Charles Ellicott Commentary Genesis 43:11

"And their father Israel said unto them, If it be so now, do this: take of the choice fruits of the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spicery and myrrh, nuts, and almonds;" — Genesis 43:11 (ASV)

The best fruits. The Hebrew term is the song, that is, whatever in the land is most celebrated in song.

In your vessels. This is the word used in Genesis 42:25 (see Note). Concerning this gift, two remarks must be made. First, it proves that although there was not enough rain in Palestine to bring the grain to perfection, there was still some small supply, sufficient to maintain a certain amount of vegetation. Without this, Jacob could not have kept his cattle alive (Genesis 47:1).

Next, the smallness of the gift does not so much show that Jacob had very simple ideas about the greatness of the king of Egypt, as that there was a scarcity even of these fruits. Probably the trade in them had ceased, and therefore even a moderate quantity would be welcome. For the words translated as balm, spices, and myrrh (actually balsam, gum-tragacanth, and ladanum), see Note on Genesis 37:25.

Honey. Since both the honey made by bees and date honey were common in Egypt, many suppose that this was grape-honey, prepared by boiling down the juice of ripe grapes to a third of its original quantity. Hebron is famous for its preparation, and even in modern times, three hundred camel loads used to be exported from there annually into Egypt. Diluted with water, it forms a very pleasant drink and is also largely eaten with bread, as we eat butter.

Nuts. This refers to pistachio nuts, the fruit of the Pistacia vera. Since the tree prefers dry, rocky situations, it will not grow in Egypt. It has an oily kernel, both palatable in itself and also much used for making savory dishes. These and the almonds, which also do not grow well in Egypt, would be acceptable gifts.