for Joseph and double money in their hand (1-14). To their surprise they are received with every mark of honour as the guests of the viceroy; and their fears give place to convivial abandonment at his hospitable table (15-34). But Joseph has devised one more trial for them: his silver cup is secretly placed in Benjamin's sack, and on their homeward journey they are overtaken with the accusation of theft. Brought back to Joseph's presence, they offer to surrender their freedom in expiation of some hidden guilt which God has brought home to them (441-16). But when Joseph proposes to detain Benjamin alone, Judah comes forward and, in a speech of noble and touching eloquence, pleads that he may be allowed to redeem his pledge by bearing the punishment for his youngest brother (17-34).
The second journey "brings to light the disposition of the brethren
to one another and to their father, thus marking an advance on the first,
which only brought them to the point of self-accusation" (Di.). That
is true of the narrative as it stands; but since the first journey is taken
almost entirely from E and the second from J, the difference indicated
is probably due to the different conceptions represented by the two
writers, rather than to a conscious development of the plot.
Source.—That the chs. are not the continuation of 42 (E) appears
(a) from the more reasonable attitude attributed to Joseph, (b) from the
ignoring of Simeon's confinement, and (c) the consequent postponement
of the second journey to the last moment, and (d) the divergent account of
the first meeting with Joseph (p. 473). Positive points of contact with
J are (a) the discovery of the money at the first halting-place (4321), (b)
Judah as spokesman and leader (433ff. 8ff. 4414. 18ff.), (c) the name Israel
(436. 8. 11), and the expressions: (
Hebrew characters), 432. 4. 20. 22 441. 25; (Hebrew characters) (of Joseph,
without qualification), 433. 5. 6f. 11. 13f. 4426; (Hebrew characters), 438; (Hebrew characters), 4310;
(Hebrew characters) and (Hebrew characters), 4311. 15. 20. 22; (Hebrew characters), 4312. 18. 21ff. 441f. 8. 11f.; (Hebrew characters), 4321; (Hebrew characters),
4324; (Hebrew characters), 4429. The only clear traces of E's parallel narrative are the
allusions to Simeon in 4314. 23b. Pro. makes 12a. (‖12bα) 13. 14. 15aβb. 16aα. 23b a
continuous sequence from E; but the evidence is conflicting (note (Hebrew characters),
14; (Hebrew characters), 15b): see, however, on 12.
1-14. The journey resolved on.—2. Jacob speaks in
evident ignorance of the stipulation regarding Benjamin;
hence 4238 (J) stands out of its proper place. The motive
of the transposition is obvious, viz., to account for the
seeming rejection of Reuben's sponsorship in 4237.
The original order in J can be recovered by the help of 4425ff.. After
v.2 there must have been an announcement, in terms similar to 4426, of
