Genesis 43

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'Severe' (kaved) — literally 'heavy.' The root k-b-d conveys weight and gravity; the same root gives us kavod ('glory, weightiness'). The famine presses down on the land with crushing force. This opening clause, brief and unadorned, resumes the narrative thread from 42:38 after Jacob's refusal to release Benjamin. Time has passed; the grain is running out; the crisis can no longer be deferred.

Translator Notes

1. 'When they had finished eating' (ka'asher killu le'ekhol) — the verb kalah ('to finish, consume, be completed') signals total exhaustion of supply. The grain from the first trip is entirely gone. Jacob can no longer avoid the decision he has been postponing.
2. 'A little food' (me'at okhel) — Jacob's phrasing minimizes the errand, as if requesting a small task. The understatement may reflect his reluctance to acknowledge the full gravity of what the return trip entails — surrendering Benjamin. Or it may be a father's instinctive downplaying to avoid confronting the dread that grips him.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'Solemnly warned' (ha'ed he'id) — the infinitive absolute construction (he'id + he'id) intensifies the verb enormously. This is not a casual suggestion but a solemn, emphatic declaration. Judah wants Jacob to understand that the Egyptian governor's demand was absolute and non-negotiable.
2. 'You shall not see my face' (lo tir'u fanai) — an idiom meaning 'you will not be granted audience with me.' In the ancient Near East, 'seeing the face' of a ruler meant being admitted to his presence. Joseph has barred all future access unless Benjamin accompanies them. The phrase also carries dramatic irony: the brothers cannot truly 'see' Joseph's face — they do not recognize who he is.
3. Judah now emerges as the family spokesman, displacing Reuben's failed leadership (42:37). This shift is narratively significant: Judah, who proposed selling Joseph (37:26-27), will become the one who offers himself in Benjamin's place (44:33). His moral transformation is the counternarrative to Joseph's rise to power.

Translator Notes

1. Judah presents Jacob with a stark conditional: release Benjamin or starve. The structure is a simple if-then proposition with no middle ground. The directness contrasts with Reuben's earlier, more emotional plea (42:37), where he offered his own sons' lives as collateral — a proposal Jacob rightly dismissed.

Translator Notes

1. The negative conditional completes the logical frame: no Benjamin, no trip, no grain, no survival. Judah's repetition of Joseph's exact words — 'You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you' — hammers the point. He is not inventing conditions; he is relaying the governor's own ultimatum. Jacob cannot argue against a foreign ruler's decree.

Translator Notes

1. 'Israel' (Yisra'el) — the narrator uses Jacob's covenant name here, perhaps signaling the patriarch's authoritative stance as he challenges his sons. The interchange between 'Jacob' and 'Israel' throughout this chapter is narratively deliberate: 'Israel' appears when the patriarch asserts himself; 'Jacob' when he is vulnerable or grief-stricken.
2. 'Why did you treat me so badly' (lamah hare'otem li) — Jacob's complaint carries a note of self-pity. He views the disclosure of Benjamin's existence as a personal injury. From Jacob's perspective, his sons have needlessly exposed a vulnerability. From the reader's perspective, Jacob's anger is misdirected — the brothers answered honestly, and Joseph orchestrated the entire situation.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'Questioned us thoroughly' (sha'ol sha'al ha'ish) — another infinitive absolute construction, emphasizing the intensity of Joseph's interrogation. The brothers are defending themselves: we did not volunteer the information; he pressed us relentlessly.
2. 'How could we possibly have known' (hayado'a neda) — yet another infinitive absolute, this time expressing an emphatic rhetorical question. The brothers protest the unfairness of Jacob's accusation: they could not have anticipated that routine answers to an official's questions would result in a demand for Benjamin. The triple use of infinitive absolutes in this exchange (v. 3, 7a, 7b) gives the dialogue an urgent, legalistic quality — as if the brothers are mounting a formal defense.
3. The brothers' account is accurate. In 42:13, they indeed told Joseph about their family composition when he questioned them. They could not have foreseen Joseph's hidden agenda. Yet Jacob's frustration, though misdirected, is humanly understandable: he has lost Joseph, nearly lost Simeon, and now faces losing Benjamin.

