Genesis 43:6

6 Then Israel said, "Why did you treat me so badly by telling the man whether you still 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 send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food.

5 "But if you do 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 Then Israel said, "Why did you treat me so badly by telling the man whether you still had another brother?"

7 But they said, "The man questioned particularly about us and our relatives, saying, 'Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?' So we answered his questions. Could we possibly know that he would say, 'Bring your brother down '?"

8 Judah said to his father Israel, "Send the lad with me and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, we as well as you and our little ones.

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "to tell"