seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Genesis 43:8 Then Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die. 9 I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life. 10 As it is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and returned twice.”
11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift—a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds. 12 Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake. 13 Take your brother also and go back to the man at once. 14 And may God Almighty[a] grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”
11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift—a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds. 12 Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake. 13 Take your brother also and go back to the man at once. 14 And may God Almighty[a] grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”
a. Genesis 43:14 Hebrew El-Shaddai
These are the comments at studylight.org.
Judah put his own life on the line as a surety for Benjamin. This is the first good thing we see that Judah did. Previously, he was the one who had proposed the sale of Joseph. He was the one who wronged his daughter-in-law Tamar and had sex with her as a harlot.
Blueletterbible.org offers this.
It is an Oriental practice never to approach a man of power without a present, and Jacob might remember how he pacified his brother ( Pro 21:14 ) --balm, spices, and myrrh,
honey--which some think was dibs, a syrup made from ripe dates; but others, the honey of Hebron, which is still valued as far superior to that of Egypt;
nuts--pistachio nuts, of which Syria grows the best in the world;
almonds--which were most abundant in Palestine.
Take double money--the first sum to be returned, and another sum for a new supply. The restored money in the sacks' mouth was a perplexing circumstance. But it might have been done inadvertently by one of the servants--so Jacob persuaded himself--and happy it was for his own peace and the encouragement of the travellers that he took this view. Besides the duty of restoring it, honesty in their case was clearly the best, the safest policy.
honey--which some think was dibs, a syrup made from ripe dates; but others, the honey of Hebron, which is still valued as far superior to that of Egypt;
nuts--pistachio nuts, of which Syria grows the best in the world;
almonds--which were most abundant in Palestine.
Take double money--the first sum to be returned, and another sum for a new supply. The restored money in the sacks' mouth was a perplexing circumstance. But it might have been done inadvertently by one of the servants--so Jacob persuaded himself--and happy it was for his own peace and the encouragement of the travellers that he took this view. Besides the duty of restoring it, honesty in their case was clearly the best, the safest policy.
This comes from marshcommentary.com.
Because there was a famine, there would not have been many food gifts. Israel knew that the Egyptian governor had all the food he wanted, but these gifts might provide a unique and rare taste of Canaan he would not otherwise have. Unknowingly, these gifts would provide Joseph with a taste of his homeland that he had not had in years. This probably added to his emotional response during his second meeting with his brothers.
Of course, they were to take back the money that had "mistakenly" been returned. It would have been foolish to leave themselves open to possible accusations of robbery. Whenever we find ourselves in uncertain situations, we should be willing to straighten out things. Certainly, there will be many times when we will have to pay, but the point is that we make the effort to get things right.
Of course, they were to take back the money that had "mistakenly" been returned. It would have been foolish to leave themselves open to possible accusations of robbery. Whenever we find ourselves in uncertain situations, we should be willing to straighten out things. Certainly, there will be many times when we will have to pay, but the point is that we make the effort to get things right.
Remember, God changed Jacob's name to Israel. The Bible has been switching them out and now it's back to Israel.
