Genesis 42:36 Commentary and Bible Study

Jacob also has trouble seeing through this providence. Although he has no involvement in their sin, he too is brought into suffering; God continues to deal with him. ‘All these things are against me.’ In his affliction; he failed to exercise faith and to believe in any good outcome to these events. A gloom settles upon him which is the opposite of faith. In fact, he refused to exercise faith. Simeon is not ‘no more’; he is in prison and the sons will have told their father this, but he is ready to only see the worst outcome. He says this by way of complaint against the Lord, for he knows perfectly well that it is God who oversees the events of his life. But while he fears to lose one son, he is about to gain two, and a lot more as well. God loves Jacob and will not abandon him as he fears. What God appears to take away from us he gives back again and more. We lose our lives in this world and we gain eternal life. Reuben makes an extravagant offer. Clearly, he did not think his father would be willing to slay his two sons, if they did not return from Egypt with Benjamin, this was a manner of speaking that showed how seriously he would take the responsibility to protect Benjamin and bring him home. He would stake Benjamin’s life against the lives of his own sons. But Reuben was out of his depth. He was no match for the power and authority of the governor of all Egypt. Nor did he not remember how he had failed to protect Joseph all those years before, and how he too had joined in with the false account given by the sons to Jacob of what had happened? He speaks as if he has more power than he does have, and he fails to convince his father.Benjamin shall not go, Jacob declares. The preceding verses suggest that he blamed them for all wrong in the past: ‘Me have ye bereaved of my children.’ He thinks it was a beast that killed Joseph, but their chaotic way of behaving has unavoidably caused trouble. Maybe, he thinks, they have been haughty in Egypt – it is evidence of poor reputation of brothers in their father’s eyes. Benjamin is the only son of Rachel left to him, and he will do nothing to endanger his life. So Jacob balks at this and the sons say no more for the time being. This matter was now hanging unresolved over the entire family of Jacob, until a future crisis would force the issue. For now Simeon is left in prison.