Chapter Forty-Three
Jacob sends Benjamin with his sons to Egypt, compelled by necessity and their urgent requests
Genesis 43:1–2. The famine grew severe in the land. And when they had eaten the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them: “Go back and buy us a little more food.” The grain that the nine sons of Jacob had brought, given the size of his family, could scarcely have lasted for a long time (servants and other members of Jacob’s household perhaps did not partake of this grain but subsisted on various substitutes—roots and the like); soon, as the famine intensified everywhere (v. 1), the family’s supply was exhausted, and he again urged his sons to return to Egypt.
Genesis 43:8–9. Then Judah said to Israel, his father: “Send the boy with me, and we will arise and go, so that we may live and not die—we and you and our little ones. I myself will be surety for him. You shall hold me responsible; if I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then I shall bear the blame before you forever. The speech of Judah, who now comes forward as the principal speaker (as a foreshadowing of the future recognition by his father of his birthright, Gen 49:8-11), breathes the same self-sacrifice as the speech of Reuben (Gen 42:37): both these brothers of Joseph were innocent of the criminal designs of the other brothers against Joseph’s life; both in their time made efforts to save him, and therefore could speak before their father with clear conscience. Yet Judah’s speech differs from Reuben’s in greater moderation of emotional impulse, greater reasonableness and persuasiveness, which, together with Jacob’s particular trust in him (compared with Jacob’s attitude toward Reuben in view of Gen 35:22), inclined the old man to recognize the necessity of sending Benjamin. Benjamin in Judah’s speech is called (v. 8) “the boy” (Heb. naar; Vulg. “puer”), though at this time he was about twenty-five years old and already had several sons (Gen 46:21)—called by this epithet as the youngest of the brothers. Such use of Heb. naar appears in other biblical passages. For instance, Solomon in his prayer to God upon his accession to the throne calls himself a young boy (1 Sam 3:7), though at that time he already had a son, Rehoboam. Nevertheless, Jacob’s special care for Benjamin did not proceed from his youth but from a particular attachment to this second and last son of his from his beloved Rachel (cf. Gen 44:27-28).
Genesis 43:11. Israel, their father, said to them: “If it must be so, then do this: take some of the choice fruits of the land in your vessels and carry them down as a gift to the man—some resin, a little honey, gum, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds. Jacob’s thought that his sons might win the favor of Egypt’s chief minister with insignificant native products of Canaan may seem a naive way of thinking of an old nomadic patriarch who had seen only modest princes of Canaan and had no notion of the magnificence and luxury of Egyptian palaces. This trait, however, is very typical of the ancient East and even of the modern East, where a subordinate’s approach to a ruler, and in general a lower person’s approach to a higher—without gifts—is considered an expression of disrespect and incivility (cf. gifts to Solomon from the rulers subject to him, 1 Sam 10:25; cf. Matt 2:11). As such known products of the land of Canaan (Heb. zimrat-haarez, “the praise of the land”—all by which it is renowned among neighboring peoples), Jacob mentions, besides the balm, myrrh, and frankincense already mentioned in Gen 37:25, also honey (Heb. debasch), pistachio nuts (botnim), and almonds (schoqedim). The honey probably means not bee honey, which was always abundant in Egypt, but concentrated grape juice, now known among the Arabs as “dips” (like what is called “Turkish delight”), which is still imported into Egypt in enormous quantities. Heb. botnim, pistachio nuts, are rendered in the LXX and Slavic version as “terebinth” (the turpentine tree). Palestine was rich in almonds.
Genesis 43:12–14. Take also with you double the money; and carry back with you the money that was returned in the tops of your sacks, perhaps it was an oversight. Take your brother also, and arise, go back to the man. And may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, that he may send back to you your other brother and Benjamin. At the same time Jacob commands his sons to return the money that was mysteriously placed in their sacks; then, urging them to go with Benjamin as well (v. 13), he entrusts both his children and himself to the will of God and calls upon (v. 14) the Lord, addressing Him as Almighty (El Shaddai), as it was in the times of great and extraordinary mercies shown to Abraham (Gen 17:1) and then to Jacob himself (Gen 28:3). In all circumstances of life, especially in difficult ones requiring extraordinary help from above, the patriarchs turned in prayer to “God Almighty,” El Shaddai; under this name they primarily knew and honored the true God, whereas the name Jehovah was not fully known to them (cf. Exod 4:3) or at least was not in common use. As for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved. This is an expression of determination to submit to the decrees of God’s will (cf. Esth 4:16; 2 Sam 7:4). From this we can see how the vicissitudes of life have changed the once self-reliant Jacob, teaching him complete devotion to God.
