Genesis 43 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

Genesis 43

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. They returned to Egypt to buy food again in Genesis 43.

• 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 RELENTS AND ALLOWS BENJAMIN TO GO TO EGYPT (43:1-14):

  • The famine in Canaan was severe and Jacob’s family was running out of food.

  • Jacob told his sons to return to Egypt to buy more food.

  • They told their father they couldn’t return unless Benjamin went with them, because the governor of Egypt (Joseph) demanded they bring him to prove they weren’t spies.

  • Judah told his father he would be responsible for Benjamin’s safety.

  • Jacob agreed to let Benjamin go. He told his sons to take a present of fruit, balm, honey, gum, myrrh, pistachios, and almonds to the governor of Egypt.

  • He told them to take double money to pay back the money they found in their sacks after their last visit.

• JOSEPH’S BROTHER ARE INVITED TO HIS HOUSE (43:15-34):

  • The brother’s travelled to Egypt and were told to wait in Joseph’s house.

  • They feared they were going to be made into the governor’s servants, so they approached his steward and started explaining their situation and how they brought double money to pay for the grain they took on their last visit.

  • The steward of Joseph’s house told them not to worry, he already knew about the money and it was of no concern.

  • The steward brought them to Joseph’s house, washed their feet, gave them water, and cared for their donkeys.

  • At noon, Joseph arrived and greeted them.

  • They gave him the present from Jacob, and he inquired about their father’s health.

  • Joseph greeted Benjamin warmly but had to rush out of the room because he became emotional.

  • After returning, food was served. Joseph and the Egyptians ate separately because it was considered “an abomination” for Egyptians to eat with Hebrews.

  • The brothers were seated in order of their birth, which shocked them, and they were served food from Joseph’s table.

  • Benjamin received 5 times as much food as his other 10 brothers.

APPLICATION:

• People change over time. Be anxious to observe new maturity in a person.

• It is easy to write a person off because you had a bad experience with them, but over time, people grow, they mature, and they become more like Jesus.

• It was Judah who proposed the idea of selling Joseph to the Ishmaelite slave traders back in Genesis 27:26, but in this chapter we see him taking responsibility for the safety of Benjamin.

• In the next chapter, we will see him volunteering to become Pharoah’s slave to allow Benjamin to return to his father in Canaan.

• Judah was a very different man than he was 20 years earlier.

• Let’s hope and pray people grow out of being the sinful person they were in the past.

• If Jesus believes we can change, we should believe other people can change.