Genesis 42:1-28

Joseph's Brothers Sent to Egypt

1 Now ¹Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, "Why are you staring at one another?"

2 He said, "Behold, ²I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down there and buy some for us from that place, ³so that we may live and not die."

3 Then ten brothers of Joseph went down to buy grain from Egypt.

4 But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother ⁴Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, "⁵I am afraid that harm may befall him."

5 So the sons of Israel came to buy grain among those who were coming, ⁶for the famine was in the land of Canaan also.

6 Now ⁷Joseph was the ruler over the land; he was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and ⁸bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.

7 When Joseph saw his brothers he recognized them, but he disguised himself to them and ⁹spoke to them harshly. And he said to them, "Where have you come from?" And they said, "From the land of Canaan, to buy food."

8 But Joseph had recognized his brothers, although ¹⁰they did not recognize him.

9 Joseph ¹¹remembered the dreams which he had about them, and said to them, "You are spies; you have come to look at the undefended parts of our land."

10 Then they said to him, "No, ¹²my lord, but your servants have come to buy food.

11 "We are all sons of one man; we are ¹³honest men, your servants are not spies."

12 Yet he said to them, "No, but you have come to look at the undefended parts of our land!"

13 But they said, "Your servants are twelve * brothers in all, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is with ¹⁴our father today, and ¹⁵one is no longer alive."

14 Joseph said to them, "It is as I said to you, you are spies;

15 by this you will be tested: ¹⁶by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless * your youngest brother comes here!

16 "Send one of you that he may get your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is ¹⁷truth in you. But if not, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies."

17 So he put them all together in ¹⁸prison for three days.

18 Now Joseph said to them on the third day, "Do this and live, for ¹⁹I fear God:

19 if you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined in your prison *; but as for the rest of you, go, carry grain for the famine of your households,

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

21 Then they said to one another, "²¹Truly we are guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen; therefore * this distress has come upon us."

22 Reuben answered them, saying, "²²Did I not tell you, 'Do not sin against the boy '; and you would not listen? ²³Now * comes the reckoning for his blood."

23 They did not know, however, that Joseph understood, for there was an interpreter between them.

24 He turned away from them and ²⁴wept. But when he returned to them and spoke to them, he ²⁵took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.

25 ²⁶Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain and to restore every man's money in his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. And thus it was done for them.

26 So they loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed from there.

27 As one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place, he saw his ²⁷money; and behold, it was in the mouth of his sack.

28 Then he said to his brothers, "My money has been returned, and behold, it is even in my sack." And their hearts sank, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, "²⁸What is this that God has done to us?"

Genesis 42:1-28 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.

Cross References

• 1. Acts 7:12
• 2. Acts 7:12
• 3. Genesis 43:8; Psalms 33:18, 19
• 4. Genesis 35:24
• 5. Genesis 42:38
• 6. Genesis 12:10; Genesis 26:1; Genesis 41:57; Acts 7:11
• 7. Genesis 41:41, 55
• 8. Genesis 37:7-10; Genesis 41:43; Isaiah 60:14
• 9. Genesis 42:30
• 10. Genesis 37:2; Genesis 41:46
• 11. Genesis 37:6-9
• 12. Genesis 37:8
• 13. Gen 42:16, 19, 31, 34
• 14. Genesis 43:7
• 15. Genesis 37:30; Genesis 42:32; Genesis 44:20
• 16. 1 Samuel 17:55
• 17. Genesis 42:11
• 18. Genesis 40:4, 7
• 19. Genesis 39:9; Leviticus 25:43; Nehemiah 5:15
• 20. Genesis 42:34; Genesis 43:5; Genesis 44:23
• 21. Genesis 37:26-28; Genesis 45:3; Hosea 5:15
• 22. Genesis 37:21, 22
• 23. Genesis 9:5, 6; 1 Kings 2:32; 2 Chronicles 24:22; Psalms 9:12
• 24. Genesis 43:30; Genesis 45:14, 15
• 25. Genesis 43:14, 23
• 26. Genesis 44:1; Rom 12:17, 20, 21; 1 Peter 3:9
• 27. Genesis 43:21, 22
• 28. Genesis 43:23

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "from there"
• [b]. Lit "had dreamed"
• [c]. Lit "nakedness of the land"
• [d]. Lit "nakedness of the land"
• [e]. Lit "to you, saying"
• [f]. Lit "the house of your prison"
• [g]. Lit "you saying"
• [h]. Lit "And behold, his blood also is required"
• [i]. Lit "went out"
• [j]. Lit "trembled"