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And the famine [was] sore in the land.

And the famine was sore in the land. — In the Promised Land. Hold out faith and patience. Os quod in sorte tua cecidit, rodas: Bear thy cross, and be content. Drus., in Adag.

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And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food.

Buy us a little food. — They had learned to live with a little, which is a great skill; nature is content with a little, grace with less. Epicurus himself was wont to say, if he might have but aquam et offam, a draught of water, and a morsel of meat, he could live happily. Paratum se esse cum Iove de faelicitate contendere, si aquam haberet et offam. - Aelian.

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And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother [be] with you.

Ye shall not see my face, … — No acceptation without Benjamin, that son of sorrow: so, neither with God, without sound repentance. This is the rainbow, which if God sees shining in our hearts, he will never drown our souls.

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If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food:

And buy thee food, — q.d., Thou art as much concerned as any of us, and more; because thou art master of the family.

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And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye [so] ill with me, [as] to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother?

And Israel said, … — Here he begins to outwrestle his fears, by resting upon God; and is therefore called Israel.

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And they said, The man asked us straitly of our state, and of our kindred, saying, [Is] your father yet alive? have ye [another] brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother down?

Could we certainly know, … — Inferences many times axe made upon what we say or do, such as we never thought of, Arbitror nonnullos in quibusdam locis librorum meorum opinaturos, me sensisse quod non sensi, aut non sensisse quod sensi, saith Augustine. Aug., lib. i., De Trin., cap. 3, ad finem. And it fell out accordingly. For, as Baronius witnesseth, after St Austin’s death, there arose up divisions, who, out of his writings, wrested and misconstrued, brought in many errors; which they endeavoured to maintain by the name and authority of St Augustine. Qui ex eius scriptis male perceptis complures invexerunt errores. - Annal, tom. vi., ad Ann. 450. And the like may be said of Luther.

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And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, [and] also our little ones.

Send the lad. — A large lad, that was thirty years old, and had ten children. But he is so called, because the youngest son of them, and the father’s darling.

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I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever:

I will be surety for him. — Herein he was a type of Christ, that came of him, who is both our surety to God, for the discharge of our debt and duty, and God’s surety to us, for the performance of his promises. Hebrews 7:22

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