Genesis 43:33 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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.

NIV: The men had been seated before him in the order of their ages, from the firstborn to the youngest; and they looked at each other in astonishment.

NASB: Now they were seated before him, from the firstborn according to his birthright to the youngest according to his youth, and the men looked at one another in astonishment.

CSB: They were seated before him in order by age, from the firstborn to the youngest. The men looked at each other in astonishment.

NLT: Joseph told each of his brothers where to sit, and to their amazement, he seated them according to age, from oldest to youngest.

KJV: And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled one at another.

NKJV: And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth; and the men looked in astonishment at one another.

Jacob's sons do not realize that the powerful Egyptian governor is their estranged brother, Joseph (Genesis 37:24–28, 42:8). They only know they were commanded to bring their youngest brother, Benjamin (Genesis 42:19–20) and are now being honored with a meal at the governor's home (Genesis 43:16–25). They are seated according to Egyptian custom, which means separating Egyptians from non-Egyptians, and likely priestly or government officials from common laymen (Genesis 43:32).

The brothers are seated according to their birth order. Since they are said to be "amazed," many interpreters assume the men were not told to sit in that order, but that the house steward seated them that way, on Joseph's orders. From their perspective, then, it would be incredible that they'd be seated in exactly the right pattern. Another possibility is that they were told to sit in birth order and are simply "amazed" at the entire process. This seating order will also provide a test for the brothers in the form of favoritism (Genesis 43:34).

Clearly, the group is still unaware that the Egyptian vizier who hosts them is Joseph, their brother. Modern readers can cover the chapters from Joseph's enslavement to this incident in only a few minutes. This makes it easy to forget that it has been some twenty years since Joseph lived with them. Joseph was seventeen when he was sold (Genesis 37:2), thirty when he became governor (Genesis 41:46), and it has been more than seven years since (Genesis 41:53–55). He has also been fully integrated into Egyptian culture, including his clothes (Genesis 41:42), his new name and wife (Genesis 41:45) and his use of Egyptian language (Genesis 42:23).

Joseph's brothers, on the other hand, have likely only grown older, but kept the same general appearance and language. As a set of brothers, they're also a more easily recognized group. It's not surprising that Joseph knew who they were when they first came to buy grain (Genesis 42:7).

Genesis 43:16–34 finds Joseph's estranged brothers returning once more to Egypt and appearing before him. They still fail to recognize the person they sold into slavery some twenty years before. After he orders them taken to his home, the brothers are afraid they will be ambushed for a false charge of theft due to their prior visit (Genesis 42:25–28). Joseph's steward assures them God arranged those events, and all is well. Joseph shares a meal with them, honoring them as guests in his home and giving special attention to Benjamin. The meal turns into a time of merriment for them all.

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.