Genesis 43:34

Gen 43:34 And he took [and sent] messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin’s mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him.

Ver. 34. And he took and sent messes.] So did Cyrus in Xenophon, to such as he favoured.

But Benjamin’s mess, &c.] Love will creep where it cannot go; and good blood will never belie itself. Ambrose makes it a type and token of St Paul’s excellent parts and gifts above the rest of the apostles, &c.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

43:34 The brothers were confronted with generous and gracious dealings from God through Joseph, who tested their tolerance by reenacting the favoritism toward Rachel’s son that had galvanized their earlier hostility.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Sometimes this word signifieth to be drunken, but here it is meant, that they had enough, and drank of the best wine.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

took and sent messes . . . Benjamin's mess was five times--In Egypt, as in other Oriental countries, there were, and are, two modes of paying attention to a guest whom the host wishes to honor--either by giving a choice piece from his own hand, or ordering it to be taken to the stranger. The degree of respect shown consists in the quantity, and while the ordinary rule of distinction is a double mess, it must have appeared a very distinguished mark of favor bestowed on Benjamin to have no less than five times any of his brethren.

they drank, and were merry with him--Hebrew, "drank freely" (same as Sol 5:1; Joh 2:10). In all these cases the idea of intemperance is excluded. The painful anxieties and cares of Joseph's brethren were dispelled, and they were at ease.

Next: Genesis Chapter 44

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 34. Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of theirs.] Sir John Chardin observes that "in Persia, Arabia, and the Indies, there are several houses where they place several plates in large salvers, and set one of these before each person, or before two or three, according to the magnificence of each house. This is the method among the Hindoos; the dishes are not placed on the table, but messes are sent to each individual by the master of the feast or by his substitute. The great men of the state are always served by themselves, in the feasts that are made for them; and with greater profusion, their part of each kind of provision being always DOUBLE, TREBLE, or a LARGER proportion of each kind of meat." The circumstance of Benjamin's having a mess FIVE times as large as any of his brethren, shows the peculiar honour which Joseph designed to confer upon him. See several useful observations on this subject in Harmer's Observ., vol. ii., p. 101, c., Edit. 1808.

1. THE scarcity in Canaan was not absolute though they had no corn, they had honey, nuts, almonds, c. In the midst of judgment, God remembers mercy. If there was scarcity in Canaan, there was plenty in Egypt and though his providence had denied one country corn, and accumulated it in the other, his bounty had placed in the former money enough to procure it from the latter. How true is the saying, "It is never ill with any but it might be worse!" Let us be deeply thankful to God that we have any thing, seeing we deserve no good at his hands.

2. If we examine our circumstances closely, and call to remembrance the dealings of God's providence towards us, we shall find that we can sing much both of mercy and of judgment. For one day of absolute unavoidable want, we shall find we had three hundred and sixty-four, if not of fulness, yet of a competency. Famines, though rarely happening, are everywhere recorded; innumerable years of abundance are scarcely ever registered! Such is the perverseness and ingratitude of man!

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(34) Messes.—A portion of food from that prepared for the chief is regarded in the East as a mark both of honour and friendship, and the largeness of Benjamin’s mess marked him out as the especial object of Joseph’s regard. The words literally are, “And the portion of Benjamin was great above the portions of all of them five hands,” that is, five times. It has been supposed that Joseph intended to try his brethren by this preference, and see if they were still envious. More probably it was dictated simply by his love.

They drank and were merry with him.—Heb., They drank and were drunken with him. The verb is that used of Noah in Gen_9:21, but probably the rendering in Hag_1:6, “and were filled with drink,” would give the right meaning. They lost all fear and suspicion, and gave themselves up to enjoyment.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

34. he took and sent messes] R.V. marg. messes were taken. The word “mess” is used here in the sense of “portion” of food. Cf. 2Sa_11:8, “and there followed him a mess of meat from [marg. present from] the king.” The word “messmate” preserves the Old English use. Mess, food, Old Fr. mes (mets), Lat. missum, e.g.:

“At their savoury dinner set

Of herbs and other country messes.”

Milton, L’Allegro, 85.

five times] Lit. “five hands”; cf. Gen_47:24. Attention has been called to the frequent use of the number “five” in Egyptian matters recorded in the O.T. Cf. Gen_41:34, Gen_45:22, Gen_47:2; Gen_47:24; Isa_19:18. Some have connected it with the five Egyptian planets.

If an explanation is at all required, counting on one’s fingers is presumably the origin of a natural preference for the use of the numbers “five” and “ten.”

were merry] Heb. drank largely. This expression need not be interpreted too literally. The men were “festive,” not necessarily “intoxicated,” as LXX ἐμεθύσθησαν; Lat. inebriati sunt.

Compare Son_5:1, “drink abundantly”; Hag_1:6, “ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink.”

