
forth (Furst), is here employed to denote not simply grain, but a supply of it,
frumenti
cumulus, for sale and purchase. The Septuagint render by πρᾶσις –
prasis - grain,
and the Vulgate by quod alimenta venderentur - in
(see ch. 41:54), Jacob (literally, and Jacob) said unto his sons, - using
verba non, ut multi volunt, increpantis, sed excitantis (Rosenmüller) - Why
do
ye look one upon another? - i.e. in such a helpless and undecided manner (Keil),
which, however, there is no need to regard as springing from a consciousness of
guilt (Lange), the language fittingly depicting the aspect and attitude of those
who are simply consiii inopes (Rosenmüller).
2 “And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is
corn in
down thither, and buy for us from thence; that
we may live, and not die.”
And he said, Behold, I have heard (this does not imply that the rumor had not
also reached Jacob's sons, but only
that the proposal to visit
originate with them) that
there is corn - שֶׁבֶר
as above, σῖτος – sitos – corn –
Septuagint), triticum (Vulgate) - in
not, like Abraham (ch. 12:10) and Isaac (ch. 26:2), propose to remove his family
to
great for so large a household, or by the circumstance that the famine prevailed
in
servants, with the mission, though perhaps dictated by a sense of its importance
(Lawson), was clearly of Divine arrangement for the further accomplishment of
the Divine plan concerning Joseph and his brethren. And buy (i.e. buy corn, the
verb being a denominative from שֶׁבֶר, corn) for us from thence. From this it is
apparent that the hitherto abundant flocks and herds of the patriarchal family had
been greatly reduced by the
long-continued and severe drought, thus requiring them
to obtain food from
or themselves to escape starvation, as the patriarch explained to his sons.
That we may (literally, and we shall) live, and not die.
Man’s Want and God’s provision (vs. 1-2)
The famine was part of God’s plan to carry out His
promise to Abraham
(ch.15:13-14). But it is not merely a fact in
the historical preparation for what
He was bringing to pass; a link in the chain of
events leading on to Christ.
We must look upon it as part of a series of
types foreshadowing gospel truths.
The famine was a step towards the promised possession,
and has its counterpart
in the work of the
Holy Spirit. It represents the spiritual want of man; conviction
of sin (John 16:8; compare Romans 7:9), leading
to know the power of Christ’s work
(Matthew 18:11).
life is more than meat; more than a supply of bodily wants. It is realizing that
he has
wants beyond the present life; that in living for time he has been
following
a shadow. This knowledge is not
natural to us. Bodily hunger
soon makes itself felt, but the soul’s need does
not; and until it is known,
the man may be “poor and blind and naked,” and yet
suppose that he is
“rich and increased with goods.” (Revelation 3:17)
we learn how great it is. We want to still the
accusing voice of conscience;
to find a plea that shall avail in judgment; to
see clearly the way of life that
we may not err therein. In vain we look one on another, seeking
comfort in
the good opinion of men, in their testimony to our upright life. In vain
we
try to satisfy ourselves, by promises to do better, or by offerings of our
substance or of our work. In
vain is it to seek rest in unbelief, or in the
persuasion
that in some way all will be right.
THE SOUL CANNOT
THUS FIND PEACE. There is a voice which at times
will make itself
heard — “all
have sinned” (Romans 3:23) — thou hast sinned.
of life. As to this we mark:
Ø
It was provided
before the want arose (1 Peter 1:20; Revelation
13:8).
The gospel tells us of what has already been done,
not of a gift to
come into existence on certain conditions. The ransom of our
souls HAS
BEEN PAIID! We have to believe and take (Revelation
22:17).
Ø
How faith works. They must go for that food which was ready for
them.
To take the bread of life must be A REAL EARNEST ACT, not a listless
assent. The manna which was to be
gathered, the brazen serpent to which
the sick were to look – (I highly recommend – this website
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Sermon – NUMBER 1500, OR LIFTING UP THE BRAZEN SERPENT - CY – 2018)
the command to the impotent - “Rise, take up thy bed and walk” (John 5:8)
all show that it is not enough merely to wish, there must
be the,
effort of faith (compare I Thessalonians 1:3). This is a law of
the spiritual
kingdom. As natural laws regulate results within
their, domain, so spiritual
results must be sought in accordance with
spiritual laws.
Ø
It is our Brother who has made provision for us. This is our
confidence.
He
waits to reveal himself when in humility and emptiness we come to him,
and to give us plenty (I Corinthians 3:21-22)
3 “And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn
in
And Joseph's ten brethren went down - either it was for safety that all the ten
went, or because, the corn being sold to individuals, the quantity received
would depend on their numbers (Lange) - to buy corn - the word for corn, בָּר,
if not a primitive, like the Latin far (Furst), may be derived from בָּרַר, to
separate, sever, choose out, hence purify (Aben Ezra, Kimchi, Gesenius),
and may describe grain as that which has been cleaned from chaff, as in
Jeremiah 4:11 - in (literally, from, i.e. corn to be brought from) Egypt.
