11 And their father H1 Israel H3478 said H559 unto them, If it must be so now, H645 do H6213 this; take H3947 of the best fruits H2173 in the land H776 in your vessels, H3627 and carry down H3381 the man H376 a present, H4503 a little H4592 balm, H6875 and a little H4592 honey, H1706 spices, H5219 and myrrh, H3910 nuts, H992 and almonds: H8247
And they sat down H3427 to eat H398 bread: H3899 and they lifted up H5375 their eyes H5869 and looked, H7200 and, behold, a company H736 of Ishmeelites H3459 came H935 from Gilead H1568 with their camels H1581 bearing H5375 spicery H5219 and balm H6875 and myrrh, H3910 going H1980 to carry it down H3381 to Egypt. H4714
A man's H120 gift H4976 maketh room H7337 for him, and bringeth H5148 him before H6440 great men. H1419
The men H1121 of Dedan H1719 were thy merchants; H7402 many H7227 isles H339 were the merchandise H5506 of thine hand: H3027 they brought H7725 thee for a present H814 horns H7161 of ivory H8127 and ebony. H1894
A gift H4976 in secret H5643 pacifieth H3711 anger: H639 and a reward H7810 in the bosom H2436 strong H5794 wrath. H2534
Vow, H5087 and pay H7999 unto the LORD H3068 your God: H430 let all that be round about H5439 him bring H2986 presents H7862 unto him that ought to be feared. H4172
The kings H4428 of Tarshish H8659 and of the isles H339 shall bring H7725 presents: H4503 the kings H4428 of Sheba H7614 and Seba H5434 shall offer H7126 gifts. H814
And he lodged H3885 there that same night; H3915 and took H3947 of that which came H935 to his hand H3027 a present H4503 for Esau H6215 his brother; H251 Two hundred H3967 she goats, H5795 and twenty H6242 he goats, H8495 two hundred H3967 ewes, H7353 and twenty H6242 rams, H352 Thirty H7970 milch H3243 camels H1581 with their colts, H1121 forty H705 kine, H6510 and ten H6235 bulls, H6499 twenty H6242 she asses, H860 and ten H6235 foals. H5895 And he delivered H5414 them into the hand H3027 of his servants, H5650 every drove H5739 by themselves; and said H559 unto his servants, H5650 Pass over H5674 before me, H6440 and put H7760 a space H7305 betwixt H996 drove H5739 and H996 drove. H5739 And he commanded H6680 the foremost, H7223 saying, H559 When Esau H6215 my brother H251 meeteth thee, H6298 and asketh thee, H7592 saying, H559 Whose art thou? and whither goest H3212 thou? and whose are these before H6440 thee? Then thou shalt say, H559 They be thy servant H5650 Jacob's; H3290 it is a present H4503 sent H7971 unto my lord H113 Esau: H6215 and, behold, also he is behind us. H310 And so H1571 commanded he H6680 the second, H8145 and the third, H7992 and all that followed H1980 H310 the droves, H5739 saying, H559 On this manner H1697 shall ye speak H1696 unto Esau, H6215 when ye find H4672 him. And say ye H559 moreover, H1571 Behold, thy servant H5650 Jacob H3290 is behind us. H310 For he said, H559 I will appease H3722 him H6440 with the present H4503 that goeth H1980 before me, H6440 and afterward H310 I will see H7200 his face; H6440 peradventure he will accept H5375 of me. H6440 So went H5674 the present H4503 over H5674 before him: H6440 and himself lodged H3885 that night H3915 in the company. H4264
Go, H3212 gather together H3664 all the Jews H3064 that are present H4672 in Shushan, H7800 and fast H6684 ye for me, and neither eat H398 nor drink H8354 three H7969 days, H3117 night H3915 or day: H3117 I also and my maidens H5291 will fast H6684 likewise; and so H3651 will I go H935 in unto the king, H4428 which is not according to the law: H1881 and if I perish, H6 I perish. H6
And the king H4428 said H559 unto Hazael, H2371 Take H3947 a present H4503 in thine hand, H3027 and go, H3212 meet H7125 the man H376 of God, H430 and enquire H1875 of the LORD H3068 by him, saying, H559 Shall I recover H2421 of this disease? H2483
There is a league H1285 between me and thee, and between my father H1 and thy father: H1 behold, I have sent H7971 unto thee a present H7810 of silver H3701 and gold; H2091 come H3212 and break H6565 thy league H1285 with Baasha H1201 king H4428 of Israel, H3478 that he may depart H5927 from me.
