Genesis 42:21 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then they said to one another, “In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.”

NIV: They said to one another, 'Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that's why this distress has come on us.'

NASB: Then they said to one another, 'Truly we are guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen; for that reason this distress has happened to us.'

CSB: 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."

NLT: Speaking among themselves, they said, 'Clearly we are being punished because of what we did to Joseph long ago. We saw his anguish when he pleaded for his life, but we wouldn’t listen. That’s why we’re in this trouble.'

KJV: And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.

NKJV: Then they said to one another, “We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; therefore this distress has come upon us.”

For a relatively brief three days, ten of Joseph's brothers are held in an Egyptian prison despite having committed no crime (Genesis 42:17). The brother they sold into slavery (Genesis 37:28) spent years in captivity and false imprisonment (Genesis 40:14–15), before ascending to become the second most powerful man in the nation (Genesis 41:44). When they come to Egypt during a famine, they fail to recognize him, and he holds them for a while before telling them they must return with their youngest brother. One of the ten will have to remain behind as collateral (Genesis 42:7–20).

Immediately, the men begin to discuss things among themselves. Joseph is still in the room. They assume he cannot understand them. He is using an Egyptian name and clothing (Genesis 41:42, 45) and to this point, Joseph has used an interpreter to translate between their Canaanite language and Egyptian (Genesis 42:23). This was part of his deception, of course. He grew up speaking their language.

That means Joseph fully understands when he hears his brothers telling each other their theory on why this is happening to them. Their immediate reaction is to assume they are being punished because of what they did to their "other brother" some twenty years earlier. Not knowing that very brother is standing before them, they express their guilt over seeing his distress and hearing him beg them not to sell him to the slave traders. They conclude their predicament is a result of the suffering they brought on Joseph all those years ago.

The first description of Joseph's sale into slavery in Genesis 37 did not note his reaction. Now we learn—unsurprisingly—that it was not a calm, stoic event. He begged them not to do it, and they would not listen. It's not surprising Joseph is struggling with how to respond to them now that he holds all the power over them. His emotions become difficult to contain as he listens (Genesis 42:24).

Genesis 42:18–28 describes a powerful Egyptian governor sending nine of Jacob's sons home with purchased grain, while keeping Simeon as collateral. He commands the others to return only if they can prove their honesty by bringing along their youngest brother. The men tell each other they must be suffering for abusing another brother, Joseph (Genesis 37:28). They don't realize the governor is Joseph himself (Genesis 42:7) and that he understands their language. After leaving, the horrified brothers find the payment for the grain is still in their bags. They do not know Joseph secretly arranged to give it back to them.

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.