“Answers for a study in the book of Genesis” is a weekly post in addition to the regular “apologetics” posts on the weekend where the original questions can be found at the bottom of the study, and then answers appear here mid-week. This gives you time to do your own research, and then check your answers. Keep in mind these will be basic answers with a little depth, but you can go much deeper for discussion if you’d like.

2023 Summer – A Case for the Old Testament, Joseph to Moses

Joseph in Egypt: Genesis chapters 39-42

BASIC ANSWERS

Always remember to pray before you study and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and lead you into the truth found in God’s Word – pray for protection from the evil one who will try to discourage, distract and deceive us when we commit to growing closer to the LORD.

Note: Questions are taken directly from the chapters, and answers should be found and cited from the Scripture text in order to be Biblically accurate (unless asked to summarize in your own words). Study Bibles, commentaries and your own thoughts can be used for Discussion or Going Deeper questions. If you use these kinds of sources share them with your group.

For the answers below, Scripture passages and quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

1.  Review of Class Topic: Before getting into the Bible study questions, discuss today’s class presentation by summarizing what you learned, commenting or asking any questions.

Answers will vary…

Read Genesis Chapter 39 through Chapter 42, then answer the following questions:

2.  (Genesis 39:1-20) This chapter begins the story of the life of Joseph who is one of the greatest examples of a person in the Old Testament that foreshadows Jesus. How did Joseph end up in Potiphar’s house, and how did God prosper all he did? What happened between Joseph and Potiphar’s wife, and how did Potiphar respond?

Discuss:  How hard would this situation have been for Joseph, and how might most people respond?

39 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard, bought him ^[a]from the Ishmaelites, who had taken him down there. ² The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a ^[b]successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. ³ Now his master saw that the Lord was with him and how the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hand. ⁴ So Joseph found favor in his sight and ^[c]became his personal servant; and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he owned he put in his ^[d]charge. ⁵ It came about that from the time he made him overseer in his house and over all that he owned, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house on account of Joseph; thus the Lord’s blessing was upon all that he owned, in the house and in the field. ⁶ So he left everything he owned in Joseph’s ^[e]charge; and with him there he did not ^[f]concern himself with anything except the ^[g]food which he ^[h]ate.  Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. ⁷ It came about after these events that his master’s wife ^[i]looked with desire at Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.” ⁸ But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, with me here, my master ^[j]does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put all that he owns in my ^[k]charge. ^9 [l]There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?” ¹⁰ As she spoke to Joseph day after day, he did not listen to her to lie beside her or be with her. ¹¹ Now it happened ^[m]one day that he went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the household was there inside. ¹² She caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me!” And he left his garment in her hand and fled, and went outside. ^13 [n]When she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled outside, ¹⁴ she called to the men of her household and said to them, “See, he has brought in a ^[o]Hebrew to us to make sport of us; he came in to me to lie with me, and I ^[p]screamed. ¹⁵ When he heard that I raised my voice and ^[q]screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled and went outside.” ¹⁶ So she ^[r]left his garment beside her until his master came home. ¹⁷ Then she spoke to him ^[s]with these words, “^[t]The Hebrew slave, whom you brought to us, came in to me to make sport of me; ¹⁸ and as I raised my voice and ^[u]screamed, he left his garment beside me and fled outside.” ¹⁹ Now when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, “^[v]This is what your slave did to me,” his anger burned. 20 So Joseph’s master took him and put him into the jail, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined; and he was there in the jail.

How Joseph ended up in Potiphar’s house and how God prospered him

• Potiphar, the Captain of the bodyguard (of Pharaoh’s) bought him from the Ishmaelites, who had taken him down to Egypt.
• Verse two tells us that “the LORD was with Joseph, so he became a successful man.”
• When Potiphar saw how Joseph prospered in all he did, he was made overseer of the house, and his personal servant.
• God made sure that everything Joseph did, and everything that Potiphar owned, was blessed and successful: “Potiphar did not have to worry about anything except the food he ate.”
• It appears that Joseph trusted God foremost, and that he worked hard at any situation he was given as it was for the LORD.

