Genesis 42: 4-13: “But Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him. And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan. 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. 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. And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him. 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. 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. And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. 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.”
The last time that Joseph saw his brothers before this was when they sold him to the Ishmaelites as a slave. He would have heard them discussing whether to kill him or sell him and get some money. Joseph wanted to make sure that his brothers weren’t going to destroy him as they had before. He wasn’t seeking revenge for their former behaviour (see Gen 50: 19, 20 “And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”) Joseph was a generous and forgiving man but he knew that he had to protect himself. It was easy for his to recognise his brothers because they were still wearing the same style of clothing but Joseph was no part of Egyptian royalty. He was wearing Egyptian clothing and make up and had shaved his beard.
(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
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