Genesis 43:20
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“Please, sir,” they said, “we really did come down here the first time to buy food.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
When the corn brought from Egypt was all consumed, as the famine still continued, Jacob called upon his sons to go down and fetch a little corn (little in proportion to their need).
Open source ↗Here the story of Joseph's brethren is carried on, and very particularly related I. Their melancholy parting with their father Jacob in Canaan (Gen 43:1-14). II. Their pleasant meeting with Joseph in Egypt (Gen 43:15, etc.). For on this occasion nothing occurs there but what is agreeable and pleasant.
Open source ↗Original language
The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).
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So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.
“Not so, my lord,” they replied. “Your servants have come to buy food.
At the place where they lodged for the night, one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of the sack.
They replied, “The man questioned us in detail about ourselves and our family: ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ And we answered him accordingly. How could we possibly know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother here’?”
As they began emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his bag of silver! And when they and their father saw the bags of silver, they were dismayed.
But Judah replied, “The man solemnly warned us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’