Dake - The Ultimate Study Bible

Commentary Notes

In his youth, Joseph was hated by his brothers. They sold him into slavery and deceived their father Jacob into believing that Joseph had been killed. When God finally arranged for a family reunion, Joseph displayed tremendous wisdom. Genesis 42-45 tells the story of how he tested his brothers before revealing himself to them.

The notes on page 39 of The Dake Annotated Reference Bible are a typical example of the kind of detailed analysis Dake gives such a lengthy text:

Twelve Tests Joseph Gave His Brothers (Gen. 45:1)

  1. Making himself a stranger to them, accusing them of being spies (42:7-16)
  2. Threatening to keep nine of them in prison until the other one brought Benjamin (42:16)
  3. Putting all ten brothers in jail for three days so his servants could listen to their conversations and get information concerning his home and the events of the past twenty-two years, and to know their true attitude now concerning Jacob and Rachel's children (42:17)
  4. Binding Simeon and keeping him in prison for a whole year, thus punishing him for his cruelty and perhaps for being the leader of the plot against him (42:19-23; 43:23; cp. 34:25; 49:5)
  5. Putting their money back in the sacks so as to test their honesty and to see if they were as covetous as they were when they sold him (42:25-28)
  6. Giving them hospitality to make them feel keenly his disappointment in them when they were accused of robbery after such good treatment (43:16-34)
  7. Giving Benjamin a meal five times bigger than the others, to see if they would hate and be jealous of another of Rachel's children (43:34)
  8. Putting their money back into their sacks a second time, to see how they would answer when accused (44:1-8)
  9. Putting his personal cup in Benjamin's sack, to see what the brothers would do if Benjamin were detained and imprisoned (44:2-13)
  10. Arresting them again and putting them on trial for returning evil for good (44:2-17)
  11. Accusing them of stealing from a palace, a crime punishable by death (44:2-17)
  12. By threatening to keep only Benjamin in prison for the crime, to see if they were as anxious to get rid of their father's present favorite son as they had been to get rid of the one in the past (44:17; cp. 37:2-28).

Twenty-five Things Joseph Learned by the Tests:

  1. His dreams of 37:5-11 were being fulfilled (42:6; 43:26, 28; 44:14)
  2. His brothers did not know him (42:8, 23)
  3. They claimed to be true men (42:11)
  4. Benjamin was alive and home (42:13)
  5. They thought him dead (42:13; 44:20)
  6. They felt guilty for refusing to have mercy on him (42:21)
  7. They thought they were reaping what they had sown (42:21-22)
  8. Reuben had pleaded for him, but the others would not listen (37:21-22, 29-30; 42:22)
  9. They obeyed and brought Benjamin (43:16)
  10. Jacob was yet alive (43:28)
  11. He was in good health (43:28)
  12. The identity of Benjamin (43:29)
  13. His brothers were surprised that he knew the custom of seating among Hebrews (43:33)
  14. They were honest in bringing back the first money (43:21; 44:8)
  15. They were willing to take blame and suffer for their sin (44:16)
  16. They felt that God was punishing them for their kidnapping crime (44:16)
  17. Judah was the one who had proposed selling him instead of killing him (37:26; 44:18)
  18. All his brethren were changed men (42:22; 43:18-34; 44:9-34)
  19. They recognized him as being equal to Pharaoh in power (44:18)
  20. Benjamin was now the beloved of his father (44:20-22, 27-31)
  21. Jacob's belief was that Joseph had been torn by beasts (44:28)
  22. They had lied to Jacob about him (44:28)
  23. Jacob would die if Benjamin were missing (44:31)
  24. Judah would take the blame and be a substitute to suffer for Benjamin (44:32-33)
  25. They were deeply concerned for Jacob and Benjamin-not for themselves (44:20-34)

     

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