Translator Notes

1. 'The boy' (hanna'ar) — Benjamin is called a na'ar, which can denote a young man or a servant. Benjamin is likely in his twenties or thirties by this point (he has sons of his own, 46:21), but in the family dynamic he remains 'the boy' — the youngest, the protected one, the child who has replaced Joseph in Jacob's affections.
2. 'So that we may live and not die — we, and you, and our little ones' — Judah expands the stakes beyond the brothers to include Jacob himself and the next generation (tappenu, 'our little ones'). This is not just about the brothers' survival but the survival of the entire covenant family. The triple repetition — 'we, and you, and our little ones' — makes the cost of inaction devastating and personal.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'I myself will be surety for him' (anokhi e'ervennu) — the verb arav ('to pledge, guarantee, be surety') is a legal-commercial term. Judah is offering himself as collateral, staking his own standing and person against Benjamin's safe return. This is far more credible than Reuben's offer to sacrifice his two sons (42:37), which Jacob dismissed as absurd.
2. 'From my hand you may require him' (miyaddi tevaqshenu) — the verb baqash ('to seek, require, demand') in this context carries legal force. Judah invites Jacob to hold him personally accountable — not his children, not his possessions, but himself.
3. 'I will bear the blame before you all my days' (vechatati lekha kol-hayyamim) — literally 'I will have sinned against you all the days.' The verb chata ('to sin, miss the mark') is the primary Hebrew word for sin. Judah stakes his moral standing: failure will mark him as a sinner against his father permanently. This is the language of covenantal responsibility, and it anticipates Judah's magnificent self-sacrifice in 44:33.

Translator Notes

1. 'If we had not delayed' (lule' hitmahmenahnu) — the verb mahah in its reflexive form (hitmahmeah) means to linger, hesitate, delay. The word itself seems to stammer and drag, mimicking the very procrastination Judah describes. Jacob's refusal to act has cost precious time. Judah's practical argument cuts through his father's paralysis: debating is a luxury they can no longer afford.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'If it must be so' (im-ken efo) — Jacob's reluctant consent. The particle efo ('then, in that case') carries a tone of resignation. He yields not out of conviction but out of necessity.
2. 'Choice products of the land' (zimrat ha'arets) — the word zimrah typically means 'song' or 'praise,' but here it denotes the finest, most celebrated products — the 'pride' of the land. Even in famine, Canaan produces luxury goods that Egypt values.
3. The gift list — balm (tsori), honey (devash), spices (nekho't), myrrh (lot), pistachio nuts (botnim), and almonds (sheqedim) — constitutes a careful diplomatic offering. These are high-value, low-weight items suitable for long transport. The balm and spices recall the Ishmaelite caravan that carried Joseph to Egypt (37:25), creating a bitter ironic echo: the father now sends luxury goods to the very land where his son was sold, along the very trade routes the slavers traveled.

Translator Notes

1. 'Double the silver' (kesef mishneh) — Jacob instructs them to bring twice the needed amount: the original purchase price returned in their sacks plus new payment. His honesty here is notable; he does not try to profit from the apparent error.
2. 'Perhaps it was a mistake' (ulai mishgeh hu) — the word mishgeh ('error, oversight') from shagah ('to err, go astray') offers a hopeful but naive explanation. Jacob, unable to fathom the true situation, grasps at the most benign interpretation. The reader knows better: the returned silver was no mistake but part of Joseph's elaborate test.

Translator Notes

1. 'Take your brother' (ve'et-achikhem qachu) — the word order places 'your brother' in the emphatic position. Jacob finally speaks the words he has been dreading. The verb laqach ('to take') is simple and direct — no hedging, no qualification. Having decided, Jacob commits fully.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'El Shaddai' — Jacob invokes the patriarchal name for God, the name by which God appeared to Abraham (17:1) and to Jacob himself (35:11). In his hour of deepest vulnerability, Jacob reaches for the God of the covenant promises. This is not casual prayer but an appeal to the God who pledged to make him fruitful and give his descendants the land.
2. 'Give you mercy' (yitten lakhem rachamim) — the word rachamim ('compassion, mercy') derives from rechem ('womb') and connotes the deep, visceral love a mother has for her child. Jacob prays that this mysterious Egyptian official will feel toward his sons the kind of tender compassion that he himself feels — a parent's love.
3. 'If I am bereaved, I am bereaved' (ka'asher shakholti shakhalti) — the infinitive absolute construction with shakal ('to be bereaved of children') expresses Jacob's fatalistic resignation. He has exhausted his resistance. This is not faith triumphant but faith at its rawest — surrender to a situation beyond his control. Some interpreters hear an echo of Esther 4:16 ('If I perish, I perish'), but Jacob's tone is more that of weary grief than heroic resolve.

