Genesis 43:33

And Joseph got his brothers to sit together. He got his oldest brother to sit down first, and he got his 2nd oldest brother to sit down next, and then he kept on doing that with all his brothers, and he got his youngest brother to sit down last. So all his brothers were sitting down in order of their age, from the oldest to the youngest. Joseph’s brothers were shocked. They thought, “That man knows how old we all are. How does he know that?”

Plain English Version

In The King James Version

And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled one at another.

In Context

32In that room there was Joseph, and Joseph’s brothers, and some Egypt people. Joseph’s workers went and got food for them all. Those Egypt people didn’t want to sit with Joseph’s brothers, because Joseph’s brothers were from the Hebrew tribe, and the Egypt people reckoned it was wrong to eat food with Hebrew people. That’s what their culture said. So those Egypt people sat by themselves, and Joseph had a special place for himself.

34Then Joseph’s workers got food from Joseph’s table, and they gave that food to Joseph’s brothers. But they gave Benjamin more food than all the others. They gave Benjamin 5 lunches just for him. And all of Joseph’s brothers, they drank a lot of wine with Joseph, and they felt very happy.

Read all of Genesis 43

Cross References

Genesis 44:12And Joseph’s worker started to look in all those bags. He looked in the oldest man’s bag first, but the cup wasn’t there. Then he went to the next oldest man, and he looked in that man’s bag, but the cup wasn’t there. And he kept on doing that with all the men. He looked in all of their bags until he got to the youngest man. That young man’s name was Benjamin. Joseph’s worker looked in Benjamin’s bag, and he found that silver cup.

Matthew Henry on Genesis 43:27-34

26 And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth. 27 And he asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive? 28 And they answered, Thy servant our father is in good health, he is yet alive. And they bowed down their heads, and made obeisance. 29 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, Is this your younger brother, of whom… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study Genesis 43:33