| First visit of Joseph's brothers to Egypt |
| Joseph's dealing with his brothers |
| The return of the brothers to Jacob |
| The brothers are sent again to Egypt |
| Joseph's plan with Benjamin |
In Part 4 of our study about the life of Joseph, we had seen how Joseph was released from prison and how he was appointed second in command over the land of Egypt. Joseph continued to believe and remain faithful to God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as we could see from the names which he gave his two sons who were born to him during the time of the plenteous years.
The 7 plenteous years however went by fast, and quickly a devastating famine set in, just as Joseph had pronounced when he interpreted Pharaoh's dreams.
Genesis 41:57:
And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands.
In these matters here we can see how things which seem to happen "just naturally" are somehow working together to bring about a whole situation involving far more than just one of those things by itself. This here however is not just happening "by chance", instead one thing after another something begins to unfold which God in a very wise manner had planned and worked out, and which goes even beyond those things which the human mind might be able to conceive.
Genesis 42:1 and 2:
Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another?
And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.
Jacob's sons, true to their character, had some difficulties with this developing situation and they did not quite have a good idea as to what to do or what could be done. Jacob pointed out Egypt as a solution for there people still had corn and food. Jacob was of a different character, and he took measures and steps toward saving his family alive through this increasing famine.
Genesis 42:3:
And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt.
Remarkable, for now exactly those ten brothers who years ago sold their younger brother into slavery in Egypt are now going down into Egypt themselves.
Genesis 42:4:
But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him.
Benjamin is called "Joseph's brother", because he was the full brother of Joseph. Jacob did not allow that Benjamin went with the others for he was concerned for his safety. After the loss of Joseph, Benjamin now had seemingly taken the place of the favorite son, since he was the only other son of his beloved wife Rachel who was left to Jacob. Maybe Jacob remembered the time when the ten brothers had been gone and when he sent Joseph to look for them from which trip Joseph never returned home.
Genesis 42:5:
And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan.
Whatever had been the cause that there wasn't enough rain in upper Egypt and Ethiopia so that then the Nile didn't have enough water which led to a famine in Egypt now was also causing neighboring lands to experience famine as well. The only possibility for them to get food was to come to Egypt because there was corn despite the famine in the land. Why there was corn despite the severe famine they did not necessarily know.
Genesis 42:6-8:
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 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 land of Canaan to buy food.
And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.
The ten brothers perhaps had not changed all that much during the 20 years which had passed, but certainly a lot had changed for the 17 year old boy whose long coat they had ripped off and whom they then had sold. They had absolutely not the vaguest idea, nor could they even guess that now he was standing in front of them, dressed in an even more significant coat as governor over the land of Egypt. The boy had changed very much, and of course he did not look like a Hebrew at all – no beard, totally different type of clothing, etc. In 20 years from such young age one does change a lot; on the other hand, if one has been busy trying to forget the evil deed for now 20 years, perhaps they did a lot to forget what that young face had looked like on that dreadful day when he was urging and begging them.
And so it is that the ten brothers are now before Joseph, and they "bowed themselves before him with their faces to the earth".
Genesis 42:9:
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 the dreams" – truly significant! When one considers the dreams from long ago which the somewhat proud young lad had told in a show off type of tone, one could have a completely different idea about what those pictures were indicating, such as "having dominion over and being slaves to". That is most likely what the ten brothers had been thinking at the time and that was what they despised greatly and why they had wanted to make an end to those dreams and the dreamer. Later on they will be very glad that they did decide to let the dreamer live, for his dreams were pointing to a completely different type os "bowing before him", as we can see from this record here. Who would have thought that Joseph's dreams were about a life and death situation on the one side and that the dreamer would be standing on the other by God's wonderful guidance in order to keep them alive? Most likely nobody had ever thought of such a situation as those dreams were told and as they heard the words "bowing before".
God had planned from long ago, and what had been revealed in the form of a dream slowly began to be fulfilled, even though it was in a different manner from what most would have expected who had heard the dream. Some things were are also now becoming more clear to Joseph, and this surely for certain that God had had His hand in this from the start. When Joseph interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh, the interpretation which he was given by God still did not have anything about other countries, rather it dealt solely with Egypt. The focal point of all had been Egypt. Now then, in the first year of the famine, the brothers of Joseph are coming down from Canaan and bow themselves down before him, and this causes Joseph to recognize what the dreams from 20 years before had been about.
