Genesis 43:20

20 "Please, my lord, the first time we indeed came down to buy food;

Genesis 43:20 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 43:20

And said, O sir
Or, "on me, my lord" ^F1, one said in the name of the rest, perhaps Judah, on me let the blame lie, if guilty of rudeness in making our address to thee; or as the Vulgate Latin version, "we pray, sir, that thou wouldest hear us"; and so Jarchi and Aben Ezra say the phrase is expressive of beseeching, entreating, and supplicating: we came indeed down at the first time to buy food;
not to spy the land but to buy corn, and not to get it by fraud or tricking but by paying for it the price that was required.

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FOOTNOTES:

F1 (ynda yb) "in me Domine mi", Montanus.

Genesis 43:20 In-Context

18 Upon being ushered inside Yosef's house, the men became fearful. They said, "It's because of the money that was returned in our packs the first time that we have been brought inside - so that he can use it as an excuse to attack us, take us as slaves and seize our donkeys too."

19 So they approached the manager of Yosef's household and spoke to him at the entrance of the house:

20 "Please, my lord, the first time we indeed came down to buy food;

21 but when we got to camp, we opened our packs, and there inside our packs was each man's money, the full amount. We have brought it back with us;

22 moreover, we have brought down other money to buy food. We have no idea who put our money in our packs."