Preface: When the first year of famine comes upon the land, Jacob and his family are hit hard, and he directs his sons to go to Egypt to buy grain. They go to Egypt and are put face to face with their half-brother Joseph, whom they do not recognize. He accuses them of being spies in the land, and uses this ruse (1) to find out about the family and (2) to find out how guilty his brothers felt about selling Joseph into slavery. Joseph keeps one son behind in prison (Simeon) and sends the rest home with their grain and with the silver that they brought to buy grain. Their instructions are to return with Benjamin, the youngest brother and Joseph’s only full brother. When they arrive home and discuss this with their father, Jacob forbids it.

There are many chapter commentaries on the book of Genesis. This will be the most extensive examination of Genesis 42, where you will be able to examine in depth every word of the original text. Every attempt has been made to make this both a complete and self-contained study. Therefore, all references, vocabulary, and related concepts should be found within this extensive study. Easy access links to more in-depth studies of some vocabulary words, concepts and doctrines are also provided.

Outline of Chapter 42:

Introduction

         vv.     1–

         vv. 

         vv. 

         vv. 

         vv. 

Addendum

Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines:

         Preface               Quotations

         Introduction         The Prequel of Genesis 42

         Introduction         The Principals of Genesis 42

         Introduction         The Places of Genesis 42

         Introduction         The Patriarchal Timeline for Genesis 42

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Genesis 42

         Introduction         Hajime Murai’s Chiasmos of Genesis 42:1–38

         Introduction         Paragraph Divisions of Modern Translations for Genesis 42 (from Dr. Bob Utley)

         Introduction         Why Does God Allow Great Disasters?

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v.       6              Joseph and his Brothers in Egypt (a graphic)

         v. 

         v.       7              Joseph’s possible motivations

         v. 

         v.       8              Why Joseph’s Brothers Do Not Recognize Him

         v. 

         v.       9              Joseph’s possible motivations

         v. 

         v.      10              A Review of Genesis 42:5–10

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v.      19              Why did Joseph change his mind?

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v.      26              Preparing the Grain for Transport (a graphic)

         v. 

         v.      27              Classifying Various Bible Translations

         v. 

         v. 

         Summary            A Set of Summary Doctrines and Commentary

         Summary            B. H. Carroll Summarizes Genesis 42 (along with a portion of Genesis )

         Addendum          Edersheim Summarizes Genesis 42

         Summary 

         Addendum          Why Genesis 42 is in the Word of God

         Addendum          What We Learn from Genesis 42

         Addendum          Josephus’ History of this Time Period

         Addendum          A Complete Translation of Genesis 42

         Addendum          Word Cloud from a Reasonably Literal Paraphrase of Genesis 42

         Addendum          Word Cloud from Exegesis of Genesis 42

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An Introduction to Genesis 42

I ntroduction: Genesis 42, we will bring Joseph together face to face with his brothers for the first time in 20+ years. Joseph will recognize his brothers; they will not recognize him.

In this and subsequent chapters, Joseph is going to say and do some very odd things regarding his brothers. There is a reason for all the things that Joseph does; he is not just randomly giving his brothers jazz.

With the exception of the flood narrative, there are no other parts of Genesis as carefully organized as the autobiographical writings of Joseph.

The Patriarchal Timeline for Genesis 42

The New American Bible (2011) summarizes Gen. 42: The first journey of the brothers to Egypt. Its cause is famine, which was also the reason Abraham and Sarah undertook their dangerous journey to Egypt. The brothers bow to Joseph in v. 6, which fulfills Joseph’s dream in 37:5–11. Endowed with wisdom, Joseph begins a process of instruction or “discipline” for his brothers that eventually forces them to recognize the enormity of their sin against him and the family. He controls their experience of the first journey with the result that the second journey in chaps. 43–44 leads to full acknowledgment and reconciliation.

In Gen. 42, we reunite Joseph with his brothers, although they will not recognize him (he does know who they are). The drought has gone throughout Egypt and the land of Canaan, and to many surrounding areas. This is a disaster brought on by God, but according to His perfect purpose.

This narrative will move seamlessly from Egypt back to the Land of Promise, back to the family of Jacob. It is quite extraordinary as to how this is done. We end the previous chapter with people coming from all over the earth to buy grain from Egypt, and we then return to Jacob’s family (minus Joseph) who are facing the exact same hardships—famine in their land. They are in the first year of the drought, and they recognize that they are in trouble. The famine is so severe that, they understand that they will begin to die out as a family without the food of the earth.

