3 If you will let our brother go with us, we will go down and get food:
But you said to your servants, If your youngest brother does not come with you, you will not see my face again.
And Israel said, Why were you so cruel to me as to say to him that you had a brother?
But in this way will you be put to the test: by the life of Pharaoh, you will not go away from this place till your youngest brother comes here. Send one of your number to get your brother, and the rest of you will be kept in prison, so that your words may be tested to see if you are true; if not, by the life of Pharaoh, your purpose is certainly secret. So he put them in prison for three days. And on the third day Joseph said to them, Do this, if you would keep your lives: for I am a god-fearing man: If you are true men, let one of you be kept in prison, while you go and take grain for the needs of your families; And come back to me with your youngest brother, so that your words may be seen to be true, and you will not be put to death. This is what you are to do.
And the ruler of the land said, In this way I may be certain that you are true men; let one of you be kept here with me, while you go and take grain for the needs of your families; And come back to me with your youngest brother: then I will be certain that you are true men, and I will give your brother back to you and let you do trade in the land.
And he said, It is well; I will make an agreement with you, but on one condition, which is, that when you come before me, Saul's daughter Michal is to come with you; till she comes you will not see my face.
For two full years Absalom was living in Jerusalem without ever seeing the face of the king.
And Absalom's answer was, See, I sent to you saying, Come here, so that I may send you to the king to say, Why have I come back from Geshur? it would be better for me to be there still: let me now see the king's face, and if there is any sin in me, let him put me to death.
And now I am conscious that you, among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom, will not see my face again.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Genesis 43
Commentary on Genesis 43 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 43
Here the story of Joseph's brethren is carried on, and very particularly related
Gen 43:1-10
Here,
Gen 43:11-14
Observe here,
Gen 43:15-25
Jacob's sons, having got leave to take Benjamin with them, were observant of the orders their father had given them, and went down the second time into Egypt to buy corn. If we should ever know what a famine of the word means, let us not think it much to travel as far for spiritual food as they did for corporal food. Now here we have an account of what passed between them and Joseph's steward, who, some conjecture, was in the secret, and knew them to be Joseph's brethren, and helped to humour the thing; I rather think not, because no man was permitted to be present when Joseph afterwards made himself known to them, ch. 45:1. Observe,
Gen 43:26-34
Here is,