Knowing The Word in Genesis 42:29-38, The Boys Come Home Less One Brother

29 When they came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying, 30 “The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly to us and took us to be spies of the land. 31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we have never been spies. 32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father. One is no more, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.’ 33 Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘By this I shall know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the famine of your households, and go your way. 34 Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I shall know that you are not spies but honest men, and I will deliver your brother to you, and you shall trade in the land.’” [They tactfully omit that they were all imprisoned for three days and imply that Simeon is being treated as Joseph’s honored guest rather than being held in prison under threat of execution if they did not produce Benjamin.]

35 As they emptied their sacks, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack. And when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid. 36 And Jacob their father said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and now you would take Benjamin. All this has come against me.” [Jacob refuses to accept all this as coincidence. He almost insinuates that they have sold Simeon, like Joseph, into slavery and are now pretending to be dismayed to cover their tracks.] 37 Then Reuben [to demonstrate their sincerity] said to his father, “Kill my two sons if I do not bring him [Benjamin] back to you. Put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.” 38 But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is the only one left. If harm should happen to him on the journey that you are to make, you would bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.” [Jacob effectively denies any fraternal relationship between the sons of Leah and the sons of Rachel. His words to these sons are rather cruel but so is what they did to Joseph and their father. All is not well in the household of Jacob and sons.]