I realize that few people, when they finish reading Gen. 41 and move into chapter 42 that they do not realize that this narrative is a milestone in literature. We have traveled to a new place, but without any change of circumstances. Notice the transition:

Genesis 41:56 So when the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.

Notice that Joseph does not just open up the storehouses and tell the people, “Come on down and get whatever you need.” Even though the storehouses were filled with the grain of Egyptians at the order of Pharaoh, it was now possessed by the state and the state was justified in selling the stored grain back to the people.

Gen. 41:57 provides a marvelous segue from Egypt back to Canaan.

Genesis 41:57 Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.

The famine is severe in all the land, and all the occupants of the land came to Egypt to buy grain (notice again, it is sold; it is not given away). This logically leads us to a small family in Canaan, whose patriarch is Jacob, to use as examples of those in the land who are suffering from the famine. And so Jacob sends his sons (all but one) to buy grain in Egypt.

This is such a wonderful change of scenery in the book; and I am unaware of any narratives of this era which present such an extensive, multi-continent narrative like this. We have suddenly moved from Egypt, in the continent of Africa, to Canaan.

Genesis 42:1 And when Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look upon one another?”

However, before we begin our study of Gen. 42, let’s examine the concept of disaster in the lives of mankind.

Had the book of Genesis been passed down from generation to generation as sort of a fable, then we would not expect it to lack detail in certain areas. Bear in mind that fifteen or so years have passed since we have heard anything about Jacob and his eleven sons. One would expect that we would have some information about them over these past twenty or so years. However, all we will have is sketchy information of their lives and conversations outside of Joseph's periphery; information would could be obtained through direct interview at a later time (which Joseph certainly did). The only portions of lives of his brothers which we know about which may have been coterminous with Joseph's time in Egypt are from Gen. 38; which we already examined.

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Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:                       Note: I compare the Hebrew text to English translations of the Latin, Syriac (= Aramaic) and Greek texts, using the Douay-Rheims translation; George Lamsa’s translation, and Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton’s translation as revised and edited by Paul W. Esposito, respectively. I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.). I often use the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible instead of Brenton’s translation, because it updates the English text.

The Septuagint was the earliest known translation of a book (circa 200 b.c.). Since this translation was made before the textual criticism had been developed into a science and because different books appear to be translated by different men, the Greek translation can sometimes be very uneven.

When there are serious disparities between my translation and Brenton’s (or the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible), I look at the Greek text of the Septuagint (the LXX) to see if a substantive difference actually exists (and I reflect these changes in the English rendering of the Greek text). I use the Greek LXX with Strong’s numbers and morphology available for e-sword. The only problem with this resource (which is a problem for similar resources) is, there is no way to further explore Greek verbs which are not found in the New Testament. Although I usually quote the Complete Apostles’ Bible here, I have begun to make changes in the translation when their translation conflicts with the Greek and note what those changes are.

The Masoretic text is the Hebrew text with all of the vowels (vowel points) inserted (the original Hebrew text lacked vowels). We take the Masoretic text to be the text closest to the original. However, differences between the Masoretic text and the Greek, Latin and Syriac are worth noting and, once in a great while, represent a more accurate text possessed by those other ancient translators.

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Bracketed portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls are words, letters and phrases lost in the scroll due to various types of damage. Underlined words or phrases are those in the Dead Sea Scrolls but not in the Masoretic text.

I will only list the translation from the Dead Sea Scrolls if it exists and if it is different from the Masoretic text.

The Targum of Onkelos is actually the Pentateuchal Targumim, which are The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan Ben Uzziel. On the Pentateuch With The Fragments of the Jerusalem Targum From the Chaldee by J. W. Etheridge, M.A. From http://www.becomingjewish.org/texts/targum/onkelos_genesis.html and first published in 1862.

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so sees Jacob that there [is] grain in Egypt. And so says Jacob to his sons, “For why are you [all] looking at one another?” And so he says, “Behold, I have heard that there [is] grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy [grain] for us from there and we will live and we will not die.”

Dead Sea Scrolls                   .

Targum (Onkelos)                  And Jakob saw that corn was sold in Mizraim, and Jakob said to his sons, Whylook you (on each other)? And he said, Behold, I have heard that corn is sold in Mizraim: go down thither, and buy us from thence, and we shall live, and not die.

