Genesis 42:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt.

NIV: Then ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.

NASB: So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.

CSB: So ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.

NLT: So Joseph’s ten older brothers went down to Egypt to buy grain.

KJV: And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt.

NKJV: So Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt.

The whole world—every civilization anywhere near Egypt—is deep into a terrible famine (Genesis 41:54–57). Many are facing starvation. News reaches Jacob and his clan that grain is available to purchase in Egypt. Apparently, no other options are available. Among those beginning to starve are the family of Jacob, living in Canaan (Genesis 37:1). Jacob had twelve sons (Genesis 35:23–26), but jealousy led the oldest ten to sell the eleventh, Joseph, into slavery (Genesis 37:28). Jacob was fooled into thinking Joseph was dead (Genesis 37:31–34).

It is these ten sons of Jacob who head to Egypt to buy food. They cannot know, however, that the one in charge of selling the food is the very same brother they sold into slavery over twenty years earlier (Genesis 41:44). For his part, Jacob is unwilling to lose another son of his late wife, Rachel (Genesis 35:16–19), so he refuses to send the youngest, Benjamin (Genesis 42:4).

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 5/5/2024 7:14:08 AM