4 “But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sent not
with his brethren;
for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him.” But (literally, and)
Benjamin, Joseph's brother (see ch. 35:18), Jacob sent not with his brethren.
Not because of his youth (Patrick, Lange), since he was now upwards of
twenty years of age, but because he was Joseph's brother, and had taken
Joseph's place in his father's affections (Lawson, Lange, Murphy, &c.),
causing the old man to cherish him with tender solicitude. For he said
(to, or within, himself, perhaps
recalling the fate of Joseph), Lest peradventure
mischief befall him. אָסון, from אָסַה, to hurt (Gesenius, Furst), and occurring
only elsewhere in v. 38, ch. 44:29, and Exodus 21:22-23, denotes any sort
of personal injury in general, and in particular here such mischance as
might happen to a traveler.
5 “And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among
those that came: for the
famine was in the
among those that came - literally, in the midst of the comers; not as being
desirous to lose themselves in the multitudes, as if troubled by an alarming
presentiment (Lange), which is forced and unnatural; but either as forming a
part of a caravan of Canaanites (Lawson), or simply as arriving among others
who came from the same necessity (Keil). For the famine was in the land of
brethren to
both of which have already been sufficiently announced (see vs. 2-3; ch. 41:57),
are neither useless repetitions nor proofs of different authorship, but simply the
customary recapitulations which mark the commencement of a new paragraph
or section of the history, viz., that in which Joseph's first interview with his
brethren is described (cf. 'Quarry on Genesis,' pp. 556, 557).
6 “And Joseph was the governor over the land, and
he it was that sold to all
the people of the land: and Joseph's brethren
came, and bowed down
themselves before him with their faces to the
earth.” And Joseph was the
governor over the land. The word שָׁלִּיט from שָׁלַט, to rule, describes one
invested with despotic authority, or a sultan (Gesenius), in which character
the early Shemites appear to have regarded Joseph (Keil). It is probably the
same idea which recurs in the name Salatis, which, according to Manetho,
belonged to the first of the shepherd kings (Josephus, 'Contra Apionem,' 1:14).
Occurring nowhere else in the Pentateuch, it reappears in the later writings of
Ecclesiastes (Ecclesiastes 7:10; 10:5), Ezra (Ezra 4:20; 7:24), Daniel (Daniel
2:15; 5:29), which, however, need not suggest an exilian or post-exilian authorship,
but may be explained by the fact that the root is found equally in the Arabic and
Aramaean dialects (Keil). And he it was that sold to all the people of the land.
Not conducted the retail corn trade (Tuch, Oort, Kuenen), which was assigned to
subordinates (v. 25; ch. 44:1), but presided over the general market of the
kingdom (Murphy), probably fixing the price at which the grain should be sold,
determining the quantities to be allowed to purchasers, and examining the
companies of foreigners who came to buy (Rosenmüller, Havernick, Lange,
Gerlach). And Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down
themselves before
him with their faces to the earth. And so fulfilled his early dream in Shechem
(ch. 37:7-8).
7 “And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them,
but made himself strange
unto them, and spake
roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence
come ye? And they said, From
the
saw his
brethren, and he knew them, but (literally, and) made
himself strange
unto them. The root נָכַר, to be marked, signed, by indentation, hence to be
foreign (Furst), or simply to be strange (Gesenius), in the Hiphil signifies to
press strongly into a thing (Furst), to look at a thing as strange (Gesenius), or to
recognize, and in the Hithpael has the sense of representing one's self as strange,
i.e. of feigning one's self to be a foreigner. And spake roughly unto them –
literally, spake hard things unto them; not from a feeling of revenge which
still struggled in his breast with his brotherly affection (Kurtz), or in a spirit
of duplicity (Kaliseh), but in order to get at their hearts, and discover the
exact state of mind in which they then were with regard to himself and
Benjamin, whose absence it is apparent had
arrested his attention, and
perhaps roused his suspicions (Keil, Murphy, Wordsworth, 'Speaker's
Commentary' And he said unto them, - speaking through an interpreter
(v. 23) - Whence come ye? And they said, From the
as if they feared Joseph's suspicions, and wished to deprecate his anger)
to buy food (i.e. corn for
food).
8 “And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.” The lapse of time
since the tragedy of
Joseph, the Egyptian manners he had by this time assumed, and the strange tongue
in which he conversed with them, all conspired to prevent Jacob's sons from
recognizing their younger brother; while the facts that Joseph's brethren were
all grown men when he had last looked upon them, that he was quite familiar
with their appearances, and that he perfectly understood their speech, would
account for his almost instantaneous detection of them.
9 “And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed
of them, and
said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the
nakedness of the land ye are come.”
