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Texts -- Genesis 43:4-34 (NET)

Context
43:4 If you send our brother with us, we’ll go down and buy food for you. 43:5 But if you will not send him, we won’t go down there because the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.’” 43:6 Israel said , “Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had one more brother ?” 43:7 They replied , “The man questioned us thoroughly about ourselves and our family, saying , ‘Is your father still alive ? Do you have another brother ?’ So we answered him in this way . How could we possibly know that he would say , ‘Bring your brother down ’?” 43:8 Then Judah said to his father Israel , “Send the boy with me and we will go immediately. Then we will live and not die – we and you and our little ones . 43:9 I myself pledge security for him; you may hold me liable. If I do not bring him back to you and place him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life . 43:10 But if we had not delayed , we could have traveled there and back twice by now !” 43:11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so , then do this : Take some of the best products of the land in your bags , and take a gift down to the man – a little balm and a little honey , spices and myrrh , pistachios and almonds . 43:12 Take double the money with you ; you must take back the money that was returned in the mouths of your sacks – perhaps it was an oversight . 43:13 Take your brother too, and go right away to the man . 43:14 May the sovereign God grant you mercy before the man so that he may release your other brother and Benjamin ! As for me, if I lose my children I lose them.” 43:15 So the men took these gifts , and they took double the money with them, along with Benjamin . Then they hurried down to Egypt and stood before Joseph . 43:16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the servant who was over his household , “Bring the men to the house . Slaughter an animal and prepare it, for the men will eat with me at noon .” 43:17 The man did just as Joseph said ; he brought the men into Joseph’s house . 43:18 But the men were afraid when they were brought to Joseph’s house . They said , “We are being brought in because of the money that was returned in our sacks last time . He wants to capture us, make us slaves , and take our donkeys !” 43:19 So they approached the man who was in charge of Joseph’s household and spoke to him at the entrance to the house . 43:20 They said , “My lord , we did indeed come down the first time to buy food . 43:21 But when we came to the place where we spent the night , we opened our sacks and each of us found his money – the full amount – in the mouth of his sack . So we have returned it. 43:22 We have brought additional money with us to buy food . We do not know who put the money in our sacks !” 43:23 “Everything is fine ,” the man in charge of Joseph’s household told them. “Don’t be afraid . Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks . I had your money .” Then he brought Simeon out to them. 43:24 The servant in charge brought the men into Joseph’s house . He gave them water , and they washed their feet . Then he gave food to their donkeys . 43:25 They got their gifts ready for Joseph’s arrival at noon , for they had heard that they were to have a meal there . 43:26 When Joseph came home , they presented him with the gifts they had brought inside , and they bowed down to the ground before him. 43:27 He asked them how they were doing. Then he said , “Is your aging father well , the one you spoke about? Is he still alive ?” 43:28 “Your servant our father is well ,” they replied . “He is still alive .” They bowed down in humility . 43:29 When Joseph looked up and saw his brother Benjamin , his mother’s son , he said , “Is this your youngest brother , whom you told me about?” Then he said , “May God be gracious to you, my son .” 43:30 Joseph hurried out , for he was overcome by affection for his brother and was at the point of tears . So he went to his room and wept there . 43:31 Then he washed his face and came out . With composure he said , “Set out the food .” 43:32 They set a place for him, a separate place for his brothers, and another for the Egyptians who were eating with him. (The Egyptians are not able to eat with Hebrews , for the Egyptians think it is disgusting to do so.) 43:33 They sat before him, arranged by order of birth, beginning with the firstborn and ending with the youngest . The men looked at each other in astonishment . 43:34 He gave them portions of the food set before him , but the portion for Benjamin was five times greater than the portions for any of the others. They drank with Joseph until they all became drunk .

Pericope

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Bible Dictionary

  • Joseph

    [ebd] remover or increaser. (1.) The elder of the two sons of Jacob by Rachel (Gen. 30:23, 24), who, on the occasion of his birth, said, "God hath taken away [Heb. 'asaph] my reproach." "The Lord shall add [Heb. yoseph] to me anot...
    [nave] JOSEPH 1. Son of Jacob, Gen. 30:24. Personal appearance of, Gen. 39:6. His father's favorite child, Gen. 33:2; 37:3, 4, 35; 48:22; 1 Chr. 5:2; John 4:5. His father's partiality for, excites the jealousy of his brethren, G...