It is very important now to carefully observe how Joseph dealt with them. In his rather harsh and rough speech to them there is certainly no personal revenge or a special retaliation in kind for the emotional pain and hurt he had received many years before and which he may have now remembered quite vividly, and which he now wanted to repay. No, no, no! His behavior toward them served a different purpose.
Joseph faced the difficulty of what to do with them. A first step surely would be to somehow separate them from all the other people and bystanders in order to be able to continue with them and perhaps find out some more about his family in Canaan. How could this be achieved without arousing suspicion in them? Joseph immediately had a very good idea which in one go opened all those possibilities for him.
Genesis 42:9:
... Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.
Now that was very plausible and definitely a possibility: Egypt was an open land toward Canaan, there was a lot of corn in Egypt, and the thought that they could be spies was rather an obvious possibility. With such a move on Joseph's part it did not take very long to have them separated from all the other people, and of course they would not just surrender to such an accusation but had to defend themselves. How could they best answer for themselves? Well, their best argument to refute such an accusation would be the fact that they were all sons of the same family, for no one desiring to spy out a foreign country would be so careless as to send all his sons at once and risk that they be all lost if detected. Sure enough, that's exactly how they react.
Genesis 42:10-12:
And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come.
We are all one man's sons [they immediately resort to their best possible argument]; we are true men, thy servants are no spies.
And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.
But Joseph doesn't show himself quite satisfied because he has not heard and learned enough.
Genesis 42:13:
And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren [here they volunteer some more interesting details], the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not.
Their words also showed Joseph where their hearts still were. Even after twenty years, none of them had come to the point or had the idea of repenting that evil from before. They had done their best to really forget about Joseph, and obviously were of the opinion that he really must be dead, stating, "… and one is not."
Genesis 42:14-17:
And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you, saying, Ye are spies:
Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither.
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 he put them all together into ward three days.
Joseph's idea got him to reach his first goal, because his brothers told him, the foreigner, how it was going with their family, and now as a consequence of their willingness to talk so much they had to bring the youngest brother. We can perhaps imagine what must have gone on in their minds. Next, they experienced on their own body what it meant to be imprisoned. That gave them some time to think – they had three days to think about and decide whom to send back to get their youngest brother. This development of the situation most likely put some fear and terror into their heart, because they had come as sincere and honest people who wanted to buy some corn, and now they were stuck in prison – innocently!
Then an interesting change happened in the further development.
Genesis 42:18-20:
And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God:
If ye be true men [as you claimed to be], let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses:
But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.
Now this would also have stirred a few thoughts in their minds. After having perhaps finally figured out and decided on whom they wanted to send home after this unsuccessful adventure in order to get their youngest brother, this Egyptian now had another idea and even spoke of "I fear God." And then he even was satisfied with keeping just one of them as prisoner and letting the other nine go home and even buy corn. Such treatment would be like hitting them over the head with a hammer and piercing through to their conscience. They had been honest – but also had been so unmerciful, so hard and rough against their brother those many years ago. And now, the second in command in the land of Egypt, a foreigner, was talking about him fearing God and then immediately showed great mercy to them!
Genesis 42:21 and 22:
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 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.
we can see how slowly something is getting under way in their hearts, and they began to realize that what was happening to them wasn't quite "just normal". They remembered what had happened then and now they thought that their guilt was catching up with them. Ruben, the oldest, reminded them of the words he had spoken then and he now saw in this development God's revenge upon their deeds.
Genesis 42:23:
And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter.
Joseph had been speaking to them by an interpreter, but now he heard with his own ears that his method of progression was beginning to slowly bear some first fruits.
Genesis 42:24:
24 And he turned himself about from them, and wept; …
This tells us clearly that Joseph did not have a bad attitude toward them, but rather that he was pursuing God's plan. Almost he had given himself away, therefore he quickly stepped away from them to not reveal his identity to them.
Genesis 42:24:
... and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes.
Simeon was the second oldest, and Joseph most likely did not pick Ruben, the oldest, because he had taken Joseph's side years ago. Simeon was rough and used to violence, as his and Levi's act of revenge for their sister Dinah on the people of Shechem demonstrated. Ruben, being the oldest, would have been normally the person to pick, and that this Egyptian now was bypassing Ruben and taking Simeon instead would also have given them some food for thought.
