(58–68) “Joseph’s brothers came and entered his presence. He recognized them, but they did not recognize him. * When he had provided them with their provisions, he said, ‘Bring me a brother of yours from your father. Do you not see that I give full measure and am the best of hosts? * But if you do not bring him to me, you will receive no measure from me, nor are you to approach me.’ * They said, ‘We will persuade his father to let him go, and we will certainly do so.’ * Joseph told his attendants, ‘Put their payment back in their saddlebags, so that they may recognize it when they return to their family and perhaps come back.’ * When they returned to their father, they said, ‘Our father, any further measure has been denied us. Send our brother with us so that we may receive our measure, and we will certainly guard him.’”
That is, when Joseph (peace be upon him) assumed charge of the storehouses of the land, he administered them in the best possible manner. During the years of abundance, he had vast crops planted throughout the land of Egypt, established large storehouses for them, collected great quantities of food, preserved them, and kept them under meticulous control. Then the years of famine began, and the drought spread until it reached Palestine, where Jacob and his sons lived. Jacob therefore sent his sons to Egypt to procure provisions.
“Joseph’s brothers came and entered his presence. He recognized them, but they did not recognize him”—that is, they did not recognize Joseph.
“When he had provided them with their provisions”—that is, he measured out provisions for them just as he did for others. Part of his sound administration was that he gave no individual more than one camel-load. He had asked them about their circumstances, and they told him that they had a brother who remained with their father—Benjamin.
He therefore said to them, “Bring me a brother of yours from your father.” He then encouraged them to bring him, saying, “Do you not see that I give full measure and am the best of hosts?”—in hospitality and generous treatment.
He then warned them against failing to bring him, saying, “But if you do not bring him to me, you will receive no measure from me, nor are you to approach me.” He knew that they would be compelled to return to him and that this would induce them to bring their brother.
“They said, ‘We will persuade his father to let him go.’” This indicates that Jacob (peace be upon him) was deeply attached to him and could not bear to be parted from him. After Joseph was gone, he found solace in Benjamin; hence, they would need to persuade him to send Benjamin with them. “And we will certainly do so”—that is, we will do as you have commanded us.
Joseph “told his attendants”—those in his service—“Put their payment”—that is, the price they had paid for the provisions—“back in their saddlebags, so that they may recognize it,” meaning their payment, when they later saw it in their saddlebags, “and perhaps come back.” According to one view, they would return because their scruples would prevent them from keeping it. It appears, however, that Joseph intended to induce them to return through his kindness toward them: he gave them full measure and then returned their payment without their noticing it or knowing what was to come. Kindness obliges a person to show complete faithfulness to his benefactor.
“When they returned to their father, they said, ‘Our father, any further measure has been denied us’”—that is, unless you send our brother with us. “Send our brother with us so that we may receive our measure”—that is, his accompanying us will be the means by which we receive our measure. They then pledged to safeguard him, saying, “And we will certainly guard him” against anything unpleasant befalling him.