Genesis 42: Joseph's Brothers' First Visit to Egypt
Joseph’s Journey: From Betrayal to Divine Purpose.
As we saw in the account of Joseph interpreting Pharaoh's dream (Genesis 41), Pharaoh was impressed by Joseph's gift of prophecy and appointed him his deputy, asking, 'Can we find anyone like this man in whom is the spirit of God?' (Genesis 41:38) Joseph, with his divine insights, governed Egypt with the Spirit of God, saving Egypt and the surrounding areas from famine.
Genesis 41:38 CSB: and he said to them, “Can we find anyone like this, a man who has God’s spirit in him? ”
Joseph's Brothers in Egypt
The first visit of Joseph's brothers to Egypt is told in six scenes, which echo their description of their second visit in the next chapter, Genesis 43.
Jacob Sends His Sons to Egypt
1. Jacob's (Israel's) sons were sent to Egypt (Genesis 42: 1-4).
Genesis 42:1-4 CSB: [1] When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you keep looking at each other? [2] Listen,” he went on, “I have heard there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us so that we will live and not die.” [3] So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. [4] But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he thought, “Something might happen to him.”
2. Their first interaction with Joseph is in Genesis 42: 6-16.
Genesis 42:6-16 CSB: [6] Joseph was in charge of the country; he sold grain to all its people. His brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the ground. [7] When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke harshly to them. “Where do you come from? ” he asked. “From the land of Canaan to buy food,” they replied. [8] Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. [9] Joseph remembered his dreams about them and said to them, “You are spies. You have come to see the weakness of the land.” [10] “No, my lord. Your servants have come to buy food,” they said. [11] “We are all sons of one man. We are honest; your servants are not spies.” [12] “No,” he said to them. “You have come to see the weakness of the land.” [13] But they replied, “We, your servants, were twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no longer living.” [14] Then Joseph said to them, “I have spoken: ‘You are spies! ’ [15] This is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. [16] Send one from among you to get your brother. The rest of you will be imprisoned so that your words can be tested to see if they are true. If they are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies! ”
3. They are kept in custody (Genesis 42:17).
Genesis 42:17 CSB: So Joseph imprisoned them together for three days.
4. They have a second interaction with Joseph (Genesis 42: 18-24).
Genesis 42:18-24 CSB: [18] On the third day Joseph said to them, “I fear God #— #do this and you will live. [19] If you are honest, let one of you be confined to the guardhouse, while the rest of you go and take grain to relieve the hunger of your households. [20] Bring your youngest brother to me so that your words can be confirmed; then you won’t die.” And they consented to this. [21] Then they said to each other, “Obviously, we are being punished for what we did to our brother. We saw his deep distress when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this trouble has come to us.” [22] But Reuben replied, “Didn’t I tell you not to harm the boy? But you wouldn’t listen. Now we must account for his blood! ” [23] They did not realize that Joseph understood them, since there was an interpreter between them. [24] He turned away from them and wept. When he turned back and spoke to them, he took Simeon from them and had him bound before their eyes.
5. They leave Egypt (Genesis 42: 25-28).
Genesis 42:25-28 CSB: [25] Joseph then gave orders to fill their containers with grain, return each man’s silver to his sack, and give them provisions for their journey. This order was carried out. [26] They loaded the grain on their donkeys and left there. [27] At the place where they lodged for the night, one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver there at the top of his bag. [28] He said to his brothers, “My silver has been returned! It’s here in my bag.” Their hearts sank. Trembling, they turned to one another and said, “What has God done to us? ”
6. And report to Jacob (Genesis 42: 29-38).
Genesis 42:29-38 CSB: [29] When they reached their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them: [30] “The man who is the lord of the country spoke harshly to us and accused us of spying on the country. [31] But we told him, ‘We are honest and not spies. [32] We were twelve brothers, sons of the same father. One is no longer living, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.’ [33] The man who is the lord of the country said to us, ‘This is how I will know if you are honest: Leave one brother with me, take food to relieve the hunger of your households, and go. [34] Bring back your youngest brother to me, and I will know that you are not spies but honest men. I will then give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the country.’ ” [35] As they began emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his bag of silver! When they and their father saw their bags of silver, they were afraid. [36] Their father Jacob said to them, “It’s me that you make childless. Joseph is gone, and Simeon is gone. Now you want to take Benjamin. Everything happens to me! ” [37] Then Reuben said to his father, “You can kill my two sons if I don’t bring him back to you. Put him in my care, and I will return him to you.” [38] But Jacob answered, “My son will not go down with you, for his brother is dead and he alone is left. If anything happens to him on your journey, you will bring my gray hairs down to Sheol in sorrow.”
Joseph's Past Returns: A Reunion in Disguise
No sooner had Joseph said in Genesis 41:51, 'God has made me forget...all my father's household' than his brothers showed up in Egypt. What was more surprising in this episode was when his brothers came to meet him, they failed to recognise him but he recognised them.