Targum (Pseudo-Jonathan)   And Jakob saw that provisions might be bought and that they brought corn from Mizraim; and Jakob said to his sons, Why are you afraid to go down to Mizraim? And he said, Behold, I have heard that corn is sold in Mizraim: go down thither and buy for us from thence, that we may live and not die.

Revised Latin Vulgate            And Jacob hearing that food was sold in Egypt, said to his sons: Why are ye careless? I have heard that wheat is sold in Egypt: go ye down, and buy us necessaries, that we may live, and not be consumed with want.

Aramaic ESV of Peshitta        Now Ya'aqub saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Ya'aqub said to his sons, "Why do you look at one another?" He said, "Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there, and buy for us from there, so that we may live, and not die."

Peshitta (Syriac)                    NOW when Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, Fear not. Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down there, and buy for us from there; that we may live, and not die.

Septuagint (Greek)                Joseph's brothers come to buy corn. Gn.42.1-24

And Jacob having seen that there was a sale of corn in Egypt, said to his sons, Why are you indolent? Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt; go down thither, and buy for us a little food, that we may live, and not die.

NETS (Greek)                        .

Brenton’s Septuagint             .

Significant differences: 

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             Now Jacob, hearing that there was grain in Egypt, said to his sons, Why are you looking at one another? And he said, I have had news that there is grain in Egypt: go down there and get grain for us, so that life and not death may be ours.

Easy English                          Joseph and his brothers

Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt. Then he said to his sons, ‘Do not just stand there while you look at each other!’ Jacob said, ‘Look! I have heard that there is corn in Egypt. Go down there and buy corn for us. Then we can stay alive. Then we will not die.’

Easy-to-Read Version            .

God’s Word™                         Jacob [Israel] Sends Ten Sons to Egypt

When Jacob found out that grain was for sale in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you keep looking at each other? I’ve heard there’s grain for sale in Egypt. Go there and buy some for us so that we won’t starve to death.”

Good News Bible (TEV)         .

The Message                         When Jacob learned that there was food in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you sit around here and look at one another? I’ve heard that there is food in Egypt. Go down there and buy some so that we can survive and not starve to death.”

Names of God Bible               .

NIRV                                      Joseph’s Brothers Go Down to Egypt

Jacob found out that there was grain in Egypt. So he said to his sons, “Why do you just keep looking at one another?” He continued, “I’ve heard there’s grain in Egypt. Go down there. Buy some for us. Then we’ll live and not die.”

New Simplified Bible              When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons: »Why are you doing nothing?« He said: »I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us from that place, so that we may live and not die.«

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           Joseph’s brothers arrive in Egypt

When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you staring blankly at each other? I’ve just heard that there’s grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us so that we can survive and not starve to death.”

Contemporary English V.       .

The Living Bible                     When Jacob heard that there was grain available in Egypt he said to his sons, “Why are you standing around looking at one another? I have heard that there is grain available in Egypt. Go down and buy some for us before we all starve to death.”

New Berkeley Version           .

New Century Version             The Dreams Come True

Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, so he said to his sons, “Why are you just sitting here looking at one another? I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy grain for us to eat, so that we will live and not die.”

New Life Version                    .

New Living Translation           Joseph’s Brothers Go to Egypt

When Jacob heard that grain was available in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you standing around looking at one another? I have heard there is grain in Egypt. Go down there, and buy enough grain to keep us alive. Otherwise we’ll die.”

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          Now, Jacob had noticed that they were still selling [grain] in Egypt. So he said to his sons: 'Why don't you do something? Look; I've heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go there and buy us a little food, so we don't starve to death.'

Beck’s American Translation .

International Standard V        Joseph’s Brothers Visit Egypt

Eventually, Jacob observed that there was grain in Egypt, so he asked his sons, “Why do you keep on staring at one another? Pay attention now! I’ve heard that there is grain in Egypt, so go down there and buy some grain for us, so we can live, instead of dying.”

Revised Knox Bible                The news that there was corn to be bought in Egypt reached Jacob among the rest; and he said to his sons, What means this lethargy? They tell me there is corn for sale in Egypt; why do you not go down there, and buy enough for us to live on, instead of waiting till we starve?

Today’s NIV                          .