And Joseph remembered (i.e. the sight of his brethren prostrating themselves
before him recalled to his mind) the dreams which he dreamed (or had dreamed)
of them (see ch. 37:5) and said unto them, Ye are spies (literally, ye are spying,
or going about, so as to find out,
the verb רָגַל
signifying to move the feet); to see
the nakedness of the land - not its present impoverishment from the famine (Murphy),
but is unprotected and unfortified state (Keil). Compare urbs nuda praesidio (Cic.,
'Att.,' 7:13); taurus nudatus defensoribus
(Caes.,
'
teichos eumnothae - (Homer, 'Iliad,' 12:399) - ye are come. The Egyptians were
characteristically distrustful of
strangers, - AEgyptii prae aliis gentibus diffidere
solebant peregrinis (Rosenmüller), - whom they prevented, when possible, from
penetrating into the interior of their country (Wilkinson's 'Ancient Egyptians,'
vol 1.p. 328, ed. 1878). In particular Joseph's suspicion of his Canaanitish
brethren was perfectly natural,
since
from
10 “And they said unto him. Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come.
11 We are all one man's sons; we are true men, thy
servants are no spies.
12 And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the
nakedness of the land ye are come.”
"They were not filled with resentment at the imputation" cast upon them by Joseph;"
or, if they were angry, their pride
was swallowed up by fear" (Lawson). We are all
one man's sons; we are true men, i.e. upright, honest, viri bonae fidei (Rosenmüller),
rather than εἰρηνικοὶ - eiraenikoi – honest
(Septuagint), pacifici
(Vulgate) - thy
servants are no spies. It was altogether improbable that one man should send
ten sons at the same time and to the same place on the perilous business of a spy,
hence the simple mention of the fact that they were ten brethren was sufficient
to establish their sincerity. Yet
Joseph affected still to doubt them. And he said
unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come - assuming
a harsh and almost violent demeanor not out of heartless cruelty (Kalisch),
but in order to hide the growing weakness of his heart (Candlish).
13 “And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren,
the sons of one man in the
land of
is not.”
And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in
the
ch. 9:24) - is this day with our father, and one - literally, the one, i.e. the other one,
ὁ δὲ ἕτερος – ho de heteros - (Septuagint) - is not - i.e. is dead (compare ch. 5:24;
ch. 37:30) - in which statement have been seen a sufficient proof that Joseph's
brethren had not yet truly repented of their cruelty towards him (Keil); an
evidence that time had assuaged all their bitter feelings, both of exasperation
against Joseph and of remorse for their unbrotherly conduct (Murphy);
a suppression of the truth (Wordsworth), if not a direct falsehood (Lawson),
since they wished it to be understood that their younger brother was dead,
while of that they had no evidence beyond their own cunningly invented lie
(ch. 37:20) and their own probable surmisings. But in point of fact the inference
was natural and reasonable that
Joseph was no more, since twenty years had
elapsed without any tidings of his welfare, and there was no absolute necessity
requiring them to explain to the Egyptian governor all the particulars of their
early life. Yet the circumstance that their assertion regarding himself was
incorrect may have tended to awaken his suspicions
concerning Benjamin.
14 “And Joseph said unto them, That
is it that I spake unto you, saying, Ye
are spies:
15 Hereby ye shall be proved: By the
life of Pharaoh ye shall not
go forth hence, except your youngest brother
come hither.
16 Send one of you,
and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall
be kept in prison, that your words
may be proved, whether there be any truth in
you: or else by the life of
Pharaoh surely ye are spies.” And Joseph said unto them (betraying his
excitement in his language), That is it that I spake unto you, saying, Ye are spies.
But Joseph knew by this time that they were not spies. Hence his persistent
accusation of them, which to the brothers must have seemed despotic and
tyrannical, and which cannot be referred to malevolence or revenge, must be
explained by a desire on the part of Joseph to bring his brothers to a right state
of mind. Hereby (or in this) ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh - literally,
life of Pharaoh. An Egyptian oath (Septuagint, Gesenius, Rosenmüller, Kalisch,
Lange), in using which Joseph was not without blame, aliquid esse fateor quod
merito culpetur (Calvin) though by some (Ainsworth, Wordsworth, Murphy,
'Speaker's Commentary') the expression is regarded simply as a strong asseveration
(compare I Samuel 1:26;17:55) - ye shall not go forth hence (literally, life of Pharaoh!
if ye go from this. The language is elliptical, meaning either, May Pharaoh perish if
ye escape from punishment as spies, unless, etc.; or, As surely as Pharaoh lives,
may retribution fall on me if ye go
from this place) except your youngest brother
come hither. The condition, which must have appeared extremely frivolous to
Joseph's brethren, was clearly designed to ascertain the truth about Benjamin.
Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye (i.e. the rest of you)
shall be kept in prison
(literally, shall be put in bonds), that your words may be
proved (literally, and your
words shall be proved), whether there be any truth in
you; or else (literally, and if not) by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies –
literally (I swear), that ye are spies.
