Genesis Chapter 42 Verse-by-Verse Commentary
Genesis 42:1–5
Now Ya'akov saw that there was grain in Egypt; so Ya'akov said to his sons, "Why are you staring at each other? Look," he said, "I've heard that there's grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us from there, so that we can stay alive and not die!" Thus Yosef's ten brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt, except for Binyamin, Yosef's brother. Ya'akov did not send him with his brothers, because he was afraid something might happen to him. The sons of Isra'el came to buy along with the others that came, since the famine extended to the land of Kena'an.
Over twenty years had passed since Yosef was sold to Egypt and now the seven year famine has begun and spread to the land of Canaan. Meanwhile Yosef's brothers are sitting around with nothing to do because there are no crops to tend to. Ya'akov knew that there was grain in Egypt so he sent ten of the brothers to go and get the family food. He did not send the youngest, Binyamin, because he was the only remaining son of Rachel and he knew that the covenant promise would pass to her son.
Genesis 42:6–8
Yosef was governor over the land; it was he who sold to all the people of the land. Now when Yosef's brothers came and prostrated themselves before him on the ground, Yosef saw his brothers and recognized them; but he acted toward them as if he were a stranger and spoke harshly with them. He asked them, "Where are you from?" They answered, "From the land of Kena'an to buy food." So Yosef recognized his brothers, but they didn't recognize him.
We notice that all of the people were coming to acknowledge Yosef as the ruler so that they could receive life giving food. Yosef recognized his brothers but they did not know him which speaks of the fact that they had rejected God's revelation and so were basically spiritually blind. We see that they acknowledged the severity of the situation as they had been sent for grain but now they say it is for food.
Genesis 42:9–14
Remembering the dreams he had had about them, Yosef said to them, "You are spies! You've come to spot our country's weaknesses!" "No, my lord," they replied, "your servants have come to buy food. We're all the sons of one man, we're upright men; your servants aren't spies." "No," he said to them, "you've come to spy out our country's weaknesses." They said, "We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Kena'an; the youngest stayed with our father, and another one is gone." "Just as I said," replied Yosef, "you're spies!
Here, Yosef sees the fulfillment of the first dream that he had over twenty years before as the brothers bowed down to him just as God had shown him. Then, they were accused of being liars which they were as they still had not confessed what they had done to Yosef. Although it is translated here as "another", in the Hebrew text they refer to Yosef as "the one" and this is acknowledging that he had had a special relationship with God.
Genesis 42:15–20
Here's how you can prove you're not lying: as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave here unless your youngest brother comes here. Send one of you, and let him bring your brother. Meanwhile, you will be kept in custody. This will prove whether there is any truth in what you say. Otherwise, as Pharaoh lives, you are certainly spies." Then he put all of them together in prison for three days. On the third day, Yosef said to them, "Do what I say, and stay alive, for I fear God. If you are upright men, let one of your brothers remain incarcerated in the prison you're being kept in, while you go and carry grain back to relieve the famine in your homes. But bring your youngest brother to me. In this way your statements will be verified, and you won't die." So they did it.
Yosef told them what they had to do to prove what they were saying. We notice that first he was only going to send one son to get Binyamin but then he says to just leave one of them and the rest go to take food for their family. This is a picture of God's grace as they were in no position to get Yosef to do anything but he showed them mercy and favor.
Genesis 42:21–24a
They said to each other, "We are in fact guilty concerning our brother. He was in distress and pleaded with us; we saw it and wouldn't listen. That's why this distress has come upon us now." Re'uven answered them, "Didn't I tell you, 'Don't wrong the boy'? But you wouldn't hear of it. Now comes the reckoning for his blood!" They had no idea that Yosef understood them, since an interpreter was translating for them. Yosef turned away from them and wept; then he returned and spoke to them.
In this passage, we see that the brothers are finally confessing their sin and realizing that their present situation was a result of that sin. They spoke freely because they did not think that Yosef could understand them but, when he heard what they were saying, he turned away and wept. These were probably tears of joy as he had been doing all of this so that they would confess and repent of their sin and now that was happening.
Genesis 42:24b–29
He took Shim'on from among them and put him in prison before their eyes. Next he ordered that their containers be filled with grain, that every man's money be put back in his pack and that they be given provisions for the journey. When these things had been done for them, they loaded their grain on their donkeys and departed. But at camp that night, as one of them opened his pack to give fodder to his donkey, he noticed his money - there it was, just inside his pack. He said to his brothers, "My money has been restored - there it is, right in my pack!" At that, their hearts sank; they turned, trembling, to one another and said, "What is this that God has done to us?" They returned to Ya'akov their father in the land of Kena'an and told him all that had happened to them.
Why did Yosef take Shim'on and not one of the others? The name Shim'on comes from the word shema which means to hear with obedience following the physical hearing. They had been talking about how they had heard the cries of Yosef and not responded properly to them. Then, we see that Yosef ordered their money put in their sacks and they left. When they stopped for the night, one noticed the money in the top of his sack and the fact that it was in the top of his sack shows us that Yosef had done this for their benefit. He was demonstrating the principle of grace and yet they did not understand it but knew that God had done it.
Genesis 42:30–36
"The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly with us. He took us for spies in his country. We said to him, 'We are upright men, we're not spies; we are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is gone, and the youngest stayed with our father in the land of Kena'an.' But the man, the lord of the land, said to us, 'Here is how I will know that you are upright men: leave one of your brothers with me, take grain to relieve the famine in your homes, and go on your way; but bring your youngest brother to me. By this I will know that you aren't spies, but are upright men; then I will return your brother to you; and you will do business in the land.'" Next, as they emptied their packs, there was each man's bag of money in his pack; and when they and their father saw their bags of money, they became afraid. Ya'akov their father said to them, "You have robbed me of my children! Yosef is gone, Shim'on is gone, now you're taking Binyamin away - it all falls on me!"
The boys tell the story to Ya'akov and we see that they still did not admit what they had done to Yosef. Ya'akov is basically overcome at the idea of losing three of his sons.
Genesis 42:37 & 38
Re'uven said to his father, "If I don't bring him back to you, you can kill my own two sons! Put him in my care; I will return him to you." But he replied, "My son will not go down with you. His brother is dead, and he alone is left. If anything were to happen to him while traveling with you, you would bring my gray hair down to Sh'ol with grief."
Re'uven told his father that Ya'akov could have his two sons as his own if he did not return Binyamin but Ya'akov refused. Meanwhile, Shim'on remained in prison in Egypt.