Translation for Translators     Joseph's brothers went to Egypt to buy grain, but didn't realize they were buying it from their brother

When someone told Jacob that there was grain in Egypt that people could buy, he said to his sons, “◂Why do you just sit there looking at each other?/Do not just sit there looking at each other!► [RHQ] We need some grain!” He said to them, “Someone told me that there is grain for sale in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, in order that we can stay alive and not die!”

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Awful Scroll Bible                   Jacob was to perceive, that there persist that broken apart in Egypt. Jacob was to say to his sons: Yous were to perceive it. Even was he to say: I am to have heard, that there persist that broken apart in Egypt. Be going down there and be buying grain, that we were to live - were we to die?

Conservapedia                       Jacob could see that victuals could be had in Egypt. So he said to his sons, "Why are you standing around looking at yourselves?" And he said, "Look: I've heard that victuals can be found in Egypt. Now go down there and buy some for us from there, so that we can live, rather than die."

Ferrar-Fenton Bible                Joseph’s Brothers are sent to Egypt to buy Corn, and terrified by being called Spies

Jacob also learnt there was corn in Mitzeraim, so Jacob said to his sons, " Why do you look at each other ? '' He also said, " I have heard that there is corn in Mitzeraim. Descend to there and buy for us from it, that we may live and not die."

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           When Jacob saw that there was corn to be sold in Egypt, he said unto his sons: why are you negligent? behold, I have heard that there is corn to be sold in Egypt. Get you there and buy us corn from there, that we may live and not die.

HCSB                                     Joseph’s Brothers in Egypt

When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you keep looking at each other? Listen,” he went on, “I have heard there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us so that we will live and not die.”

H. C. Leupold                         Now when Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons: Why do ye look at one another? He further said: See, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us there, that we may live and not die.

Lexham English Bible            Joseph’s Brothers Go to Egypt for Food

When Jacob realized that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, "Why do you look at one another?" Then he said, "Look, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy grain for us there that we may live and not die."

NIV, ©2011                             Joseph’s Brothers Go to Egypt

When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you just keep looking at each other?” He continued, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.”

Tree of Life Version                Joseph Meets His Brothers

Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, so Jacob said to his sons, “Why are you looking at each other?” Then he said, “Look! I’ve heard that there’s grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some grain for us there so that we’ll live and not die.”

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)  The sons of Jacob go down to Egypt

When Jacob heard there was wheat in Egypt he said to his sons, “Why do you stand looking at one another? I’ve heard there is grain in Egypt, so go down and buy some for us so that we may stay alive and not die!”

The Heritage Bible                 And Jacob saw there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, Why do you look at one another? And he said, Behold, I have attentively heard that there is grain in Egypt; descend there, and buy grain for us there, and we will live, and not die.

New American Bible (2002)   When Jacob learned that grain rations were available in Egypt, he said to his sons: "Why do you keep gaping at one another? I hear," he went on, "that rations of grain are available in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, that we may stay alive rather than die of hunger."

New American Bible (2011)   The Brothers’ First Journey to Egypt.*

When Jacob learned that grain rations were for sale in Egypt, he said to his sons: “Why do you keep looking at one another?” He went on, “I hear that grain is for sale in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, that we may stay alive and not die.” Acts 7:12.

New Jerusalem Bible             Jacob, seeing that there were supplies to be had in Egypt, said to his sons, 'Why do you keep staring at one another? I hear', he said, 'that there are supplies in Egypt. Go down and procure some for us there, so that we may survive and not die.'

New RSV                               .

Revised English Bible            WHEN Jacob learnt that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you stand staring at each other? I hear there is grain in Egypt. Go down there, and buy some for us to keep us alive and save us from starving to death.”

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           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!”

exeGeses companion Bible   .

Hebraic Transliteration           .

Hebrew Names Version         .

JPS (Tanakh—1985)               When Jacob saw that there were food rations to be had in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you keep looking at one another? Now I hear,” he went on, “that there are rations to be had in Egypt. Go down and procure rations for us there, that we may live and not die.”

Judaica Press Complete T.    .

Kaplan Translation                 Joseph's Vindication

Jacob learned that there were provisions in Egypt, and he said to his sons, 'Why are you fantasizing [(Radak). Or, 'why are you looking at one another' (Septuagint); or, 'Why are you showing off' (Rashi; Rashbam; Taanith 10b); or, 'Why are you afraid' (Targum Yonathan).]?' 'I have heard that there are supplies in Egypt,' he explained. 'You can go there and buy food. Let us live and not die.' The Kaplan Translation, particularly in Exodus through Deuteronomy, takes note of historic rabbinic opinions.

