And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin’s mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him.
Joseph had portions of food sent to his brothers from his own table, but Benjamin's portion was five times larger than any of the others. They drank and celebrated together with him.
This verse shows Joseph secretly showing special favor to his youngest brother Benjamin during their meal together, while his other brothers remained unaware of his true identity.
📚 Historical Context
This takes place during Joseph's second meeting with his brothers in Egypt, where he was now a powerful ruler but had not yet revealed his identity to them. Benjamin was Joseph's only full brother (both sons of Rachel), and Joseph was testing his brothers' hearts to see if they had changed from the jealous men who had sold him into slavery years earlier.
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