And Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones.
Jacob's food has run out a second time. His sons cannot get more unless Benjamin, the son Jacob will not part with, goes down to Egypt with them. Judah's words break the deadlock. The man who once sold one brother now puts his own name on the line for another.
Hunger Forces the Question
The family delayed while the grain held out. When it ran out, they could no longer dodge the choice.
William KellyAs long as the food lasted, the dreaded condition stayed out of sight. But when their supply ran out, they had to face facts. They found God to be above their hopes as much as their fears. He turned their faults to their profit, and He was rich in mercy that suited their need, to His own glory. The sons left it to their father to propose a fresh visit to Egypt; and it is not Reuben but Judah who states the case.
Jacob had already said no. Hunger overruled him.
F. B. HoleFor the moment Jacob refused outright to part with Benjamin. But Genesis 43 shows us how his stubborn refusal had to give way before the hard logic of facts. They could not get the food they needed unless Benjamin went down to Egypt with his brothers.
Judah, Not Reuben
Judah's offer sounds smaller than a grand promise, yet it costs him more. It is the one Jacob accepts.
The Bible TreasuryJudah's character stands out by contrast everywhere, and nowhere more than here. Judah makes no large offers at the expense of his sons; what he offers is much more moderate, and at his own risk. "Send the boy with me … I will be surety for him." Jacob trusts him at once and lets Benjamin go.
The same brother appears at both turning points in Joseph's story.
J. N. DarbyJudah was directly guilty of selling him to the Gentiles; when Benjamin comes into the picture, Judah is identified with him — he stands surety for him.
A Changed Man
Hole looks past the words to what produced them.
F. B. HoleIn the words of Judah, recorded in verses 8 and 9, we find an attitude towards him quite the opposite to his attitude towards Joseph years before. A repentant spirit was beginning to show its fruits.
What he had refused to do for one brother, he now volunteers for another.
An Outline of Sound WordsBut his words to his father Jacob, about sending Benjamin to Joseph, show us something in Judah's character that we can admire… What he failed to do for Joseph, he now does for Benjamin. He stands surety for his safety.
What a Surety Is
Judah does not just promise to try. He takes the whole weight of what happens on himself. That role is called being a surety — older translations use the same word for Jesus in Hebrews 7:22.
F. B. HoleHebrews 7:22 says that Jesus was made "the guarantor of a better covenant." Verse 9 of our chapter gives an excellent picture of what being a surety involves. If there is any breakdown, the blame for it must lie for ever on the surety, and he must answer for all of it. If there were any breakdown in the new covenant, the blame would rest upon Christ for ever. But no! Its stability and the security of all its blessings are guaranteed for eternity.
The Pledge Redeemed
Judah later kept his word. He offered to become a slave in Benjamin's place. Yet an offer to pay is not the same as a price paid.
The Bible TreasuryJudah's appeal is not empty rhetoric; he offers to give himself up to save Benjamin. This spirit of self-sacrifice marks all true intercession. "Blot me, I pray you, out of your book," said Moses. "I could wish myself accursed," said Paul. "Let me be a slave instead of Benjamin," says Judah, in effect. All these declared what they were willing to do: the wounds of Christ show what He has done.
Summary
- Famine speaks. Jacob's refusal held only while the grain lasted. Then hunger forced the family to face what they had avoided.
- Judah speaks. Not Reuben but Judah states the case, and he stakes himself rather than anyone else — so Jacob trusts him at once.
- Repentance speaks. The man who sold Joseph now binds himself to Benjamin; changed words are the first fruit of a changed heart.
- Suretyship speaks. A surety carries the blame for any failure for ever. Hebrews gives Jesus that name: guarantor of a better covenant.
- Christ speaks last. Judah offered to pay; the wounds of Christ show a price already paid.