Seder 40: Gen 44-46----Joseph Reveals Himself to his Brothers

In Gen 44:18-34, Judah comes before the Egyptian official on behalf of Benjamin, pleading to be allowed to take Benjamin's place as a slave in Egypt.  He explains that it would kill their father, who was still mourning the loss of Joseph, to lose Benjamin as well. 

Judah's language in verse 22, because of pronoun ambiguity (see LEB or YLT, for example) even suggests that Benjamin could also be harmed by a separation from his father:

"Then we said to my lord, 'The boy cannot leave his father; if he should leave his father, then he would die.' "  (Gen 44:22, LEB)

Judah also tells the Egyptian official something he probably didn't know before---that Jacob has believed all along that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal (v 28).  

In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on January 16, 2021, Kyle Kettering noted that Judah approaches Joseph

• with initiative.
• humbly
• with no excuses or justifications
• seeking mercy.

Judah's impassioned entreaty causes Joseph, the Egyptian official, to finally break down and reveal his identity to his brothers.  To ease  their minds, he points them to the "big picture" as he has come to see it.  God had brought him to Egypt to save many lives  (Gen 45:1-8), so there was no sense in them feeling bad about the past. 

In his sermon, Kyle showed how both Judah and Joseph work toward "repairing the world."

To convince his brothers of his identity, Joseph speaks to them directly, without an interpreter (v 12).  One midrash suggests that he may have demonstrated to them that he was circumcised.  

Joseph urges his brothers to send for their father and bring the entire family to Egypt (vv 9-15).  Pharaoh readily agrees, and Joseph sends them back with plenty of provisions.  

As they are leaving, he instructs them, "Do not quarrel along the way" (v 24).  The Hebrew word for quarrel comes from a root that connotes shaking or trembling. One can shake or tremble from either fear or rage, so the verse has been interpreted in two different ways.  In one reading, he is telling them not to be afraid, because he will not be planting anything in their sacks this time (see NKJV, CEB, and NET).  In another reading Joseph wants them not to argue about how they will break the news to Jacob that they had deceived him about Joseph (as in the Amplified Bible).  Both readings seem valid.

Jacob is overjoyed to have an opportunity to see Joseph, but leaving the land is a big step.  He stops at Beersheba, on the southern border of Canaan, to seek God's will.  God assures Jacob that he should go ahead to Egypt, affirming that this move is in accord with his plan (Gen 46:1-4).

And so Jacob's extended family travels to Egypt.  Seventy members of the family are listed in Gen 46, a number that may symbolize Israel's mission to bring blessing to all nations.  Almost all of the names in the list are male.  One exception is Asher's daughter Serah.  The Bible says almost nothing about Serah,  but there are some fascinating legends about her.