INTRODUCTION:

(Deuteronomy 4:2 [KJV])
Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

(Proverbs 30:5, 6 [KJV])
Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

(Isaiah 28:10 [KJV])
For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

(Isaiah 28:13 [KJV])
But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

(2 Peter 1:20 [KJV])
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

All of the studies found here, whether book studies or topical studies, are done with research with mainly two things: The KING JAMES BIBLE and a plain old, 1828 Webster's Dictionary. Why? Outside of actually studying secular and Jewish history, archaeology, one needs nothing more. You do not need foreign, dead languages that no one speaks, nor lexicons, nor concordances, nor commentaries, because they differ not only with one another and with the KING JAMES BIBLE, they create division, confusion, debate, and unbelief, apostasy, and a falling away from God Himself. We do not need them. That Word of God written and preserved for us in our own language is supposed to be enough, like the Old Testament was for the Jews, and as the New Testament was for the early Christians in Greek, Latin, Italian, Spanish, German, etc.

Tyndale Bible
Coverdale Bible
Matthew's Bible
Great Bible
Geneva Bible
Bishop's Bible
King James/Authorized Bible

There are studies within as tangents on words, subjects found within the two testaments, as to broaden the scope of the study, to learn more, deeper truths. This is not an intellectual site with PhDs, theologians, and no worldly wisdom.. Check everything out, everything. Not just here, but with everything you read and see and hear. Be Bereans:

(Acts 17:11 [KJV])
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

(1 Thessalonians 2:13 [KJV])
For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

Always research for yourself, use all of the context, and never privately interpret!

Start of study

Genesis Chapter 42: JOSEPH'S DREAM, PARTIALLY FULFILLED

The parallel passages, another relation of this event, is in Acts 7:1 and on, by the high priest no less!

(Genesis 42:1 [AKJV/PCE])
Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another?

Either his sons thought the other sons were hiding corn some place, or that the other brothers would get them some corn while they waited, just not they themselves, or they had some other reason, not realizing the solution was already prepared for them by God

(Genesis 42:2 [AKJV/PCE])
And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.

Since one cannot eat money, one needs it to buy things they can eat
However, having money to buy food is not enough; one has to go and buy it
Ten men to bring food, plus the asses to load up, to feed twelve-Jacob, his wife, the ten brethren, plus the rest of the entire household of kids, servants
There is nothing here that says the servants went with them; they did the job themselves in obeisance to their father Jacob, along with the asses to carry the loads

(Genesis 42:3 [AKJV/PCE])
¶ And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt.

Notice it says Joseph's ten brethren, not Jacob's ten sons here
This is important to distinguish, as they will be the ones serving Joseph by bowing, obeying in every way, not knowing who they serve until he reveals himsel to them

(Genesis 42:4 [AKJV/PCE])
But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him.

Mischief befalling Joseph was at their hands, but Jacob did not know this, as all he ever sw was the coat of many colors dipped in blood
This also was God making sure Jacob would up in Egypt with them, later on, if one follows the events closely, of what actually transpires
It will shortly be revealed by Joseph's tactics the wisdom God gave him

(Genesis 42:5 [AKJV/PCE])
And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

"Among those that came" may indicate all of the other neighbors of Egypt in Canaan who also needed food, hearing it was in Egypt, because God used Joseph through his dream to store it

b<>(Genesis 42:6 [AKJV/PCE])
And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.

Unknowingly, thus far, fulfilling the prophecy given in Joseph's dream
Their attitude was, "That'll never happen!" and then they tried to kill him
Joseph sold to ALL, not some, not most, of the people
It must be remembered that, failing to bow could mean punishment, up to and including death

(Genesis 42:7 [AKJV/PCE])
And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food.

Some time has passed, Egyptian garb, perhaps royal, surrounded by Egyptian guards, speaking the ancient Egyptian tongue, hoarsely, roughly speaking to them, at them
JNot the recognizable younger brother they got rid of, that would be impossible!

(Genesis 42:8 [AKJV/PCE])
And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.

God repeats here that Joseph knew them, strengthening the case that they were unmistakably his brethren
Ten guys who come from Canaan, all looking like his brothers
Yep, that's them!

(Genesis 42:9 [AKJV/PCE])
And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.

It must be known that Joseph is not here actually accusing them of being spies; he is playing with them, toying with them, pressing, pumping them for information on Benjamin and his father Jacob, absent as of yet
They, being unaware, knowing this man's power, authority, will answer anything he asks to get food, admittance, acceptance
Joseph could have let on right there who he was, the fulfillment of God's prophecy but, being patient, abiding in God's time, he waits for all of them to break fully, then again for his father and Benjamin to arrive

(Genesis 42:10-11 [AKJV/PCE])
And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come. We are all one man's sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies.

They lied to their father about how Joseph was killed by a wild beast; now they must tell the truth or face death by Pharaoh, his guards, or starvation
Before, it was, "Behold, this dreamer cometh"
Now, in humility, being abased by Joseph's authority, it is, "Nay, my lord"

(Genesis 42:12 [AKJV/PCE])
And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.

Like a good police detective, Joseph is probing them for actual answers, truth, facts of this case with his wise techniques
With one word from Joseph, his brethren could be, would be dead men, pounced upon by guards, run through with swords
Joseph never sought revenge; he wanted to save his family, his father, Benjamin and them, plus the wives, children, servants, from dying by starvation

(Genesis 42:13 [AKJV/PCE])
And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not.

Well, mostly true, except that last part. They should have said, "one we sold into slavery to Ishmaelites"
They do not know that Joseph knows here that they are lying

(Genesis 42:14 [AKJV/PCE])
And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you, saying, Ye are spies:

"Nope. You can't just get away with that. There is more to this story and I know it"

(Genesis 42:15 [AKJV/PCE])
Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither.

