Joseph's Brothers Held in an Egyptian Prisonby Josiah-R
42:20Genesis 42:20
But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.
On the third day of the brothers' confinement this was given as a second plan, first declaring fear of God and that they would live if they obeyed. Under the plan, one brother was to remain bound in prison while the rest carried grain to relieve the hunger of their households. The demand came after Benjamin was noticed to be absent and the brothers were heard to say their youngest brother was with their father, because the truth about the family was to be learned. The verse requires the brothers to bring their youngest brother, Benjamin, to verify their account, with the promise that they will then not die. The promised sparing means rescue from both death and enslavement as suspected spies.
The requirement was given in part to supply food, because the father and the brothers' families might be suffering for lack of food. It was also given because of conviction that the brothers had repented of their cruel treatment and would never treat Benjamin as they had treated him. The three days of confinement before the demand were bitter sorrow in which the brothers recalled their past wrong course and especially their cruelty to Joseph.
The brothers agreed to and carried out the condition, but doubted that their father Jacob would let Benjamin go and return with them. They thought no effort would persuade Jacob after the cruel death Joseph was supposed to have suffered. They feared God intended to punish them by letting them become slaves because they had sold Joseph as a slave.
On the third day of the brothers' confinement this was given as a second plan, first declaring fear of God and that they would live if they obeyed. Under the plan, one brother was to remain bound in prison while the rest carried grain to relieve the hunger of their households. The demand came after Benjamin was noticed to be absent and the brothers were heard to say their youngest brother was with their father, because the truth about the family was to be learned. The verse requires the brothers to bring their youngest brother, Benjamin, to verify their account, with the promise that they will then not die. The promised sparing means rescue from both death and enslavement as suspected spies.
The requirement was given in part to supply food, because the father and the brothers' families might be suffering for lack of food. It was also given because of conviction that the brothers had repented of their cruel treatment and would never treat Benjamin as they had treated him. The three days of confinement before the demand were bitter sorrow in which the brothers recalled their past wrong course and especially their cruelty to Joseph.
The brothers agreed to and carried out the condition, but doubted that their father Jacob would let Benjamin go and return with them. They thought no effort would persuade Jacob after the cruel death Joseph was supposed to have suffered. They feared God intended to punish them by letting them become slaves because they had sold Joseph as a slave.