Genesis 42:29-38

Simeon Is Held Hostage

29 When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying,

30 "The man, the lord of the land, ¹spoke harshly with us, and took us for spies of the country.

31 "But we said to him, 'We are ²honest men; we are not spies.

32 'We are twelve * brothers, sons of our father; one is no longer alive, and the youngest is with our father today in the land of Canaan.'

33 "The man, the lord of the land, said to us, '³By this I will know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me and take grain for the famine of your households, and go.

34 'But bring your youngest brother to me that I may know that you are not spies, but honest men. I will give your brother to you, and you may ⁴trade in the land.' "

35 Now it came about as they were emptying their sacks, that behold, ⁵every man's bundle of money was in his sack; and when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were dismayed.

36 Their father Jacob said to them, "You have ⁶bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and you would take Benjamin; all these things are against me."

37 Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, "You may put my two sons to death if I do not bring him back to you; put him in my care, and I will return him to you."

38 But Jacob said, "My son shall not go down with you; for his ⁷brother is dead, and he alone is left. ⁸If harm should befall him on the journey you are taking, then you will ⁹bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow."

Genesis 42:29-38 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. Genesis 42:7
• 2. Genesis 42:11
• 3. Genesis 42:19, 20
• 4. Genesis 34:10
• 5. Gen 43:12, 15, 21
• 6. Genesis 43:14
• 7. Genesis 37:33, 34; Genesis 42:13; Genesis 44:27, 28
• 8. Genesis 42:4
• 9. Genesis 37:35; Genesis 44:29, 31

Footnotes

• [a] Lit "you are honest"
• [b] Lit "hand"
• [c] Lit "he"
• [d] Lit "on which you are going"