Judah's plea to Joseph is a carefully constructed appeal to the heart. Commentators explain that each detail is meant to build a case for Benjamin's unique importance. Jacob is old, Benjamin is the son of his old age, and he is the last surviving child of his beloved mother, Rachel. His full brother, Joseph, is presumed dead. This combination of factors explains why Jacob's life is so deeply bound up with the boy's, making the potential loss of Benjamin a fatal blow to the elderly patriarch.