Genesis 42 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

Genesis 42

WHEN:

• Joseph was 17 when he went to Egypt (approximately 1728 B.C.).

• Joseph was 30 years old when he became a ruler of Egypt (approx.. 1715 B.C.).

• The 7 years of abundance foretold in Pharaoh’s dream (Gen 41) had past and the 7 years of famine had begun. Therefore, these events occurred at least 20 years after Joseph was sold as a slave.

CHARACTERS:

• Joseph – Jacob’s son with Rachel. In this chapter, he was the second most powerful man in Egypt.

• Joseph’s 10 Brothers – They sold Joseph into slavery when he was 17. In Genesis 42, they travelled to Egypt to buy food during a famine.

• Benjamin – Joseph’s 11th brother. The only other son of Jacob and Rachel.

• Jacob – The father of Joseph and his brothers. He was the son of Isaac and husband of Rachel and Leah.

WHERE:

• Joseph’s brothers travelled from Canaan to Egypt to buy food during a famine.

• We are not told where exactly in Egypt Joseph was located.  

OUTLINE:

• JACOB SENDS HIS SONS TO EGYPT TO BUY FOOD (42:1-5):

  • Not long after the 7 year famine began, Jacob told his sons to go down to Egypt to buy food.

  • Ten of Jacob’s sons made the journey to Egypt.

  • Jacob did not send Benjamin, his youngest son, because he feared something would happen to him.

• JOSEPH MEETS HIS BROTHERS IN EGYPT (42:6-17):

  • Joseph was governor of Egypt and everyone came to him to buy food.

  • Joseph’s brothers appeared before Joseph and bowed down to him.

  • He recognized them but his brothers didn’t recognize him.

  • After they bowed, Joseph remembered his dreams about the sheaves and the stars (37:1-11).

  • Joseph treated them roughly, questioned them, and accused them of being spies.

  • They told Joseph they were all sons of one man and had a brother back in Canaan.

  • Joseph put them in custody for 3 days.

• JOSEPH SENDS HIS BROTHERS BACK TO CANAAN (42:18-25):

  • On the 3rd day, Joseph told the brothers to return to Canaan and bring back their youngest brother to prove they were telling the truth.

  • Joseph told them he was going to imprison one of them until the others returned.

  • The brothers suspected these things were happening to them because of their sin of selling their brother into slavery.

  • They said, “In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.”

  • They did not know that the governor, Joseph, understood their language.

  • Joseph imprisoned Simeon in Egypt before the other brothers returned to Canaan.

  • Joseph told his servants to fill his brother’s sacks with grain, but to put the money they used for payment back in their sacks.

• THE JOURNEY HOME AND JACOB’S RESPONSE (42:26-38):

  • On their way home, the brothers discovered their money in their sacks.

  • They were afraid the governor would think they took the grain without paying.

  • When they reached home, they recounted their experience to Jacob.

  • They told him they needed to take Benjamin to Egypt, but Jacob would not allow it.

APPLICATION:

• Your sins will haunt you will haunt in the future.

• Joseph’s brothers must have assumed everything bad that happened to them happened because of their hidden sin of selling their brother.

• Certainly, the short satisfaction they got from the revenge on their brother wasn’t worth the cloud of guilt and anxiety that hung over them for the rest of their lives.

• The decisions you make today impact your future peace.

• You’ll never regret making the right decision, but you’ll certainly regret making the wrong one. ?