17 “And he put them all together into ward three days.” (literally, and he
assembled them into prison three days). Ostensibly in consequence of their
unwillingness to agree to his proposal, but in reality to give them an experience
of the suffering which they had inflicted on him, their brother, and so to awaken
in their hearts a feeling of repentance. Yet the clemency of Joseph appears in this,
that whereas he had lain three long years in prison as the result of their inhumanity
towards him, he only inflicts on them a confinement of three days.
18 “And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God:
19 If ye be true men, let one of your brethren
be bound in the house of your
prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your
houses: 20 But
bring your
youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be
verified, and ye shall not die.
And they did so.” And Joseph (whose bowels of mercy were already yearning
towards them) said unto them the third day, This do, and live; - i.e. this do that
ye may live (see Gesenius, 'Grammar,' 130, 2; Ewald's 'Hebrew Syntax,' 348b) –
for I fear God - literally, the Elohim I fear; the term Elohim being employed,
since to have said Jehovah would have been to divulge, if not his Hebrew origin,
at least his acquaintance with the Hebrew faith (Hengstenberg). At the same time
its use would arrest them more than the preceding adjuration, By the life of Pharaoh!
and, whether or not it implied that
the true God was not yet unknown in
(Murphy), was clearly designed to show that he was a religious and conscientious
person, who would on no account condemn them on mere suspicion (Lange).
If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison.
Joseph's first proposal, that one should go for Benjamin while nine remained as
hostages for their good faith, is now reversed, and only one is required to be
detained while the other nine return. If the severity of the first proposal filled
them with consternation, the singular clemency of the second could not fail to
impress them. Not only were the nine to be released, but their original demand
for grain to carry home to
adding, to their undoubted
amazement, As for the rest of you, go ye, carry
corn for the famine of your houses. "How differently had they acted towards
their brother, whom they had intended to leave in the pit to starve" (Keil).
The Egyptian governor feels compassion for their famishing households, only
he will not abandon his proposition that they must return with Benjamin.
But bring your youngest brother unto me - or, more emphatically, and your
brother, the little one, ye shall cause to come to me. That Joseph should have
insisted on this stipulation, which he must have known would cause his aged
father much anxiety and deep distress, is not to be explained as "almost designed"
by Joseph as a chastisement on Jacob for his undue predilection in favor of
Benjamin (Kalisch), but must be ascribed either to the intensity of his longing
to see his brother (Murphy), or to a desire on his part to ascertain how his
brethren were affected towards Benjamin (Lawson), or to a secret belief that
the best mode of persuading his
father to go down to him in
Benjamin thither ('Speaker's Commentary'), or to an inward conviction that the
temporary concern which Benjamin's absence might inflict on Jacob would be
more than compensated for by the ultimate good which would thereby be secured
to the whole family (Kurtz), or to the fact that God, under whose guidance
throughout he acted, was unconsciously leading him in such a way as to secure
the fulfillment of his dreams, which required the presence of both Benjamin and
Jacob in
himself gave to his brethren was that Benjamin's presence was indispensable as a
corroboration of their veracity. So
(literally, and) shall your words be verified,
and ye shall not die (the death due to spies): And they did so - i.e. they consented
to Joseph's proposal.
21 “And they said one to another, We
are verily guilty concerning our brother,
in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when
he besought us, and we would not
hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.” And they said one to another
(Joseph's treatment of them beginning by this time to produce its appropriate and
designed result by recalling them
to a sense of their former guilt), We are verily
guilty - "this is the only acknowledgment of sin in the Book of Genesis" (Inglis) –
concerning our brother. They had been guilty of many sins, but the special
iniquity of which their reception by the Egyptian governor had reminded them
was that which some twenty years before they had perpetrated against their own
brother. Indeed the accusation preferred against them that they were spies, the
apparent unwillingness of the viceroy to listen to their request for food, and their
subsequent incarceration, though innocent of any offence, were all calculated to
recall to their recollection successive steps in their inhuman treatment of Joseph.
In that (or because) we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us (literally,
in his beseeching of us, an incident which the narrator omits to mention; but which
the guilty consciences of the
brethren remember), and we would not hear; therefore
is this distress come upon us. The retributive character of their sufferings, which
they cannot fail to perceive, they endeavor to express by employing the same
word, עָרַח,
to describe Joseph's anguish and their distress.
22 “And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying,
Do not sin against
the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold,
also his blood is required.” And Reuben - who had not consented to, but had
been altogether unable to prevent, the wickedness of his brethren (ch. 37:22, 29) –
answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child
(or lad); and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required –
literally, and also his blood, behold it is required. This was in accordance with
the Noahic law against bloodshed (ch. 9:5), with which it is apparent that Jacob's
sons were acquainted.
