Genesis 43
Mercy Before the Man
The grain runs out, and Jacob finally lets Benjamin go because Judah pledges himself as surety for him. Jacob prays that God will give his sons mercy before the man in Egypt. That man is Joseph, who is moved to tears at the sight of Benjamin and sets a table for the brothers who sold him.
Start reading Background
Chapter 42 ended in a standoff. Ten of Jacob’s sons had gone down to Egypt for grain and bowed to the governor without knowing him as their brother (Gen. 42:6). He called them spies, kept Simeon bound, and had their money put back in their sacks (Gen. 42:9; Gen. 42:24–25). Jacob would not let Benjamin go: “My son shall not go down with you” (Gen. 42:38).
Chapter 43 is the second journey. It runs straight into chapter 44 and the revelation of chapter 45, and Stephen later calls this return the time when “Joseph was made known to his brethren” (Acts 7:13). The chapter has three parts: Jacob lets Benjamin go (verses 1–14), the brothers are brought into Joseph’s house (15–25), and the meal (26–34).
The chapter never says why Joseph does what he does. In chapters 42–45 he “tested his brothers several times before revealing his identity,” and the notes below say where a reason is only inferred. Chapters 37 and 38 stand behind the scenes: the dreams are coming true (Gen. 37:5–11), and Judah, who had proposed selling Joseph, is the brother who now speaks (Gen. 37:26–27; Gen. 38).
The thread through the chapter
Genesis 43 turns on one Hebrew word. In verse 14 Jacob asks God to “give you mercy before the man,” and the word is rachamim. Sixteen verses later the same word is what stirs in Joseph: “his bowels did yearn upon his brother” (verse 30). Jacob does not know that the man he is praying about is his own son. Genesis does not say that the prayer was answered; it uses Jacob’s word for what Joseph feels.
Around that word, earlier scenes of the story come back changed. Judah, who proposed selling Joseph (Gen. 37:26–27), becomes surety for Benjamin (verse 9). The brothers who “could not speak peaceably” to Joseph (Gen. 37:4) are told “Peace be to you” (verse 23) and are asked after their father’s peace (verse 27); the Hebrew word is shalom each time. And all eleven bow to him, as his dreams had said (verses 26, 28).
God is named three times in the chapter, always by a character and never by the narrator (verses 14, 23, 29). That is how the last chapters of Genesis speak of Him (see the note on verse 14).
Tap any highlighted phrase to open a note beneath its versein the margin.
Jacob lets Benjamin go
The famine in the land was severe. When the grain they had brought from Egypt was all eaten, their father told them, “Go back and buy us a little food.” Judah answered, “The man warned us solemnly, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy food for you. If you will not send him, we will not go, because the man said, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.’”
Israel said, “Why did you treat me so badly as to tell the man that you had another brother?” They answered, “The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family: ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ We answered him according to his questions. How could we know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?” Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy with me, and we will get up and go, so that we may live and not die, we and you and our little ones. I will be surety for him; you can require him from my hand. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, let me bear the blame forever. If we had not delayed, we could have gone and come back twice by now.”
Their father Israel said, “If it must be so, then do this: take some of the best products of the land in your bags and carry them down to the man as a gift, a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts and almonds. Take double the money, and carry back in your hands the money that was returned in the mouths of your sacks; perhaps it was a mistake. Take your brother, too, and go back to the man. May God Almighty give you mercy before the man, so that he will send back your other brother and Benjamin. As for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.”
1 And the famine was sore in the land.
2 And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food.
3 And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.
4 If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food:
5 But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down: for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.
6 And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother?
7 And they said, The man asked us straitly of our state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother down?
8 And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones.
9 I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever:
10 For except we had lingered, surely now we had returned this second time.
11 And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:
12 And take double money in your hand; and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight:
13 Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man:
14 And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.
Brought to Joseph’s house
The men took the gift, double the money, and Benjamin, and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph. When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the man in charge of his house, “Take these men to my house, slaughter an animal and prepare a meal, for these men will eat with me at noon.” The man did as Joseph said and brought them to Joseph’s house.
The brothers were afraid because they had been brought there. They said, “It is because of the money that was put back in our sacks the first time that we are brought in, so that he can find a reason to attack us, seize us as slaves, and take our donkeys.” So they went up to Joseph’s steward and spoke to him at the door of the house. “Please, sir,” they said, “we came down once before to buy food. When we came to the lodging place and opened our sacks, each man’s money was there in the mouth of his sack, the full amount. We have brought it back in our hands, and we have brought other money to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.” He said, “Peace to you. Do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks. I received your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.
