(Genesis 45:16 - 46:27)
Word that Joseph's brothers had arrived in Egypt spread throughout the court; the Pharaoh and his household rejoiced at the news. He advised Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Pack your beasts of burden and make haste to return to the land of Canaan. Then, take your father and all his chattels and come to me. I will give you the best of everything in Egypt, and you will live off the fat of the land. You may take out of Egypt any wagons you might need to convey your wives and children. But bring your father here with all speed. Don't worry about taking all your household possessions, for the riches of Egypt will be at your disposal.’”
The sons of Israel did as they were bid. Joseph gave them wagons (according to the Pharaoh's instructions) and provisions for the journey. He also presented each of his brothers with new raiment, but to Benjamin he gave a number of very fancy robes and three hundred silver shekels. To his father he sent ten jackasses laden with sumptuous gifts from the land of Egypt and ten jennies bearing grain and bread and meat for the trip. He sent his brothers off on their journey, and as they departed he bid them, "Don't get lost on the way back!”
And so the brothers departed from Egypt and arrived at Canaan at the house of their father Jacob. They told him, "Joseph, your son, is alive and he is the governor of the country of Egypt!" When Jacob heard this, he was stunned and couldn’t believe them. But when they told him the whole story of what had happened and when he saw the wagons filled with goods sent by Joseph, Jacob’s heart leapt.
“I’m convinced now! My son Joseph lives. I must go to see him before I die," Jacob declared.
Israel made the journey to Egypt with all he possessed and stopped along the way at Beersheba, where he made sacrifices to the god of his father Isaac. In a dream Jehovah called to Israel, "Jacob! Jacob!" He answered, "Here I am."
Jehovah spoke to him, "I am the great god of your father. Don't be fearful of going to Egypt. I intend that your descendants will become a great nation there. I will be with you in Egypt and when the time comes to return, it will be with my guidance and protection. When death comes, Joseph will be at your side to close your eyes.”
When Jacob left Beersheba, his sons carried him, along with the women and children, in the wagons sent by the Pharaoh. All that he had acquired in Canaan, his chattels and livestock, he transported into Egypt, as well as his entire family, his children, grandchildren, and all their wives.
These are the names of the members of Israel's tribe that dwelled in Egypt:
Jacob
His sons:
Reuben, his eldest, and his sons: Hanoch, Phallu, Hezron, and Carmi
Simeon and his sons: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, who was the son of a Canaanite woman
Levi and his sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari
Judah and his sons: Er, Onan, Shelah, Pharez, and Zarah. (Judah's sons Er and Onan died in Canaan.) The sons of Pharez were Hezron and Hamul.
Issachar and his sons: Tola, Phuvah, Job, and Shimron
Zebulun and his sons: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel
The above were the sons of Leah, which were born to Jacob in Aram, along with a daughter Dinah. The descendants of Jacob by Leah were 33 in number.
Gad and his sons: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli
Asher and his sons: Jimnah, Ishuah, Isui, Beriah, and a daughter Serah. The sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel
The above were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah. The descendants of Jacob by Zilpah were 16 in number.
Joseph and Benjamin, the sons of Jacob's wife Rachel.
Sons born to Joseph in Egypt by Asenath the daughter of Potipherah, the priest from On: Manasseh and Ephraim.
The sons of Benjamin: Belah, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.
The above were the sons of Jacob by Rachel. Their descendants were 14 in number.
Dan and his son: Hushim
Naphtali and his sons: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem
The above were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel. The descendants of Jacob by Bilhah were 7 in number.
The number Jacob's descendants that entered Egypt (not including his son's wives) were 66 in number. The sons of Joseph born in Egypt were two and all the descendants of Jacob in Egypt were accounted to be 70.
Notes
1. Joseph has made good and, as is traditional with all peoples in all times, even our own, he shares his wealth with his family. It is the ultimate revenge upon the brothers who treated him so ill.
2. Jehovah is no longer appearing before the family of Abraham in the flesh, but appears to Jacob in a dream to tell it's OK that he go to Egypt, for eventually his descendants will be brought back to the Promised Land to claim the inheritance he has given them. One wonders, however, whether Jehovah actually communicated to Jacob via a dream, or if Jacob merely had a wish fulfillment dream about Jehovah that was interpreted as communion with the divine.
