And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:
Then their father Israel said to them, 'If this is how it has to be, then do this: take some of the best products from our land in your bags and bring them as a gift to the man, some healing balm, honey, spices, myrrh, nuts, and almonds.'
Israel reluctantly agrees to send his sons back to Egypt with Benjamin, instructing them to bring valuable gifts from their homeland to show respect to the Egyptian ruler.
📚 Historical Context
In the biblical narrative of Genesis, Jacob and his sons are enduring a severe famine in the land of Canaan, which forces them to travel to Egypt for grain. During their first visit, they encountered the Egyptian governor, unbeknownst to them, their long-lost brother Joseph, who demanded they return with their youngest brother Benjamin to prove their honesty. As a result, Jacob instructs his sons to take high-quality gifts from their own land to appease the governor and secure more food for their family.
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