I will be a pledge of his safety. From my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever.
Famine forces Jacob's hand a second time, and the brothers cannot return to Egypt without Benjamin — the one son their father will not risk. Judah breaks the deadlock by offering himself as the pledge — older translations call him the surety — and that one word carries far beyond a family argument.
The Man Who Sold One Brother Now Pledges Himself for Another
The voice that speaks here is not a neutral one. Judah had once taken the lead in getting rid of Joseph, and the offer he now makes reverses that history point for point.
L. M. GrantThis time Judah — the one who had taken the lead in selling Joseph — insists to his father that the governor of Egypt had made an absolute ruling. If they came back without Benjamin, they would be turned away. So he said they would not go unless they could take Benjamin. He offered to be surety for Benjamin (v. 9). He said that if he did not bring Benjamin back safe, he, Judah, would bear the blame forever.
Something in Judah had changed since then:
F. B. HoleIn Judah's words in verses 8 and 9 we see an attitude towards Benjamin that is the exact opposite of his attitude towards Joseph years before. A repentant spirit was starting to show its fruit.
What a Surety Actually Promises
The verse spells out the terms of the pledge in three clauses: Judah takes responsibility, Jacob may demand Benjamin back from him personally, and failure means permanent blame.
F. B. HoleIn Hebrews 7:22 we read of Jesus being made a surety of a better covenant. Verse 9 of our chapter is an excellent illustration of what being a surety involves. If there is any breakdown, the blame for it must lie for ever on the surety, and everything must be required at his hand.
Why Jacob Believed Him
The size of the offer is not what won Jacob over. What mattered was who carried the risk.
The Bible TreasuryJudah makes no grand offers at the expense of his sons. His offer is much more modest, and the risk is his own. Jacob trusts him at once and lets Benjamin go.
The pledge was soon put to the test:
F. B. HoleEvents were arranged so that the apparent guilt fell on Benjamin, the one Judah had stood surety for before Jacob. That is what brought Judah forward as the spokesman.
The Pledge Redeemed
A surety proves himself when the debt falls due.
The Bible TreasuryJudah kept his pledge with honour when he stood up in Egypt and offered himself as a substitute for Benjamin.
Christ, the Surety of a Better Covenant
One writer applies the same promise to Christ and the new covenant:
F. B. HoleTurn to Genesis 43 and look at verse 9, and the force of the word "surety" will be plain. The new covenant is a declaration of the grace of God. It is as if our Lord said, "If it should ever fail or come to an end, let Me bear the blame for it for ever." It will stand, because as Hebrews 13 says, it is the everlasting covenant.
The old agreement had no one standing in that place:
Michael HardtThe old covenant had no surety. The deal was made and both sides agreed to it. God would never fail to keep His side, but nobody could guarantee that the people would keep theirs — a shaky foundation indeed.
Summary
- Repentance speaks. The brother who sold Joseph now stands security for Benjamin. A changed heart was showing its fruit.
- A surety is named. He carries the whole responsibility. The blame falls on him for ever, and everything is demanded from his hand.
- A surety is trusted. Judah risks himself and not his sons, so Jacob lets Benjamin go at once.
- A surety is proved. In Egypt he redeemed his pledge, offering himself as a substitute so that his brother could go free.
- A surety secures the covenant. What Judah was to Jacob, Jesus is to God. He is the guarantee the old covenant never had, and so the new one stands for ever.