26 And Joseph cometh into the house, and they bring to him the present which 'is' in their hand, into the house, and bow themselves to him, to the earth; 27 and he asketh of them of peace, and saith, 'Is your father well? the aged man of whom ye have spoken, is he yet alive?' 28 and they say, 'Thy servant our father 'is' well, he is yet alive;' and they bow, and do obeisance. 29 And he lifteth up his eyes, and seeth Benjamin his brother, his mother's son, and saith, 'Is this your young brother, of whom ye have spoken unto me?' and he saith, 'God favour thee, my son.' 30 And Joseph hasteth, for his bowels have been moved for his brother, and he seeketh to weep, and entereth the inner chamber, and weepeth there; 31 and he washeth his face, and goeth out, and refraineth himself, and saith, 'Place bread.' 32 And they place for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians who are eating with him by themselves: for the Egyptians are unable to eat bread with the Hebrews, for it 'is' an abomination to the Egyptians. 33 And they sit before him, the first-born according to his birthright, and the young one according to his youth, and the men wonder one at another; 34 and he lifteth up gifts from before him unto them, and the gift of Benjamin is five hands more than the gifts of all of them; and they drink, yea, they drink abundantly with him.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Genesis 43:26-34
Commentary on Genesis 43:26-34
(Read Genesis 43:26-34)
Observe the great respect Joseph's brethren paid to him. Thus were Joseph's dreams more and more fulfilled. Joseph showed great kindness to them. He treated them nobly; but see here the early distance between Jews and gentiles. In a day of famine, it is enough to be fed; but they were feasted. Their cares and fears were now over, and they ate their bread with joy, reckoning they were upon good terms with the lord of the land. If God accept our works, our present, we have reason to be cheerful. Joseph showed special regard for Benjamin, that he might try whether his brethren would envy him. It must be our rule, to be content with what we have, and not to grieve at what others have. Thus Jesus shows those whom he loves, more and more of their need. He makes them see that he is their only refuge from destruction. He overcomes their unwillingness, and brings them to himself. Then, as he sees good, he gives them some taste of his love, and welcomes them to the provisions of his house, as an earnest of what he further intends for them.