3. The immigration into Egypt of the tribe of Abraham reflects historical Semitic migration into Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period (1650-1550 BC). It is now believed that the so-called Hyksos, a loose confederation of Semitic peoples perhaps including the Hebrews, entered Egypt not as an invading army, but in waves of immigration that the weak or non-existent central government of Egypt was powerless to control. Eventually Egypt, or at least Lower Egypt, the northern part, fell under their domination. The 17th Egyptian Dynasty consisted of Hyksos Pharaohs, who would have invited in other Semitic tribes to settle in Egypt.
Showing posts with label Benjamin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Benjamin. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
The History of Joseph, Part Six
(Genesis 44:01 - 45:15)
Joseph ordered the steward of his household, "Fill their sacks to the brim and put the purchase money inside each of the sacks. In the sack of the youngest one I want you to slip in my silver drinking cup, as well as the money paid for the grain." And it was done.
When morning came, the sons of Israel mounted their donkeys and were sent on their way. After they had departed the city and had traveled some distance, Joseph told his steward, "Pursue the men and overtake them and when you do, say this to them, 'Why do you return evil for good? Why have you stolen my master's chalice that he uses for drinking and for divination. That was a wicked thing to do." The steward did overtake them and spoke the words to them he was commanded to say.
They answered him, "Why does your master say these things? Your servants would never commit such a vile deed. Look, the money we found inside our sacks we brought back -- all the way from the land of Canaan. Why on earth would we then steal your master's gold or silver? With whomever of us you find anything, let him be put to death, while the rest of us will consent to be your master's slaves."
"Let it be as you say," said the steward. "Whoever is found with the cup will become my master's slave. But the others will not be punished."
Quickly they all took down their sacks and each man opened his for inspection. The steward searched in all of them, the eldest first. In the last sack, that of the youngest, Benjamin, he discovered the silver chalice.
Tearing their clothes in despair, the brothers repacked their donkeys and traveled back to the city. Joseph was still at home when Judah and his brothers returned. They bowed and made obeisance before him.
“How did you think you could get away with this?” Joseph asked of them. "Didn't you know that I am a skilled diviner and clairvoyant?"
Judah said to him, "What can we say to you? How can we answer the charge? How can we clear ourselves? You have proved the guilt of your servant. We are your slaves, all of us, as well as the one with whom the cup was found."
"God forbid that I should do so," replied Joseph. "Only the one who stole the cup will be my slave. The rest of you are free to return to your father."
Judah drew near and boldly addressed the governor, "Pardon, sir, but may I have a private word with you. Please don't take offense against your servant, for you are as the Pharaoh. Master, the first time we were here, you asked us if we had a father or brother. We told you, 'Master, we have a father who's an old man and a young brother who was born when he was old. His full brother is dead so he is the only child of his mother; he is dearly loved by his father.' And you told your servants, 'Bring him here so I can take a look at him.' We suggested to my master, 'It would kill his father if his son left him.' And you told us, 'Unless your youngest brother comes with you, you will be allowed to see me no more.' When we returned to our father, we told him all that my master had said. Our father told us, 'Go back and buy us a little more grain.' And we told him, 'We can't go, unless our youngest brother accompanies us and we go together. Without him we dare not face the governor.' He replied to us, 'You know that my wife bore my only two children. One left me. You told me he was killed by a wild animal, and he was never seen again.' If you take away his brother and something happens to him, you will break his heart and drive the old man to his grave. You see, I can't return to your servant, my father, without the boy, for his life is so caught up with that of the boy, that when he sees he's not with us, we, your servants, will be responsible for breaking the old man's heart and driving him to his grave. I, your servant, gave my word to my father that I would bring him back and if I do not I will be forever shamed in the eyes of my father. Therefore, please, let me serve you instead, and let the boy go back home with his brothers. For how can I face my father without the boy with me? How can I see calamity overtake my father?"
Joseph could no longer control his emotions in the presence of those before him. He ordered, "Clear the room!" and when he was alone with his brothers, he revealed himself to them, weeping so loudly that his Egyptian servants and all in the Pharaoh's household could hear him.