Joseph, Potiphar’s wife and Potiphar

• Potiphar’s wife tried many times to seduce Joseph, but was not successful because Scripture says Joseph was a “righteous man” and respected and honored his master, and most importantly God.
• Verse nine tells us what Joseph said to her: “There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?” Notice his concern is to not ”sin against God.”
• When Potiphar heard his wife (falsely) accused Joseph of attempted rape, the text says “his anger burned.” It is important to note that Potiphar could have easily killed Joseph without any trial because he was his property, but instead he had him put in jail.
• Some scholars say that Potiphar, knowing his wife well, knew she was lying and this could have been why “his anger burned,” and that he would now have to lose his best slave. Others have also said that because of Potiphar’s position as the captain of the bodyguard, it was his jail he oversaw as part of his job, and this is where Joseph would have been placed.

Discuss: Joseph’s attitude and ours

• Joseph’s attitude is amazing because he stays positive in every situation God places him in. Joseph makes the best out of each condition, no matter how dire, knowing that it was God that he served and honored, and not any man. Joseph will say later on that even though some meant harm, God uses it for good.
• “And we know that God causes allthings to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”   Romans 8:28 (NASB)
• We should keep Joseph’s perspective that everything coming into our lives, both good and bad, is part of God’s overarching plan for ultimate good. And, most importantly, that this life is practice for the eternal one!
• Praise God and give Him the glory in all things!

3.  (Genesis 39:21-40:23) Joseph ends up unfairly imprisoned, after the situation with Potiphar and his wife, for the next two years. How did God prosper Joseph in prison? Who were the two individuals that Joseph helped by interpreting their dreams, and what was the outcome for them?

Discuss: Joseph has now been through three traumatic experiences that seem more than unfair, and that might cause most people to question God. How do you think you would handle such unfair circumstances, and what can we learn from Joseph’s attitude through all that has happened to him?

21 But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. 22 The chief jailer committed to Joseph’s [w]charge all the prisoners who were in the jail; so that whatever was done there, he was [x]responsible for it. 23 The chief jailer did not supervise anything under [y]Joseph’s charge because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made to prosper. 40 Then it came about after these things, the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt. ² Pharaoh was furious with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker. ³ So he put them in confinement in the house of the captain of the bodyguard, in the jail, the same place where Joseph was imprisoned. ⁴ The captain of the bodyguard put Joseph in charge of them, and he ^[a]took care of them; and they were in confinement for ^[b]some time. ⁵ Then the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt, who were confined in jail, both had a dream the same night, each man with his own dream and each dream with its own interpretation. ^6 [c]When Joseph came to them in the morning and observed them, ^[d]behold, they were dejected. ⁷ He asked Pharaoh’s officials who were with him in confinement in his master’s house, “^[e]Why are your faces so sad today?” ⁸ Then they said to him, “We have ^[f]had a dream and there is no one to interpret it.” Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell it to me, please.” ⁹ So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, “In my dream, ^[g]behold, there was a vine in front of me; ¹⁰ and on the vine were three branches. And as it was budding, its blossoms came out, and its clusters produced ripe grapes. ¹¹ Now Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; so I took the grapes and squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I put the cup into Pharaoh’s ^[h]hand.” ¹² Then Joseph said to him, “This is the interpretation of it: the three branches are three days; ¹³ within three more days Pharaoh will ^[i]lift up your head and restore you to your ^[j]office; and you will put Pharaoh’s cup into his hand according to your former custom when you were his cupbearer. ¹⁴ Only ^[k]keep me in mind when it goes well with you, and please do me a kindness ^[l]by mentioning me to Pharaoh and get me out of this house. ¹⁵ For I was in fact kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing that they should have put me into the ^[m]dungeon.” ¹⁶ When the chief baker saw that he had interpreted favorably, he said to Joseph, “I also saw in my dream, and behold, there were three baskets of white bread on my head; ¹⁷ and in the top basket there were some of all ^[n]sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, and the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.” ¹⁸ Then Joseph answered and said, “This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days; ¹⁹ within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head from you and will hang you on a tree, and the birds will eat your flesh off you.” ²⁰ Thus it came about on the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants; and he lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. ²¹ He restored the chief cupbearer to his ^[o]office, and he put the cup into Pharaoh’s ^[p]hand; ²² but he hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had interpreted to them. ²³ Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