Genesis 42:25 and 26:
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.
And they laded their asses with the corn, and departed thence.
Now, the brothers did not have the faintest idea about what was really going on. They now had bought some corn, had paid their money, their sacks had been filled and finally they were able to leave this dreadful country of Egypt having to leave Simeon behind.
Genesis 42:27 and 28:
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 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?
The brothers were now a little more gentle. What Joseph had granted to them in turn as a small blessing had of course quite a different effect on them. They had finally left Egyptians somewhat thankful that they had managed to get out of this fix and avoid being called spies. Now, something far worse was added to this disaster – now they were not only suspect to being spies but rather they were suspect of being thieves! Their hearts must have sunk to their knees for fear. Important is though that now they began to have their heart a bit less on themselves and rather were directed toward God. They saw a punishment from God in all this.
Genesis 42:29-34:
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 land of Canaan.
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:
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.
They were exaggerating a bit, because Joseph had said nothing about "ye shall traffic [conduct business] in the land". They had returned home to Jacob, and once again one of the brothers was missing. But far worse was another circumstance: If they were ever to show up in Egypt again, it could only be if they brought their youngest brother with them!
Genesis 42:35:
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.
By now, this whole situation most likely began to look like a very deeply devised plan. If there was only one such thing happening, one might thing that it just happened by chance. That only one would have his money in the sack may be an oversight. But that all would have their money back in their sack, and that it was exactly each one's "bundle of money", that was very suspicious and it surely looked like a deep plan behind it all.
Genesis 42:36 and 37:
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 Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: …
Such a suggestion is of course absolute nonsense, but it shows at least that all these things somehow had not left Ruben cold hearted as was the case with the others.
Genesis 42:37 and 38:
... deliver him into my hand [entrust him to my care], and I will bring him to thee again.
And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother [Joseph] 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.
This was sort of like years ago when they came to Jacob with their terrible news about Joseph. Jacob had been mourning and couldn't be comforted and some of that once again shows. Jacob, having grown older by now, would most certainly not survive the loss of his other favorite son.
Joseph's plan was really remarkable. He wanted to bring Benjamin to Egypt, so that he would have the opportunity to bring his little brother, who now alone was left, in the face of his other brothers into a similar situation as had been the case with him long ago, so that he could find out what their attitude now would be. Would they once again desert their brother and throw him away as they had formerly done with him? Joseph wanted to make sure that his brothers had experienced a real change of heart before he could take the next steps toward bringing them all into the land of Egypt where they could all live together. Joseph seems to have realized that he should not be separated from his family forever, but he also knew that he should not go back into Canaan but rather that they should all come into Egypt.
Benjamin was the ideal means to set up a real test for his brothers. His old father Jacob of course was very attached to Benjamin, and some may ask how Joseph could be so hard toward his father and demand such a great thing of him. Well, he still had Simeon in his hand and could have sent him home with a message if something didn't quite go the way it had been planned. On the other hand, Jacob too has become a great man in terms of faith and trust in God. Jacob indeed trusted God and committed the matter to Him.
It did not take very long until the corn had been used up, and it became necessary to once again go down to Egypt.
Genesis 43:1-5:
And the famine was sore in the land.
And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food.
And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.
If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food:
But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down: for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.
Joseph had made quite an impression on them and he had made it obviously very clear what he meant. Judah now becomes the speaker of his brothers as they are with their father Jacob, as he explains what "the man" in Egypt had said.
Genesis 43:6:
And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother?
How truly human this reaction is. Jacob knew a few things about his sons, and he accused them of their lack of care and their lack of wisdom.
Genesis 43:7:
And they said, The man asked us straitly of our state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother down?
That of course they could not have known! they had wanted to go home, if possible with some corn, because if not then all would possibly die in the famine. They had nothing to lose by telling this man in Egypt such information. They had only wanted to buy some corn and really had had nothing else in mind. They had no idea who they were dealing with and what was really going on.
Genesis 43:8 and 9:
And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones.