23 “And they knew not that Joseph understood them;
for he spake unto them
by an interpreter.” And they knew not (while they talked in what they imagined
to be a foreign dialect to the Egyptian viceroy) that Joseph understood them; -
literally, heard (so as to
understand what was said) - for he spake unto
them by
an interpreter - literally, for the interpreter. (חַמְּלִיצ, the hiph. part., with the art.,
of לוּצ, to speak barbarously, in the hiph. to act as an interpreter), i.e. the official
Court interpreter, ἑρμηνευτής- ermaeneutaes - interpreter (Septuagint), was
between them.
24 “And he turned himself about from them, and wept;
and returned to them
again, and communed with them, and took from
them Simeon, and bound him
before their eyes.” And he turned himself about from them (in order to hide his
emotion), and wept (as he reflected on the wonderful leadings of Divine providence,
and beheld the pitiful distress of his brethren); and returned to them again (having
previously withdrawn from them a space), and communed with them (probably
about the one of them that should remain behind), and took from them - by a
rough act of authority, since they either could not or would not settle among
themselves who should be the prisoner (Candlish) - Simeon, - passing by
Reuben not because he was the firstborn (Tuch, Lengerke), but because he
was comparatively guiltless (Keil, Kalisch, Lange, Candlish, and expositors
generally), and selecting Simeon either as the eldest of the guilty ones
(Aben Ezra, Keil, Lange, Murphy, Wordsworth, Alford, and others), or as the
chief instigator of the sale of Joseph (Philo, Rosenmüller, Furst, Kalisch, Gerlach,
Lawson, et alii) - and bound him before their eyes - thus forcibly recalling to their
minds what they had done to him (Wordsworth), and perhaps hoping to incite them,
through pity for Simeon, to return
the more speedily with Benjamin (Lawson).
25 “Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with
corn, and to restore every
man's money into his sack, and to give them
provision for the way: and thus
did he unto them.” Then (literally, and) Joseph commanded to fill - literally,
commanded, and they (i.e. Joseph's men) filled - their sacks (rather, vessels or
receptacles, כְּלִי) with corn, and to restore every man's money (literally, their
pieces of silver, each)
into his sack, - שַׂק,
saccus, σάκος, σάκκος
– sakos,
sakkos - sack (see ch. 37:34). Joseph "feels it impossible to bargain, with his
father and his brethren for
bread" (Baumgarten) - and to give them prevision
for the way: and thus did he
(literally, it was done) unto them.
26 “And they laded their asses with the corn, and
departed thence.”
And they laded their asses with the corn (literally, put their grain upon their asses),
and departed (or went) thence.
27 “And as one of them opened his sack to give his
ass provender in the inn,
he espied his money; for, behold, it was in
his sack's mouth.” And as one of
them opened his sack - literally, and the one opened his sack, i.e. they did not all
open their sacks on the homeward journey, although afterwards, in reporting the
circumstance to Joseph, they represent themselves as having done so (ch. 43:21);
but only one at the wayside inn, and the rest on reaching home (v. 35; below,
and ch. 43:21) - to give his ass provender in the inn (the מָלון, from לוּן, an inn
to pass the night, was not in the modern sense of the term, but simply a
halting-place or camping station where travelers were wont to lodge, without
finding for themselves or animals any other food than they carried with them),
he espied his money; for, behold, it was in his sack's mouth - literally, in the
opening, of his amtachath, אַמְתַּחַת, from מָתַח, to spread out, an old word for
a sack (ch. 43:18, 21-22), here used synonymously with שַׂק, from which it
would seem that the travelers
carried two sorts of bags, one for the corn כְּלִי
(v. 25), and another for the called asses' provender called אַמְתַּחַת. It was in
the latter that the money had been
placed.
28 “And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even
in my sack: and their heart failed them, and
they were afraid, saying one to
another, What is this that God hath done unto us?” And he (i.e. the one who
had opened his sack) said
unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it
is even in my sack (amtachath): and their heart failed them (literally, went
forth; as it were, leaped into their mouths through sudden apprehension),
and they were afraid, saying one to another (literally, they trembled each
one to his brother, a constructio pregnans for they turned trembling towards
one another, saying), What is this that God hath done unto us? Elohim is used,
and not Jehovah, because the speakers simply desire to characterize the
circumstance as supernatural.
29 “And they came unto Jacob their father unto the
told him all that befell unto them;
saying, 30
The man, who is the lord of
the land, spake
roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.
31 And we said unto him, We
are true men; we are no spies:
32 We be twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is
not, and the youngest
is this day with our father in the
of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I
know that ye are true men;
leave one of your brethren here with me, and
take food for the famine of
your households, and be gone: 34 And bring
your youngest brother unto me:
then shall I know that ye are no spies, but
that ye are true men: so will I
deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffick in the land.”
