Genesis 42:4

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Genesis 42:4 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “But Benjamin, Joseph`s brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest Peradventure harm befall him.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

But Benjamin, Joseph`s brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest Peradventure harm befall him.
Genesis 42:4 — American Standard Version

Context — Genesis 42

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
4But Benjamin, Joseph`s brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest Peradventure harm befall him.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“But Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren, etc.] Benjamin is called Joseph’s brother, because he was so both by father and mother’s side, as the rest were not; him Jacob kept with him, being the youngest and his darling, the only son he had with him of his beloved wife Rachel; and was very probably the more beloved by him since he had been bereft of Joseph; and it was not only to keep him company that he retained him at home, but for the reason following: for he said, lest peradventure mischief befall him; as had to Joseph his brother, as he imagined; either that the journey would be too much for him, being young, or lest he should be seized with sickness on the road,…”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“- Joseph and Ten of His Brethren 1. שׁבר sheber, “fragment, crumb, hence, grain.” בר bar “pure,” “winnowed,” hence, “corn” (grain). 6. שׁליט shallı̂yṭ, “ruler, governor, hence,” Sultan. Not elsewhere found in the Pentateuch. 25. כלי kelı̂y, “vessel,” here any portable article in which grain may be conveyed. שׂק śaq, “sack,” the very word which remains in our language to this day. אמתחת 'amtachath “bag.” Twenty years, the period of Joseph’s long and anxious waiting, have come to an end. The dreams of his boyhood are now at length to be fulfilled. The famine has reached the chosen family, and they look at one another perplexed and irresolute, not knowing what to do. Genesis 42:1-5 The aged…”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“42:4 Jacob may have believed that Benjamin would not be safe with his brothers.”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification