Verses 18-20
"And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God: if ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in your prison-house; but go ye, carry grain for the famine of your houses: and bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so."
"This do, and live ... Your words shall be verified, and ye shall not die ..." From this it appears that the imprisonment of the alleged spies implied also that they were to be executed, a not unlikely sentence in view of the charges under which they had been imprisoned. Whitelaw says, "This was the death due to spies."[8]
"For I fear God ..." The word here is [~'Elohiym].[9] It is significant that in this phase of Joseph's life, Jehovah, the covenant name of God does not appear in his speech. Nevertheless, his mention of God in this passage must have been a source of hope for the brothers.
"And they did so ..." Speiser called this a mistranslation, "because no deed followed," adding that, "They made the Yes sign,"[10] signaling that they agreed. However, the same general expression is used in Genesis 42:25, where it has the meaning that the following events were in conformity with what Joseph said. And we see no good reason why the same is not the case here.
Joseph's purpose is clearly discernible in the turn of events recorded here. He wished to have charge of Benjamin, fearing, perhaps, that the same fate which had befallen him might also be the lot of his youngest brother, both Joseph and Benjamin being the sons of Jacob's favorite wife, Rachel, and therefore subject to the jealous hatred of the other brothers.
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