"I am Joseph!" he announced to his brothers. "Is my father still alive?"
Thunderstruck at the revelation, the brothers could barely speak.
"Please, come near me," he told them. They did so and he spoke kindly to them, "I am indeed your brother Joseph whom you sold as a slave into Egypt. Don't be afraid or reproach yourself that you sold me here, for it is according to God's plan that I came here ahead you and am in a position to save your lives. Famine has been upon the land for two years and there are five more years remaining when there will be no ploughing and no harvesting. God sent me that I might preserve your lives and give you food to eat. So it was not by your doing that I came here, but by that of God, and it was He who made me like a father to the Pharaoh, the overseer of his household and the governor of Egypt."
"Now don't delay. Go back to my father and tell him that his son Joseph says, 'God has made me the master of all Egypt. Come down at once to see me. You may settle in the land of Goshen so that you can be near me. Bring your children, your grandchildren, all your flocks and herds, all that you possess. I will see to it that you are taken care of, for there are still five more years of want. Otherwise you, your household, and your livestock will perish in the famine.'"
"You have seen with your own eyes and so has your brother Benjamin that it is I who tells you this in our own native tongue. Tell my father of my success and good fortune and of all that you have witnessed in Egypt. And waste no time in bringing my father here!"
Joseph and Benjamin embraced each other and they both wept. He embraced and kissed his other brothers as well, after which they felt enough at ease to converse with him.
Notes
1. Instead of being honest and above board, Joseph resorts to trickery to bring his brother Benjamin back to Egypt. Apparently, he initially intended to be rid of other, half brothers, who, after all, had treated him ill. As long as he has the company of Benjamin, Joseph is happy to send them back to Canaan in ignorance. His ruse frames Benjamin and makes him seem a thief and an ingrate. It makes his concern for the young brother seem very selfish -- make Benjamin a slave and destroy his reputation as an honest man, just so he can be with him? In the end, Joseph reveals himself and there is a happy family reunion with everything forgiven, a classic happy ending. Joseph is exalted above the brothers who despised him and sold him into slavery, although the brothers are hardly punished for their act, which, in fact, makes it possible for them to survive the famine.
2. At this point Jehovah no longer seems an active presence and there no account of his personally communicating with or appearing before any of Abraham's tribe. He is remembered and worshiped as the manifest God, no longer a personal patron. Of course, in the account, all that happens, happens according to his will, as is expected of a legendary history interpreted in a religious context. The books of Homer, though hardly religious in nature, attribute much of what transpires to the machinations of the gods.
3. The silver chalice that is planted in Benjamin's pack was used by Joseph not only as a drinking vessel, but as a tool for divination. (Perhaps he used it for scrying, that is, staring into the water and while in a trance-like state, seeing visions upon the surface of the water.) Joseph has already shown his ability as a psychic and interpreter of dreams. He is a seer as well. He brags about this to his brothers, as if to threaten them with his powers as a wizard.
4. After Joseph reveals himself, it is odd that he asks his brothers whether his father is still alive. He had just been informed by them a short time before (hours?) that Jacob was alive and in good health.
5. Joseph seems to forgive his brothers, but this arguably not too difficult because it was their ill will that was responsible for his grand success. They sold him into slavery, but it turned out they had done him a great favor. Why shouldn’t he be magnanimous at this point?
Joseph ordered the steward of his household, "Fill their sacks to the brim and put the purchase money inside each of the sacks. In the sack of the youngest one I want you to slip in my silver drinking cup, as well as the money paid for the grain." And it was done.
When morning came, the sons of Israel mounted their donkeys and were sent on their way. After they had departed the city and had traveled some distance, Joseph told his steward, "Pursue the men and overtake them and when you do, say this to them, 'Why do you return evil for good? Why have you stolen my master's chalice that he uses for drinking and for divination. That was a wicked thing to do." The steward did overtake them and spoke the words to them he was commanded to say.
They answered him, "Why does your master say these things? Your servants would never commit such a vile deed. Look, the money we found inside our sacks we brought back -- all the way from the land of Canaan. Why on earth would we then steal your master's gold or silver? With whomever of us you find anything, let him be put to death, while the rest of us will consent to be your master's slaves."
