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Genesis 42
1 Now when Jacob saw that there was corn (= sheber in Hebrew and means grain [as if broken into kernels]) in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another?
In other words, Jacob's (Israel's) wondering why they're just standing around looking at each other, instead of making effort to go buy grain.
2 And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn (= grain) in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.
3 And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn (= Bâr in Hebrew and means grain of any type) in Egypt.
4 But Benjamin, Joseph's brother (i.e. full brother), Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure (= perhaps) mischief befall him.
If you remember, Benjamin was Jacob's (Israel's) son from his favorite wife Rachel, who died back in Genesis 35, and so it is no doubt that he kept him behind due to favoritism, as he showed toward Joseph in previous chapters, who was also his son from Rachel. Remember though, Jacob (Israel) at this point doesn't know that Joseph is still living as his other sons made it appear as if some wild beast killed him in Genesis 37:33.
5 And the sons of Israel came to buy corn (= grain) among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan.
Not only is this famine a shadow of the things to come, considering the famine of these end times (Amos 8:11) of hearing the TRUTH of GOD's WORD, but also it would be through Joseph in which Manasseh and Ephraim came through, and from them would eventually come the United States (Manasseh [= forgetful]) and the United Kingdom (Ephraim [= fruitful]), along with the British commonwealth nations, and as we clearly see today, it is those nations in which provide for most of the world today, as they are the land of Amber waves of grain.
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 so it was. This is exactly what was prophesied back in Genesis 37:9, that Joseph talked about, concerning his dreams that GOD had revealed to him. Of course at that time though, his brothers didn't understand his dream in how that would unfold, which is why they grew very hostile towards him.
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 land of Canaan to buy food.
8 And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.
Below you'll see what Joseph's intentions are for why he isn't revealing himself right away.
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.
In other words, Joseph's telling them that all they've come to do is reconnoiter Egypt, and perhaps to see how much longer their food supply will last before they probably try to attack.
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 (i.e. honest) men, thy servants are no spies.
In other words, Joseph's ten brothers are trying to convince him that they're honest and really are there to buy food.
12 And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.
At this point, you can imagine his brothers are a little nervous, as Joseph being this high position ruler in Egypt doesn't appear to be convinced by them.
13 And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest (i.e. Benjamin) is this day with our father, and one is not.
The one that is not, is in reference to Joseph, as they are the ones that got rid of him.
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.
In other words, Joseph is letting them know that unless they bring their youngest brother (Benjamin) with them, to prove they are not spies, then their life will be at risk, as they will be kept in prison.
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.
It's no doubt the reason Joseph is doing this is because he's testing his brothers to see if they have changed from their sour ways and to see how they will treat Benjamin; perhaps to see whether or not they will eventually try to sell him off too or whether they will try and leave one of their other brothers behind, when Joseph puts them in jail for three days (see below).
17 And he put them all together into ward (i.e. jail) three days.
18 And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God:
In other words, Joseph's letting them know that as long as they follow his instructions, then he'll allow them to live.
19 If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison (i.e. leave one behind): go ye, carry corn (= grain) for the famine of your houses:
And as we can see, Joseph wants to make sure that his dad will receive food too. Notice he's also commanding that they leave one brother behind; most likely he's doing this to see if they will come back for him or not.
20 But bring your youngest brother (i.e. Benjamin) unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.
21 And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother (i.e. Joseph), 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.
As we can see, they realize they have done greatly wrong in selling their what appears to be lost brother (Joseph) into slavery and by treating him wrong in the past; i.e. throwing him into a pit and threatening to take his life.
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.
In other words, Reuben's bringing their attention back to when he tried to intercede and prevent them from selling or taking Joseph's life and naturally with Joseph being not far away from them, he can hear their conversation.
23 And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter.
Perhaps Joseph did this whereby it would make it harder for his brothers to recognize it was him.
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.
Most likely his emotions got to him when he realized his brothers were greatly sorry for what they had done and to hear that Reuben was against his brother's decisions.
25 Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn (= grain), and to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them provision (i.e. food) for the way: and thus did he unto them.
In other words, Joseph provided them the grain and had their money put back in their sacks.
26 And they laded their asses with the corn (= grain), and departed thence.
27 And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender (i.e. feed) in the inn (i.e. lodging area), he espied (i.e. saw) his money; for, behold, it was in his sack's mouth.
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?
In other words, they became greatly worried when they realized the money had been placed back in their sacks because they thought they were going to be caught for spying and stealing. Everything they're going through is what they have brought upon themselves, as GOD doesn't send burdens (Jeremiah 23:33-36).
29 And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and 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 land of Canaan.
33 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:
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.
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.
Again, they were afraid when they realized the money had been placed back in their sacks because they thought they were going to be caught for spying and robbery.
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.
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.
In other words, Reuben is letting his dad (Israel [Jacob]) know that he is willing to put his own two son's life at risk, in protection for Benjamin.
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 again, Benjamin was the son of Israel by Rachel, who was Israel's (Jacob's) favorite wife who died (Genesis 35), and still at this point Israel (Jacob) doesn't know that Joseph is still living, and so by all means, he doesn't want to lose Benjamin too. We'll see what happens in the next chapter.
