Charles Ellicott Commentary Genesis 43:9

"I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever:" — Genesis 43:9 (ASV)

Then let me bear the blame for ever. —This is much more manly and therefore more persuasive than Reuben’s talk about pledging the lives of his children. For it was real, nor would it be a slight matter to stand in his father’s presence all the rest of his life as one guilty of a grievous crime.