Joseph receives his brothers and provides a feast for them
Genesis 43:15–16. The men took this gift, and they took double the money with them, and Benjamin, and they arose and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph. When Joseph saw Benjamin among them, he said to his steward: “Bring the men into the house, slaughter an animal and prepare it, for these men shall eat with me at noon.” The audience of Joseph’s brothers did not take place immediately after their arrival at his palace: until noon—the time of Joseph’s meal—Joseph was absent, perhaps on official business (Josephus, Antiquities 6, 6), but probably also deliberately so—to collect himself in light of the agitation that seized him at the sight of Benjamin, and to allow his brothers to recover themselves.
Genesis 43:18. The men were afraid because they were brought into Joseph’s house, and they said: “It is because of the money, which was returned in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may seek occasion against us and fall upon us, to take us as slaves and our donkeys. Brought into the house itself by Joseph’s steward on his orders, the brothers saw in this (judging by the experience of their first reception by Egypt’s ruler) an ill omen of coming punishment because of the payment for grain that had been mysteriously returned to each of them.
Genesis 43:19–21. Then they approached the steward of Joseph’s house and spoke to him at the entrance of the house, saying: “Please, my lord, we came down the first time to buy food,” and when we came to the lodging place and opened our sacks, behold, each man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight, and we have brought it back with us in our hands. In fear and hesitation they stop at the house entrance and briefly relay to Joseph’s steward the occurrence with the money, explaining their complete innocence in the matter and asking him to take note of it, in light of the accusation and possible condemnation to slavery they expected, according to the legal order of ancient times (Exod 22:3).
Genesis 43:23. He said: “Peace be with you, do not be afraid; your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks. Your money came to me.” And he brought Simeon out to them. Joseph’s steward, perhaps inspired by the piety and righteousness of his master, reassures Jacob’s sons by pointing out that the money they found in their sacks is an extraordinary gift from their God, and that he received the payment they had made. What especially comforted Joseph’s brothers was the bringing out to them of Simeon. Only now do they peacefully enter the house, where they receive the tokens of eastern hospitality, and they make ready and prepare their gifts for the coming meeting with Joseph.
Genesis 43:26. When Joseph came home, they brought him the gifts that were in their hands into the house, and they bowed down to him to the ground. The presentation of gifts and prostration were the customary forms of greeting in the East for persons of high standing, especially rulers. In the prostration of all the brothers before Joseph, Joseph’s ancient dreams were fulfilled literally: not only all his brothers now bowed before Joseph, but in them also his father bowed, and Joseph’s mother, Rachel (in Benjamin). The very setting of the meeting—in the context of buying grain—recalled Joseph’s first dream, which concerned agricultural and economic affairs, the gathering of grain.
Genesis 43:27–28. And he asked them of their welfare, and said: “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive? They said: “Your servant, our father, is well; he is still alive.” [And he said: “Blessed be that man by God.”] And they bowed down and prostrated themselves. With brotherly love toward his brothers and filial respect and tenderness toward his father, Joseph inquires about the health of the former and the latter, and the brothers again, in a feeling of gratitude toward Egypt’s merciful ruler, bow before him. The LXX adds in v. 28: καὶ εἴπεν Εὐλογητὸς ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐκεῖνος τῶ θεῶ (cf. Slavic and Russian versions): perhaps in this gloss the Hebrew view was expressed of the impropriety of bowing to a man (cf. Esth 3:2).
