And he turned himself about from them (in order to hide his emotion), and wept (as he reflected on the wonderful leadings of Divine providence, and beheld the pitiful distress of his brethren); and returned to them again (having previously withdrawn from them a space), and communed with them (probably about the one of them that should remain behind), and took from them—by a rough act of authority, since they either could not or would not settle among themselves who should be the prisoner (Candlish)—Simeon,—passing by Reuben not because he was the firstborn (Tuch, Lengerke), but because he was comparatively guiltless (Keil, Kalisch, Lange, Candlish, and expositors generally), and selecting Simeon either as the eldest of the guilty ones (Aben Ezra, Keil, Lange, Murphy, Wordsworth, Alford, and others), or as the chief instigator of the sale of Joseph (Philo, Rosenmüller, Furst, Kalisch, Gerlach, Lawson, et alii)—and bound him before their eyes—thus forcibly recalling to their minds what they had done to him (Wordsworth), and perhaps hoping to incite them, through pity for Simeon, to return the more speedily with Benjamin (Lawson).
Bible Commentary
Genesis 42:24
The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 42:24
The Pulpit Commentary · Joseph S. Exell and contributors · Public domain
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The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 42:1-38Genesis 42:1-38 · The Pulpit CommentaryEXPOSITIONThe Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 42:1-38Genesis 42:1-38 · The Pulpit CommentaryThe first visit of Joseph's brethren to Egypt. I. THE JOURNEY TO EGYPT (Genesis 42:1-5). 1. The famishing household. Although Canaan was the land of promise, and the family of Jacob the Church of God, yet neither was th…The Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 42:1-38Genesis 42:1-38 · The Pulpit CommentaryGod's trials of his people. The trial of Joseph is over. Now comes the trial of his brethren and of Jacob. The Spirit of God is at work in all their hearts. True men they were and yet sinful men. Before they can be made…Matthew Henry on Genesis 42:21-24Genesis 42:21-24 · Matthew Henry Concise CommentaryThe office of conscience is to bring to mind things long since said and done. When the guilt of this sin of Joseph's brethren was fresh, they made light of it, and sat down to eat bread; but now, long afterward, their c…Reflections of Joseph's Brethren. (b. c. 1706.)Genesis 42:21-28 · Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole BibleREFLECTIONS OF JOSEPH'S BRETHREN. (B. C. 1706.) Here is, I. The penitent reflection Joseph's brethren made upon the wrong they had formerly done to him, Genesis 42:21. They talked the matter over in the Hebrew tongue, n…
commentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 42:1-38The first visit of Joseph's brethren to Egypt. I. THE JOURNEY TO EGYPT (Genesis 42:1-5). 1. The famishing household. Although Canaan was the land of promise, and the family of Jacob the Church of God, yet neither was th…Joseph S. Exell and contributorscommentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 42:1-38God's trials of his people. The trial of Joseph is over. Now comes the trial of his brethren and of Jacob. The Spirit of God is at work in all their hearts. True men they were and yet sinful men. Before they can be made…Joseph S. Exell and contributorscommentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Genesis 42:1-38EXPOSITIONJoseph S. Exell and contributorscommentaryMatthew Henry on Genesis 42:21-24The office of conscience is to bring to mind things long since said and done. When the guilt of this sin of Joseph's brethren was fresh, they made light of it, and sat down to eat bread; but now, long afterward, their c…Matthew HenrycommentaryReflections of Joseph's Brethren. (b. c. 1706.)REFLECTIONS OF JOSEPH'S BRETHREN. (B. C. 1706.) Here is, I. The penitent reflection Joseph's brethren made upon the wrong they had formerly done to him, Genesis 42:21. They talked the matter over in the Hebrew tongue, n…Matthew Henry