It was the fact that they had to see the full impact of their own actions against Joseph that this had to happen
They had nothing to prove to Joseph; they had something to prove to themselves, before their own eyes, clearly
They do not yet know, understand, acknow;edge their sin against their own brother, because his father favored him and made him a nice coat of many colors, wanted, tried to kill him, bury him, then actually sold him into slavery, lied about him to their father, all wickedness unacknowledged as of yet

(Genesis 42:16-17 [AKJV/PCE])
Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies. And he put them all together into ward three days.

This has nothing to do with proving a thing to Joseph, but to them, to test their actual fidelity
Saying "by the life of Pharaoh" is like swearing an oath on the king
To the brethren, it meant they were as good as dead men if they did not abide by Joseph's commandment
This whole exercise is to show them that this head of Egypt knows, recognizes that they cannot be trusted, and to show themselves that they are not trustworthy

(Genesis 42:18 [AKJV/PCE])
And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God:

Fearing God means simply that one will do what is right, fair, just

(Nehemiah 5:15 [AKJV/PCE])
But the former governors that had been before me were chargeable unto the people, and had taken of them bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bare rule over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of God.

(Genesis 42:19-20 [AKJV/PCE])
If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses: But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.

Joseph, it would seem from his character in its entirety in Scripture, had zero intentions of actually calling for the death of his brethren, although it was in his power, under his authority to do so and his brethren had it in their power to do and wanted to, sparing him only for Reuben's sake

(Genesis 42:21 [AKJV/PCE])
¶ And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.

Hmmmm........a little guilt, seeing God is watching over Joseph,"the dead one that is not"?
Seeing his anguish and ignoring it is intensely, amazingly evil and wicked, merciless, without compassion, shutting one's ears to the cry of an innocent man pleading for his life to be spared
This would be true for just any person, now think-this was their own, innocent brother!

(Genesis 42:22 [AKJV/PCE])
And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required.

They shed the blood of an innocent kid to "prove" Joseph was gone to their father Jacob
Now this innocent blood they claimed ws Joseph's was coming back on them, required of them

(Genesis 37:31-33 [AKJV/PCE])
And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood; And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son's coat or no. And he knew it, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.

(Genesis 42:23 [AKJV/PCE])
And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter.

Not one of them would have suspected that this was Joseph because, last they knew, from all that they knew, Joseph did not speak Egyptian
When one does not know the person about whom they speak knows a language that they themselves spek, they are likely to "spill the beans"
This will be done aloud, vocally, thinking that the person does not understand them

(Genesis 42:24 [AKJV/PCE])
And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes.

The weeping is his love for his brethren, a desire to reconcile with them, reveal huimself to them
And again, it is all in God's timing, not ours, so no, not yet

(Genesis 42:25-26 [AKJV/PCE])
¶ Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus did he unto them. And they laded their asses with the corn, and departed thence.

"Well, that oughtta scare them when they find their money in their sacks of food which they brought to buy sacks of food
Food for them, their families, food for the asses, a rich reward from someone they had originally wanted dead, who they do not realize they are now dealing with, and will deal with until they die

(Genesis 42:27-28 [AKJV/PCE])
And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn, he espied his money; for, behold, it was in his sack's mouth. And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto us?

This miracle has given them the fear of God they lacked when selling their brother, after being stopped from killing him, lying about that to their father Jacob
The money was not at the bottom, but visible enough to be discovered on a task on the way home, feeding the animals
Else it would maybe have not been discovered until they got home, as it says "to give them provision for the way:"

(Genesis 42:29-32 [AKJV/PCE])
¶ And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell unto them; saying, The man, who is the lord of the land, spake roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country. And we said unto him, We are true men; we are no spies: We be twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.

(Genesis 42:33-34 [AKJV/PCE])
And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true men; leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone: And bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffick in the land.

Before they sold Joseph into Egypt via the Ishmaelites, and lied about it, claiming he was torn of beasts
Here they have no choice, because things did not go as planned, their sin catching up with them, they now must tell the truth
This is because they returned without Simeon, bound by Joseph until they bring Benjamin with them

(Genesis 42:35 [AKJV/PCE])
¶ And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.

This had to be a very big mystery to them; a very big ministry for Joseph
Fear came because they did not know why, they did not know how, they did not know what it meant, or would mean
It is possible that, in their minds, if this was to be something blamed on them, they might never see Simeon again, never get food from Joseph

(Genesis 42:36 [AKJV/PCE])
And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me.

In the eyes of Jacob, not privy to visibly witnessing what happened to Simeon himself, not seeing what really happened to Joseph, all he knows is this kids of his cause disasters wherever they go!

(Genesis 42:37 [AKJV/PCE])
And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again.

This same Reuben was the reason Joseph was still alive, though Jacob does not yet know this as, so far, not one of them including Reuben, has told Jacob what really happened to Joseph and, as far as Jacob, knows, Joseph is dead
This is the same surety as, "By the life of Pharaoh", just now, "by the life of my sons"
His two sons, out of his four, probably means the eldest and next one after him

(Genesis 46:9 [AKJV/PCE])
And the sons of Reuben; Hanoch, and Phallu, and Hezron, and Carmi.

(Numbers 26:5 [AKJV/PCE])
¶ Reuben, the eldest son of Israel: the children of Reuben; Hanoch, of whom cometh the family of the Hanochites: of Pallu, the family of the Palluites:

(Genesis 42:38 [AKJV/PCE])
And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.

In Jacob's mind, if they take Simeon and the Egyptians under their leader (Joseph) kill him, and then take Benjamin and maybe even imprison or kill him, that is three sons lost, because of their folly
This is one quarter of all of his sons!

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Genesis Chapter 43