Genesis 41:51 CSB: Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh and said, “God has made me forget all my hardship and my whole family.”
This was the first of three journeys to Egypt by Joseph's brother, and each is more momentous than the previous one. When Joseph saw his brothers, he remembered his dream (Genesis 37: 5-11).
Genesis 37:5-11 CSB: [5] Then Joseph had a dream. When he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. [6] He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: [7] There we were, binding sheaves of grain in the field. Suddenly my sheaf stood up, and your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” [8] “Are you really going to reign over us? ” his brothers asked him. “Are you really going to rule us? ” So they hated him even more because of his dream and what he had said. [9] Then he had another dream and told it to his brothers. “Look,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun, moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” [10] He told his father and brothers, and his father rebuked him. “What kind of dream is this that you have had? ” he said. “Am I and your mother and your brothers really going to come and bow down to the ground before you? ” [11] His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
The Missing Pieces: Joseph's Dream vs. Reality
Ten brothers bowed down to him, but in the dream, he had shown eleven brothers and his parents honouring him. Where were the missing brother and father? This question of discrepancy between the dream and reality, as well as the curiosity, prompted Joseph to question his brothers harshly (Genesis 42:7).
Genesis 42:7 CSB: When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke harshly to them. “Where do you come from? ” he asked. “From the land of Canaan to buy food,” they replied.
Joseph tried to replicate the situation when his brothers had abandoned him in Egypt and returned home without him. He held Simon hostage to see whether they would trade food for him, as they exchanged Joseph for twenty pieces of silver. The brothers sensed the analogy, and their guilty consciences prompted them to see divine judgment in their predicament and describe details of their sin, which had not been mentioned previously (Genesis 42: 21-22).
Genesis 42:21-22 CSB: [21] Then they said to each other, “Obviously, we are being punished for what we did to our brother. We saw his deep distress when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this trouble has come to us.” [22] But Reuben replied, “Didn’t I tell you not to harm the boy? But you wouldn’t listen. Now we must account for his blood! ”
These first hints of contrition were reinforced when they found silver in one of their sack (Genesis 42:28). They continued to relive the events of twenty years earlier when they arrived home. Once again, they had to explain why they lost one of Jacob's sons. They demanded that they take Benjamin down to Egypt to secure Simon's release, which was unacceptable to Jacob, for Benjamin had replaced Joseph in his affection. Jacob had his suspicions about his son's tale, and then they were confirmed. As they emptied their sack, all the silver tumbled out. They must have sold Simon, Jacob thought.
Genesis 42:28 CSB: He said to his brothers, “My silver has been returned! It’s here in my bag.” Their hearts sank. Trembling, they turned to one another and said, “What has God done to us? ”
Jacob’s Pain and Protective Resolve
Jacob made his accusation indirectly by saying, 'You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more, and Simon is no more.' (Genesis 42:36), and then he declared, 'My son Benjamin will not go down with you.' (Genesis 42:38). All the bitterness and sorrow of the last twenty years had come to surface.
Genesis 42:36, 38 CSB: [36] Their father Jacob said to them, “It’s me that you make childless. Joseph is gone, and Simeon is gone. Now you want to take Benjamin. Everything happens to me! ” [38] But Jacob answered, “My son will not go down with you, for his brother is dead and he alone is left. If anything happens to him on your journey, you will bring my gray hairs down to Sheol in sorrow.”
Application
1. God's providence
As Joseph went through the wicked act by his brothers, God still kept Joseph in a powerful position in Egypt during the times of famine. God has a plan and purpose for everything that happens in our day-to-day lives, and he is in control of everything. No matter what circumstances or situations we are in, God will surely deliver us for his glory.
2. The importance of repentance
Joseph's brothers felt fear and guilt, and as they were beginning to recognise their wrongdoings, they needed to repent for what they did to Joseph in the past. Repentance helps us to ask forgiveness for our sins, and it helps us to grow spiritually and get closer to God.
Key Note
Genesis 42: 30-34:
The brothers omitted to tell Jacob of the worst aspect of their Egyptian experience, e.g. their imprisonment or the death threat (Genesis 42:17 and Genesis 42:20), so Jacob was not persuaded.
Genesis 42:17, 20, 30-34 CSB: [17] So Joseph imprisoned them together for three days. [20] Bring your youngest brother to me so that your words can be confirmed; then you won’t die.” And they consented to this. [30] “The man who is the lord of the country spoke harshly to us and accused us of spying on the country. [31] But we told him, ‘We are honest and not spies. [32] We were twelve brothers, sons of the same father. One is no longer living, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.’ [33] The man who is the lord of the country said to us, ‘This is how I will know if you are honest: Leave one brother with me, take food to relieve the hunger of your households, and go. [34] Bring back your youngest brother to me, and I will know that you are not spies but honest men. I will then give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the country.’ ”