July 2, 2024

Reunions are always emotional. For Joseph upon meeting his brothers though, there were most likely a lot of different and competing emotions. For starters, it was probably shocking to see them in his own house again, especially after leaving Simeon in prison for months. Did he think they would ever return? How would he treat […]

The brothers have arrived in Egypt, money in hand, ready to redeem their brother Simeon from prison. Their first stop? An invite from Joseph to dine at his house for lunch. Normally, such an invitation from a member of the royal administration would be worth its weight in gold. This is an opportunity to advance

I’ve often wondered what took Jacob so long to go back to Egypt. At the end of Genesis 42, Simeon is imprisoned by Joseph while the rest of the brothers are sent home to retrieve their youngest brother, Benjamin. Joseph accuses them all of being spies, and the only way to verify their story is

Of all the brothers that could have suggested going to Egypt to get Joseph, nobody would’ve suspected Judah. After all, Reuben had already stuck up for Joseph twice; why is he not the one pushing the return trip to Egypt? At first glance, Judah seems the most likely candidate – to our eyes, at least.

After the brothers return from their first trip to Egypt, they break the news to Jacob about their accusation as spies and Simeon’s imprisonment. The only way they can get Simeon back, the brothers tell Jacob, is if they take Benjamin with them on their second trip. The response from Jacob is swift and sorrowful: