Genesis 43:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, and may he send back your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved."

NIV: And may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved."

NASB: and may God Almighty grant you compassion in the sight of the man, so that he will release to you your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved of my sons, I am bereaved!'

CSB: May God Almighty cause the man to be merciful to you so that he will release your other brother and Benjamin to you. As for me, if I am deprived of my sons, then I am deprived."

NLT: May God Almighty give you mercy as you go before the man, so that he will release Simeon and let Benjamin return. But if I must lose my children, so be it.'

KJV: And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.

NKJV: And may God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved, I am bereaved!”

Ten of Jacob's sons, including his beloved Benjamin, are assembled and ready to begin the trip back to Egypt to buy food for their family (Genesis 43:1–2). They likely also hope to see their brother Simeon released from prison (Genesis 42:24) to return with them. Only by bringing Benjamin can they hope to obtain food and avoid starvation (Genesis 42:19–20; 43:3–5). Jacob only agreed to this with great reluctance and after much delay (Genesis 43:10–13).

Before they go, Jacob offers a brief prayer for them. It is surprisingly rare to hear the prayers of the patriarchs in Genesis. Jacob is shown to pray in his most fearful and troubled moments, such as when he was about to be reunited with his brother Esau (Genesis 32:9–12). It is a measure of exactly how fearful Jacob is that he prays aloud to God in this moment.

He begins by addressing "God Almighty," from the Hebrew 'ēl Sad'day or El Shaddai. This is a reference to God as the absolute, supreme Power of the universe. Jacob prays God would grant his sons mercy before this Egyptian ruler who gave them so much trouble before. He prays that the man would send back both Benjamin and Simeon, the "other brother."

Jacob concludes with a kind of prayer of resignation. If the worst happens, he seems to say, then it happens. If I lose my children, I lose them. This could be read as wallowing in self-pity and a loss of hope. Or it could be read as accepting that God's will might be for his children to be lost. In either case, Jacob is clearly sending off his sons with a heavy heart and all his hope in God to control the outcome. He doesn't realize that his lost son, Joseph (Genesis 42:8) is behind all of this.

Genesis 43:1–15 describes how Jacob is forced to send his beloved son, Benjamin, to accompany his other sons to Egypt to buy more grain. If Benjamin doesn't go, they will not be allowed to purchase anything. This is by the order of the Egyptian governor, who the men do not realize is their long-lost brother, Joseph. Without grain, the family will starve. Jacob agrees, sending with his sons a gift for the man, along with double the amount of money needed to buy the grain. Finally, Jacob prays to God Almighty for his boys before allowing them to depart with his precious youngest son.

Jacob must send Benjamin with his brothers, back to Egypt, to buy more grain for the family. Without it, they will starve, but the Egyptian ruler will not sell them grain if they don't bring Benjamin as agreed. Speaking on behalf of his brothers, Judah finally convinces his father. Arriving in Egypt, they are honored as guests in Joseph's house. They present a gift to him—still not recognizing him as their estranged brother—and Joseph, after being overwhelmed with emotion, pays special attention to Benjamin.

In Genesis chapter 37, Jacob sends his favorite son, Joseph, to visit his brothers. Joseph does not come home. In chapter 42, Jacob sends ten of his sons on a mission, and once again the group returns short one son. The Egyptian governor keeps Simeon as collateral and commands the family to return with Benjamin. Only when forced with starvation does Jacob risk his youngest son. Joseph, still unrecognized by his brothers as the governor of Egypt, honors the men as guests in his home, paying special attention to Benjamin. After further tests in chapter 44, Joseph will finally reveal himself in chapter 45.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.