Genesis 42:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now Joseph was governor over the land. He was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground.

NIV: Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the person who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph's brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.

NASB: Now Joseph was the ruler over the land; he was the one who sold grain to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.

CSB: Joseph was in charge of the country; he sold grain to all its people. His brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the ground.

NLT: Since Joseph was governor of all Egypt and in charge of selling grain to all the people, it was to him that his brothers came. When they arrived, they bowed before him with their faces to the ground.

KJV: And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.

NKJV: Now Joseph was governor over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the earth.

Joseph continues to rule over Egypt, overseeing the work of selling food to people afflicted by the famine (Genesis 41:44, 56). Some twenty years prior to the moment depicted here, he came to Egypt as a slave, sold out of jealousy by his ten older brothers (Genesis 37:28). God used Joseph's ability to interpret dreams to place him as second in command over the entire nation (Genesis 41:14–16; 40–41).

Part of the brothers' jealousy came from Joseph's dreams, which predicted his brothers would one day bow before him in submission (Genesis 37:5–11). Suddenly, Joseph's own brothers, the very ones who sold him into slavery, come before him to buy food. They bow low before him with their faces to the ground. This act of humility may have been a sign of respect in this era, but it also showed that the "sons of Israel" realized their vulnerable position. They needed grain from Egypt to survive. They assumed the posture of submissive servants.

Of course, their act of bowing before Joseph comes very close to fulfilling the prophetic dreams he had as a teenager (Genesis 37:5–11). In those dreams, however, eleven brothers bowed before him. Only ten have come to Egypt, for now, but eventually the entire family will come to live under his protection (Genesis 47:11–12).

The brothers do not recognize Joseph. He has the appearance of an Egyptian royal, perhaps with a dramatically shaved head (Genesis 41:14), gold collar, and linen robes (Genesis 41:42). He bears an Egyptian name (Genesis 41:45). He would also have matured greatly since they last saw him as a seventeen–year-old (Genesis 37:2). Joseph will recognize them, but maintain his secret at first (Genesis 42:7–8).

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.