Genesis 43 · WEB
The Brothers Return to Egypt with Benjamin
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The famine was severe in the land.
2When they had eaten up the grain which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said to them, "Go back, buy us a little more food."
3Judah spoke to him, saying, "The man solemnly warned us, saying, 'You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.'
4If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food,
5but if you don't send him, we won't go down, for the man said to us, 'You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.'"
6Israel said, "Why did you treat me so badly, telling the man that you had another brother?"
7They said, "The man asked directly about us and about our relatives, saying, 'Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?' We answered him according to these words. Could we know that he would say, 'Bring your brother down?'"
8Judah said to Israel his father, "Send the boy with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you, and also our little ones.
9I will be collateral for him. From my hand will you require him. If I don't bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever.
10For if we hadn't delayed, surely we would have returned a second time by now."
11Their father Israel said to them, "If it must be so, then do this. Take from the choice products of the land in your bags, and carry down a present for the man — a little balm, a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts and almonds.
12Take double the money in your hand, and take back the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks. Perhaps it was an oversight.
13Take your brother also, arise, and go back to the man.
14May God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release to you your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved."
15The men took that present, and they took double the money in their hand, and Benjamin. They arose, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph.
16When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, "Bring the men into the house, and butcher an animal, and prepare, for the men will dine with me at noon."
17The man did as Joseph commanded, and the man brought the men to Joseph's house.
18The men were afraid, because they were brought to Joseph's house. They said, "Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time, we are brought in, that he may seek occasion against us, attack us, and seize us as slaves along with our donkeys."
19They came near to the steward of Joseph's house, and spoke with him at the door of the house.
20They said, "Oh, my lord, we indeed came down the first time to buy food.
21When we came to the lodging place, we opened our sacks, and behold, each man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight. We have brought it back in our hand.
22We have brought down more money in our hand to buy food. We don't know who put our money in our sacks."
23He said, "Peace be to you. Don't be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks. I received your money." He brought Simeon out to them.
24The man brought the men into Joseph's house, and gave them water. They washed their feet. He gave their donkeys feed.
25They prepared the present for Joseph's coming at noon, for they heard that they would eat bread there.
26When Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed down themselves to him to the earth.
27He asked them of their welfare, and said, "Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he yet alive?"
28They said, "Your servant, our father, is well. He is still alive." They bowed down and prostrated themselves.
29He lifted up his eyes, and saw Benjamin, his brother, his mother's son, and said, "Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me?" He said, "God be gracious to you, my son."
30Joseph hurried, for his heart yearned for his brother. He sought a place to weep. He entered into his room, and wept there.
31He washed his face, and came out. He controlled himself, and said, "Serve the meal."
32They served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians don't eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians.
33They sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth; and the men marveled at one another.
34He sent portions to them from before him; but Benjamin's portion was five times as much as any of theirs. They drank, and were merry with him.
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Summary
The famine drives Jacob to finally send Benjamin with his brothers to Egypt. Judah takes personal responsibility as guarantor for Benjamin's safety. Jacob sends gifts and double silver. When the brothers arrive, Joseph, seeing Benjamin, is overcome and must leave to weep privately. At the meal he seats them in order of birth — to their astonishment — and gives Benjamin five times the portion of the others, testing their response to his favoritism of their mother's son.
Themes
- Judah's transformation into a man of responsibility and sacrifice
- Jacob's surrender to God's will ("if I am bereaved, I am bereaved")
- The emotional intensity of Joseph's love for his brothers beneath the surface
- Testing: will the brothers be jealous of Benjamin's special treatment?
- Providence — the brothers seated in order of birth, unexplainably
Key verses
- Gen 43:14 — “May God Almighty give you mercy before the man... If I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.”
- Gen 43:30 — “Joseph hurried, for his heart yearned for his brother. He sought a place to weep. He entered into his room, and wept there.”
- Gen 43:9 — “I will be collateral for him. From my hand will you require him. If I don't bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever.”
Context & background
Judah's willingness to guarantee Benjamin with his own life is a significant character development — this is the same Judah who proposed selling Joseph. His growth into a man of self-sacrifice is confirmed in the next chapter. Jacob's words "If I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved" echo Esther's "if I perish, I perish" — a surrender to God's will without knowing the outcome. The seating of the brothers in exact birth order mystifies them — impossible to guess at random. Joseph gives Benjamin five times as much as the others: will jealousy reignite? The test is deliberate and probing.
Cross-references
- Esther 4:16 — "if I perish, I perish" — the same spirit of surrender as Jacob's "if I am bereaved"
- Genesis 44:33 — Judah offers himself as a slave instead of Benjamin, the culmination of his transformation
- Luke 15:20 — the father runs to embrace the returning son as Joseph yearns for Benjamin
- Philippians 4:19 — God supplies all needs — Jacob sends gifts trusting God's mercy
- Romans 5:8 — Christ died for us while we were still sinners — Judah models this kind of substitutionary love