Genesis 42 – Joseph’s Brothers in Egypt: The First Test
Genesis 42 recounts the dramatic first meeting between Joseph and his brothers after years of separation. This chapter highlights God’s providence, the beginning of Joseph’s test of his brothers, and how past sins bring conviction and repentance.
Genesis 42 – Deep Study & Prophetic Revelation
Genesis 42 marks the first step toward reconciliation between Joseph and his brothers. The famine drives Jacob’s sons to Egypt, unknowingly placing them before the brother they betrayed.
✔ Jacob sends his sons to Egypt for grain, keeping Benjamin behind.
✔ Joseph recognizes his brothers, but they do not recognize him.
✔ Joseph tests them by accusing them of being spies.
✔ Simeon is held hostage, and the brothers return to Jacob with grain and confusion.
📖 Key Verse: “And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.” – Genesis 42:21
🔎 This chapter teaches that God’s plan often brings conviction before restoration, leading us toward repentance.
Genesis Chapter 42 Overview
Genesis 42:1-5 – The Famine Drives Jacob’s Sons to Egypt
📖 Genesis 42:1-2 – “Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.”
🔎 God’s plan unfolds through necessity. The famine forces Jacob’s sons to Egypt, unknowingly fulfilling Joseph’s dreams (Genesis 37:7).
📖 Genesis 42:4 – “But Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him.”
🔎 Jacob’s favoritism remains. Just as he once favored Joseph, he now protects Benjamin, fearing another loss.
Genesis 42:6-17 – Joseph Confronts His Brothers
📖 Genesis 42:6-7 – “And Joseph was the governor over 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.”
🔎 Joseph’s dream is fulfilled. The brothers unknowingly bow before the one they sold into slavery (Genesis 37:7-8).
📖 Genesis 42:9 – “And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies.”
🔎 Joseph tests his brothers. His accusation forces them to speak the truth about their family.
📖 Genesis 42:15-17 – “Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither… And he put them all together into ward three days.”
🔎 Joseph’s test is not revenge, but a means to reveal their hearts.
Genesis 42:18-28 – Simeon Held & The Brothers’ Guilt Awakens
📖 Genesis 42:21 – “And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul… therefore is this distress come upon us.”
🔎 Guilt surfaces after years of suppression. They connect their suffering with their past betrayal of Joseph.
📖 Genesis 42:24 – “And he turned himself about from them, and wept.”
🔎 Joseph is overcome with emotion. Though testing them, he still loves his brothers.
📖 Genesis 42:27-28 – “One of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn, and he espied his money… their heart failed them, and they were afraid.”
🔎 They fear judgment. The return of their silver makes them believe God is exposing their sin.
Genesis 42:29-38 – Jacob’s Grief & The Next Step
📖 Genesis 42:36 – “And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me.”
🔎 Jacob believes all hope is lost. He does not yet see God’s providence at work.
📖 Genesis 42:37-38 – “And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee.”
🔎 Reuben offers a reckless guarantee. His attempt to prove his loyalty shows his desperation.
Genesis Chapter 42 - Deeper Study
Overview: Confrontation, Conviction, & Testing
🔹 Timeframe: The second year of the famine (Genesis 45:6)
🔹 Setting: Egypt, before Joseph, and in Canaan with Jacob.
🔹 Theme: Conviction, repentance, and the unfolding of God’s greater plan.
🔹 Connection to Future Events: The need for food will bring the entire family to Egypt (Genesis 46).
Key Takeaways
🔑 Sin has consequences—even years later, guilt remains.
🔑 God’s providence is always at work, even when unseen.
🔑 True repentance begins with conviction.
Prophetic Patterns & Dual Fulfillment
🔮 Joseph as a Type of Christ – Joseph’s brothers unknowingly stood before the one they wronged, just as Israel will stand before Christ at His return (Zechariah 12:10).
🔮 The Famine as a Picture of Spiritual Hunger – Just as they sought grain in Egypt, humanity longs for the bread of life (John 6:35).
🔮 Testing Before Restoration – Joseph’s test mirrors how God refines and purifies before reconciliation.
Historical & Cultural Context
📜 Egypt as a Powerhouse of Trade – Egypt was the breadbasket of the ancient world during times of famine.
📜 The Use of Silver in Trade – Returning the silver would have been seen as an ominous sign.
📜 Prisons in Ancient Egypt – High-profile prisoners were often detained in royal facilities, not common jails.
💡 Final Reflection: Conviction Before Restoration
Joseph’s story reminds us that before true reconciliation, the heart must be tested and purified.
📌 Are we allowing God to reveal our hidden sins and bring conviction?
📌 Do we recognize His providence even in trials?
📌 Are we willing to face our past so that restoration can come?
🚀 Genesis 42 teaches that conviction is a gift—it leads us to repentance and God’s greater plan!
Joseph’s Brothers Go to Egypt
Gen 42:1 Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another?
Gen 42:2 And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.
Gen 42:3 And Joseph’s ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt.
Gen 42:4 But Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him.
Gen 42:5 And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan.
Gen 42:6 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.
Gen 42:7 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.
Gen 42:8 And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.
Gen 42:9 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.
Gen 42:10 And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come.
Gen 42:11 We are all one man’s sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies.
Gen 42:12 And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.
Gen 42:13 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.
Gen 42:14 And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you, saying, Ye are spies:
Gen 42:15 Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither.
Gen 42:16 Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies.
Gen 42:17 And he put them all together into ward three days.
Gen 42:18 And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God:
Gen 42:19 If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses:
Gen 42:20 But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.
Gen 42:21 And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.
Gen 42:22 And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required.
Gen 42:23 And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter.
Gen 42:24 And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes.
Gen 42:25 Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man’s money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus did he unto them.
Gen 42:26 And they laded their asses with the corn, and departed thence.
Gen 42:27 And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn, he espied his money; for, behold, it was in his sack’s mouth.
Gen 42:28 And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto us?
Gen 42:29 And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell unto them; saying,
Gen 42:30 The man, who is the lord of the land, spake roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.
Gen 42:31 And we said unto him, We are true men; we are no spies:
Gen 42:32 We be twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.
Gen 42:33 And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true men; leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone:
Gen 42:34 And bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffick in the land.
Gen 42:35 And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.
Gen 42:36 And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me.
Gen 42:37 And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again.
Gen 42:38 And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.
Date Written
1446-1406 BC
Written By
Moses (written under divine inspiration)
Language
Hebrew
Verses
38