I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever:
Now this was very different from what Ruben had said earlier. Judah himself was willing to be surety for his little brother, because without Benjamin coming along there was no way to get to Egypt. Judah had already learned a lesson in the land of Canaan in the matter with his daughter in law, and he now displayed a different attitude and thinking than some of his brothers still had.
Genesis 43:10-12:
For except we had lingered, surely now we had returned this second time.
And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:
And take double money in your hand; and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight:
Israel's conduct is remarkable as well. There was famine in Canaan and they surely did not have very much, but nevertheless he has them pack up and take gifts to the man in Egypt. Balm, honey, spices and myrrh were items used in Egypt to make incense and other things, they were also used in the production of cosmetic articles in Egypt. And Jacob made sure they took their money from before to avoid any possible problems connected with that incident.
Genesis 43.13 and 14:
Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man:
And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother [Simeon], and Benjamin. If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.
Israel did not just let them go after all humanly possible steps and precautions had been taken. What was most on his heart was the Almighty God. He now sent them on their journey in trust in God Almighty. God would be able to help in this situation. This had become clear to Israel when he had been wrestling with God that night at the Jabbok as they returned from Padan-Aram. In the meantime he had pondered many things in his heart and so now he let them go after having entrusted them to the care of God Almighty.
Genesis 43:15-17:
And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph.
And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ruler of his house, Bring these men home, and slay, and make ready; for these men shall dine with me at noon.
And the man did as Joseph bade; and the man brought the men into Joseph's house.
Joseph's actions were based on a very human reason – he did not want to give himself away at the possibility that after 22 years of not having seen his little brother perhaps his emotions would get the better of him. We know that it was not easy later on for him to exercise the self control to not betray himself in order to bring about what was to be the end of the Lord in this whole matter. Benjamin now was perhaps in his early to mid twenties, just slightly older than Joseph had been when he came into Egypt, and Joseph had seen Benjamin last as a small child at his father's home. And so, he had a meal arranged for his brothers at this house.
Genesis 43:18:
And the men were afraid, because they were brought into Joseph's house; and they said, Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in; that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses.
The brothers perhaps had hoped to get this thing solved quickly. There should be no problem, for they had brought their younger brother with them, they had the money from before and money to buy corn now, and they must have been quite sure to be able to clear up the matter, buy the new corn and leave again with Simeon to get on their way back home. And now, something else crossed their plans – an "invitation" to the Egyptian's house.
The brothers quickly found "a logical explanation" for what was going on. And as is perhaps typically human, they did not think of anything good but rather figured some bad news was up. This is quite an example for what people can think – without having any reason for such thoughts. Did Joseph plan and intend what they thought? No! He wanted to eat a meal with them! They however had great fears for they thought they would be made slaves and even their asses would be taken. Now, this time they quickly figured out what to do in order to avoid this trouble and clear up what must be the reason for all that was happening.
Genesis 43:19-22:
And they came near to the steward of Joseph's house, and they communed with him at the door of the house,
And said, O sir, we came indeed down at the first time to buy food:
And it came to pass, when we came to the inn, that we opened our sacks, and, behold, every man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight ["money" was according to weight]: and we have brought it again in our hand.
And other money have we brought down in our hands to buy food: we cannot tell who put our money in our sacks.
They insisted on being innocent and offered to clear up this apparent misunderstanding immediately.
Genesis 43:23:
And he said, Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them.
Perhaps they felt better now since the steward of Joseph's house assured them that everything had been fine with the money (and, yes, he had "had" their money at one time, thus he wasn't lying), and as they now were joined by their brother Simeon who was released and brought to them. This they surely viewed as a good sign.
Genesis 43:24:
And the man brought the men into Joseph's house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their asses provender.
Their previous fears appeared now totally unfounded and they were treated as honorable guests, and even their asses were not taken, as they had thought, but rather they too were fed.
Genesis 43:25 and 26:
And they made ready the present against Joseph came at noon: for they heard that they should eat bread there.
And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth.
Having quieted down a bit they now show themselves as god guests and they prepared their gifts to present and give them to the man and ruler of Egypt. When he finally arrived, once again it was fulfilled what Joseph had dreamed many years before this time – all his brothers now bowed themselves to him to the earth.
Genesis 43:27 and 28:
And he asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive?
And they answered, Thy servant our father is in good health, he is yet alive. And they bowed down their heads, and made obeisance.
