Genesis 44:25 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when our father said, ‘Go again, buy us a little food,’

NIV: Then our father said, 'Go back and buy a little more food.'

NASB: And our father said, ‘Go back, buy us a little food.’

CSB: But our father said, 'Go again, and buy us a little food.'

NLT: Later, when he said, ‘Go back again and buy us more food,’

KJV: And our father said, Go again, and buy us a little food.

NKJV: And our father said, ‘Go back and buy us a little food.’

In a moment of desperation, Judah is attempting to soften an Egyptian ruler's heart (Genesis 44:18–24). He pleads on behalf of his father Jacob and his youngest brother Benjamin by telling the Egyptian about their family situation. In their first visit, this same ruler had demanded they come back with the youngest brother (Genesis 42:19–20). This came at great risk to their aging, emotional father (Genesis 43:14). Judah reported that they told their father, an old man, what the Egyptian ruler said about not being able to buy grain again unless they brought their brother (Genesis 42:19–20). Judah does not realize that the man in front of him is also his brother: Joseph (Genesis 42:7–8), sold by Judah and the oldest ten sons of Jacob twenty years earlier (Genesis 37:24–28).

What Judah leaves out of the story is meaningful, as well. He does not tell this powerful man that their father initially refused to send Benjamin (Genesis 42:38). He jumps forward to the moment when Jacob told them to go and buy more food (Genesis 43:11–13).

Genesis 44:14–34 explains how Joseph's brothers reacted to another test of character. The youngest, Benjamin, was discovered to have Joseph's own silver cup in his bags. This was secretly put there on Joseph's orders—and the brothers still do not know his identity. Joseph's intent seems to be a test of his brothers' growth: are they still as cruel and selfish as when they sold Joseph, himself, into Egyptian slavery? Benjamin's sentence is to become Joseph's slave while the rest are free to go. Instead, Judah offers to take Benjamin's place in order save his youngest brother and their old father, who will surely die of grief if Benjamin is lost.

Eleven of Jacob's sons enjoyed a meal as honored guests of an Egyptian governor. They are sent off the next morning with full sacks of grain. All seems well until the governor's house steward overtakes them on the road and accuses them of stealing the ruler's personal and valuable silver cup. The brothers don't know this governor is Joseph, their long-lost brother. Nor do they know he ordered the steward to place the cup in Benjamin's sack. This is part of Joseph's final test of his brothers and their moral growth. Seeking to rescue Benjamin from slavery, Judah makes a powerful speech to Joseph, offering to take Benjamin's place as a slave to save the boy and avoid grieving their father, Jacob.

Joseph maintained his hidden identity when his estranged brothers first arrived in Egypt (Genesis 42). When they returned a second time, he continued to test them and treated them to a fine meal (Genesis 43). Genesis 44 describes Joseph's final scheme to test the character of his brothers. Will they once again abandon a sibling into slavery? After a successful scheme by Joseph, Benjamin seems doomed to become a slave in Egypt. Judah boldly begs Joseph to keep him, instead. He offers himself in Benjamin's place. This finally overwhelms Joseph, who will break down and reveal himself in the next chapter.

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 5/4/2024 11:35:47 AM