And they came unto Jacob their father unto the
him all that befell unto them (literally, all the things happening to them,
the participle being construed with
the accusative); saying, The man, who
is the lord of the land, spake roughly to us (literally, spake the man, lord
of the country, with us harsh things, the order and arrangement of the words
indicating the strong feeling which
their treatment in
and took us for spies of the
country. And we said unto him, We are true men;
we are no spies: we be twelve
brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the
youngest is this day with our father in
the
And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby
shall I know that
ye are true men; leave one of your
brethren here with me, and take food for
the famine of your households, and be gone. It is observable that they do not
mention Joseph's first proposal, probably because of Joseph's subsequent
kindness; neither do they intimate the fact that Simeon was bound, perhaps
through a desire to soften the blow as much as possible for their venerable
parent. And bring your youngest brother
unto me: then shall I know that
ye are no spies, but that ye are
true men: so will I deliver you your brother,
and ye shall traffic in the land.
35 “And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks,
that, behold, every
man's bundle of money was in his sack: and when
both they and their
father saw the bundles of money, they were
afraid.” And it came to pass as
they emptied (literally, they
emptying) their sacks, that (literally, and), behold,
every man's bundle of money (or silver) was in his sack: and when (literally, and)
both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they (literally, and they)
were afraid.
36 “And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children:
Joseph is not, and Simeon
is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things
are against me.” And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved
(or are ye bereaving) of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not (Jacob
appears to suspect that in some way or another his sons had been responsible
for Joseph's disappearance as well
as Simeon's), and ye will take Benjamin away:
all these things are against me - literally, upon me, as an heavy burden, which
I must bear alone.
37 “And Reuben spake unto his
father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring
him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and
I will bring him to thee again.”
And Reuben spake unto his father, saying (Reuben was probably actuated by an
ardent brotherly affection, which prompted him to endeavor to recover Simeon,
as formerly he had sought to deliver Joseph), Slay my two sons - as Reuben had
four sons (ch. 46:9), he first be understood as meaning two of my sons (Ainsworth,
]Murphy), either the two then present (Junius) or the two oldest (Mercerus) –
if I bring him (i.e. Benjamin) not to thee. Reuben's proposal, though in one
sense "the greatest and dearest offer that a son could make to a father" (Keil),
was either only a sample of strong rhetoric (like Joseph's "By the life of Pharaoh!")
designed to assure his father of the impossibility of failure (Lawson, Candlish,
Inglis), and of the fact that neither he nor his brethren entertained any injurious
designs against Benjamin (Calvin); or, if seriously made, was not only
inconsiderate and rash, spoken in the heat of the moment (Kurtz), but sinful
and unnatural (Ainsworth), plusquam barbarura (Calvin), and absolutely
worthless besides, as what consolation would it be to Jacob to add to the
loss of a son the murder of his
grandchildren? (Calvin, Willet). Deliver him
into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again. Reuben might have learned
to avoid strong asseverations on this point. "It was his wish to bring Joseph
home to his father, and yet he could not persuade his brethren to comply with
his intentions. It was his desire to bring Simeon safe to his father, and yet he
was compelled to leave him in
38 “And he said, My son
shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead,
and he is left alone: if mischief befall him
by the way in the which ye go,
then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with
sorrow to the grave.”
And he (i.e. Jacob) said, My son shall not go down with you; - not because
he could not trust Reuben after the sin described in Genesis 35:22 (Wordsworth),
or because he could not assent to Reuben's proposal (Ainsworth), but because of
what is next stated - for his brother (i.e. by the same mother, viz., Joseph) is dead
(compare v. 13; 37:33; 44:28), and he is left alone: - i.e. he alone (of Rachel's
children) is left as a survivor - if mischief befall him (literally, and mischief
shall befall him) by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye (literally, and
ye shall) bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave - Sheol (compare
ch.
37:35).
The First Visit of Joseph’s Brethren to
Ø
The famishing household. Although
and the family of Jacob the
other exempted from the pressure of that heavy famine which
had fallen on
all surrounding lands and peoples. It is not God s
intention that His people
should escape participating in the ills of life. Besides
enabling them,
collectively and individually, to sympathize with their
fellow-men, it is a
means under God of advancing their own sanctification, and
oftentimes as
well of furthering the purposes of God concerning both the
world and the
Church.
Ø
The perplexed brethren. Reuben, Simeon,
them were manifestly at their wits’ end what to do to keep
themselves from
starving. If the thought of
and inactivity, it may remind us how dangerous it is to
sin, the memory of
past transgressions having an uncomfortable
habit of springing up at
unexpected moments, like grim and shaggy lions in
the path; if their
spiritless dejection was in no way connected with the
shows that saints are
not necessarily a whit more talented or fertile in
expedient than their
ungodly neighbors, and are frequently as helpless as
the rest of them in the face of
sudden and overwhelming calamities. Grace,
though it gives goodness, does not guarantee greatness.
