Bereshis 43:6

6 And Yisroel said, Why dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the ish whether ye had yet another ach (brother)?

Bereshis 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.

Bereshis 43:6 In-Context

4 If thou wilt send achinu (our brother) with us, we will go down and buy thee ochel;

5 But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down; for the ish said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, unless achichem be with you.

6 And Yisroel said, Why dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the ish whether ye had yet another ach (brother)?

7 And they said, The ish asked in detail about us and about our moledet (kindred), saying, Is Avichem yet alive? Have ye another ach? And we declared to him according to these words of [his inquiry]; could we certainly know that he would say, Bring down achichem?

8 And Yehudah said unto Yisroel Aviv, Send na’ar with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones.