How Gratitude Challenges Us

Genesis 50:15-21

15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong which we did to him!”

The death of Jacob had a bearing on the outlook of the brothers, fearing that Joseph held a deep-seated “grudge” (śāṭam, v. 15; cf. 49:23) despite his earlier assurance of pardon (45:5–7). Their fear of retaliation was not irrational. Although Esau nursed his anger (“grudge,” śāṭam, 27:41), his regard for his father restrained a vendetta against Jacob. The angry response of Esau sharply contrasts with Joseph, who rose above personal revenge, viewing their lives in the vista of God’s better purposes. The text does not say “all” of Joseph’s brothers (cp. 45:15), which exempts Benjamin, who had no reason to fear. The offending brothers strongly word their worries (presumably) to one another (v. 15b). The text can be understood in one of two ways. The NIV’s “what if” translates the particle lû, interpreting their worries conditionally—maybe he will hold a grudge and maybe not (cf. AV, NRSV, NAB, NJB, REB, NJPS). The particle can also be emphatic, making a positive statement in earnest: “Indeed, Joseph holds a grudge against us!” The common point of the two interpretations is the brothers continue to fear the consequences of their crimes. Perhaps Joseph’s trickery continued to haunt them, producing insecurity in their relationship. We might also notice that prior to this incident (v. 17) nowhere in the text do the brothers ask for or receive an explicit statement of forgiveness from Joseph. To them it is inconceivable that Joseph would not require some penance on their part. There was no ostensible reason for the brothers to be suspicious of a hidden vendetta, but their guilt remained a heavy burden, which probably fueled their misgivings (cf. 42:21–22; 44:16). They admit again to themselves “all the wrongs” (rāʿâ, “evil,” vv. 15, 17; cf. “harm,” v. 20) they committed against Joseph. The language, “pays us back in full,” forcefully expresses the dread of their deserved requital. The expression uses the word “return” (šûb, hiph.), which creates a play on Joseph’s “return” (šûb, qal) from Egypt in the previous verse. The final confession “all the wrongs we did to him” translates the word gāmal, meaning what one “deals out” requires appropriate recompense, whether for good or evil behavior (vv. 15, 17; cf. 1 Sam 24:18; also noun gĕmûlâ, 2 Sam 19:37; Isa 59:18; Jer 51:56).

16 So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father charged before he died, saying,

17 ‘Thus you shall say to Joseph, “Please forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did you wrong.” ’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

18 Then his brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.”

Verse 17 possesses two voices: the postmortem report of Jacob’s message (v. 17a) and the subsequent appeal of the brothers themselves (v. 17b). The former gives the basis for the latter’s request and provides incentive for Joseph to respond favorably. Their plea essentially imitates the words of their father’s message: lit., “I beg you [Joseph], please forgive the transgressions of your brothers” and “Now, please forgive the transgressions of the servants of the God of your father.” The message begins with the interjection of entreaty, ʾānnāʾ, “please” or “I beg” (absent NIV; e.g., see the exclamation at Exod 32:31; 2 Kgs 20:3), followed in the Hebrew text by the request “forgive!” (imper. śāʾ, meaning “bear away, lift,” indicating “forgiveness”; e.g., Exod 32:32). On the idiom nāśāʾ ʿāwôn, see 4:13, vol. 1A, p. 276. The vocabulary of the message draws on the semantic field of sin: “sins” (pešaʿ, “transgression, rebellion, crime”), “wrongs” (haṭṭāʾt, “sin”), and “so badly” (rāʿâ, “evil, harm”). The appearance of these three standard terms for “sin” occurs only in this verse. “Sins” translates the noun pešaʿ, which generally means an “offense”; here the nuance of the term is that the brothers committed a breach in their relationship with Joseph as siblings. “Sins” and “wrongs” are terms that occurred together in Jacob’s angry rebuff of Laban’s charges of offense against him (31:36). Here, however, the brothers cannot so excuse themselves but readily acknowledge their mistreatment of Joseph, hoping for clemency. The clause “they committed” repeats the term gāmal found in their admission in v. 15 (“we did to him”). The noun rendered “badly” (rāʿâ) occurs three times in this scene (vv. 15, 17, 20), meaning “harm, abusive.” The word reaches back to the beginning of their schism, when Joseph produced a “bad report” (dibbātām rāʾâ, 37:2). By calling on Joseph to forgive, Jacob does not treat lightly the reality of their cruelty but exposes its heinous nature. Thus, if they are to have reconciliation, Joseph’s absolution is required since they have no excuse.

