Genesis 42:1-9

1 When Iacob sawe that there was corne to be solde in Egipte he sayde vnto his sones: why are ye negligent?

2 beholde I haue hearde that there is corne to be solde in Egipte. Gete you thither and bye vs corne fro thece that we maye lyue and not dye.

3 So went Iosephs ten brethern doune to bye corne in Egipte

4 for Ben Iamin Iosephs brother wold not Iacob sende with his other brethren: for he sayde: some mysfortune myght happen him

5 And the sonnes of Israell came to bye corne amonge other that came for there was derth also in the lande of Canaan.

6 And Ioseph was gouerner in the londe and solde corne to all the people of the londe. And his brethren came and fell flatt on the grounde before him.

7 When Ioseph sawe his brethern he knewe them: But made straunge vnto them and spake rughly vnto them saynge: Whence come ye? and they sayde: out of the lande of Canaan to bye vitayle.

8 Ioseph knewe his brethern but they knewe not him.

9 And Ioseph remembred his dreames which he dreamed of them and sayde vnto them: ye are spies and to se where the lande is weake is youre comynge.

Genesis 42:1-9 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.