(28) They bowed down.—This was the literal fulfilment of the first dream concerning the eleven sheaves making obeisance. As their business in Egypt was to buy corn, there was a fitness also in their being represented as sheaves. read more
(29) Is this your younger brother?—Rather, your youngest brother. Joseph’s question was one of surprise. Can this young man, now nearly thirty, be the little Benjamin, who was but a child of eight or nine when last I saw him! read more
(31) He washed his face.—This was done to remove all traces of his tears. read more
(32) By himself . . . by themselves.—These caste distinctions were common in ancient times, and still exist in India. Joseph probably had his food served separately because of his high rank; but the word “abomination” shows that eating with foreigners was shunned by the Egyptians for religious considerations. Herodotus (ii. 41) says that the Greeks were equally the objects of their dislike, and that the use even of a Greek knife would render food, otherwise clean, polluted in the eyes of the... read more
(33) They sat.—The Egyptians are always represented on the monuments as sitting at their meals. For the Hebrew custom see Note on Genesis 27:19. The brethren, on finding themselves placed according to their age, must have supposed that Joseph possessed powers of divination, especially as the giving of due precedence was and is looked upon in the East as a matter of high importance. read more
(34) Messes.—A portion of food from that prepared for the chief is regarded in the East as a mark both of honour and friendship, and the largeness of Benjamin’s mess marked him out as the especial object of Joseph’s regard. The words literally are, “And the portion of Benjamin was great above the portions of all of them five hands,” that is, five times. It has been supposed that Joseph intended to try his brethren by this preference, and see if they were still envious. More probably it was... read more
Genesis 43:2 What a deeply interesting life was that of Jacob the supplanter! It is a life full of incident. And in that life the story of Joseph is perhaps the most illuminative. The dreaming days are over. The house of Potiphar, with its subtle temptation, and the prison with its dark despair are for ever gone, and Joseph sits a ruler, the ruler of Egypt. Famine drives his brothers, at their father's request, to seek his face, known only to them as the great Egyptian governor. They bow... read more
VISITS OF JOSEPH’S BRETHRENGenesis 42:1-38; Genesis 43:1-34; Genesis 44:1-34"Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good."- Genesis 50:19-20.THE purpose of God to bring Israel into Egypt was accomplished by the unconscious agency of Joseph’s natural affection for his kindred. Tenderness towards home is usually increased by residence in a foreign land; for absence, like a little death, sheds a halo round those separated from us.... read more
CHAPTER 43 The Second Visit to Joseph 1. The journey to Egypt with Benjamin (Genesis 43:1-15 ) 2. The kindness of Joseph (Genesis 43:16-34 ) read more
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John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 43:1-34
The Second Visit to Egypt11. Balm] or ’balsam,’with healing properties. Honey] This was grape-honey, a syrup made of grapes and diluted with water for a drink. It is still exported from Hebron to Egypt. Syria is famous for its pistachio nuts and almonds which do not grow in Egypt.12. Double money] (1) to repay that put in the sack, and (2) to purchase fresh stores.18. Again the guilty conscience which dreads every fresh event. 30. Bowels] regarded as the seat of the affections by the Hebrews:... read more