K. A. Mathews, Genesis 11:27–50:26, vol. 1B, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005), 925–926. The brothers therefore are appealing to the divine purpose for their descent into Egypt and to the hope that their father had for the family. By elevating the basis for their plea, they hope to take advantage of Joseph’s keen sense of loyalty, not only to Jacob but also to the God that Jacob has so faithfully served. The brothers have duly noted their crimes, and by humbling themselves (“servants”) they exhibit sincere remorse for their deeds. When Joseph heard their fearful pleas, he “wept” as he had at Jacob’s death (v. 1; cf. 42:24; 43:30; 45:14–15; 46:29). He was brokenhearted, probably realizing that their estrangement was not yet fully healed. Why did his father not trust him? Why did the brothers still fear him? The text again echoes the fractious past by the remark, “When their message came …” (bĕdabbĕrām, v. 17b), recalling when in seething anger at young Joseph “they could not speak [dabbĕrô] a kind word to him” (37:4b).

K. A. Mathews, Genesis 11:27–50:26, vol. 1B, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005), 926–927.

19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place?

20 “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.

Joseph’s response crystallizes the theology of the Joseph narrative as a whole (cf. Prov 19:21). F. W. Faber remarked, “God’s will does not come to us in the whole, but in fragments, and generally in small fragments.” First, Joseph acknowledges that he is not in control of history’s measures (v. 19). “Don’t be afraid” (vv. 19, 21) echoes the comfort sounded by Joseph’s chief servant, who recognized God’s intervention in events (43:23; cf. 15:1; 21:17; 26:24; 35:17; 46:3). “Am I in the place of God?” is the same exclamation a frustrated Jacob answered to Rachel’s complaint (30:2). Divine purpose prohibits Joseph from exacting personal vengeance, even if he wanted to (cf. Lev 19:18; Deut 32:35; Ps 94:1; Rom 12:19). This is the role of God; Joseph cannot usurp deity’s designs (cf. Num 23:19–20; 24:13). Second, Joseph explains that God transformed their evil intention into good, achieving the deliverance of many peoples (v. 20; cf. Prov 16:9). His opening words create a parallelism, which heightens the contrast between human and divine intentions, lit., “You yourselves intended against me harm [rāʿâ]//God intended it for good [lĕṭōbâ].” The nature of their “intended” (ḥāšab) harm is well illustrated by Saul’s “plan” (ḥāšab) to murder David (1 Sam 18:25b). Joseph supports his reasoning by pointing to the many peoples that Egypt’s storehouses have sustained (“what is now,” kayyōm hazzeh; cf., e.g., Deut 2:30; 1 Sam 22:8). The “good/evil” motif that recurs throughout Genesis (see Introduction) fittingly makes its last appearance in Joseph’s humble interpretation of his troubles. What became of Joseph in Egypt was the handiwork of God, too great for him to have accomplished alone (cf. 2 Kgs 5:7). Evil succumbs to God’s gracious purposes in behalf of his creation. This theology is exhibited in our passage by Joseph’s assessment of his purpose in Egypt, for “the saving [ḥāyâ] of many lives” (v. 20b). The language recalls his first assessment at the brothers’ reconciliation: “But God sent me ahead of you … to save [ḥāyâ] your lives by a great deliverance” (45:7). In our passage “many lives” appears to include the Egyptians and other peoples who had sought refuge in Egypt from the famine. Joseph concludes his speech (v. 21) by promising to perpetuate the necessities of life that he had afforded since Jacob’s arrival in Egypt (45:11; 47:12), noting especially that he himself will see to this (lit., “I myself will provide [ʾānōkî ʾăkalkêl],” pilpel, from kûl). Although the seven-year famine was over (45:10–11), Joseph had continued to ensure the preservation of the tribal families. The acquisition of land (Goshen) by the Israelites appears to have been exceptional at that time (as with the Egyptian priests, 47:20–27). Joseph is saying that the death of his father will not change his benevolence toward them. The narration confirms Joseph’s calming demeanor (“reassuring,” piel, from nāḥam, “comfort”; cf. 24:67; 37:35). On the expression “spoke kindly,” see comments on 34:3.

K. A. Mathews, Genesis 11:27–50:26, vol. 1B, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005), 927–928.

21 “So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.