Читать книгу Boyd's Commentary - R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation - Страница 30

A few years into the famine, verse 6 opens with the indication Joseph’s position as governor had become the settled norm in Egypt. Second only to Pharaoh, his power was absolute. One of Joseph’s responsibilities was to oversee the allocation of food, especially during the predicted seven-year famine. He sold to all the people in the land who came seeking grain. This was what brought him into contact with his brothers. Being foreigners from Canaan, Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him. While it was an act that showed deference to the master of the land and was expected of the brothers, bowing down to Joseph said far more than they realized. As they bowed, Joseph remembered his dreams. After many years, they had come to pass. Joseph recognized his brothers but maintained his anonymity. He acted like a stranger to them. He was able to secure the concealment of his identity easily. In addition to the twenty years that had passed, Joseph appeared and sounded like an Egyptian, and they never would have thought he could have risen to this seat of power. He didn’t disguise his anger from his brothers as he did his identity. Joseph spoke roughly to them as a prelude to the charges against them.

While reunited with his family, the last memory Joseph had of his brothers was of them selling him off to Egypt. His accusation against them in verse 9, calling them “spies . . . come to see the nakedness of the land” (NRSV), was Joseph’s way of testing their character. He wanted to determine what kind of men they turned out to be twenty years later. In protesting their innocence, they disclosed to Joseph details of their family’s current state. They told Joseph they were ten of twelve brothers, the youngest was with their father, and the other was no more, indicating they believed Joseph to be dead. Joseph insisted, despite their denial, that they were spies and rejected the reasoning of their pleas of innocence just as they had once rejected his plea from the pit (42:21).

To examine their claim, Joseph proposed a test to see whether there was any truth to their words. On the surface, this was a test to show if they lied about their family and to confirm to Joseph that they also lied about being spies. Deep down, Joseph knew they were telling the truth. His real intent was to ensure he had an opportunity to see his younger brother Benjamin. He held them all in prison for three days as they decided which one of them would return to Canaan and bring Benjamin, their youngest brother, to Egypt.

Joseph was concerned for his younger brother Benjamin. He most likely wondered if Benjamin was as hated as he was in their household. He may have wanted Benjamin to come to Egypt not simply for emotional reasons, but also to ensure his protection and safety from their older brothers.