THE SECOND VISIT
OF HIS BROTHERS
Chapters 43 and 44
Because of the hunger which remained severe in the land, Jacob and his sons depended on Egypt for their maintenance. They had gone once, bringing what they could, but had to go back for more.
They remembered that the governor of Egypt - which they called “the man" (Joseph) - had ordered, on pain of death, that they brought Benjamin with them when they returned. Jacob had decided conclusively that he would not let him go, even when Reuben offered his two children as hostages.
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This situation continued until the grain was finished, and there was no alternative: they had to go back to Egypt for more. After much effort, Judah finally managed to persuade his old father to let Benjamin go with them under his personal responsibility.
To please "the man”, Jacob told them to take the most precious gifts of their land (Canaan), double the money required, and return the money they had found in their bags when they came back the first time.
Taking everything their father told them, and also taking Benjamin with them, the sons of Jacob returned to Egypt, and the dramatic moment came when they were again to meet with Joseph. We can well imagine the emotion when Joseph saw Benjamin his brother again! He immediately told the steward of his house to take them to his (Joseph’s) home, to slaughter an animal and make ready a meal to give them at noon.
But his brothers panicked when they knew they were being taken to his house (surely a considerable mansion, with guards at the door) because:
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they had almost abandoned Simeon in Joseph´s prison.
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they had taken back home the payment for the first purchase.
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they could not imagine that "the man" would have any good intentions toward them because he had been so harsh and fierce when they came the first time, and he had not even spoken to them this time.
For them, the most logical explanation was that this powerful man regarded them as thieves, and intended to enslave them, taking for himself all they had brought with them.
So they immediately sought the steward of Joseph's house, and tried to defend themselves against possible charges of being thieves, explaining that they had found the money back home, and were returning it now, without knowing who had put the money into their bags.
The steward apparently knew the true God, their God and of Jacob, certainly through the testimony of Joseph. Joseph would also have told him what to say about the money returned - perhaps he even disclosed the truth about his relationship with them. So the steward told them that he had received payment, and that their God and God of their father had placed the treasure in their bags (they must have been very relieved and pleased with this explanation!).
The steward then returned Simeon to them and brought them into Joseph´s house where, unlike what they had expected, they were treated as guests, receiving water to wash their feet, and fodder for their donkeys.
Then they prepared the gifts they had brought, as Jacob had commanded, and when Joseph came home, they brought their gifts to him. This must have been a dramatic moment! Joseph was probably sitting in an elevated position on a dais, and his brothers bowed down to the ground in submission in front of him.
When they straightened up Joseph must have looked at them firmly and through his interpreter he inquired about their father. They replied humbly "your servant our father is in good health he is still alive” and again bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves. Again the prophecy of Joseph's dream was fulfilled.
Joseph looked down and when he lifted his eyes again he fixed them on his brother Benjamin as if he were seeing him for the first time, asked if it was he, then blessed him saying “God be gracious to you, my son.” Feeling very moved, and not wanting anyone to see it, Joseph hurried into his chamber to weep in secret. After recovering he returned and ordered the meal to be served.
Because of his great importance, Joseph was seated on his own; his brothers were seated as guests in one group and the Egyptians who ate with him in another (for the Egyptians it was an abomination to eat with Jews).
Joseph arranged for his brothers to be seated exactly in order of age, to their astonishment. It could have been a clue to his identity, but their minds were completely obscured as to this possibility.
It may have been the custom at that time for the host to designate the portions of the guests. That is what Joseph did, and he gave Benjamin a serving of five times as much as his other brothers, a partiality to show his greater love for him which was evident to all. It could also have been another test to see if his other brothers would show any envy. If so, they passed the test because all “drank and were merry with him.”
But Joseph still wanted to test them a little more before revealing his identity. The silver cup of Joseph was a symbol of his authority, and it is said that the Egyptians believed it had supernatural qualities: when pouring water into the cup, they thought it was possible to interpret the reflections, bubbles and ripples. It is most unlikely that Joseph could ever believe in such a thing, but it gave additional value to his cup. When accusing Benjamin of stealing the cup, Joseph wanted to see if his brothers would be happy to get rid of their younger brother, son of Rachel like himself, or if they would endeavour to protect him.
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Their reaction, tearing their clothes as a sign of deep grief, and the moving appeal made by Judah, even at the risk of his own life, as Joseph could have him put to death, proved that they had indeed changed for the better. Judah was the one who had persuaded his brothers to sell Joseph into slavery instead of killing him (chapter 37:27), and then joined his brothers to lie to his father about what had happened (chapter 37:32). But now he volunteered to be a slave instead of Benjamin, and was so worried about his father and brother that he risked his life for them.
R David Jones
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!"
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.
Genesis chapter 33
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?"
Genesis chapter 44