  • Hypocrisy

    [nave] HYPOCRISY. Job 8:13-15; Job 13:16; Job 15:31, 33, 34; Job 17:8; Job 20:4, 5 vs. 6-18.; Job 27:8-10 vs. 13-18.; Job 31:33, 34; Job 34:30; Job 36:13, 14; Psa. 5:9; Psa. 50:16, 17; Psa. 52:4; Psa. 55:12-14, 20, 21, 23; Psa. 78...

  • GENESIS, 1-2

    [isbe] GENESIS, 1-2 - jen'-e-sis: I. GENERAL DATA 1. The Name 2. Survey of Contents 3. Connection with Succeeding Books II. COMPOSITION OF GENESIS IN GENERAL 1. Unity of the Biblical Text (1) The Toledhoth (2) Further Indication of...

  • NUMBER

    [isbe] NUMBER - num'-ber: I. NUMBER AND ARITHMETIC II. NOTATION OF NUMBERS 1. By Words 2. By Signs 3. By Letters III. NUMBERS IN OLD TESTAMENT HISTORY IV. ROUND NUMBERS V. SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS 1. Seven and Its Multiples (1) Ritual U...

  • Exports

    [nave] EXPORTS From Egypt: Of horses and chariots, and linen yarn, 1 Kin. 10:28, 29; 2 Chr. 1:16, 17; of grain, Gen. 42; 43. From Gilead: of spices, Gen. 37:25. From Ophir: of gold, 1 Kin. 10:11; 22:48; 1 Chr. 29:4. From Tarshis...

  • Benjamin

    [nave] BENJAMIN 1. Son of Jacob by Rachel, Gen. 35:18, 24; 46:19. Taken into Egypt, Gen. 42-45. Prophecy concerning, Gen. 49:27. Descendants of, Gen. 46:21; Num. 26:38-41. Tribe of Census of, at Sinai, Num. 1:37; in the plain ...

  • Deception

    [nave] DECEPTION. Instances of By Satan, Gen. 3:4. Abraham, in stating that Sarah was his sister, Gen. 12:13; 20:2. Isaac, in stating that his wife was his sister, Gen. 26:7. Jacob and Rebekah, in imposing Jacob on his father,...

  • Famine

    [ebd] The first mentioned in Scripture was so grievous as to compel Abraham to go down to the land of Egypt (Gen. 26:1). Another is mentioned as having occurred in the days of Isaac, causing him to go to Gerar (Gen. 26:1, 17). But...

  • Lies and Deceits

    [nave] LIES AND DECEITS Ex. 23:1; Lev. 6:2-7; Lev. 19:11, 12, 16 Ex. 20:16. Job 13:4; Job 21:34; Job 27:4; Job 31:5, 6, 33; Job 36:4; Psa. 5:6, 9; Psa. 10:7; Psa. 12:2, 3; Psa. 28:3; Psa. 31:18; Psa. 34:13 1 Pet. 3:10. Psa. 36:3; P...

  • Judah

    [ebd] praise, the fourth son of Jacob by Leah. The name originated in Leah's words of praise to the Lord on account of his birth: "Now will I praise [Heb. odeh] Jehovah, and she called his name Yehudah" (Gen. 29:35). It was Judah ...
    [smith] (praised, celebrated), the fourth son of Jacob and the fourth of Leah. (B.C. after 1753.) Of Judah?s personal character more traits are preserved than of any other of the patriarchs, with the exception of Joseph, whose life h...
    [nave] JUDAH 1. Son of Jacob, Gen. 35:23. Intercedes for Joseph's life when his brethren were about to slay him, and proposes that they sell him to the Ishmaelites, Gen. 37:26, 27. Takes two wives, Gen. 38:1-6. Dwells at Chezib,...

  • Money

    [nave] MONEY Silver used as, Gen. 17:12, 13, 23, 27; 20:16; 23:9, 13; 31:15; 37:28; 42:25-35; 43:12-23; 44:1-8; 47:14-18; Ex. 12:44; 21:11, 21, 34, 35; 22:7, 17, 25; 30:16; Lev. 22:11; 25:37, 51; 27:15, 18; Num. 3:48-51; 18:16; Deu...

  • Jacob

    [nave] JACOB Son of Isaac, and twin brother of Esau, Gen. 25:24-26; Josh. 24:4; 1 Chr. 1:34; Acts 7:8. Ancestor of Jesus, Matt. 1:2. Given in answer to prayer, Gen. 25:21. Obtains Esau's birthright for a some stew, Gen. 25:29-34...

  • MEALS, MEAL-TIME

    [isbe] MEALS, MEAL-TIME - melz: Bread materials, bread-making and baking in the Orient are dealt with under BREAD (which see). For food-stuffs in use among the Hebrews in Bible times more specifically see FOOD. This article aims to...

