Matthew Henry Commentary Genesis 45:1-15

"Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood before him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians heard, and the house of Pharaoh heard. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence. And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. And now be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and there are yet five years, in which there shall be neither plowing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a remnant in the earth, and to save you alive by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not; and thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children`s children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast: and there will I nourish thee; for there are yet five years of famine; lest thou come to poverty, thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast. And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you. And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen: and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither. And he fell upon his brother Benjamin`s neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. And he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him." — Genesis 45:1-15 (ASV)

Joseph let Judah continue and heard all he had to say. He found his brothers humbled for their sins, mindful of him (for Judah had mentioned him twice in his speech), respectful to their father, and very tender toward their brother Benjamin. Now they were ready for the comfort he intended for them by making himself known. Joseph ordered all his attendants to withdraw.

In this way, Christ makes himself and his loving-kindness known to his people, out of the sight and hearing of the world. Joseph shed tears of tenderness and strong affection, and with these, he cast off the austerity with which he had until then behaved toward his brothers. This represents the divine compassion toward returning penitents. I am Joseph, your brother. This statement would humble them even more for their sin in selling him but would also encourage them to hope for kind treatment.

Similarly, when Christ wanted to convince Paul, he said, I am Jesus; and when he wanted to comfort his disciples, he said, It is I, be not afraid. When Christ reveals himself to his people, he encourages them to draw near to him with a true heart. Joseph does so, and shows them that whatever they intended to do against him, God had brought good out of it.

Sinners must grieve and be angry with themselves for their sins, even though God brings good out of them, for that is no thanks to the sinners themselves. The similarity between all this and the experience of a sinner when Christ reveals himself to his soul is very striking.

On this account, the sinner does not consider sin a lesser evil, but a greater one. Yet he is so armed against despair that he even rejoices in what God has done, while he trembles when thinking of the dangers and destruction from which he has escaped.

Joseph promises to take care of his father and all the family. It is the duty of children, if the needs of their parents at any time require it, to support and provide for them to the utmost of their ability; this is showing piety at home (1 Timothy 5:4). After Joseph had embraced Benjamin, he caressed them all, and then his brothers talked with him freely about all the affairs of their father's house. After the signs of true reconciliation with the Lord Jesus, sweet communion with him follows.