Beside that he had of the merchantmen, H582 H8446 and of the traffick H4536 of the spice merchants, H7402 and of all the kings H4428 of Arabia, H6152 and of the governors H6346 of the country. H776
Then said H559 Saul H7586 to his servant, H5288 But, behold, if we go, H3212 what shall we bring H935 the man? H376 for the bread H3899 is spent H235 in our vessels, H3627 and there is not a present H8670 to bring H935 to the man H376 of God: H430 what have we?
And for the precious H4022 fruits H8393 brought forth by the sun, H8121 and for the precious things H4022 put forth H1645 by the moon, H3391
But I have said H559 unto you, Ye shall inherit H3423 their land, H127 and I will give H5414 it unto you to possess H3423 it, a land H776 that floweth H2100 with milk H2461 and honey: H1706 I am the LORD H3068 your God, H430 which have separated H914 you from other people. H5971
And God H410 Almighty H7706 give H5414 you mercy H7356 before H6440 the man, H376 that he may send away H7971 your other H312 brother, H251 and Benjamin. H1144 If H834 I be bereaved H7921 of my children, I am bereaved. H7921
And Jacob H3290 said, H559 Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found H4672 grace H2580 in thy sight, H5869 then receive H3947 my present H4503 at my hand: H3027 for therefore I have seen H7200 thy face, H6440 as though I had seen H7200 the face H6440 of God, H430 and thou wast pleased with me. H7521
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Genesis 43
Commentary on Genesis 43 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
When the corn brought from Egypt was all consumed, as the famine still continued, Jacob called upon his sons to go down and fetch a little corn (little in proportion to their need).
Judah then declared, that they would not go there again unless their father sent Benjamin with them; for the man (Joseph) had solemnly protested ( העד העד ) that they should not see his face without their youngest brother. Judah undertook the consultation with his father about Benjamin's going, because Reuben, the eldest son, had already been refused, and Levi, who followed Reuben and Simeon, had forfeited his father's confidence through his treachery to the Shechemites (Gen 34).
To the father's reproachful question, why they had dealt so ill with him, as to tell the man that they had a brother, Judah replied: “ The man asked after us and our kinsmen: Is your father yet alive? have ye a brother? And we answered him in conformity ( פּי על as in Exodus 34:27, etc.) with these words (i.e., with his questions). Could we know, then, that he would say, Bring your brother down? ” Joseph had not made direct inquiries, indeed, about their father and their brother; but by his accusation that they were spies, he had compelled them to give an exact account of their family relationships. So that Judah, when repeating the main points of the interview, could very justly give them in the form just mentioned.
He then repeated the only condition on which they would go to Egypt again, referring to the death by famine which threatened them, their father, and their children, and promising that he would himself be surety for the youth ( הנּער , Benjamin was twenty-three years old), and saying, that if he did not restore him, he would bear the blame ( חטא to be guilty of a sin and stone for it, as in 1 Kings 1:21) his whole life long. He then concluded with the deciding words, “ for if we had not delayed, surely we should already have returned a second time .”
And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds: After this, the old man gave way to what could not be avoided, and let Benjamin go. But that nothing might be wanting on his part, which could contribute to the success of the journey, he suggested that they should take a present for the man, and that they should also take the money which was brought back in their sacks, in addition to what was necessary for the corn they were to purchase; and he then commended them to the mercy of Almighty God. “ If it must be so, yet do this ( אפוא belongs to the imperative, although it precedes it here, cf. Genesis 27:37): take of the prize (the most choice productions) of the land-a little balm and a little honey ( דּבשׁ the Arabian dibs, either new honey from bees, or more probably honey from grapes, - a thick syrup boiled from sweet grapes, which is still carried every year from Hebron to Egypt), gum-dragon and myrrh (vid., Genesis 37:25), pictachio nuts and almonds .” בּטנים , which are not mentioned anywhere else, are, according to the Samar. vers. , the fruit of the pistacia vera , a tree resembling the terebinth, - long angular nuts of the size of hazel-nuts, with an oily kernel of a pleasant flavour; it does not thrive in Palestine now, but the nuts are imported from Aleppo.
“ And take second (i.e., more) money ( משׁנה כּסף is different from משׁנה־כּסף doubling of the money = double money, Genesis 43:15) in your hand; and the money that returned in your sacks take with you again; perhaps it is a mistake, ” i.e., was put in your sacks by mistake.
Thus Israel let his sons go with the blessing, “ God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may liberate to you your other brother ( Simeon ) and Benjamin; ” and with this resigned submission to the will of God, “ And I, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved, ” i.e., if I am to lose my children, let it be so! For this mode of expression, cf. Esther 4:16 and 2 Kings 7:4. שׁכּלתּי with the pausal a , answering to the feelings of the speaker, which is frequently used for o ; e.g., טרף for יטרף , Genesis 49:27.