How God prospers Joseph

• Joseph again finds himself in a hopeless situation, but God is always by Joseph’s side, and in this situation, like before, God gave him favor in the sight of his “master” the chief jailer.
• “The chief jailer committed all the prisoners who were in the jail to Joseph; so that whatever was done there, he was responsible for it… and whatever he did the LORD made to prosper.”
• Note: In verse four it says “the captain of the bodyguard put Joseph in charge of them, and he took care of them; and they were in confinement for some time” – The “captain of the bodyguard” (we are previously told) is Potiphar!

Joseph interprets his cellmates’ dreams

• The cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt (the Pharaoh) were thrown into jail (most likely because something happened with the food given to Pharaoh since it was their jobs to protect the Pharaoh by making sure there was no poison or bad food/drink).
• When these two guys had dreams that caused them to be dejected, Joseph asked them what was wrong, and they told him about the dreams. Joseph said to them: “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell it to me please.” Joseph is then able to give the interpretation, and they come true – The baker was killed and the cupbearer was restored, both as Joseph interpreted, but unfortunately for Joseph, he was again forgotten (for at least the next 2 years).
• Note: Joseph’s confidence is in God, and that God would interpret the dreams through him, and God does. He does not take glory for himself, but always gives the glory to God.

Discussion (answers may vary)

• God’s timing is not our timing, and we must trust, as Joseph did, that God’s will is best, and sometimes that includes waiting.
• The waiting (on God) may include hardship, trauma and even physical pain.
• Joseph experiences heartache and continuing letdowns, waiting years before things get better, and they do, including finally see his father and brothers again, and ultimately rescuing them from certain fate.

4.  (Genesis 41:1-57) In this chapter, the cupbearer, after two years, finally remembers what Joseph did for him, and recommends him to the Pharaoh. What was the meaning of the Pharaoh’s dreams, and how did Joseph interpret them? What did the Pharaoh do for Joseph, and what happened over the next few years? Who became Joseph’s wife, and what were the names of his two sons?

Going Deeper: At this time the ruling people of Egypt, and the common people, were of different ethnicities and backgrounds. What do you know about that, and how might this have affected the Pharaoh’s relationship to Joseph?