Translator Notes

1. The narrative accelerates with a chain of verbs: took, took, arose, went down, stood. The careful preparations of the preceding verses give way to swift action. Benjamin's name is placed last in the list of things taken — gift, silver, Benjamin — as if the narrator hesitates before naming the most precious item the brothers carry.
2. 'Stood before Joseph' (vayyaamdu lifnei Yosef) — the phrase recalls courtiers standing before a sovereign. The brothers now face the Egyptian governor as petitioners. The reader sees what they cannot: they stand before their own brother.

Translator Notes

1. 'When Joseph saw Benjamin' — the sight of his full brother, Rachel's other son, triggers immediate action. Joseph does not hesitate; he moves from perception to command in a single breath.
2. 'Slaughter an animal and prepare it' (utevoach tevach vahahen) — the infinitive absolute tevach intensifies the command: slaughter thoroughly, prepare a proper feast. This is not ordinary hospitality but a banquet. The noon meal (batsaharayim) was the main meal of the day in Egyptian custom.
3. 'The steward of his house' (la'asher al-beito) — literally 'the one who is over his house.' This trusted household manager will play a significant role in Joseph's schemes (44:1-12). He appears to be privy to at least some of Joseph's plans.

Translator Notes

1. The steward's immediate obedience mirrors the efficiency of Joseph's household administration. The phrase 'Joseph's house' (beitah Yosef) would have been an impressive Egyptian estate — the residence of the second most powerful man in the kingdom. For Canaanite shepherds, this must have been an overwhelming setting.

Translator Notes

1. 'They were afraid' (vayyir'u) — the brothers' guilty consciences transform a generous invitation into a terrifying trap. Their fear is a direct consequence of unresolved guilt: men who sold their brother into slavery now fear being enslaved themselves. The measure-for-measure irony is unmistakable.
2. 'Roll upon us' (lehitgolel alenu) — the reflexive of galal ('to roll') creates a vivid image of being overwhelmed, as if a boulder were rolling over them. The metaphor captures the brothers' sense of inevitable doom.
3. 'Attack us' (lehitnappel alenu) — the reflexive of naphal ('to fall') means to fall upon, to assault. Combined with 'roll upon us,' the brothers envision a violent ambush.
4. 'Take us as slaves, along with our donkeys' — the brothers fear total confiscation: their freedom and their property. The inclusion of donkeys is not trivial; for pastoral nomads, losing pack animals meant losing the ability to transport goods and sustain livelihood.

Translator Notes

1. 'At the entrance of the house' (petach habbayit) — the brothers intercept the steward before entering, at the threshold. They want to resolve the silver issue before crossing the doorway, as if entering the house under suspicion would seal their fate. The threshold is a liminal space — neither safe outside nor trapped inside.

Translator Notes

1. 'Please, my lord' (bi adoni) — a respectful, almost pleading form of address. The brothers approach the steward with deference, treating even a household servant as a superior. Their social position as foreign petitioners leaves them no leverage.
2. 'We did indeed come down' (yarod yaradnu) — another infinitive absolute, this time emphasizing the sincerity of their original visit. They are building a defense: our first trip was legitimate; we are honest buyers, not thieves.

Translator Notes

1. 'The lodging place' (hammalon) — the same term used in 42:27. It designates a stopping point on the road, not a formal inn. Travelers would camp at established sites along trade routes.
2. 'Our silver in its full weight' (kaspenu bemishqalo) — the brothers emphasize that they are returning the exact amount, weighed precisely. In the ancient Near East, silver was measured by weight (the shekel was a unit of weight before it became a coin). By specifying 'full weight,' they demonstrate they have not skimmed any portion.
3. 'We have brought it back in our hand' — the brothers protest their honesty: they could have kept the silver quietly, but instead they carry it back openly. The phrase 'in our hand' (beyadenu) means it is visible, accessible, ready for inspection — nothing hidden.