Natural Israelite Bible             .

Orthodox Jewish Bible           Now when Ya’akov saw that there was shever (grain) in Mitzrayim, Ya’akov said unto his banim, Why do ye look one upon another?

And he said, Hinei, I have heard that there is shever (grain) in Mitzrayim; get you down to there, and buy for us from there; that we may live, and not die.

Restored Names Version       .

The Scriptures 1998              .

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                Joseph’s Brothers Sent to Egypt

Now when Jacob (Israel) learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you staring at one another [in bewilderment and not taking action]?” He said, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down there and buy [some] grain for us, so that we may live and not die [of starvation].”

The Expanded Bible              The Dreams Come True

Jacob ·learned [^Lsaw] that there was grain in Egypt, so he said to his sons, “Why are you just sitting here looking at one another? I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy grain for us to eat, so that we will live and not die.”

The Geneva Bible                  .

Kretzmann’s Commentary    Verses 1-7

The Arrival in Egypt

Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, having undoubtedly gotten the information from his Canaanite neighbors, many of whom were merchants, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? The mention of Egypt caused the brethren to look upon one another with a helpless and suspicious questioning, for their conscience reminded them of the fact that Joseph had been sold into Egypt.

And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt, grain which people could buy for their own needs; get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die. All this appears to have happened at a family council at which Jacob, as the head of the family or tribe, presided. He saw no need for a long discussion or for hesitation: it was a matter of life and death.

NET Bible®                             Joseph’s Brothers in Egypt

When Jacob heard [Heb “saw.”] there was grain in Egypt, he [Heb “Jacob.” Here the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.] said to his sons, “Why are you looking at each other?” He then said, “Look, I hear that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy grain for us [Heb “and buy for us from there.” The word “grain,” the direct object of “buy,” has been supplied for clarity, and the words “from there” have been omitted in the translation for stylistic reasons.] so that we may live [Following the imperatives, the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav expresses purpose of result.] and not die [The imperfect tense continues the nuance of the verb before it.].” When it comes to making an actual material change to the text, the NET Bible® is pretty good about indicating this. Since most of these corrections will be clear in the more literal translations below and within the Hebrew exegesis itself, I will not continue to list every NET Bible® footnote. Language footnotes will be placed in the Hebrew exegesis. Some footnotes will quoted elsewhere in this document.

Syndein/Thieme                     {Chapter 42 Really Starts in Chapter 41 Verse 54}

{Brothers Reap the Whirlwind}

Now when Jacob kept on seeing that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob kept on saying unto his sons, "Why do you look one upon another?" {idiom meaning they were standing around doing nothing but looking at each other to see who would act!} And he {Jacob} kept on saying, "Behold, I have heard {shama'} that there is corn in Egypt. Go there and buy . . . so we may keep on living and not keep on dieing {slowly starving to death}.

Now when Jacob found out there was grain to be had in Egypt, he talked to his sons about it.

Jacob: Why do you just keep sitting here looking at each other? Listen! I’ve heard they have grain for sale in Egypt! Go down there, and buy grain for us so that we have enough to live and won’t die of hunger.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Brenner’s Mechanical Trans....and Ya'aqov ^{[He restrains]} saw that there was barley in Mitsrayim ^[Troubles] and Ya'aqov ^{[He restrains]} said to his sons, why do you look at yourselves, and he said, look, I heard that there is barley in Mitsrayim ^[Troubles], go down unto there and exchange for us from there and we will live and we will not die...

American KJV                        .

Concordant Literal Version    And seeing is Jacob that, forsooth, there are victuals in Egypt. And saying is Jacob to his sons, "Why are you staring at one another? And saying is he, "Behold! I hear, forsooth, that there are victuals in Egypt. Go down there and purchase for us thence a little food that we will live, and not die.

A Conservative Version         .

Context Group Version          Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, Why do you {pl} look one on another? And he said, Look, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt: you {pl} get down there, and buy for us from there; that we may live, and not die.

Darby Translation                  .

Emphasized Bible                  .

