Genesis 42:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: They said to him, “No, my lord, your servants have come to buy food.

NIV: No, my lord,' they answered. 'Your servants have come to buy food.

NASB: And they said to him, 'No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food.

CSB: "No, my lord. Your servants have come to buy food," they said.

NLT: No, my lord!' they exclaimed. 'Your servants have simply come to buy food.

KJV: And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come.

NKJV: And they said to him, “No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food.

Few people would blame Joseph for being harsh, or even vengeful, upon seeing his brothers once again (Genesis 37:28; 42:6–9). He certainly seems angry (Genesis 42:7). And yet, his accusations and tough speech are also meant to disguise his own emotions (Genesis 42:23–24). Throughout what happens in the next few chapters, his actions are meant to test and prepare his brothers, whom he seeks to rescue (Genesis 43:30; 45:1–5). The end of Joseph's plan is to bring the entire family into safety in Egypt (Genesis 47:11–12).

Joseph's brothers recoil at the idea that they are spies. They recognize how serious the charge is. It could lead to their imprisonment or execution. They restate their true purpose for being in Egypt. They have come to buy food (Genesis 42:1–5) like everyone else afflicted by the famine (Genesis 41:55–56).

Genesis 42:1–17 contains the unlikeliest of reunions: that between Joseph and his ten oldest brothers (Genesis 37:28). They have been sent by Jacob to Egypt to buy grain during a terrible famine (Genesis 41:53–54). They don't recognize their brother, now an Egyptian ruler. Joseph knows them but keeps the secret; he responds harshly to avoid breaking the illusion. He then puts them in prison for three days, saying they might be spies. All the while, he has a plan in mind.

Genesis 42 describes the moment Joseph sees his brothers for the first time since they sold him into slavery over 20 years earlier. They have come to Egypt to buy grain, and they do not recognize him. He keeps his secret, speaking roughly to them and hinting they may be spies. He allows them to leave only if they promise to return with their youngest brother Benjamin. He keeps Simeon as collateral but sends them off with full sacks of grain for their family. He also secretly returns their money, something they are terrified to discover on the way home. Back in Canaan, Jacob responds to this terrible news with bitterness and vindictive blame.

Twenty years prior to the events of this chapter, Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery (Genesis 37:28). Miraculously, Joseph is now the governor of the nation of Egypt (Genesis 41:44). His brothers, who know nothing of Joseph's fate, have come to buy food during a terrible famine (Genesis 41:56–57). Joseph, probably and justifiably angry at his brothers, keeps his identity a secret, at first. Over the next several chapters, he will test, challenge, and chasten them. Yet there is no revenge involved; everything Joseph does furthers a long-term goal of rescuing the family from starvation.

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.

Accessed 5/2/2024 5:57:05 AM