Ø
The parental exhortation. Jacob heard that there was
corn in
forthwith proposed that his sons should undertake a journey
thither to
fetch a supply for their necessities, at the same time
prefacing his sound
advice with a word of brisk reproof at their want of push in
the face of
news so full of comfort and hope as that grain might be
had for the
purchase. Jacob clearly discerned that, while it was right in
them to look to
God
for help in their distress, it was also expected of them by God that
they should help themselves. Although God promises to give
His people
bread, He does not undertake to relieve them of all trouble
in the matter. If
He
provides corn in
sound sense, if it is not a sign of grace, when men are
able to detect in
Ø
The important mission. Concerning which may be
noticed:
o
The number of the travelers: Joseph’s ten brethren. Whether it was for
safety to themselves, or for the advantage of the household
to enable
them to return with larger supplies, it was clearly a wise
providential
arrangement that the ten brethren who had sinned against the son
of
Rachel
should go down to
o
The destination of the travelers:
last place that they would ever have thought of going to.
It is scarcely
likely that they had quite forgotten Joseph. Whether or not
they
suspected that Joseph might yet be alive, they knew that he had
gone
to
the scene of Joseph’s captivity. If Joseph’s brethren
were thoughtful
men at all, they must have had their reflections
by the way.
o
The object of the travelers: to buy corn. This at least was a lawful
and
an honorable purpose, which is more than could be said
of some of their
previous adventures. But God’s people, whether they abide in
go to
sight of, all men. (Romans
12 :17)
o
The paternal reservation. “But Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent
not with his brethren.” If Jacob’s reason for detaining Benjamin was
anxiety for himself, who was now an old man, and afraid to
lose the lad
who served him as the son of his old age, it may remind
us of the
feebleness and helplessness of age, and of the duty of the
young, to
comfort and assist the old. If it was anxiety for Benjamin,
whom he
feared to expose to the fate of Joseph, it is a beautiful
example of the
tenderness and strength of a father’s love, and may well suggest
the
duty of rewarding that love with true filial affection. If
it was anxiety
for his ten sons, lest in the case of Benjamin they
should repeat the
crime which they had perpetrated against Joseph, it shows
how difficult
it is to remove from the minds of others, even of those
who have the
most disposition to judge us with charity, unfavorable
impressions
concerning ourselves when once they have been formed. There is
good reason for believing that a change had passed upon
the
characters of Joseph’s brethren since the dark deed at
wickedness we forfeit the
confidence of our fellow-men, these are
not to be blamed if in future they fail to trust our integrity
and honor.
Ø Humble
homage to the governor.
Arriving in
were conducted to the presence of the viceroy, and
they “bowed
down
before him with their faces to the earth.” Such
respectful behavior
was due to the majesty of him in whose presence
they stood
(Romans 13:7), and
was admirably fitted to the character in which
they came. They who have a suit to press, at an
earthly or a heavenly
throne, should be “clothed with humility.”
Ø Non-recognition
of the governor. The moment
Joseph looked upon the
Hebrew strangers he
knew them to-be his brethren. But they entirely
failed to discern him; because:
o
he spoke like a foreigner — “an interpreter was between them;”
o
he dressed like an Egyptian — he wore a garment-of byssus,
like
an Egyptian priest (ch. 41:42);
o
he swore like a courtier — “By the life of Pharaoh,” which
certainly his brethren knew was not the language of
Yet,
if they had been as anxious to see their lost brother as he
had been to see them (it is just possible Joseph may have
been
on the outlook for his brethren, expecting them to
arrive with
every caravan that came from
disguises would have concealed his identity.
Ø Harsh
treatment by the governor.
o
The nature of it. He spoke to them roughly, he
questioned them
straitly, he accused them directly, he
proved them severely, he
imprisoned them closely.
o
The reason of it. Scarcely revenge; ostensibly
to test their sincerity;
but really to conceal his own identity, in order to
secure time for
thought how to act, and, if possible, to penetrate into their
characters.
o
The mitigation of it. At the end of three days he
somewhat relaxed his
proposition, asking them to leave only one of their brethren
instead
of nine, viz., Simeon, whom he took and bound before
their eyes.
Ø Bitter
grief before the governor.
o
The remembrance of their sin. As a result of their rough
handling by
the Egyptian vizier, they began to think of Joseph and
their early sin
against him, which almost every step in their present
experience
vividly recalled. It is good when
affliction brings sin to mind.
o
The confession of
their guilt. “We
are verily guilty concerning our
brother.”
It is better when tribulation leads to an acknowledgment of
ill desert. (“For
it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer
for well doing, than for evil doing.” - I Peter 3:17)
o
The recognition of their
punishment.
They saw the hand of God
pursuing them for their wickedness, and requiting them, as
they
imagined, for Joseph s blood. It is best when God’s
retributive
dispensations make the soul sensitive
and humble.
o
Unexpected
kindness from the governor. Though he did not depart
from his original demand that they should bring down
Benjamin, and
though he insisted on retaining Simeon as a hostage for
their obedience,
he yet granted their request for corn, and, unknown to
them as yet,
caused their money to be restored to their sacks. So Christ often
deals with penitents; first blows and buffetings, then benefits and
blessings.
