Matthew Henry Commentary Genesis 43:1-14

"And the famine was sore in the land. And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food. And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you. If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food: but if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down; for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you. And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother? And they said, The man asked straitly concerning ourselves, and concerning our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye [another] brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we in any wise know that he would say, Bring your brother down? And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones. 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: for except we had lingered, surely we had now returned a second time. 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; and take double money in your hand; and the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks carry again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight: take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man: and God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release unto you your other brother and Benjamin. And if I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved." — Genesis 43:1-14 (ASV)

Jacob urges his sons to go and buy a little food; now, in this time of scarcity, a little must be enough. Judah urges that Benjamin should go with them.

It is not against the honor and duty children owe their parents to humbly advise them and, when necessary, to reason with them. Jacob saw the necessity of the situation and yielded. His prudence and justice appeared in three things:

1. He sent back the money they had found in the sack. Honesty requires us to restore not only what comes to us through our own fault, but also what comes to us through the mistakes of others. Though we may obtain it by an oversight, if we keep it when the oversight is discovered, it is kept by deceit.

2. He sent double the amount of money they had taken previously; the price of grain might have risen, or they might have to pay a ransom for Simeon.

3. He sent a present of such things as the land provided and as were scarce in Egypt, such as balm, honey, and other similar items.

Providence does not dispense its gifts to everyone alike. However, honey and spices will never make up for the lack of essential grain. The famine was severe in Canaan, yet they had balm, myrrh, and other such things. We can live well enough on plain food without delicacies; but we cannot live on delicacies without plain food.

Let us thank God that what is most necessary and useful is generally most inexpensive and common. Although people highly value their gold and silver, and the luxuries considered the best products of every land, yet in a time of famine they willingly trade them for bread. And how little will earthly good things avail us on the day of wrath!

How ready we should be to renounce them all as loss, for the excellence of the knowledge of Jesus Christ! Our way to succeed with people is by first prevailing with the Lord in fervent prayer. But Thy will be done, should conclude every petition for the mercies of this life or against the afflictions of this life.