41 Now it happened at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream, and behold, he was standing by the Nile. 2 And lo, from the Nile there came up seven cows, sleek and [a]fat; and they grazed in the marsh grass. 3 Then behold, seven other cows came up after them from the Nile, ugly and [b]gaunt, and they stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile. 4 The ugly and [c]gaunt cows ate up the seven sleek and fat cows. Then Pharaoh awoke. 5 He fell asleep and dreamed a second time; and behold, seven ears of grain came up on a single stalk, plump and good. 6 Then behold, seven ears, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them. 7 The thin ears swallowed up the seven plump and full ears. Then Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream. 8 Now in the morning his spirit was troubled, so he sent and called for all the [d]magicians of Egypt, and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his [e]dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh. 9 Then the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, “I would make mention today of my own [f]offenses. 10 Pharaoh was furious with his servants, and he put me in confinement in the house of the captain of the bodyguard, both me and the chief baker. 11 We had a dream [g]on the same night, [h]he and I; each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream. 12 Now a Hebrew youth was with us there, a servant of the captain of the bodyguard, and we related them to him, and he interpreted our dreams for us. To each one he interpreted according to his own dream. 13 And just as he interpreted for us, so it happened; he restored me in my [i]office, but he hanged him.” Joseph Interprets 14 Then Pharaoh sent and called for Joseph, and they hurriedly brought him out of the dungeon; and when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came to Pharaoh. 15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, but no one can interpret it; and I have heard [j]it said about you, that [k]when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” 16 Joseph then answered Pharaoh, saying, “[l]It is not in me; God will [m]give Pharaoh a favorable answer.” 17 So Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, “In my dream, behold, I was standing on the bank of the Nile; 18 and behold, seven cows, [n]fat and sleek came up out of the Nile, and they grazed in the marsh grass. 19 Lo, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and [o]gaunt, such as I had never seen for [p]ugliness in all the land of Egypt; 20 and the lean and [q]ugly cows ate up the first seven fat cows. 21 Yet when they had [r]devoured them, it could not be [s]detected that they had [t]devoured them, [u]for they were just as ugly as [v]before. Then I awoke. 22 I saw also in my dream, and behold, seven ears, full and good, came up on a single stalk; 23 and lo, seven ears, withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them; 24 and the thin ears swallowed the seven good ears. Then I told it to the [w]magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.” 25 Now Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Pharaoh’s [x]dreams are one and the same; God has told to Pharaoh what He is about to do. 26 The seven good cows are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years; the [y]dreams are one and the same. 27 The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven thin ears scorched by the east wind will be seven years of famine. 28 [z]It is as I have spoken to Pharaoh: God has shown to Pharaoh what He is about to do. 29 Behold, seven years of great abundance are coming in all the land of Egypt; 30 and after them seven years of famine will [aa]come, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine will [ab]ravage the land. 31 So the abundance will be unknown in the land because of that subsequent famine; for it will be very severe. 32 Now as for the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh twice, it means that the matter is determined by God, and God will quickly bring it about. 33 Now let Pharaoh look for a man discerning and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh take action to appoint overseers [ac]in charge of the land, and let him exact a fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven years of abundance. 35 Then let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming, and store up the grain for food in the cities under Pharaoh’s authority, and let them guard it. 36 Let the food become as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which will occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land will not perish during the famine.” 37 Now the [ad]proposal seemed good [ae]to Pharaoh and [af]to all his servants. Joseph Is Made a Ruler of Egypt 38 Then Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is a divine spirit?” 39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you are. 40 You shall be over my house, and according to your [ag]command all my people shall [ah]do homage; only in the throne I will be greater than you.” 41 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put the gold necklace around his neck. 43 He had him ride in [ai]his second chariot; and they proclaimed before him, “[aj]Bow the knee!” And he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Though I am Pharaoh, yet without [ak]your permission no one shall raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” 45 Then Pharaoh named Joseph [al]Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of [am]On, as his wife. And Joseph went forth over the land of Egypt. 46 Now Joseph was thirty years old when he [an]stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt. 47 During the seven years of plenty the land brought forth [ao]abundantly. 48 So he gathered all the food of these seven years which occurred in the land of Egypt and placed the food in the cities; he placed in every city the food from its own surrounding fields. 49 Thus Joseph stored up grain [ap]in great abundance like the sand of the sea, until he stopped [aq]measuring it, for it was [ar]beyond measure. The Sons of Joseph 50 Now before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of [as]On, bore to him. 51 Joseph named the firstborn [at]Manasseh, “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” 52 He named the second [au]Ephraim, “For,” he said, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.” 53 When the seven years of plenty which had been in the land of Egypt came to an end, 54 and the seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said, then there was famine in all the lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55 So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread; and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, you shall do.” 56 When the famine was spread over all the face of the earth, then Joseph opened all [av]the storehouses, and sold to the Egyptians; and the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. 57 The people of all the earth came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the earth.

The meaning and interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams

• The two dreams, with different representations, were one in the same. That there were two dreams was confirmation, in a sense witness, that it would come true – and it did!
• Note: Archeology and some new scientific evidence helps to support the case of a historical Joseph and this period of severe famine. Studies in ‘ice cores’ found in Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania – the mountain which supplies the Nile with its water – have revealed that a drought did take place around 3600 years ago – and this is around the time the Bible sets Joseph’s story.
• 41:25-32 (NASB) tells us “God has shown to Pharaoh what He is about to do. Behold, seven years of great abundance are coming in all the land of Egypt; and after them seven years of famine will come, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine will ravage the land. So the abundance will be unknown in the land because of that subsequent famine; for it will be very severe. Now as for the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh twice, it means that the matter is determined by God, and God will quickly bring it about.”

