창세기 42:13 주석

We had, in the foregoing chapter, the fulfilling of the dreams which Joseph had interpreted: in this and the following chapters we have the fulfilling of the dreams which Joseph himself had dreamed, that his father's family should do homage to him. The story is very largely and particularly related of what passed between Joseph and his brethren, not only because it is an entertaining story, and probably was much talked of, both among the Israelites and among the Egyptians, but because it is very instructive, and it gave occasion for the removal of Jacob's family into Egypt, on which so many great events afterwards depended. We have, in this chapter, I. The humble application of Jacob's sons to Joseph to buy corn (Gen 42:1-6). II. The fright Joseph put them into, for their trial (Gen 42:7-20). III. The conviction they were now under of their sin concerning Joseph long before (Gen 42:21-24). IV. Their return to Canaan with corn, and the great distress their good father was in upon hearing the account of their expedition (Gen 42:25, etc.).

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, Gen 42:1; 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, Gen 42:6; 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, Gen 42:10; and put them all into prison for three days, and then released them, and sent them away to fetch their brother, Gen 42:17; 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, Gen 42:21; 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, Gen 42:25; upon their return to Jacob they related all that had befallen them, and particularly that the governor insisted on having Benjamin brought to him, Gen 42:29; 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, Gen 42:35.

Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother,.... He proposes that one of them might be sent by them to their father's house, and bring, Benjamin down to Egypt: and ye shall be kept in prison; the rest of them till he came: that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you; by this it would be seen whether they were men of truth and honesty or not; and should their brother be brought they would appear to be good men and true: or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely ye are spies; should not their brother they spoke of be produced, it would be a plain case that they were not the honest men they pretended to be, nor did they come merely to buy corn, but had an ill intention.

O what duplicity! They included in the number even the one sold to merchants and said not “We were twelve” but “We are twelve; see, the youngest is with our father.” This in fact was what Joseph was anxious to learn, whether or not they had treated their brother in the same way. “See, the youngest is with our father, while the other one is no longer alive.” They did not admit their guilt openly but said simply, “He is no longer alive.” From this he arrived at the suspicion that they had done the same thing to Benjamin as well, and so he replied, “That is what I said to you—you are spies. In fact, you are not to leave here until your youngest brother comes here.” I want to see him, I desire to set my eyes on the one who caused the same birth pangs as I. Actually, I suspect the same hatred for your brother as you displayed toward me. So if you are prepared to, “send one of your number and bring him here to me"; as for yourselves, stay in prison until he arrives. You see, when he arrives he will clear you of all suspicion. If in fact this doesn’t happen, it will be clear that you are spies and have come here for that purpose. With these words “he put them in jail.”

Jacob sends his ten sons to Egypt to buy corn, Gen 42:1-3; but refuses to permit Benjamin to go, Gen 42:4. They arrive in Egypt, and bow themselves before Joseph, Gen 42:5, Gen 42:6. He treats them roughly and calls them spies, Gen 42:7-10. They defend themselves and give an account of their family, Gen 42:11-13. He appears unmoved, and puts them all in prison for three days, Gen 42:14-17. On the third day he releases them on condition of their bringing Benjamin, Gen 42:18-20. Being convicted by their consciences, they reproach themselves with their cruelty to their brother Joseph, and consider themselves under the displeasure of God, Gen 42:21-23. Joseph is greatly affected, detains Simeon as a pledge for Benjamin, orders their sacks to be filled with corn, and the purchase money to be put in each man's sack, Gen 42:24, Gen 42:25. When one of them is going to give his ass provender he discovers his money in the mouth of his sack, at which they are greatly alarmed, Gen 42:26-28. They come to their father in Canaan, and relate what happened to them in their journey, Gen 42:29-34. On emptying their sacks, each man's money is found in his sack's mouth, which causes alarm both to them and their father, Gen 42:35. Jacob deplores the loss of Joseph and Simeon, and refuses to let Benjamin go, though Reuben offers his two sons as pledges for his safety, Gen 42:36-38.

One is not - An elliptical sentence, One is not alive.

JOURNEY INTO EGYPT. (Gen. 42:1-38) Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt--learned from common rumor. It is evident from Jacob's language that his own and his sons' families had suffered greatly from the scarcity; and through the increasing severity of the scourge, those men, who had formerly shown both activity and spirit, were sinking into despondency. God would not interpose miraculously when natural means of preservation were within reach.

With the words "Why do ye look at one another!" viz., in such a helpless and undecided manner. Jacob exhorted his sons to fetch corn from Egypt, to preserve his family from starvation. Joseph's ten brothers went, as their aged father would not allow his youngest son Benjamin to go with them, for fear that some calamity might befall him (קרא = קרה, Gen 44:29 as in Gen 42:38 and Gen 49:1); and they came "in the midst of the comers," i.e., among others who came from the same necessity, and bowed down before Joseph with their faces to the earth. For he was "the ruler over the land," and had the supreme control of the sale of the corn, so that they were obliged to apply to him. השּׁלּיט seems to have been the standing title which the Shemites gave to Joseph as ruler in Egypt; and from this the later legend of Σάλατις the first king of the Hyksos arose (Josephus c. Ap. i. 14). The only other passages in which the word occurs in the Old Testament are in writings of the captivity or a still later date, and there it is taken from the Chaldee; it belongs, however, not merely to the Aramaean thesaurus, but to the Arabic also, from which it was introduced into the passage before us.