"Let it be as you say," said the steward. "Whoever is found with the cup will become my master's slave. But the others will not be punished."
Quickly they all took down their sacks and each man opened his for inspection. The steward searched in all of them, the eldest first. In the last sack, that of the youngest, Benjamin, he discovered the silver chalice.
Tearing their clothes in despair, the brothers repacked their donkeys and traveled back to the city. Joseph was still at home when Judah and his brothers returned. They bowed and made obeisance before him.
“How did you think you could get away with this?” Joseph asked of them. "Didn't you know that I am a skilled diviner and clairvoyant?"
Judah said to him, "What can we say to you? How can we answer the charge? How can we clear ourselves? You have proved the guilt of your servant. We are your slaves, all of us, as well as the one with whom the cup was found."
"God forbid that I should do so," replied Joseph. "Only the one who stole the cup will be my slave. The rest of you are free to return to your father."
Judah drew near and boldly addressed the governor, "Pardon, sir, but may I have a private word with you. Please don't take offense against your servant, for you are as the Pharaoh. Master, the first time we were here, you asked us if we had a father or brother. We told you, 'Master, we have a father who's an old man and a young brother who was born when he was old. His full brother is dead so he is the only child of his mother; he is dearly loved by his father.' And you told your servants, 'Bring him here so I can take a look at him.' We suggested to my master, 'It would kill his father if his son left him.' And you told us, 'Unless your youngest brother comes with you, you will be allowed to see me no more.' When we returned to our father, we told him all that my master had said. Our father told us, 'Go back and buy us a little more grain.' And we told him, 'We can't go, unless our youngest brother accompanies us and we go together. Without him we dare not face the governor.' He replied to us, 'You know that my wife bore my only two children. One left me. You told me he was killed by a wild animal, and he was never seen again.' If you take away his brother and something happens to him, you will break his heart and drive the old man to his grave. You see, I can't return to your servant, my father, without the boy, for his life is so caught up with that of the boy, that when he sees he's not with us, we, your servants, will be responsible for breaking the old man's heart and driving him to his grave. I, your servant, gave my word to my father that I would bring him back and if I do not I will be forever shamed in the eyes of my father. Therefore, please, let me serve you instead, and let the boy go back home with his brothers. For how can I face my father without the boy with me? How can I see calamity overtake my father?"
Joseph could no longer control his emotions in the presence of those before him. He ordered, "Clear the room!" and when he was alone with his brothers, he revealed himself to them, weeping so loudly that his Egyptian servants and all in the Pharaoh's household could hear him.
"I am Joseph!" he announced to his brothers. "Is my father still alive?"
Thunderstruck at the revelation, the brothers could barely speak.
"Please, come near me," he told them. They did so and he spoke kindly to them, "I am indeed your brother Joseph whom you sold as a slave into Egypt. Don't be afraid or reproach yourself that you sold me here, for it is according to God's plan that I came here ahead you and am in a position to save your lives. Famine has been upon the land for two years and there are five more years remaining when there will be no ploughing and no harvesting. God sent me that I might preserve your lives and give you food to eat. So it was not by your doing that I came here, but by that of God, and it was He who made me like a father to the Pharaoh, the overseer of his household and the governor of Egypt."
"Now don't delay. Go back to my father and tell him that his son Joseph says, 'God has made me the master of all Egypt. Come down at once to see me. You may settle in the land of Goshen so that you can be near me. Bring your children, your grandchildren, all your flocks and herds, all that you possess. I will see to it that you are taken care of, for there are still five more years of want. Otherwise you, your household, and your livestock will perish in the famine.'"
"You have seen with your own eyes and so has your brother Benjamin that it is I who tells you this in our own native tongue. Tell my father of my success and good fortune and of all that you have witnessed in Egypt. And waste no time in bringing my father here!"
Joseph and Benjamin embraced each other and they both wept. He embraced and kissed his other brothers as well, after which they felt enough at ease to converse with him.