It is truly remarkable that now here the very same words are even used as formerly when the dream was told, "they bowed down their heads, and made obeisance." Without them having any clue whatever, those dreams of Joseph were fulfilled. A third time we are told that they bowed themselves to Joseph and made obeisance.
Genesis 43:29 and 30:
And he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, Is this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son.
And Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother: and he sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there.
Here we can see how difficult it was for Joseph and how hard he fought in his mind to not betray himself. There was still a very decisive step to be taken and a matter to be instigated before he could reveal his true identity to them.
Genesis 43:31 and 32:
And he washed his face, and went out, and refrained himself, and said, Set on bread.
And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians.
Joseph had "to refrain himself" in order to not give away his true identity. This meal was arranged according to Egyptian custom, and thus Joseph was not sitting with his brothers at the same table. And yet, the brothers now are in for another and quite marvellous surprise.
Genesis 43:33:
And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled one at another.
The possibility that someone unknowingly will arrange seating for eleven brothers correctly in the order of their age is so slim that one can easily say that it is impossible. And yet, the steward of the Egyptian's house showed them their places exactly in this order. Now that was "marvellous" and they surely marvelled one at another – here they were in the house of a foreigner in Egypt and yet they were sitting at the table exactly as at home in their father's house. How could this be?
Genesis 43:34:
And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of theirs. …
The hospitality of the Egyptian man with people formerly thought to have been spies was far beyond the usual, especially since he now even had food from his table ("from before him") delivered to their table. And there was another yet unbelievable surprise awaiting them. From home they may have been used to the favorite son receiving a double portion at times, and here the youngest received five times so much as any of them!
Joseph of course knew how to deal with such a situation in order to avoid that they become perhaps a little to curious.
Genesis 43:34:
... And they drank, and were merry with him.
This does not meant that he made them drunk, but rather they just had a merry and happy time eating together! The otherwise surely tense atmosphere was eased a bit. The brothers finally could settle down and have some peace despite these rather unusual things which had happened in the course of events.
Genesis 44:1 and 2:
And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth.
And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his corn money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.
This "silver cup" was perhaps one of those silver plates which were commonly used by persons of high rank in Egypt.
Genesis 44:3:
As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses.
With sunrise the brothers finally got on their way and started their journey back home. Even their asses were going with them and they had been able to buy more corn and also their brother Simeon was with them. Perhaps on their way coming to Egypt they had had worse fears in their hearts than Joseph formerly when he came down in the company of those Ishmeelites to whom he had been sold. The immense mental pressure due to the situation, and especially because they had their youngest brother Benjamin with them and they could not know what the Egyptian man might perhaps have in mind regarding him, now had subsided. "Praise God! We are finally all on our way home. Thank God that Egypt is now behind us …" – those may have been their thoughts of relief as they got on their way that morning.
Genesis 44:4 and 5:
And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good?
Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth? ye have done evil in so doing.
Verse 5 does not mean that Joseph had become a diviner or soothsayer and was diving by means of this silver cup. These words were just part of the story, and it may have been the case in Egypt that priests and wise men and soothsayers also used a silver cup in their practices of divining. It could also be that this expression is to be understood in the sense of "This is the cup from which my lord drinketh; and in its disappearance of this silver cup he may see something evil." Whatever the case, the steward was to accuse them that they had done evil and actually rewarded his good with an evil deed – another unbelievable accusation.
Genesis 44:6-8:
And he overtook them, and he spake unto them these same words.
And they said unto him, Wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing:
Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks' mouths, we brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan: how then should we steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold?
The brothers are denying to have anything whatever to do with such a thing, and they explain to the steward how absurd and stupid such a deed would be in their case.
Genesis 44:9:
With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die, and we also will be my lord's bondmen.
Being absolutely sure of their innocence, they are very quick with their tongue and an answer. This perhaps could serve us as a valuable lesson, for at times we say something very quickly when it would have been much better to keep one's mouth shut. They swiftly speak of "let him die" and "will be my lords's bondmen" – such words are easily spoken, but alas, if things develop differently from what was to be expected.
Genesis 44:10:
And he said, Now also let it be according unto your words: he with whom it is found shall be my servant; and ye shall be blameless.
The steward is quite generous. He even lessens the punishment compared to what they had suggested in the case they were found out to be guilty.