What Pharaoh did for Joseph

• Because of Joseph’s wisdom, and recommendations, Pharaoh made Joseph second in command over the land, and gave him an Egyptian name = Zaphnath-Paaneah (Biblical Hebrew: צָפְנַת פַּעְנֵחַ‎ Ṣāfnaṯ Paʿnēaḫ, LXX: Ψονθομφανήχ Psonthomphanḗch).
• During the next few years Joseph wisely stored up the abundance of grain (v. 49) “like the sand of the sea, until he stopped measuring it for it was beyond measure.” So Joseph helped prepare the land for the severe famine to come and eventually (v. 57) “all the people of the earth came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph.”
• NOTE: Joseph was 30 years old when he became governor of Egypt (v. 46), this is an interesting foreshadow of Jesus.

Joseph’s wife and sons

• The Pharaoh gave Joseph an Egyptian wife named Asenath, the daughter of an Egyptian priest. His two sons were Manasseh (“God made me forget my troubles”) and Ephraim (“God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction”).
• These two sons will play important roles as tribal leaders in the future of the Nation of Israel.
• Note: Joseph always gave the honor, glory and praise to God as seen in the naming of his sons.

Going Deeper

• Background: As we learned in Genesis 9-11, The region today known as Africa (where Egypt is located) was settled by the descendants of Ham (Hamites), while the eastern lands were settled by the line of Shem (Semites), and descendants of Japheth settled to the north, or today’s European region.
• Using the Biblical timeline (and not the secular one) the ruling party at the time of Joseph would have been of “Semite” origin, and they were of the Hyksos Dynasty (tribal group). These people had conquered Egypt, and the ruling “Hamite” dynasty, and controlled the government during the 16th and 17th Dynasties of Egypt.
• This Pharaoh would have been a Hyksos and would have been more sensitive to Joseph’s ethnicity as a fellow “Semite” considering him to be an added ally (as well as his family later on).
• Most of the common people of Egypt would have been “Hamites” (sons of Ham) from the previous ruling Egyptian party. Egypt, now under Hyksos rulership would have revolt as a constant concern.
• We will see later on, an overthrow by “Hamites” will occur when there is a new Pharaoh that “did not know Joseph” and eventually enforced slavery upon the people of Israel.

5.  (Genesis 42:1-38) In this chapter, Pharaoh’s dreams have come true and all the land was in a severe famine, including Canaan. What happened when Jacob sent the brothers down to Egypt (summarize the story)? Why did Jacob not allow Benjamin to go with them, and how do you think this decision would have affected the other brothers?

Going Deeper: Why do you think Joseph kept Simeon in jail and not one of the other brothers?

