For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father.
How can I go back to my father without the boy? I couldn't bear to see the terrible grief that would come upon my father.
Judah is pleading that he cannot return to his father Jacob without Benjamin because it would cause his father devastating sorrow.
📚 Historical Context
In the biblical narrative, Judah is pleading with the Egyptian governor (who is actually his brother Joseph in disguise) not to keep Benjamin as a slave, as this would devastate their father, Jacob. This scene takes place during a severe famine in Canaan, when Jacob's sons traveled to Egypt for food, and Joseph was using this opportunity to test his brothers' integrity and remorse for past wrongs. Years earlier, the brothers had sold Joseph into slavery, making Judah's plea a moment of potential redemption and family reconciliation.
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