For a special dish for the most honoured guest, cf. 1Sa_9:23-24.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Of him. Joseph, the master of the feast, sends a portion to each of his guests, according to the ancient custom. (Plut.[Plutarch,?] Sympos. ii.) --- Five parts: in order to distinguish Benjamin the more. So Hector reproaches Diomed for fleeing before him, though he was placed in the highest place at table among the Greeks, and had the largest portion both of meat and drink. --- Merry. Inebriati sunt, sometimes means intoxicated: but it is not at all probably that Joseph’s brethren would indulge in any such excess, while they knew him not, (Calmet) and were under the impressions of fear and wonder. They took what was sufficient, and even decently abundant, with thankfulness for so unexpected an honour. (Haydock) --- The word is often taken in this sense, as at the feast of Cana, where Jesus would never have furnished such an abundance of wine for people already drunk. (John ii. 10; Proverbs xi. 24.) Homer’s feasts consist in every man taking what he pleased. (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

It was the ancient custom of Egypt and other countries in their feasts, that either all the meat, or at least some eminent parts and parcels of it, were not promiscuously set before all the guests, but peculiarly distributed by the master of the feast to the several guests, and that differently, according to his respect and affection to them, or to their several qualities. See 1Sa 1:5; 9:22-24.

Five times so much as any of theirs; partly, because of his nearer relation and dearer affection to him; and partly, to observe whether this would raise that envy in them towards him, which was the occasion of their malicious enterprise against himself, that he might accordingly provide for his security.

Were merry: the Hebrew word oft signifies to be drunk, but ofttimes it is only to drink liberally, though not to drunkenness, as may appear from Son 5:1; Hag 1:6; Joh 2:10.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

34. Five times so much — This was a special mark of honour, and furnished opportunity for Joseph to observe if his brethren envied Benjamin as they once did himself.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And he took and sent (literally, and he sent) messesmaseoth, from nasa, to take or lift up, i.e. things taken or lifted up, hence portions or gifts (2Sa_11:8) unto them from before him (cf. 1Sa_9:23) The practice of thus honoring guests was also observed among other nations (vide "Iliad," 7:321). But Benjamin"s mess (or portion) was five times so much as any of theirs literally, exceeded the portions of all of them five hands, i.e. five times. Herodotus (6:57) mentions that among the Spartans the king received a doubleportion. The unusually large portion assigned to Benjamin was designed as an expression of his strong fraternal affection, and perhaps also as a test of his brethren to ascertain if they were now free from that spirit of envy which had prompted their former cruelty to him. And they drank, and were merry with him literally, and drank largely with him. Though the verb rkv; sometimes signifies to drink to the full, (Hag_1:6; Son_5:1) and though intoxication was not unusual at Egyptian entertainments, there is no reason to suppose that either Joseph or his brethren were inebriated (Vulgate, Alford), or that more is meant than simply that their hearts became exhilarated "because their cares were dissipated by the kindness they were receiving, the presence of Simeon, and the attention paid to Benjamin" (Murphy).

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

They drank and were merry - Their cares and fears were now over, and they eat their bread with joy, concluding they were now upon good terms with the man, the Lord of the land. If God accept our works, our present, we have reason to be chearful.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

But Benjamin’s mess

Cf. (See Scofield "Gen 35:18"). It is important to observe that Benjamin now becomes prominent. Joseph is peculiarly the type of Christ in His first advent, rejection, death, resurrection, and present exaltation among the Gentiles, but unrecognized of Israel. As the greater Benjamin, "Son of sorrow," but also "Son of my right hand," He is to be revealed in power in the Kingdom Gen 1:26-28. See Scofield "Zec 12:8". It is then, and not till then, that Israel is to be restored and converted. See Scofield "Deu 30:3". Typically Gen 45:1; Gen 45:2 anticipates the revelation prophetically described,; Eze 20:33-36; Hos 2:14-23 at which time the Benjamin type of Christ will be fulfilled.

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

משאת means PORTIONS OF FOOD.

חמש ידות FIVE TIMES — His own portion that was due to him alike with his brothers and additional portions given to him by Joseph, Asenath, Manasseh and Ephraim (Genesis Rabbah 92.5).

וישכרו עמו AND THEY DRANK WITH HIM — but from the day they sold him they had not drunk wine nor had he drunk wine. That day, however, they drank wine (Genesis Rabbah 92:5).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

וישא, the person who handed out the gifts. We find a similar construction where the subject is presumed without being named or being specifically referred to in 48,2 when Yaakov is informed that Joseph is about to visit him. The Torah there also uses the impersonal ויגד, “someone told,” without bothering to inform the reader who it was that informed Yaakov. All this friendliness which Joseph displayed during the meal was intended to contrast with the manner in which they, the brothers would do everything in their power to cause him anguish and discomfort prior to the time when they had sold him. He displayed especial fondness for Binyamin because he had been forced to come to Egypt on account of what must have seemed like his caprice, and to compensate him for having been separated from his father for no apparent reason. At least, these were some of the thoughts which the brothers thought of to explain Joseph’s strange behaviour.

Radak on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash” (CC BY 4.0); “Rabbi Mike Feuer, Jerusalem Anthology” (CC BY 4.0); and “R. David Kimhi on the first book of Psalms, Translated by R.G. Finch, London, 1919” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.