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Genesis 43 Bible study: His heart yearned
Judah offered himself as collateral for Benjamin, and Jacob let him go with the prayer, "May God Almighty give you mercy before the man." The steward returned Simeon and told the frightened brothers God had given them treasure. When Joseph saw Benjamin, his heart yearned over him, with the same word as Jacob's prayer for mercy, and he went away to weep.
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“May God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release to you your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.”
Try it · Did you catch it?
“Jacob prays for ‘mercy,’ and the same Hebrew word says Joseph's heart yearned.”
Is that in Genesis 43, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
Judah pledges himself
The grain runs out, and Jacob says, "Go again, buy us a little more food" (43:2). Judah reminds him, "You shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you" (43:3-5). Reuben had offered his two sons (42:37); Judah offers himself: "Send the boy with me… I’ll be collateral for him. From my hand will you require him. If I don’t bring him to you, and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever" (43:8-9).
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Genesis 43
That was a taste
The rest of Genesis 43 is waiting in Favor
- "If I am bereaved… I am bereaved"
- Brought to Joseph's house
- "His heart yearned over his brother"
- Mercy before the man
- "The man asked directly"
- What this shows of God, and of Jesus
- 11 questions as you read
- 4 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
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The Hebrew word behind it
רַחֲמִיםrachamimsay ra-kha-MEEM
"Compassion" (Brown-Driver-Briggs); Strong's gives "compassion (in the plural); by extension, the womb". Both uses in Genesis are in this chapter, and this is its first appearance in the Bible. Jacob prays, "May God Almighty give you mercy before the man" (43:14), and then "the man", Joseph, sees Benjamin and "his heart yearned", in Hebrew his rachamim grew warm (43:30). A psalm uses the verb from the same root: "Like a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him" (Psalm 103:13).
For your group
Genesis 43 Bible study questions
- 1The brother who once said "let’s sell him" now says "let me bear the blame forever." What changes a person like that?
- 2Jacob said, "If I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved." What does it look like to let go of what you can't control?
- 3Joseph's heart yearned for his brother, but he hid his tears. When have you seen compassion at work behind what looked hard?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Genesis 43 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
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Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
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The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home