42 Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, “Why are you staring at one another?” 2 He said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down there and buy some for us [a]from that place, so that we may live and not die.” 3 Then ten brothers of Joseph went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “I am afraid that harm may befall him.” 5 So the sons of Israel came to buy grain among those who were coming, for the famine was in the land of Canaan also. 6 Now Joseph was the ruler over the land; he was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. 7 When Joseph saw his brothers he recognized them, but he disguised himself to them and spoke to them harshly. And he said to them, “Where have you come from?” And they said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.” 8 But Joseph had recognized his brothers, although they did not recognize him. 9 Joseph remembered the dreams which he [b]had about them, and said to them, “You are spies; you have come to look at the [c]undefended parts of our land.” 10 Then they said to him, “No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food. 11 We are all sons of one man; we are honest men, your servants are not spies.” 12 Yet he said to them, “No, but you have come to look at the [d]undefended parts of our land!” 13 But they said, “Your servants are twelve brothers in all, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is with our father today, and one is no longer alive.” 14 Joseph said to them, “It is as I said [e]to you, you are spies; 15 by this you will be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here! 16 Send one of you that he may get your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you. But if not, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies.” 17 So he put them all together in prison for three days. 18 Now Joseph said to them on the third day, “Do this and live, for I fear God: 19 if you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined in [f]your prison; but as for the rest of you, go, carry grain for the famine of your households, 20 and bring your youngest brother to me, so your words may be verified, and you will not die.” And they did so. 21 Then they said to one another, “Truly we are guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen; therefore this distress has come upon us.” 22 Reuben answered them, saying, “Did I not tell [g]you, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? [h]Now comes the reckoning for his blood.” 23 They did not know, however, that Joseph understood, for there was an interpreter between them. 24 He turned away from them and wept. But when he returned to them and spoke to them, he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes. 25 Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain and to restore every man’s money in his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. And thus it was done for them. 26 So they loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed from there. 27 As one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place, he saw his money; and behold, it was in the mouth of his sack. 28 Then he said to his brothers, “My money has been returned, and behold, it is even in my sack.” And their hearts [i]sank, and they turned [j]trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that God has done to us?”  29 When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying, 30 “The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly with us, and took us for spies of the country. 31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies. 32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no longer alive, and the youngest is with our father today in the land of Canaan.’ 33 The man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘By this I will know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me and take grain for the famine of your households, and go. 34 But bring your youngest brother to me that I may know that you are not spies, but [k]honest men. I will give your brother to you, and you may trade in the land.’” 35 Now it came about as they were emptying their sacks, that behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack; and when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were dismayed. 36 Their father Jacob said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and you would take Benjamin; all these things are against me.” 37 Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, “You may put my two sons to death if I do not bring him back to you; put him in my [l]care, and I will return him to you.” 38 But [m]Jacob said, “My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If harm should befall him on the journey [n]you are taking, then you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.

Jacob sends the brothers to Egypt

• When the famine became severe, Jacob sent his 10 sons down to Egypt to buy grain (but not Benjamin).
• Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him (Joseph may have disguised himself and he would have been older, shaved and made to look Egyptian, and he also spoke Egyptian).
• The brothers were bowing before him (just as Joseph’s dreams, when he was younger, had foretold).
• Joseph became harsh (to test them) and eventually found out that his brother Benjamin, and his father were still alive back home.
• Joseph put all of them in prison for three days, then let them go home with an oath to return with their younger brother (while keeping Simeon).
• The brothers kept recounting to themselves that they were being punished for what they had done years before to Joseph (not knowing this was him and that he could understand them), and they were also in fear now because their money had mysteriously reappeared in their sacks.
• Upon their return home, Jacob refused to send Benjamin and rebuked them for what they had done saying he was bereaved of Joseph, now Simeon, and he would not be bereaved of Benjamin too.
• Note: It appears that some time went buy until Jacob breaks down and allows them to return to Egypt (mainly because the text tells us they had run out of food again).

Benjamin

• Benjamin was the only son left (so he thought) of his beloved wife Rachel and Jacob overprotected him.
• The other brothers seemed surprisingly understanding at this time, knowing how much their father had grieved over Joseph, they sought to protect Benjamin (yet favoritism still has consequences as seen in the overall family relationships).
• Note: Reuben is still trying to earn his father’s respect by offering up his two sons (to be killed) if something happened to Benjamin. This was not a wise thing to do, and Jacob recognized that.

Why Simeon?

• If we go back to the time when Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, it would have been Simeon who was in charge at the time because he was second oldest. Reuben, the oldest, was not there (the text does not tell us where Reuben was, only that he was upset when he returned because Joseph was gone).
• Simeon had also been responsible for many deaths and destruction in the town of Shechem, along with Levi, so it is possible Joseph was keeping the worst of the bunch in jail for what he did!

Please join us each week as we continue our case for the Old Testament, and a study in the book of Genesis!

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You will not find this material in the public school curriculum even though it is based on solid evidence and grounded in research. It is ironic that following the evidence to where it leads stops at the door of our public schools as they will not let a “Divine footprint” in!  Join us as we examine evidence for Christianity and learn how to become a thoughtful defender and ambassador of your faith.

Click into the resource page of this website to view many of the top Christian thinkers and apologists along with some of their work; connecting to these types of resources is essential in your Christian growth.

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Teri Dugan

TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com

1 Peter 3:15