Notes
1. Instead of being honest and above board, Joseph resorts to trickery to bring his brother Benjamin back to Egypt. Apparently, he initially intended to be rid of other, half brothers, who, after all, had treated him ill. As long as he has the company of Benjamin, Joseph is happy to send them back to Canaan in ignorance. His ruse frames Benjamin and makes him seem a thief and an ingrate. It makes his concern for the young brother seem very selfish -- make Benjamin a slave and destroy his reputation as an honest man, just so he can be with him? In the end, Joseph reveals himself and there is a happy family reunion with everything forgiven, a classic happy ending. Joseph is exalted above the brothers who despised him and sold him into slavery, although the brothers are hardly punished for their act, which, in fact, makes it possible for them to survive the famine.
2. At this point Jehovah no longer seems an active presence and there no account of his personally communicating with or appearing before any of Abraham's tribe. He is remembered and worshiped as the manifest God, no longer a personal patron. Of course, in the account, all that happens, happens according to his will, as is expected of a legendary history interpreted in a religious context. The books of Homer, though hardly religious in nature, attribute much of what transpires to the machinations of the gods.
3. The silver chalice that is planted in Benjamin's pack was used by Joseph not only as a drinking vessel, but as a tool for divination. (Perhaps he used it for scrying, that is, staring into the water and while in a trance-like state, seeing visions upon the surface of the water.) Joseph has already shown his ability as a psychic and interpreter of dreams. He is a seer as well. He brags about this to his brothers, as if to threaten them with his powers as a wizard.
4. After Joseph reveals himself, it is odd that he asks his brothers whether his father is still alive. He had just been informed by them a short time before (hours?) that Jacob was alive and in good health.
5. Joseph seems to forgive his brothers, but this arguably not too difficult because it was their ill will that was responsible for his grand success. They sold him into slavery, but it turned out they had done him a great favor. Why shouldn’t he be magnanimous at this point?
The History of Joseph, Part Five
(Genesis 43:01 - 43:34)
The famine worsened and ravaged the land of Canaan. When the food they had brought from Egypt was consumed, Jacob told his sons, "Go back and buy us a little more grain."
Judah spoke to him, "The governor of Egypt vowed, 'You will not be granted another audience with me, unless you bring your youngest brother with you.' If you'll let us take Benjamin with us, then we can go down there together and buy what we need to survive. But if you don't agree, we won't go, because, as I said before, he warned us, 'You will not be permitted to see me again, unless you bring your youngest brother with you.'"
Israel replied, "Why did you see fit to tell him about your youngest brother and give me such grief? "
They answered, "He specifically inquired about our family. 'Is your father still alive? Do you have any other brothers?' We simply answered what he asked us. How could we know he would demand, 'You must bring your youngest brother here'?"
Judah said to his father Israel, "Give me custody of the boy. We will make the trip so that our families will be able to survive and not starve to death. I'll assume responsibility for Benjamin's safety and if I don’t bring him safely back to you, I will be forever to blame. ... If not for this delay, we could have been down there and back by this time."
Israel assented, “If it must be, have it your way! But carry with you as gifts for the governor some of the choicest products of our land, balm and honey, storax, myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds. And take double the money, returning the money found inside your sacks, in case it being there was an error. Take Benjamin with you, be off, and return to the governor. May the all-powerful God help you find favor with this man, that he may release your brother Simeon whom he holds as a hostage and send back Benjamin as well. If I must be separated from my children, so be it.”
And the sons of Israel took the double money, the gifts, and Benjamin and journeyed again to Egypt, where they were presented to Joseph. When Joseph saw them and Benjamin with them, he commanded the steward of his house, "Welcome them into the house and make them feel at home. Butcher some livestock and prepare a feast, for these men will dine with me at noon."
The steward did what he was ordered and escorted the men into the house, but the brothers were very apprehensive and said to one other, "Because of the money we took back in our sacks when we returned from our first visit, he is going to make a false accusation against us. He will arrest us, confiscate our donkeys, and make us slaves." Therefore, at the threshold of the house, they took aside the steward and appealed to him, "Please, sir, listen to us. Once before we came here to buy food. We paid for the food we bought, but when we opened our grain sacks at a halting place on the trail, we found our money inside. We've brought that money back, as well as additional silver of an equal weight to buy more of what we need. --- We have no idea who put the money in our sacks."
