Genesis 42:1-21

Joseph's Brothers Go to Egypt

1 When ¹Jacob learned that there was grain for sale in Egypt, he said to his sons, "Why do you look at one another?"

2 And he said, "Behold, I have heard that there is grain for sale in Egypt. Go down and buy grain for us there, that we may ²live and not die."

3 So ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt.

4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, ³Joseph's brother, with his brothers, for ⁴he feared that harm might happen to him.

5 Thus the sons of Israel came to buy among the others who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

6 Now Joseph was governor ⁵over the land. He was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and ⁶bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground.

7 Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and ⁷spoke roughly to them. "Where do you come from?" he said. They said, "From the land of Canaan, to buy food."

8 And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.

9 And Joseph ⁸remembered the dreams that he had dreamed of them. ⁹And he said to them, "You are spies; you have come to see the nakedness of the land."

10 They said to him, "No, my lord, your servants have come to buy food.

11 We are all sons of one man. We are honest men. Your servants have never been spies."

12 He said to them, "No, it is the nakedness of the land that you have come to see."

13 And they said, "We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan, and behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one ¹⁰is no more."

14 But Joseph said to them, "It is as I said to you. You are spies.

15 By this you shall be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here.

16 Send one of you, and let him bring your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you. Or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies."

17 And he put them all together in custody for three days.

18 On the third day Joseph said to them, "Do this and you will live, ¹¹for I fear God:

19 if you are honest men, let one of your brothers remain confined where you are in custody, and let the rest go and carry ¹²grain for the famine of your households,

20 and ¹³bring your youngest brother to me. So your words will be verified, and you shall not die." And they did so.

21 Then they said to one another, ¹⁴"In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us."

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Genesis 42:1-21 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 42

This chapter relates how that Jacob having heard there was corn in Egypt, sent all his sons but Benjamin thither to buy corn, Ge 42:1-5; and coming before Joseph, they bowed to him, and he knowing them, though they knew not him, spoke roughly to them, and charged them with being spies, Ge 42:6-9; they in their defence urged that they were the sons of one man in Canaan, with whom their youngest brother was left, on which Joseph ordered them to send for him, to prove them true men, Ge 42:10-16; and put them all into prison for three days, and then released them, and sent them away to fetch their brother, Ge 42:17-20; this brought to mind their treatment of Joseph, and they confessed their guilt to each other, which Joseph heard, and greatly affected him, they supposing he understood them not, and before he dismissed them bound Simeon before their eyes, whom he retained till they returned, Ge 42:21-24; then he ordered his servants to fill their sacks with corn, and put each man's money in his sack, which one of them on the road found, opening his sack for provender, filled them all with great surprise and fear, Ge 42:25-28; upon their return to Jacob they related all that had befallen them, and particularly that the governor insisted on having Benjamin brought to him, Ge 42:29-34; their sacks being opened, all their money was found in them, which greatly distressed them and Jacob also, who was very unwilling to let Benjamin go, though Reuben offered his two sons as pledges for him, and himself to be a surety, Ge 42:35-38.