And he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck.
The moment is Joseph revealing himself to his brothers, falling on Benjamin's neck while Benjamin weeps on his neck in mutual embrace, with the brothers astonished, troubled, fearful, and feeling condemned. Their mutual tears express deep emotion and long-suppressed love released, the joy and relief of reconciliation, the joy of finding one another alive, and restored family affection after years of separation. The embrace follows Joseph's testing of his brothers, by which he proved them and saw in them the fruits of true repentance for selling him, and his being too deeply affected to hide his feelings any longer.
It belongs to Joseph's deliberate effort to make the meeting as easy as possible for them by comforting rather than censuring them, because they had suffered enough. The weeping seals Joseph's forgiveness and assurance that God, not his brothers, sent him to Egypt to preserve life and posterity through the famine, made him a father to Pharaoh and ruler of Egypt, and his invitation for Jacob and all his household to dwell near him in Goshen where he would nourish them. The preservation was through seven years of famine, with two years past and five still remaining without earing or harvest. The embrace on Benjamin is joined to Joseph kissing all his brothers and weeping upon them, after which his brothers are able to talk with him.
The reunion belongs to a scene of forgiveness in which the brothers humbly confess their wrongs against Joseph and entreat his forgiveness, greatly rejoicing and relieved to find him alive after years of remorse. Their weeping belongs to relief after suffering remorse and great distress of mind since their cruelty toward him, with their troubled minds now relieved to know they were not guilty of his blood.
The moment is Joseph revealing himself to his brothers, falling on Benjamin's neck while Benjamin weeps on his neck in mutual embrace, with the brothers astonished, troubled, fearful, and feeling condemned. Their mutual tears express deep emotion and long-suppressed love released, the joy and relief of reconciliation, the joy of finding one another alive, and restored family affection after years of separation. The embrace follows Joseph's testing of his brothers, by which he proved them and saw in them the fruits of true repentance for selling him, and his being too deeply affected to hide his feelings any longer.
It belongs to Joseph's deliberate effort to make the meeting as easy as possible for them by comforting rather than censuring them, because they had suffered enough. The weeping seals Joseph's forgiveness and assurance that God, not his brothers, sent him to Egypt to preserve life and posterity through the famine, made him a father to Pharaoh and ruler of Egypt, and his invitation for Jacob and all his household to dwell near him in Goshen where he would nourish them. The preservation was through seven years of famine, with two years past and five still remaining without earing or harvest. The embrace on Benjamin is joined to Joseph kissing all his brothers and weeping upon them, after which his brothers are able to talk with him.
The reunion belongs to a scene of forgiveness in which the brothers humbly confess their wrongs against Joseph and entreat his forgiveness, greatly rejoicing and relieved to find him alive after years of remorse. Their weeping belongs to relief after suffering remorse and great distress of mind since their cruelty toward him, with their troubled minds now relieved to know they were not guilty of his blood.