When the brethren appeared before Joseph, he ordered his steward to take them into the house, and prepare a dinner for them and for him. טבה the original form of the imperative for טבח . But the brethren were alarmed, thinking that they were taken into the house because of the money which returned the first time ( השּׁב which came back, they could not imagine how), that he might take them unawares (lit., roll upon them), and fall upon them, and keep them as salves, along with their asses. For the purpose of averting what they dreaded, they approached (Genesis 43:19) the steward and told him, “at the door of the house,” before they entered therefore, how, at the first purchase of corn, on opening their sacks, they found the money that had been paid, “ every one's money in the mouth of his sack, our money according to its weight, ” i.e., in full, and had now brought it back, together with some more money to buy corn, and they did not know who had put their money in their sacks (Genesis 43:20-22). The steward, who was initiated into Joseph's plans, replied in a pacifying tone, “Peace be to you ( לכם שׁלום is not a form of salutation here, but of encouragement, as in Judges 6:23): fear not; your God and the God of your father has given you a treasure in your sacks; your money came to me; ” and at the same time, to banish all their fear, he brought Simeon out to them. He then conducted them into Joseph's house, and received them in Oriental fashion as the guests of his lord. But, previous to Joseph's arrival, they arranged the present which they had brought with them, as they heard that they were to dine with him.
When Joseph came home, they handed him the present with the most reverential obeisance.
Genesis 43:27-29
Joseph first of all inquired after their own and their father's health ( שׁלום first as substantive, then as adjective = שׁלם Genesis 33:18), whether he was still living; which they answered with thanks in the affirmative, making the deepest bow. His eyes then fell upon Benjamin, the brother by his own mother, and he asked whether this was their youngest brother; but without waiting for their reply, he exclaimed, “ God be gracious to thee, my son! ” יחנך for יחנך as in Isaiah 30:19 (cf. Ewald , §251 d ). He addressed him as “my son,” in tender and, as it were, paternal affection, and with special regard to his youth. Benjamin was 16 years younger than Joseph, and was quite an infant when Joseph was sold.
Genesis 43:30-31
And “his (Joseph's) bowels did yearn” ( נכמרוּ lit., were compressed, from the force of love to his brother), so that he was obliged to seek (a place) as quickly as possible to weep, and went into the chamber, that he might give vent to his feelings in tears; after which, he washed his face and came out again, and, putting constraint upon himself, ordered the dinner to be brought in.
Genesis 43:32-33
Separate tables were prepared for him, for his brethren, and for the Egyptians who dined with them. This was required by the Egyptian spirit of caste, which neither allowed Joseph, as minister of state and a member of the priestly order, to eat along with Egyptians who were below him, nor the latter along with the Hebrews as foreigners. “ They cannot (i.e., may not) eat (cf. Deuteronomy 12:17; Deuteronomy 16:5; Deuteronomy 17:15). For this was an abomination to the Egyptians .” The Hebrews and others, for example, slaughtered and ate animals, even female animals, which were regarded by the Egyptians as sacred; so that, according to Herod. ii. 41, no Egyptian would use the knife, or fork, or saucepan of a Greek, nor would any eat of the flesh of a clean animal which had been cut up with a Grecian knife (cf. Exodus 8:22).
Genesis 43:33-34
The brothers sat in front of Joseph, “ the first-born according to his birthright, and the smallest (youngest) according to his smallness (youth);” i.e., the places were arranged for them according to their ages, so that they looked at one another with astonishment, since this arrangement necessarily impressed them with the idea that this great man had been supernaturally enlightened as to their family affairs. To do them honour, they brought ( ישּׂא , Ges. §137, 3) them dishes from Joseph, i.e., from his table; and to show especial honour to Benjamin, his portion was five times larger than that of any of the others ( ידות lit., hands, grasps, as in Genesis 47:24; 2 Kings 11:7). The custom is met with elsewhere of showing respect to distinguished guests by giving them the largest and best pieces (1 Samuel 9:23-24; Homer , Il. 7, 321; 8, 162, etc.), by double portions (e.g., the kings among the Spartans, Herod. 6, 57), and even by fourfold portions in the case of the Archons among the Cretans ( Heraclid . po lit., 3). But among the Egyptians the number 5 appears to have been preferred to any other (cf. Genesis 41:34; Genesis 45:22; Genesis 47:2, Genesis 47:24; Isaiah 19:18). By this partiality Joseph intended, with a view to his further plans, to draw out his brethren to show their real feelings towards Benjamin, that he might see whether they would envy and hate him on account of this distinction, as they had formerly envied him his long coat with sleeves, and hated him because he was his father's favourite (Genesis 37:3-4). This honourable treatment and entertainment banished all their anxiety and fear. “ They drank, and drank largely with him, ” i.e., they were perfectly satisfied with what they ate and drank; not, they were intoxicated (cf. Haggai 1:9).