Genesis 44:11:
Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack.
Eager to help out and to clear up this last annoyance and repeated error they speedily take down their sacks and open them for inspection by the steward.
Genesis 44:12 and 13:
And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.
Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city.
Perhaps after the third or fourth sack they may have tried to assure the steward that he didn't really need to look any further, it was obvious that they were innocent, just as it had been with all the previous accusations. And yet, the silver cup showed up and as if this had not been terrible enough, it was found in the sack of the youngest!! Had Benjamin perhaps without anyone of them realizing it … ? Now they were in deep trouble. In Egypt a lot of strange things had happened, but now this with Benjamin?!? As if it could not have been different, they now were under this terrible suspicion because of him.
They show already that they were not willing to just "fix this quickly" and simply leave Benjamin behind as a slave and they could go home. No – such did not enter their mind this time. They decided to not desert the little one and instead they decided to all return to the city.
Genesis 44:14-16:
And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house; for he was yet there: and they fell before him on the ground.
And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine [find out mysteries and discover secrets]?
And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are my lord's servants, both we, and he also with whom the cup is found.
Now Joseph had almost reached his goal. He wanted to achieve that the brothers realized what they had formerly done and he wanted to see them have a change of heart. Now, the second one of Jacob's "favorites" was in trouble. The first one, Joseph, they had quickly and joyfully gotten rid off years ago. What would they do now when the second one of the favorite sons of Jacob was in trouble? How would they act now? Would they also desert him and be concerned more about their own lives and interests? Joseph had arranged this situation wisely in order to bring them to a point of decision. What would they do now?
And this time it was again Judah who spoke up. Of course it had been he who had given himself as surety for Benjamin to this father. Judah now exclaimed, "God has found out the iniquity of thy servants." He had realized that it was no longer a matter of trying to justify their doing since God knew about their former iniquity. Judah proclaimed that they were not going to leave Benjamin behind but rather all would stay as slaves.
Genesis 44:17:
And he said, God forbid that I should do so: but the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father.
Joseph did not want to show himself as "unjust" against them, and therefore he insisted that only the one who was guilty should stay and be his slave, the others were to have their freedom and go home to their father.
The brothers of course could not really know whether Benjamin perhaps had really stolen the silver cup. He could have perhaps put it away when they all had been merry at the meal on the day before. This was really not an easy situation for them.
Then again Judah is coming to Joseph and he explains a few more things which really show how much their hearts now had changed because Judah openly admits to the evil that they had done years ago and how they had sinned against their brother Joseph then.
Genesis 44:18-28:
Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh.
My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother?
And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him.
And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him.
And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die.
And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more.
And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.
And our father said, Go again, and buy us a little food.
And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the man's face, except our youngest brother be with us.
And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons:
And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not since:
This way now Joseph learned what they had done after they had sold him and what they had told their father and how they had explained his disappearance to him.
Genesis 44:29-34:
And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.
Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life;
It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave.
For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for ever.
Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren.
For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father.
Judah's words of intercession for his youngest brother are truly wonderful, and they already throw a shadow on what the greatest son of Judah would do later on as he interceded on all of our behalf and gave his life as a ransom for all of us.
Judah now told things as they had then been and openly admitted their guilt. We also can see that Jacob had put Benjamin in the place of Joseph. Now however, the brothers did no longer have the same attitude which they had before against Joseph but rather they had learned a lesson and were willing to act differently. As Joseph now pushed the matter to its peek by desiring to keep Benjamin and to let the others go home, Judah got up and declared solemnly that they surely were not going to agree to that, such was out of the question for them. Joseph had of course wanted to see if they would leave Benjamin behind as a slave or not.
Judah offered to remain behind as a slave in the place of the boy, for the sake of their father. Judah's pleading and interceding before Joseph is truly wonderful and shows what kind of a heart he now had and what dramatic change had occurred really in all of them. Judah took the first step forward when he said that there was nothing else to say except that "God has found out the iniquity of thy servants." He then affirmed that they would not leave their brother behind this time, and he was willing to step in for his youngest brother and remain behind as a slave.
After Judah's very touching speech most likely all had fixed their eyes with anxious expectations on the ruler of Egypt who was standing in front of them and who now had it in his hand to do with them according as he pleased and saw fit. What would he now decide?