The steward replied, “Set your mind at ease. Have no fear. It is your god, the god the serves your father who must have left the treasure you found in your sacks. The money you paid me has been accounted for.” And he brought out Simeon to them. Ushering them into the house, he gave them water to wash their feet and feed for their donkeys.
Hearing that they were to dine there at noon, they brought out the presents they had brought for the governor. When Joseph arrived, they bowed before him and proffered the gifts. Joseph responded graciously and inquired after their health. "Is your father well -- the old man you spoke of? Is he still alive?"
"Yes, sir, he is alive and in good health," they answered, bowing again and making obeisance.
Joseph then noticed the presence of Benjamin, his full brother, the only other son of his mother. "Is this the younger brother you told me about?" He spoke to him, "May God bless you, my son." Joseph, though, was so overcome by brotherly affection that he had to excuse himself and retire quickly to a private room where he could succumb to tears. After washing his face, he reappeared and succeeded in controlling his emotions.
"Let dinner be served!" he declared, and the meal was served. However, Joseph and his Egyptian guests sat separately and ate apart from the brothers (for the Egyptians deem it improper to take a meal in the company of Hebrews and indeed, regard it as an abomination to do so.) To their amazement, the brothers were seated in order of their age and seniority. The dishes from Joseph’s table were sent in to them, but Benjamin was given servings that were far larger than those given his older brothers. They celebrated with Joseph, drank their fill, and made merry.
Notes
1. It is interesting that Judah seems to be assuming a leadership position among the brothers. It is he who offers to take charge of young Benjamin on the trip to Egypt. Jacob (Israel) accepts his offer when he had earlier refused a similar one from Reuben. The role of Judah is probably expanded in the narrative because of his later importance. Also it should be noted that his elder brothers had more or less discredited themselves. Reuben was an adulterer, and Simeon and Levi, mass murderers.
2. The brothers are suspicious of Joseph's generosity and must wonder at the cause of it and of his unusual curiosity in their family affairs. It is amazing that they fail to recognize Joseph. Even though two decades had passed, he would have been clean shaven and could not have looked so different from when he did as a youth. Yet, we find this non-recognition a familiar theme in many stories, from the Bible to Homer to Shakespeare.
3. When Joseph sees his brother Benjamin, it is likely that this is first time he had ever seen him. It is not entirely clear from the text, but the chronology suggests that Benjamin was born after Joseph was sold into slavery and, therefore, was at least seventeen years younger. If this is the case, Benjamin could be, at this point, as old as twenty, but probably some years younger, since he is always referred to as “boy”. However, this scenario does not explain why Joseph never asks about his mother Rachel, whose death he could not be aware of.
4. The brothers are not allowed to eat with Joseph, since, according to the narrative, the Egyptians maintained a segregation between themselves and foreigners. This is a statement by Joseph that he no longer considers himself a Hebrew, but an Egyptian, even if by adoption.
The famine worsened and ravaged the land of Canaan. When the food they had brought from Egypt was consumed, Jacob told his sons, "Go back and buy us a little more grain."
Judah spoke to him, "The governor of Egypt vowed, 'You will not be granted another audience with me, unless you bring your youngest brother with you.' If you'll let us take Benjamin with us, then we can go down there together and buy what we need to survive. But if you don't agree, we won't go, because, as I said before, he warned us, 'You will not be permitted to see me again, unless you bring your youngest brother with you.'"
Israel replied, "Why did you see fit to tell him about your youngest brother and give me such grief? "
They answered, "He specifically inquired about our family. 'Is your father still alive? Do you have any other brothers?' We simply answered what he asked us. How could we know he would demand, 'You must bring your youngest brother here'?"
Judah said to his father Israel, "Give me custody of the boy. We will make the trip so that our families will be able to survive and not starve to death. I'll assume responsibility for Benjamin's safety and if I don’t bring him safely back to you, I will be forever to blame. ... If not for this delay, we could have been down there and back by this time."
