And they said, The man asked us straitly of our state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother down?
They replied, 'The man questioned us closely about our family situation and our relatives, asking, 'Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?' We answered him honestly based on what he asked us. How could we have possibly known that he would say, 'Bring your brother here?'
The brothers are explaining that they had no way of knowing Joseph would demand to see Benjamin when they honestly answered his questions about their family.
📚 Historical Context
This conversation takes place when Jacob's sons have returned from Egypt after their first trip to buy grain during a severe famine. They are explaining to their father Jacob why they must bring Benjamin back with them to Egypt, as demanded by the Egyptian ruler (who is actually their brother Joseph, though they don't recognize him).
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