  • JOSEPH (2)

    [isbe] JOSEPH (2) - jo'-zef (yoceph, "He will add"; Septuagint Ioseph). The narrative (Gen 30:23,14) indicates not so much a double etymology as the course of Rachel's thoughts. The use of 'acaph, "He takes away," suggested to her ...

  • Integrity

    [nave] INTEGRITY. Gen. 18:19; Ex. 18:21; Deut. 16:19, 20; Job 10:7; Job 13:15, 18; Job 16:17; Job 27:4-6; Job 29:14; Job 31:1-40; Psa. 7:3-5, 8; Psa. 15:1-5; Psa. 17:3; Psa. 18:20 2 Sam. 22:21. Psa. 24:3-5; Psa. 26:1-3; Psa. 69:4;...

  • Brother

    [nave] BROTHER Signifies a relative, Gen. 14:16; 29:12; neighbor, Deut. 23:7; Judg. 21:6; Neh. 5:7; any Israelite, Jer. 34:9; Obad. 10; mankind, Gen. 9:5; Matt. 18:35; 1 John 3:15; companion, 2 Sam. 1:26; 1 Kin. 13:30; 20:33. Love...

  • Balm

    [ebd] contracted from Bal'sam, a general name for many oily or resinous substances which flow or trickle from certain trees or plants when an incision is made through the bark. (1.) This word occurs in the Authorized Version (Gen....
    [isbe] BALM - bam (tseri, tsori; Septuagint rhetine): The name of an odoriferous resin said to be brought from Gilead by Ishmaelite Arabs on their way to Egypt (Gen 37:25). It is translated "balm" in the King James Version and the ...
    [smith] (from balsam , Heb. tzori, tezri) occurs in (Genesis 37:25; 43:11; Jeremiah 8:22; 46:11; 51:8; Ezekiel 27:17) (It is an aromatic plant, or the resinous odoriferous sap or gum which exudes from such plants.) It is impossible t...
    [nave] BALM, a medicinal balsam, Gen. 37:25; 43:11; Jer. 8:22; 46:11; 51:8; Ezek. 27:17.

  • Hospitality

    [nave] HOSPITALITY. Ex. 22:21; Ex. 23:9; Lev. 19:10, 33, 34; Lev. 24:22; Deut. 10:18, 19; Deut. 26:12, 13; Deut. 27:19; Prov. 9:1-4; Prov. 23:6-8; Isa. 58:6, 7; Matt. 22:2-10; Matt. 25:34-46; Luke 14:12-14; Rom. 12:13; Rom. 16:1, ...

  • Treasure

    [nave] TREASURE 1. A thing of highly estimated value. Money, Gen. 42:25, 27, 28, 35; 43:23, with vs. 18,21,22. Precious stones, 1 Chr. 29:8. Jesus forbids the hoarding of, Matt. 6:19; 19:21; Luke 12:33. Hidden, Matt. 13:44. Figu...

  • Honey

    [ebd] (1.) Heb. ya'ar, occurs only 1 Sam. 14:25, 27, 29; Cant. 5:1, where it denotes the honey of bees. Properly the word signifies a forest or copse, and refers to honey found in woods. (2.) Nopheth, honey that drops (Ps. 19:10; ...
    [isbe] HONEY - hun'-i (debhash; meli): One familiar with life in Palestine will recognize in debhash the Arabic dibs, which is the usual term for a sweet syrup made by boiling down the juice of grapes, raisins, carob beans, or date...
    [smith] The Hebrew debash in the first place applied to the product of the bee, to which exclusively we give the name of honey. All travellers agree in describing Palestine as a land "flowing with milk and honey," (Exodus 3:8) bees b...
    [nave] HONEY. Ex. 16:31; 2 Sam. 17:29; Prov. 25:27; Song 4:11; Isa. 7:15; Matt. 3:4; Luke 24:42. Not to be offered with sacrifices, Lev. 2:11. Found in rocks, Deut. 32:13; Psa. 81:16; upon the ground, 1 Sam. 14:25. Samson's rid...
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Arts

Questions

  • I'm going to copy some articles on this subject, but let me give you my summation of all of them. In the Old Testament, the firstborn son was the one who normally received a double inheritance, and was the one who would inher...
  • The following material from The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia should be helpful here: III. Significant numbers Numbers are also used with a symbolical or theological significance. One is used to convey th...