Ø The
startling discovery. Resting
for the night at a wayside khan, or
lodging-place, one of the brethren, having had occasion to
give his beast
a little provender, opened out his sack, and lo!
the silver money he had
paid for his corn was in its mouth. The same
discovery was made by the
rest on reaching
had not been heard by them, and they had
penetration to see how the
circumstance might be turned to their disadvantage. They
were innocent
of any crime in this matter; but how were they to
explain it to the austere
and impenetrable man who sat upon the throne of
conscience doth make cowards of us all.” The best that
can be said of
them in this connection is that they had piety
enough to see the hand
of God in the untoward affair.
Ø The
faithful report. On arriving
at
Jacob all that had
befallen them in
reception they had gotten from the governor, and ending
with the
startling discovery they had just made; in all which
there was at least
a symptom of improvement in the characters of
those ten brethren.
Here was none of the
concealment and lying that marked them at an
earlier stage in their history, as when they palmed
off upon their aged
parent the clever story of the wild beast and the
bloody coat to account
for Joseph’s disappearance. They presented
themselves as before
without their brother, but this time they told the
truth: Simeon was
a hostage in
Ø The
parental sorrow. In the
anguish of the moment Jacob committed
three mistakes:
o
About his sons who had returned from
blaming for the loss both of Simeon and Joseph, — “Me ye
are
bereaving,”
— which should lead us to beware of passing hasty
judgments upon the characters of others, of those even whom we
may think we know best.
o
About the two who were detained in
first of whom he thought he knew was already dead, and the
second of
whom he feared had shared the same fate; whereas Joseph
was in
honor in
confinement.
o
About himself. and Benjamin, that their separation would but be the
beginning of sorrow for them both, whereas it was to be the
means of
leading both to happiness and honor. So God’s
providences are often
misinterpreted by his saints. Contrast with Jacob’s exclamation that
of Paul in Romans 8:28 – “And we know that all things work
together for the good to them that love God, to them who are the
called according to His purpose.”
Ø The
filial security. Reuben offers
to undertake the charge of Benjamin,
and to he responsible for his safe conduct to
so far the act of Reuben was generous and kindly
towards both Jacob and
Benjamin; but his proposal that Jacob should slay two of his sons
if he
failed
to deliver Benjamin was rash, unnatural, and sinful, and
accordingly was at once rejected by the patriarch.
LEARN:
1. The fact of an
overruling providence, exemplified in God’s bringing
Joseph’s brethren to
2. The strength of
human affection, illustrated by Joseph’s emotion in
presence of his
brethren, and Jacob’s pathetic fondness for Benjamin.
3. The power of a
guilty conscience, exhibited m the mutual recriminations
of the brethren
with reference to the sale of Joseph.
4. The beneficial
influence of the discipline of life, as portrayed in the good
effects produced
by Joseph’s rough handling of his brethren.
5. The
short-sightedness of sense and reason, as seen in Jacob’s
lamentation, “All
these things are against me,” while, on the
contrary,
all things were working together for his good.
God’s Trials of His People (vs. 1-38)
The trial of Joseph is over. Now comes the
trial of his brethren and of
Jacob. The Spirit of God is at work in all
their hearts. True men they were
and yet sinful men. Before they can be made partakers of the blessing of
Joseph they must pass through the fire. He who
is appointed minister of
grace to them is the instrument of their trials.
Notice:
our brother.” “His blood is required.” Face to
face with one whom they
supposed to be a heathen man, they are reproved. They
have to tell facts
which smite them with inward reproach.
for him and for themselves and for Benjamin. To be
keenly perplexed and
agonized for their old father. To be deeply wounded in
the remembrance of
their brother Joseph’s anguish of soul and helpless
cries for pity.
us?” In the midst of all the roughness, and the
fear, and the trouble there is still
the feeling that they are being dealt with in some
mysterious way by God
Himself, and there
is a mingling of faith with their fear. Reuben again
represents the better element in their character, and as
they follow him they
are led into peace. Joseph’s
smile is the smile of the loving heart which
sometimes dissembles that it may reveal itself the more fully when the
opportunity comes. He wept behind their backs. He was hiding the
intensest love and the most abundant
forgiveness and pitifulness, while he
appeared
to be a rough enemy. Still there
were signs mingled with the
harsh treatment that it was not all harsh. The sacks
were filled with corn,
and the money was returned. A deeper faith would
have penetrated the
secret. But those that
have to be led from the feeble faith to the strong,
have
to be tried with appearances that seem, as Jacob said, “all against”
them. How often the believer says, “All
these things are against me,” when
he is already close upon that very stream of
events which will carry him out
of his distress into the midst of plenty, peace,
and the joy of a healed heart
in its recovered blessedness. Jacob poured out
his natural fears and
complaints, yet how little they were founded on truth. The son for whom
he mourned yet lived and closed his eyes, and his
gray hairs went to the
grave in peace.
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