Translator Notes

1. 'Additional silver' (kesef acher) — beyond the returned amount, they carry new money for the current purchase. This is the 'double silver' Jacob instructed them to bring (v. 12). They present both amounts to demonstrate full transparency.
2. 'We do not know who put our silver in our sacks' — a genuine confession of bewilderment. The brothers have no explanation for the returned silver and do not attempt to fabricate one. Their honesty here builds credibility with the steward and, indirectly, serves Joseph's purposes — it confirms they are not deceitful men.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'Peace to you' (shalom lakhem) — the steward's greeting addresses not just their immediate anxiety but offers a comprehensive reassurance. Shalom encompasses well-being, wholeness, safety — everything the brothers fear they have lost.
2. 'Your God and the God of your father' (Eloheikhem ve'Elohei avikhem) — remarkably, the Egyptian steward attributes the mysterious silver to the brothers' own God. This may indicate that Joseph has instructed his steward in advance (the steward clearly knows about the returned silver), or it may reflect Joseph's household having absorbed some knowledge of the patriarchal God. The phrase 'God of your father' is a distinctive patriarchal formula (31:5, 42; 32:10).
3. 'Treasure' (matmon) — from taman ('to hide, bury'). A matmon is hidden wealth, buried treasure. The steward reframes the mysterious silver not as an accusation-in-waiting but as a divine gift — something God secretly placed in their sacks. This interpretation, whether the steward's own or Joseph's scripted response, dissolves the brothers' fear entirely.
4. 'Your silver came to me' (kaspekhem ba elai) — the steward confirms receipt of their original payment, removing any suggestion of theft. The brothers are cleared, and the returned silver is explained as divine generosity, not bureaucratic error.
5. 'He brought Simeon out to them' — almost as an afterthought, the narrator mentions Simeon's release. Simeon has been imprisoned since 42:24, and his restoration to the family is accomplished in a single clause. The narrative focus remains on the larger drama unfolding.

Translator Notes

1. Foot-washing and animal care are standard elements of ancient Near Eastern hospitality (cf. 18:4; 19:2; 24:32). The steward performs the duties of a host on Joseph's behalf. After the tension of the threshold conversation, normality returns: water, foot-washing, fodder. The brothers are being treated as honored guests, not suspected criminals.

Translator Notes

1. 'Prepared the gift' (vayyakhinu et-hamminchah) — the brothers arrange their diplomatic offering for optimal presentation. The minchah ('gift, tribute') is the same word used for grain offerings in Leviticus; here it simply means a tribute gift for a superior. The brothers marshal every resource at their disposal to make a favorable impression.
2. 'Eat bread' (yokhlu lachem) — 'to eat bread' is a Hebrew idiom for having a meal, not necessarily bread specifically. The invitation to dine with the governor would have been both an honor and a source of continued anxiety.

Translator Notes

1. 'Bowed down before him to the ground' (vayyishtachavu-lo artsah) — another fulfillment of Joseph's dreams (37:7, 9). This is now the second time the brothers bow before Joseph (cf. 42:6). The dreams of sheaves bowing and celestial bodies making obeisance are being fulfilled repeatedly, though the brothers remain unaware.
2. The gift (minchah) is presented upon entry — proper protocol for meeting a dignitary. The brothers follow the customs of the ancient Near Eastern court, approaching their own brother as a foreign lord.

Translator Notes

1. 'He asked them about their welfare' (vayyish'al lahem leshalom) — Joseph inquires using the standard formula for well-being. But his questions quickly zero in on what he truly wants to know: Is my father alive?
2. 'The old man' (hazzaqen) — Joseph's reference to his father as 'the old man' maintains his Egyptian persona while betraying, perhaps, a twinge of emotion. The word zaqen conveys both advanced age and the honor due to an elder. Joseph has not seen his father in over twenty years; his urgent question — 'Is he still alive?' — reveals the anxiety beneath the official facade.