In other words, Jacob's (Israel's) wondering why they're just standing around looking at each other, instead of making effort to go buy grain.
2 And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn (= grain) in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.
3 And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn (= Bâr in Hebrew and means grain of any type) in Egypt.
4 But Benjamin, Joseph's brother (i.e. full brother), Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure (= perhaps) mischief befall him.
If you remember, Benjamin was Jacob's (Israel's) son from his favorite wife Rachel, who died back in Genesis 35, and so it is no doubt that he kept him behind due to favoritism, as he showed toward Joseph in previous chapters, who was also his son from Rachel. Remember though, Jacob (Israel) at this point doesn't know that Joseph is still living as his other sons made it appear as if some wild beast killed him in Genesis 37:33.
5 And the sons of Israel came to buy corn (= grain) among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan.
Not only is this famine a shadow of the things to come, considering the famine of these end times (Amos 8:11) of hearing the TRUTH of GOD's WORD, but also it would be through Joseph in which Manasseh and Ephraim came through, and from them would eventually come the United States (Manasseh [= forgetful]) and the United Kingdom (Ephraim [= fruitful]), along with the British commonwealth nations, and as we clearly see today, it is those nations in which provide for most of the world today, as they are the land of Amber waves of grain.
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 so it was. This is exactly what was prophesied back in Genesis 37:9, that Joseph talked about, concerning his dreams that GOD had revealed to him. Of course at that time though, his brothers didn't understand his dream in how that would unfold, which is why they grew very hostile towards him.
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 land of Canaan to buy food.
8 And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.
Below you'll see what Joseph's intentions are for why he isn't revealing himself right away.
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.
In other words, Joseph's telling them that all they've come to do is reconnoiter Egypt, and perhaps to see how much longer their food supply will last before they probably try to attack.
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 (i.e. honest) men, thy servants are no spies.
In other words, Joseph's ten brothers are trying to convince him that they're honest and really are there to buy food.
12 And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.
At this point, you can imagine his brothers are a little nervous, as Joseph being this high position ruler in Egypt doesn't appear to be convinced by them.
13 And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest (i.e. Benjamin) is this day with our father, and one is not.
The one that is not, is in reference to Joseph, as they are the ones that got rid of him.
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.
In other words, Joseph is letting them know that unless they bring their youngest brother (Benjamin) with them, to prove they are not spies, then their life will be at risk, as they will be kept in prison.
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.
It's no doubt the reason Joseph is doing this is because he's testing his brothers to see if they have changed from their sour ways and to see how they will treat Benjamin; perhaps to see whether or not they will eventually try to sell him off too or whether they will try and leave one of their other brothers behind, when Joseph puts them in jail for three days (see below).
17 And he put them all together into ward (i.e. jail) three days.
18 And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God:
In other words, Joseph's letting them know that as long as they follow his instructions, then he'll allow them to live.
19 If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison (i.e. leave one behind): go ye, carry corn (= grain) for the famine of your houses:
And as we can see, Joseph wants to make sure that his dad will receive food too. Notice he's also commanding that they leave one brother behind; most likely he's doing this to see if they will come back for him or not.
20 But bring your youngest brother (i.e. Benjamin) unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.
21 And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother (i.e. Joseph), 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.
As we can see, they realize they have done greatly wrong in selling their what appears to be lost brother (Joseph) into slavery and by treating him wrong in the past; i.e. throwing him into a pit and threatening to take his life.
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.
In other words, Reuben's bringing their attention back to when he tried to intercede and prevent them from selling or taking Joseph's life and naturally with Joseph being not far away from them, he can hear their conversation.
23 And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter.
Perhaps Joseph did this whereby it would make it harder for his brothers to recognize it was him.
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.
Most likely his emotions got to him when he realized his brothers were greatly sorry for what they had done and to hear that Reuben was against his brother's decisions.
25 Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn (= grain), and to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them provision (i.e. food) for the way: and thus did he unto them.
In other words, Joseph provided them the grain and had their money put back in their sacks.
26 And they laded their asses with the corn (= grain), and departed thence.
27 And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender (i.e. feed) in the inn (i.e. lodging area), he espied (i.e. saw) his money; for, behold, it was in his sack's mouth.
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?
In other words, they became greatly worried when they realized the money had been placed back in their sacks because they thought they were going to be caught for spying and stealing. Everything they're going through is what they have brought upon themselves, as GOD doesn't send burdens (Jeremiah 23:33-36).
29 And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and 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 land of Canaan.
33 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:
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.
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.
Again, they were afraid when they realized the money had been placed back in their sacks because they thought they were going to be caught for spying and robbery.
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.
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.
In other words, Reuben is letting his dad (Israel [Jacob]) know that he is willing to put his own two son's life at risk, in protection for Benjamin.
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 again, Benjamin was the son of Israel by Rachel, who was Israel's (Jacob's) favorite wife who died (Genesis 35), and still at this point Israel (Jacob) doesn't know that Joseph is still living, and so by all means, he doesn't want to lose Benjamin too. We'll see what happens in the next chapter.