The steward brought the men into Joseph’s house, gave them water to wash their feet, and fed their donkeys. They got the gift ready for Joseph’s arrival at noon, because they had heard that they would eat there.
15 And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph.
16 And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ruler of his house, Bring these men home, and slay, and make ready; for these men shall dine with me at noon.
17 And the man did as Joseph bade; and the man brought the men into Joseph’s house.
18 And the men were afraid, because they were brought into Joseph’s house; and they said, Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in; that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses.
19 And they came near to the steward of Joseph’s house, and they communed with him at the door of the house,
20 And said, O sir, we came indeed down at the first time to buy food:
21 And it came to pass, when we came to the inn, that we opened our sacks, and, behold, every man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight: and we have brought it again in our hand.
22 And other money have we brought down in our hands to buy food: we cannot tell who put our money in our sacks.
23 And he said, Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them.
24 And the man brought the men into Joseph’s house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their asses provender.
25 And they made ready the present against Joseph came at noon: for they heard that they should eat bread there.
The meal
When Joseph came home, they brought into the house the gift they had with them and bowed to the ground before him. He asked how they were, and said, “Is your father well, the old man you told me about? Is he still alive?” They answered, “Your servant our father is well; he is still alive.” And they bowed low and paid him honor.
Joseph looked up and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your younger brother, whom you told me about?” And he said, “God be gracious to you, my son.” Then Joseph hurried out, because he was overcome with feeling for his brother, and he looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and wept there. After washing his face he came out, controlled himself, and said, “Serve the meal.”
They served him by himself, the brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews; that was detestable to them. The brothers were seated before him in order of age, from the firstborn to the youngest, and they looked at one another in amazement. Portions were taken to them from his table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as large as any of theirs. And they drank and were merry with him.
26 And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth.
27 And he asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive?
28 And they answered, Thy servant our father is in good health, he is yet alive. And they bowed down their heads, and made obeisance.
29 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, Is this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son.
30 And Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother: and he sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there.
31 And he washed his face, and went out, and refrained himself, and said, Set on bread.
32 And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians.
33 And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled one at another.
34 And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin’s mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him.
Seeing Christ in Genesis 43
Judah, who had proposed selling a brother, pledges himself for another: “of my hand shalt thou require him” (verse 9). He makes good on the pledge in chapter 44, where he asks to stay “instead of the lad a bondman to my lord” (Gen. 44:33), and it is that offer which “can remind us of Jesus Christ, who was Judah’s descendant”: “As Judah offered to take Benjamin’s punishment so that Benjamin could return to his father, so Jesus Christ took our sins upon Himself so that we can return to our Heavenly Father.” The passage the Church points to is Mosiah 15:9, where the Son, “having the bowels of mercy,” is “standing betwixt them and justice.”
The other likeness is in Joseph. The brother who was sold receives the brothers who sold him, has given them back the silver they paid (Gen. 42:25), and sets bread before them. The likeness is drawn this way: “Joseph provided bread for Israel and saved them from death, all without cost. Jesus, the Bread of Life, did the same for all men” (see Gen. 42:35).
Worth exploring next
- Judah’s pledge carried out. Gen. 44:18–34; compare Gen. 38:17–26.
- Joseph makes himself known. Gen. 45:1–15; Acts 7:9–14.
- Mercy asked “before this man.” Nehemiah prays in nearly the same Hebrew words (Neh. 1:11); compare Dan. 1:9.
Sources & further reading
- The Holy Scriptures (Latter-day Saint editions), text and chapter headings, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
- Westminster Leningrad Codex, with morphology, Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (OSHB), openscriptures/morphhb.
- Francis Brown, S. R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1906.
- “Judah”, Bible Dictionary.
- “Pentateuch”, Bible Dictionary.
- Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Genesis, In Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament, online at Bible Hub.
- Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers: Genesis, Read on Bible Hub.
- Herbert E. Ryle, The Book of Genesis in the Revised Version, Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge: University Press, 1921); read on Bible Hub.
- Genesis 42–50, Scripture Helps: Old Testament (2025).
- Genesis 37–50: Joseph: The Power of Preparation, Old Testament Student Manual: Genesis–2 Samuel (Church Educational System, 2003).
- John Gee, “Clothes and Cups: The Tangible World of Joseph”, In From Creation to Sinai: The Old Testament through the Lens of the Restoration, ed. Daniel L. Belnap and Aaron P. Schade (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book), 425–46.
- Herodotus, The Histories, Book 2, chapter 41, Trans. A. D. Godley (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1920); read in the Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University.