English Standard Version      When Jacob learned that there was grain for sale in Egypt, he said to his sons, "Why do you look at one another?" And he said, "Behold, I have heard that there is grain for sale in Egypt. Go down and buy grain for us there, that we may live and not die."

Evidence Bible                       .

Green’s Literal Translation    .

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           .

King James 2000 Version      .

21^st Century KJV                   .

Modern KJV                           .

NASB                                     Joseph’s Brothers Sent to Egypt

Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, “Why are you staring at one another?” He said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down there and buy some for us from that place, so that we may live and not die.”

New European Version          Jacob’s Sons Meet Joseph in Egypt

Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, Why do you look at one another? He said, Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there, and buy for us from there, so that we may live, and not die.

New King James Version       Joseph’s Brothers Go to Egypt

When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” And he said, “Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may live and not die.”

Owen's Translation                .

Third Millennium Bible            .

Updated Bible Version 2.11   .

A Voice in the Wilderness      .

Webster’s Bible Translation  .

World English Bible                Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” He said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there, and buy for us from there, so that we may live, and not die.”

Young's Literal Translation     .

Young's Updated LT              And Jacob sees that there is corn in Egypt, and Jacob saith to his sons, `Why do you look at each other?' He says also, “Lo, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt, go down there, and buy for us from there, and we live and do not die.”

The gist of this passage:     Jacob’s family is out of grain; so Jacob asks his sons, “Why are you sitting around looking at each other? I hear there is grain for sale in Egypt; go there so that we do not all starve.”

Translation: Jacob learned that there [was] grain in Egypt,... Recall that there are no actual chapter divisions, although, certainly, one author left off writing here and another one picked up there. However, this continues from the previous chapter. In the previous chapter, there was a great 7 year famine throughout Egypt and Canaan and in other surrounding areas.

At this point, we do not know how far we are into this famine; whether a year or two. However, Jacob has found out that Egypt has a lot of grain. How would he have found this out? Why is the verb to see used? Very likely, Jacob saw people from his general area who had gone to Egypt and had returned with grain.

Translation: ...so he [lit., Jacob] said to his sons, “Why are you [all] looking at one another?” Jacob looks at his sons, and they are sitting around looking at one another, while they are running out of food. Jacob tells them that they cannot continue to just sit (stand) around looking at each other. “What exactly do you think you can accomplish by that?” he implies.

The NET Bible: The point of Jacob’s question is that his sons should be going to get grain rather than sitting around doing nothing. Jacob, as the patriarch, still makes the decisions for the whole clan.

With this first sentence, we know that the brothers are not taking huge flocks throughout the land; that they are mostly all living at home; that they are just sitting around getting hungry. Their lives over this first year of famine have become rather desperate.

Genesis 42:1 And when Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look upon one another?”

Interestingly enough, it is Jacob who prods his sons to go to Egypt. Reuben does not say, “I think what we ought to do is go to Egypt to buy grain.” As the eldest brother, he should be making such suggestions by this time; thinking ahead, concerning himself with the needs of the family. Although he is not the patriarch, he is the oldest of the sons. Yet, again and again, he does not assume a full-on leadership role.

In the ancient world, leadership falls upon the first son, and yet, this is another instance where Reuben does not exhibit the leadership that he ought (I say this, as the firstborn of a family who also exhibited no leadership potential either).

As we near the end of the book of Genesis, keep in the back of your mind that, we are concerned with these sons in particular: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah and Joseph. The line of promise will go through one of these men, and there are reasons why they are the only ones named in this narrative and why when the sons of Israel speak, only these voices are heard. So, when any of these men say or do anything related to their own personal character and their relationship to God, it will be noted. In some narratives, we might read, and the brothers said; but whenever we are in a narrative that counts, we will find the name or names of one or more of these particular brothers.

The short explanation is this: Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah are the oldest sons; so, if the leadership mantle is not taken up by Reuben, then it falls to the next brother Simeon; if Simeon does not take up the mantle of leadership, then it falls to Levi; and then to Judah. And we have to bear in mind that, for the most part, these sons seem to reveal little or no spiritual progress in their lives. Of all the brothers, Only Joseph reveals a strong faith in God. So, wouldn’t the mantle of leadership go to him as the spiritually mature brother?

So far, we have seen that Reuben has not taken up his role as leader of his younger brothers. We have seen that Simeon and Levi overreact to situations and are quite violent. All of the brothers, save Joseph and Benjamin, are scheming (a trait which seems to run in the family). Now Simeon and Levi will not actually have speaking roles in the upcoming chapters—we already know their character and their distorted views of justice.