Israel assented, “If it must be, have it your way! But carry with you as gifts for the governor some of the choicest products of our land, balm and honey, storax, myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds. And take double the money, returning the money found inside your sacks, in case it being there was an error. Take Benjamin with you, be off, and return to the governor. May the all-powerful God help you find favor with this man, that he may release your brother Simeon whom he holds as a hostage and send back Benjamin as well. If I must be separated from my children, so be it.”
And the sons of Israel took the double money, the gifts, and Benjamin and journeyed again to Egypt, where they were presented to Joseph. When Joseph saw them and Benjamin with them, he commanded the steward of his house, "Welcome them into the house and make them feel at home. Butcher some livestock and prepare a feast, for these men will dine with me at noon."
The steward did what he was ordered and escorted the men into the house, but the brothers were very apprehensive and said to one other, "Because of the money we took back in our sacks when we returned from our first visit, he is going to make a false accusation against us. He will arrest us, confiscate our donkeys, and make us slaves." Therefore, at the threshold of the house, they took aside the steward and appealed to him, "Please, sir, listen to us. Once before we came here to buy food. We paid for the food we bought, but when we opened our grain sacks at a halting place on the trail, we found our money inside. We've brought that money back, as well as additional silver of an equal weight to buy more of what we need. --- We have no idea who put the money in our sacks."
The steward replied, “Set your mind at ease. Have no fear. It is your god, the god the serves your father who must have left the treasure you found in your sacks. The money you paid me has been accounted for.” And he brought out Simeon to them. Ushering them into the house, he gave them water to wash their feet and feed for their donkeys.
Hearing that they were to dine there at noon, they brought out the presents they had brought for the governor. When Joseph arrived, they bowed before him and proffered the gifts. Joseph responded graciously and inquired after their health. "Is your father well -- the old man you spoke of? Is he still alive?"
"Yes, sir, he is alive and in good health," they answered, bowing again and making obeisance.
Joseph then noticed the presence of Benjamin, his full brother, the only other son of his mother. "Is this the younger brother you told me about?" He spoke to him, "May God bless you, my son." Joseph, though, was so overcome by brotherly affection that he had to excuse himself and retire quickly to a private room where he could succumb to tears. After washing his face, he reappeared and succeeded in controlling his emotions.
"Let dinner be served!" he declared, and the meal was served. However, Joseph and his Egyptian guests sat separately and ate apart from the brothers (for the Egyptians deem it improper to take a meal in the company of Hebrews and indeed, regard it as an abomination to do so.) To their amazement, the brothers were seated in order of their age and seniority. The dishes from Joseph’s table were sent in to them, but Benjamin was given servings that were far larger than those given his older brothers. They celebrated with Joseph, drank their fill, and made merry.
Notes
1. It is interesting that Judah seems to be assuming a leadership position among the brothers. It is he who offers to take charge of young Benjamin on the trip to Egypt. Jacob (Israel) accepts his offer when he had earlier refused a similar one from Reuben. The role of Judah is probably expanded in the narrative because of his later importance. Also it should be noted that his elder brothers had more or less discredited themselves. Reuben was an adulterer, and Simeon and Levi, mass murderers.
2. The brothers are suspicious of Joseph's generosity and must wonder at the cause of it and of his unusual curiosity in their family affairs. It is amazing that they fail to recognize Joseph. Even though two decades had passed, he would have been clean shaven and could not have looked so different from when he did as a youth. Yet, we find this non-recognition a familiar theme in many stories, from the Bible to Homer to Shakespeare.
3. When Joseph sees his brother Benjamin, it is likely that this is first time he had ever seen him. It is not entirely clear from the text, but the chronology suggests that Benjamin was born after Joseph was sold into slavery and, therefore, was at least seventeen years younger. If this is the case, Benjamin could be, at this point, as old as twenty, but probably some years younger, since he is always referred to as “boy”. However, this scenario does not explain why Joseph never asks about his mother Rachel, whose death he could not be aware of.
4. The brothers are not allowed to eat with Joseph, since, according to the narrative, the Egyptians maintained a segregation between themselves and foreigners. This is a statement by Joseph that he no longer considers himself a Hebrew, but an Egyptian, even if by adoption.
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