Sermon Illustrations

Genesis 43:33

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • The events recorded in Genesis stretch historically from Creation to Joseph's death, a period of at least 2500 years. The first part of the book (ch. 1-11) is not as easy to date precisely as the second part (ch. 12-50). The ...
  • Genesis provides the historical basis for the rest of the Bible and the Pentateuch, particularly the Abrahamic Covenant. Chapters 1-11 give historical background essential to understanding that covenant, and chapters 12-50 re...
  • The structure of Genesis is very clear. The phrase "the generations of"(toledotin Hebrew, from yaladmeaning "to bear, to generate") occurs ten times (really eleven times since 36:9 repeats 36:1), and in each case it introduce...
  • The Lord destroyed the corrupt, violent human race and deluged its world, but He used righteous Noah to preserve life and establish a new world after the Flood."Noah's experience presents decisively the author's assertion tha...
  • "The Babel account (11:1-9) is not the end of early Genesis. If it were, the story would conclude on the sad note of human failure. But as with earlier events in Genesis 1-11, God's grace once again supersedes human sin, insu...
  • One of the significant changes in the emphasis that occurs at this point in Genesis is from cursing in the primeval record to blessing in the patriarchal narratives. The Abrahamic Covenant is most important in this respect. H...
  • A major theme of the Pentateuch is the partial fulfillment of the promises to the patriarchs. The promises in Genesis 12:1-3 and 7 are the fountainhead from which the rest of the Pentateuch flows.397Walter Kaiser labeled the ...
  • "These verses are of fundamental importance for the theology of Genesis, for they serve to bind together the primeval history and the later patriarchal history and look beyond it to the subsequent history of the nation."414"W...
  • The second crisis Abram faced arose because of a famine in Canaan. Abram chose to sojourn in the Nile Valley until it was past. In this incident Abram tried to pass Sarai off as his sister because he feared for his life. By d...
  • Abram asked God to strengthen his faith. In response Yahweh promised to give the patriarch innumerable descendants. This led Abram to request some further assurance that God would indeed do what He promised. God graciously ob...
  • Abraham's purchase of a burial site in the Promised Land demonstrated his intention to remain in Canaan rather than going back to his native homeland. Since he was a sojourner in Canaan his friends probably expected him to bu...
  • A new toledotbegins with 25:19. Its theme is "the acquisition of the blessing and its development and protection by the Lord."625Moses set up the whole Jacob narrative in a chiastic structure that emphasizes the fulfillment o...
  • Chapters 43-45 are a unit describing what happened when Joseph's brothers returned to Egypt. Like chapter 42, which it echoes, it consists of seven scenes arranged palistrophically with the central scene being the arrest of J...
  • Joseph next tested his brother's loyalty to Benjamin by framing Benjamin and charging him with stealing Joseph's cup. These events prompted the brothers to acknowledge that God was punishing them for their treatment of Joseph...
  • Jacob blessed all 12 of his sons and foretold what would become of each of them and their descendants. He disqualified Reuben, Simeon, and Levi from leadership and gave that blessing to Judah. He granted the double portion to...
  • Aalders, Gerhard Charles. Genesis. The Bible Student's Commentary series. 2 vols. Translated by William Heynen. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981.Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonah. The Macmillan Bible Atlas...
  • The fact that God halted the plague in response to Aaron's atoning action with his censer (16:47-48) would have proved that God accepted him as the high priest and not the rebels. God gave the miracle of the budding rod to ma...
  • A complete and comprehensive explanation of the official duties and revenues of the priests and Levites appropriately follows the confirmation of Aaron's priesthood. This was God's reply to the frightened cries of the people ...
  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • Mordecai's mourning may have been the only thing that disturbed Esther. She may have known nothing about the decree. On the other hand she may have known of both and concluded that since the king did not know that she was a J...
  • 105:7-11 God remembered His people (v. 7, cf. v. 42) so His people should remember Him (v. 5). God had been faithful to the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 12:1-3, 7; 15:18-21; 22:15-18; 28:13-15). He made this covenant with Abraham...
  • 18:1 Evidently the intent is, "He who separates himself [from other people]"does so because he wants his own way and does not want others to restrain him. Such an approach runs counter to sound wisdom because we all need inpu...
  • 3:19 Jeremiah prayed that the Lord would remember his affliction and bitterness (cf. Job 13:15).3:20-21 He himself remembered something that gave him hope.3:22 The prophet remembered that the Lord's loyal love (Heb. hesed) ne...
  • 2:1-2 When did the Magi visit Jesus in Bethlehem?74There are several factors that point to a time about a year after Jesus' birth. First, Matthew described Jesus as a "child"(Gr. paidion, v. 11), not an "infant"(Gr. brephos, ...
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