Genesis 43:6

6 Isra'el said, "Why did you bring such trouble my way by telling the man you had another brother?"

Genesis 43:6 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 43:6

And Israel said
In answer to the speech of Judah: wherefore dealt ye [so] ill with me;
had done that which brought so much evil upon him, gave him so much grief and trouble, and threw him into such perplexity and distress, that he knew not what to do, or course to take: [as] to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother?
which he thought was done imprudently and unadvisedly, and that there was no need of it; which, had it not been done, would have prevented this anxiety of mind he was now in, and the mischief he feared would follow.

Genesis 43:6 In-Context

4 If you will 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 will not see my face unless your brother is with you.'"
6 Isra'el said, "Why did you bring such trouble my way by telling the man you had another brother?"
7 They answered, "The man kept questioning us about ourselves and about our kinsmen. He asked, 'Is your father still alive?''Do you have another brother?' and we answered according to the literal meaning of his questions. How were we to know he would say, 'Bring your brother down'?"
8 Y'hudah said to Isra'el his father, "Send the boy with me; and we will make preparations and leave; so that we may stay alive and not die, both we and you, and also our little ones.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.