Genesis 43:29–30. And he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said: “Is this your youngest brother, of whom you told me?” And he said: “God be gracious to you, my son! And Joseph hastened out, for his heart yearned for his brother, and he was about to weep, and he entered his chamber and wept there. Turning his gaze to Benjamin, Joseph asks his brothers in deep agitation whether this is their youngest brother, and without awaiting an answer, he invokes God’s blessing upon his beloved brother, tenderly calling him “my son”—not only by right of being the elder (Joseph was nearly fifteen years older than Benjamin), but also as one now in authority. Overcome by strong feelings and memories, Joseph hurries to leave his brothers, and only in solitude does his composure return. In this scene of Joseph’s meeting with Benjamin, his full brother, the nobility of character, the tenderness of family feeling, and in general the true human dignity of Joseph, uncorrupted by his high position in Egypt, are especially striking. In his moral character, as certainly in his religious faith, which remained untouched by Egypt, Joseph is a true biblical patriarch, like his three closest ancestors. The emotional agitation that now caused Joseph to leave his brothers was not merely a natural impulse of feeling, but also a feeling of moral satisfaction and peace regarding the good will of the brothers toward Benjamin (which he would indeed test once more): the feeling of relief after anticipated grave danger to a beloved being is one of the strongest human emotions.
Genesis 43:31–32. Then he washed his face and went out and controlled himself and said: “Serve the meal. And they served him alone, and them alone, and the Egyptians who ate with him alone, for the Egyptians could not eat with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. Having washed his face to remove the traces of tears, Joseph came out to his brothers and invited them to dine. Three separate tables were set: one for Joseph, who, as the chief minister and also a member of the priestly caste, according to ancient Egyptian custom, was not permitted to eat even with other high-ranking Egyptians, much less with foreigners, with whom any ordinary Egyptian was also not permitted to eat (according to Herodotus 2, 41, no Egyptian would use a knife handled by a Greek at a meal); a second table for Joseph’s Egyptian colleagues, who, as stated, were unable to share a meal with foreigners, and particularly with Syrians and Hebrews; a third table for Joseph’s eleven brothers. The reason why Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews is expressed by the sacred writer thus: “for it is an abomination to the Egyptians” (Heb. to’evah). The Slavic version reads: “an abomination... every shepherd of sheep”—perhaps an addition to the original text, taken from Gen 46:34). “Abomination,” to’evah, in biblical language is a religious-ritual and liturgical concept and means everything that cannot be permitted in the true worship of the Lord (Jehovah) and what is forbidden to His worshippers (e.g. Deut 12:31; Ezek 5:11). In this passage it is said that the Egyptians avoided the Hebrews for religious reasons: according to Onkelos, because the Hebrews slaughtered and ate animals that the Egyptians deified (for instance, Isis was venerated in the form of a cow, Osiris in the form of the Apis-bull); the Egyptians, according to some, ate almost no meat.
Genesis 43:33. And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth, and the men looked at one another in amazement. That ancient Egyptians sat, rather than reclined, at table (the latter custom entered among the Hebrews during their kingly period and probably under Assyro-Babylonian cultural influence; cf. Amos 6:4), can be seen in many sculptural representations of scenes of ancient Egyptian daily life (in the British Museum and others). Following the customary etiquette of the East, Joseph arranged the seating of his brothers at table by seniority, thereby again throwing them into confusion and dismay and inspiring in them a superstitious fear of him as one capable of revealing secrets (cf. Gen 44:5).
Genesis 43:34. And he sent them food from his table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. And they drank and became merry with him. According to a custom widespread in the East, sending food from the elder’s table at a feast expressed (and still expresses) honor to a guest, and an increased portion meant special respect of the host for that particular guest (1 Sam 9:23-24); cf. Homer, Iliad 7, 321. Joseph sends food from his own table to all his brothers (from this we learn parenthetically that the patriarchal Hebrews were not averse to sharing meals with foreigners, as they became in the period under the law), but to Benjamin a portion five times as large; according to the Midrash, he received one share equally with all, another from Joseph, a third from Asenath, a fourth from Manasseh, and a fifth from Ephraim. The abundant use of wine at Joseph’s table was not drunkenness—rather, wise Joseph, mindful of the proverb: in vino veritas, could observe his brothers and see what impression the preference shown to Benjamin made upon them. For this purpose he undertakes this last and severe test of the brothers.