Hello, I'm Gary Stevens, and welcome to the History in the Bible podcast.

All the history, in all the books, in all the Bibles.

Thank you. Episode 113. Egypt Ho.

In the last episode, we left Joseph with a solid job in the Egyptian government.

As happened in the time of both Abraham and Isaac, famine strikes Jacob's family in Canaan.

This seems to be an every-generation climate event.

Jacob dispatches all his sons, save the youngest, Benjamin, to buy food from the prudent Egyptians.

The brothers do not recognise Joseph, possibly because 20 years have elapsed, and because he is wearing the heavy makeup that all Egyptian officials wear in the movies. Joseph accuses them

of espionage, but still provides them with grain, on condition that they leave Simeon as a hostage,

and later return with the youngest brother as a further hostage.

While Jacob initially refuses to let Benjamin go to Egypt, further famine requires the brothers

to undertake a second mission to the land of plenty, and they can only do that with the youngest son.

Joseph receives them hospitably and again sends them back to Canaan.

This time he frames them by placing a silver goblet in Benjamin's bag.

He is testing them.

Will the brothers forsake Benjamin as they did him?

Or will they defend Benjamin as they did their sister Dinah? Benjamin, of course, is caught with the goblet. When Judah

offers to take the place of his little brother, Joseph finally reveals his true identity.

In an act of magnanimity unusual in Genesis, Joseph forgives his brothers and invites

the whole family to take refuge in Egypt. Pharaoh thinks this is a grand idea, allocating to the

Hebrews the best land in Egypt. Throughout the entire story, God is conspicuous by his absence.

God sends dreams to Joseph, but never says a word directly to him.

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