Genesis · chapter 43 of 50
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Genesis 43 tells how, when the grain runs out, Jacob relents and lets the brothers return to Egypt with Benjamin, because Judah takes responsibility for him. Joseph receives his brothers, sees Benjamin, steps aside to weep and invites them to eat in his house. Simeon is brought out, and Benjamin is served five times as much as the others.
Genesis 42 ended with Jacob refusing to send Benjamin to Egypt. Genesis 43 shows how hunger overcomes that resistance and how Judah, who in Genesis 37 proposed selling Joseph, now offers himself as a guarantor for Benjamin. It is a chapter of tension and restrained emotion, where the reader knows what the brothers do not yet know.
The famine is still severe in Canaan. When the grain is gone, Jacob tells his sons to go back to Egypt and buy more. Judah reminds him that the man warned them they would not see his face unless their youngest brother was with them. If Jacob sends Benjamin, they will go down; if not, they will not. Jacob complains that they ever told the man they had another brother. Judah takes responsibility: if he does not bring him back, he will bear the blame forever. He says that if they had not delayed, they would already have gone and returned twice.
Jacob relents. He tells them to take a gift of the best of the land: balm, honey, gum, myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds, along with double the money and the money that was returned in their sacks. He prays that God Almighty would grant them mercy, and adds, resigned, that if he must lose his children, he will lose them. They reach Egypt and present themselves to Joseph, who, seeing Benjamin, orders his steward to bring them to his house and prepare a feast.
The brothers fear they are being taken in to be seized over the money found in their sacks. They speak with the steward, who reassures them: their God and the God of their father has given them the treasure. He brings Simeon out to them. They are given water to wash their feet. When Joseph arrives they bow down, give him the gift, and he asks about their father. Seeing Benjamin, Joseph is deeply moved, goes out to weep and comes back with his face washed. They eat at separate tables, Joseph by himself, the Egyptians and the brothers apart. They are seated in order of age, and they are amazed. Benjamin is served five times as much. They drink and are merry with him.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Judah asks his father to send Benjamin and commits himself personally, saying that Jacob may hold him responsible. It is a great turn: the brother who sold Joseph for twenty shekels of silver now puts his own life on the line for another brother.
Jacob prays that God Almighty would grant them mercy before the man and bring back Simeon and Benjamin. His prayer shows that, for all his fear, he trusts God again, and accepts with resignation whatever may come.
The steward tells them to be at peace, that their God and the God of their father gave them the treasure in their sacks, and that he received their money. Without knowing it, an Egyptian servant names God as the one at work in these events.
Joseph, deeply moved at the sight of his brother, looks for a place to weep and goes into his room. His tenderness contrasts with his stern appearance, and shows that behind the test there is genuine love.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: Because the grain they had brought was gone and the famine continued. — Genesis 43:1-2
Answer: Judah, who said he would bear the blame if he did not bring him back. — Genesis 43:9
Answer: A gift of balm, honey, gum, myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds. — Genesis 43:11
Answer: That their God and the God of their father had given them that treasure, since he had received their money. — Genesis 43:23
Answer: He was deeply moved, looked for a place to weep and wept in his room. — Genesis 43:29-30
Answer: Five times as much as any of the others. — Genesis 43:34
Genesis 43 shows the change in Judah, who goes from proposing the sale of a brother to offering himself as guarantor for another. In a small group, this invites us to think about how God's grace transforms character over time, and how willing we are to take responsibility for those who depend on us.
It also teaches us to pray with surrender. Jacob does not control the outcome, and he prays to God Almighty. Ask what situations you must hand over to God when you cannot control them, and how you can patiently walk with those who resist taking a difficult step.
Genesis 43 ends with the meal where the brothers drink and are merry with Joseph, not knowing what comes next. In Genesis 44 a silver cup in Benjamin's sack will test the brothers' loyalty in the hardest possible way.
Because the famine was very severe and the family could not survive without buying grain. Judah's promise, committing himself to be responsible for Benjamin, gave him enough assurance. Jacob also entrusted his sons to God Almighty.
The text explains that the Egyptians could not eat with the Hebrews, because it was detestable to them. It is a cultural note that anticipates the separation between Egyptians and Israelites in Goshen.
The text does not give the reason, but the act is part of Joseph's test. He wanted to see whether the brothers showed envy toward the favored brother, as they had toward him, and the next chapter shows that they do not abandon him.