Genesis 50:15 Commentary and Bible Study

Now Moses doesn't tell us when they thought this, but presumably at the time their father died, and it had been on their minds as they returned home. They did feel they were guilty men. They had repented but they felt they were guilty, and they seem to have expected that Joseph would take some sort of revenge. He been so pleasant to them, so agreeable. It was hard to imagine, but it was equally hard to imagine that Joseph would behave any differently from anyone else in those days. It was a very vengeful society. This is what you did you. You paid people back, and why should not Joseph now find some way of enslaving or eliminating his brothers? Now they must have been in some conflict of mind over it. They could see perfectly well how agreeable Joseph was, and yet it concern because of their guilt probably, their deep sense of guilt.But it appears that Jacob had truly given instructions about this, and he had urged the other sons to repent before Jacob, and to request forgiveness. Jacob doesn’t think Joseph will take reprisals, and this big sin needs confession before the Lord, and with apologies to each other. They don’t immediately do it personally as soon as they get home, but they do it by proxy. They send a messenger to Joseph, saying, ‘Thy father did command before he died.’ Now to do it by proxy is an act of humility; that was the culture of the time. They do not go directly to Joseph and say, ‘Our father commanded us to repent, and you to forgive us.’ Instead, they behave as servants, who dare not approach the one to whom they owe so much and who they have wronged so deeply. So who was the person they sent? That is a subject of debate. Some people say it was one of their wives; other say it was Benjamin, because of course, as the youngest son, he had had nothing to do with the crimes against Joseph. But equally he would presumably have been present when Jacob had said to all the sons: ‘Go and repent’, formally and properly and fully before Joseph. So Benjamin could authenticate that it was indeed Jacob’s desire and instruction, and he would be a suitable person, not having been involved in the deed. So Benjamin is probably the favourite. They sent a messenger, but it is not important for us to know, so we are not told.