Translator Notes

1. 'Your servant our father' (avdekha le'avinu) — the brothers call Jacob 'your servant,' using the language of feudal deference. The patriarch of the covenant family is described as a servant of an Egyptian official — who is, unknown to them, their own brother. The layers of irony are extraordinary.
2. 'They bowed low and prostrated themselves' (vayyiqqdu vayyishtachavu) — two verbs for bowing: qadad (to bow the head) and hishtachavah (to prostrate fully). The double gesture expresses maximal deference and further fulfills Joseph's dreams.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'His brother Benjamin, his mother's son' (Binyamin achiv ben-immo) — the narrator clarifies the relationship with extraordinary tenderness: not just 'brother' but 'his mother's son.' Benjamin is the only other child of Rachel, the beloved wife who died giving him birth (35:18). Joseph and Benjamin share a bond that the other brothers cannot: the bond of a shared mother who is gone.
2. 'Your youngest brother' (achikhem haqqaton) — Joseph maintains the pretense, asking about Benjamin as if seeing him for the first time. But his words are strained, barely maintaining the official distance.
3. 'God be gracious to you, my son' (Elohim yochonkha beni) — Joseph's blessing is startlingly personal. The verb chanan ('to be gracious, show favor') is a deep theological term for divine generosity. And 'my son' (beni) — Joseph addresses his younger brother as a father might, an expression of overwhelming affection that the brothers likely attribute to Egyptian courtesy but that carries far deeper meaning. Joseph is scarcely holding himself together.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'His compassion burned' (nikhmeru rachamav) — the verb kamar (found only in the Niphal in biblical Hebrew) means to grow warm, to burn with emotion. Combined with rachamim ('compassion,' from rechem, 'womb'), the phrase describes a visceral, overwhelming surge of love that is almost physical — a churning in the gut, a burning in the chest. This is among the most emotionally intense phrases in the Hebrew Bible.
2. 'He sought a place to weep' (vayevaqesh livkot) — Joseph, the most powerful man in Egypt after Pharaoh, must hide to cry. His public persona cannot accommodate the tidal wave of emotion that seeing Benjamin unleashes. The contrast between Joseph's external authority and his internal vulnerability is one of the narrative's great achievements.
3. This is the second time Joseph weeps in the brothers' story (cf. 42:24). He will weep again at the moment of revelation (45:2, 14-15) and at Jacob's death (50:1). Joseph's tears mark the emotional through-line of the narrative: the powerful man who cannot stop feeling.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'He controlled himself' (vayyit'appaq) — the reflexive of apaq ('to restrain, hold back') describes Joseph forcing his emotions back under control. The effort required is palpable. He has wept, washed, and now must reassemble the mask of the Egyptian lord. This verb will appear again in 45:1, where Joseph can no longer restrain himself and finally reveals his identity.
2. 'Serve the meal' (simu lachem) — literally 'set bread.' Joseph reassumes command with a curt directive. The transition from private weeping to public authority is accomplished in three words. The banquet that follows (vv. 32-34) will be another stage in Joseph's testing of the brothers.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. Three separate tables: Joseph alone, the brothers together, the Egyptian officials together. The segregation follows Egyptian ritual purity customs. Joseph sits alone, occupying an ambiguous social space — ethnically Hebrew but functionally Egyptian. He belongs to neither table, a physical symbol of his dual identity.
2. 'An abomination' (to'evah) — the word denotes something ritually detestable or culturally taboo. Egyptian dietary and purity regulations prohibited eating with foreigners, particularly pastoral peoples (cf. 46:34, where shepherds are called an abomination to Egypt). This cultural barrier will be spectacularly broken when Joseph reveals himself.
3. 'The Hebrews' (ha'Ivrim) — the ethnic designation used by outsiders for the Israelites. The term may derive from 'Eber' (10:21) or from avar ('to cross over'), designating people who crossed the Euphrates. In Egyptian contexts, it carries social connotations of foreignness and lower status.

Translator Notes

1. 'The firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth' (habbkhor kikhvorato vehatsa'ir kitso'irato) — all eleven brothers are seated in exact birth order. The probability of this arrangement occurring by chance is astronomically small (1 in nearly 40 million for eleven people). The brothers' astonishment is entirely justified: how could an Egyptian official know their precise birth sequence?
2. 'They looked at one another in astonishment' (vayyitmahu ha'anashim ish el-re'ehu) — the verb tamah ('to be astounded, to marvel') expresses bewildered wonder. The brothers exchange glances of disbelief. This uncanny knowledge should, perhaps, have triggered recognition — but the idea that the governor of Egypt is their brother Joseph is so far outside their frame of reference that it never occurs to them.
3. The seating arrangement serves Joseph's purposes: it demonstrates his seemingly supernatural knowledge (reinforcing the diviner persona he will invoke in 44:15) while simultaneously unsettling the brothers and keeping them off balance.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'Portions' (mas'ot) — from nasa ('to lift, carry'). The word denotes servings or portions lifted from the host's table and sent to guests, a mark of honor in ancient Near Eastern dining customs.
2. 'Five times greater' (chamesh yadot) — literally 'five hands.' Benjamin receives a portion five times larger than his brothers'. The number five has Egyptian associations (cf. the fifth of Pharaoh's tax, 41:34; five changes of clothing for Benjamin, 45:22). More significantly, Joseph is testing the brothers: will they resent Benjamin's preferential treatment as they once resented Joseph's favored status? Will jealousy resurface? This is a deliberate provocation designed to reveal whether the brothers have changed.
3. 'They drank and became merry with him' (vayyishtu vayyishkeru immo) — the verb shakar means to drink freely, to become intoxicated. The evening ends in celebration, the brothers' anxieties apparently dissolved by wine and hospitality. But the reader knows that the final test is yet to come: Joseph's silver cup will be planted in Benjamin's sack (44:2), and the brothers' true character will face its ultimate trial.