Also, Benjamin will be in view, but for different reasons.

One of the reasons that some scholars have questioned the time of writing of Genesis is, it concerns itself with things it should not know about. How do these writers of Genesis know who God is looking at? How do they know who would eventually become the line of the Messiah? There is only one line followed from beginning to end of the Bible, and that is the line of the humanity of Jesus. Flipping from one book to the next, we find that this line begins with Adam, goes through Seth, eventually finds its way to Abraham (then Isaac and then Jacob); and, eventually to David. The Messiah is also known as David’s Greater Son. On several occasions, the Lord is called Son of David.

Much of this information is found in the book of Genesis, written around 2000 b.c. and earlier; and the Davidic Covenant does not occur until a thousand years later, where the line of David will be revealed to be the line of the Messiah—revealed to David by a God of grace. It is not until the Davidic Covenant that we find out, God will be blessing the line of David—and from him would come David’s Greater Son (Jesus Christ). So, if a person has a difficult time believing in prophecy, then stories which focus on the leadership and the very specific line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob become very troublesome, indeed.

Have you ever known anyone to speak of the lottery of life? Have you known of politicians who often indicate that Charley Brown is successful because he was in the right place at the right time and he bought the right lotto ticket (I am not speaking literally about the lottery ticket). There are 12 sons of Jacob; so to a person who thinks this way, every son has a 1 in 12 chance of being in the line of promise. But that is not how God sees it. God knows what these young men will do in life; God knows the end from the beginning. Therefore, He will, from time to time, indicate the line of promise, hundreds of years before He states it outright.

I have no problem with the predictive nature of Genesis, because the co-Author of this book is God the Holy Spirit, Who is outside of time and not confined by time. So all the issues of the Messiah and the Jewish people are known to Him with complete perfection. Now, the human authors know some things, but their understanding of the future is not nearly as clear and perspicuous.

Throughout Scripture, we know that each book (or portion of a book) reflects both the sensibilities of a specific author (like Jacob or Joseph or Moses); and that we can often identify that author, not just because he is talking about his life, but because his style of writing is much different from the other authors. Abraham, Jacob and Joseph wrote very lengthy narratives; but these narratives are quite different in style—Joseph having by far the most sophisticated style of writing (I have not studied comparative ancient literature, but this would be a fascinating subject, if Joseph’s writing was included, as I believe that he is one of the early writers who mastered the 3^rd person omniscient writing style).

However, even though each portion of Scripture represents the very specific viewpoint of the human author; it is also the Word of God, authored by God the Holy Spirit. So, Joseph may be writing about these particular brothers simply because they were the oldest, and he remembered them more specifically; but God the Holy Spirit sees that their names are included, so that we understand why the line of promise goes through one brother, but not another. There is no lottery of life with God.

I also believe that, there are certain passages, where the human author is thinking and saying one thing; but God the Holy Spirit is thinking and saying something else—and that these trains of thought are conveyed by the very same words (Gen. 22 Psalm 22 and Isa. 53 are good examples of this).

Genesis 42:1 And when Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look upon one another?”

So, the family of Jacob realizes that they are in trouble. They have had a bad year and they have not produced enough grain for the upcoming year. And, at this point, all these boys are only able to look at one another. No one proposes a solution. No one takes the lead. Jacob points out the problem, and the first voice we ought to here is Reuben, saying, “Here is what I, as the eldest, propose that we do.” Jacob looks at his 11 sons, and no one says anything. No one shows initiative or leadership.

The actual leader of this family is already living in Egypt.

We have spent several chapters with Joseph in Egypt, who went there as a slave, was then put into prison, and most recently has been elevated to the #2 position in all of Egypt. However, with Gen. 42, we return to Canaan, to his father and brothers, and their struggles with having a very bad year in this first year of the famine.

Genesis 42:1 And when Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look upon one another?”

The famine has come to Canaan, and the sons of Jacob and their families are feeling the pinch as well. This is a very serious problem, where this family of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob could starve to death without grain.

It is reasonable to assume that hundreds of thousands of people in Canaan will die over the next 7 years of famine, which probably ended up dramatically reducing the population of those in Canaan considerably. It is likely that this was warning discipline for this land (remember what God did to Sodom and Gomorrah).

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