And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons:
This is Judah repeating Jacob's words to Joseph as part of his plea for Benjamin. By "my wife" Jacob meant Rachel, the wife he loved, who bore him two sons, Joseph and Benjamin.
With Joseph lost and gone and counted as lost through grief, Benjamin was all that was left of the mother Jacob loved still with him. That made Benjamin especially precious to Jacob after Joseph was gone, and made the prospect of losing him especially painful. Jacob was therefore reluctant and unwilling to let Benjamin go down to Egypt.
Judah had pledged himself as surety to bring Benjamin back or bear the blame forever. Jacob's life was bound up in the lad's life, so that separation from Benjamin would bring Jacob to his death and kill him with grief. Because he could not meet his father without Benjamin, Judah offered to remain and abide as a bondman in Benjamin's place instead of his brother, so the lad could go up with his brethren.
This is Judah repeating Jacob's words to Joseph as part of his plea for Benjamin. By "my wife" Jacob meant Rachel, the wife he loved, who bore him two sons, Joseph and Benjamin.
With Joseph lost and gone and counted as lost through grief, Benjamin was all that was left of the mother Jacob loved still with him. That made Benjamin especially precious to Jacob after Joseph was gone, and made the prospect of losing him especially painful. Jacob was therefore reluctant and unwilling to let Benjamin go down to Egypt.
Judah had pledged himself as surety to bring Benjamin back or bear the blame forever. Jacob's life was bound up in the lad's life, so that separation from Benjamin would bring Jacob to his death and kill him with grief. Because he could not meet his father without Benjamin, Judah offered to remain and abide as a bondman in Benjamin's place instead of his brother, so the lad could go up with his brethren.