Commentaire sur La Genèse 43:18

וייראו האנשים AND THE MEN WERE AFRAID — The word ויראו is written with two yods and its translation in the Targum is ודחילו and they were afraid.

THAT HE MAY DEVISE SOME PRETEXT (‘L’HITHGOLEIL’) AGAINST US. The word l’hithgoleil is of the same root as: And Amasa lay wallowing (‘mithgoleil’) in blood?¹⁸⁷II Samuel 20:12. And every cloak rolled (‘m’golalah’) in blood.¹⁸⁸Isaiah 9:4. [Its meaning is] as a man who turns from side to side upon his fellow.

להתגולל עלינו, the reason he brought us to his private palace was in order to subject us to accusations concerning the money we were supposed to have stolen, something which he will use as a pretext להתנפל עלנו, to attack us seeing that he had been ill disposed against us from the beginning, when he had treated us as suspected spies. Now he will use the trumped up charges in order to keep us as slaves, a traditional punishment for thieves. He probably also wants to confiscate our donkeys What other reason could possibly account for his taking us to his private residence!

ולקחת אותנו לעבדים ואת חמורינו, “and you may take us and our donkeys as servants.” They were worried- apparently disproportionately so, about their donkeys, as without their donkeys they had no means of transporting the grain they had bought to the land of Canaan.

על דבר הכסף השב באמתחותינו, “on account of the money he had put back into our feeding bags.” They reasoned that it certainly was not the norm that the people who came to Egypt to buy grain would all be entertained overnight at the palace of the ruler. They would find their lodgings in different parts of the city, at various inns, etc. They assumed therefore that Joseph’s gesture in inviting them served only as an excuse to attack them. They were afraid of a trumped up charge, and this is also the way Onkelos translates the words ולהתנפל עלינו not as a physical assault but as עלילת דברים, “false accusations.”

According to Onkelos who translates as ולאסתקפא עלנא... I.e., this translation is for ולהתנפל.

— sich auf uns wälzen, d. h. uns wiederholt zu drücken, zu miß handeln; "über uns herzufallen" d. i. uns als Leibeigene zu nehmen und unsere Tiere zu konfiszieren.

.להתגולל, an expression similar to: בגלל, i.e. “to turn around” the fact that our money had been found in our bags as a pretext to attack us.

כי הובאו בית יוסף BECAUSE THEY WERE BROUGHT INTO JOSEPH S HOUSE, and it was not usual for other people who came to buy corn to stay overnight in Joseph’s house but in the inns of the city. וייראו AND THEY WERE AFRAID, because this could be only for the purpose of putting them in prison.

AND TO FALL UPON US. I.e., as a man who intentionally throws his full stature upon his fellow.
Now Onkelos translated l’hithgoleil as meaning “to play the lord over us,” meaning that he will elevate himself above us, as the sea raises its waves.¹⁸⁹See Ezekiel 26:3. Onkelos rendered the expression, and to fall upon us, as le’istakapha, meaning “to accuse us of things which did not occur,” since things which did not occur are expressed by the Hebrew word nopheil (falling), just as it says, Not one thing failed (‘naphal’).¹⁹⁰Joshua 23:14. Similarly did Onkelos translate Wanton charges (‘aliloth d’varim’)¹⁹¹Deuteronomy 22:14. as taskophei milin (intrigues). Jonathan too translated to’einah¹⁹²Judges 14:4. (pretext) as thuskapha.

ולקחת אותנו לעבדים ואת חמורינו, “and to keep us as slaves as well as our donkeys.” At first glance the brothers’ concern about their donkeys appears disproportionate to their fear of becoming slaves. In this instance, not only did they worry about being deprived of their donkeys, animals which represented a lifeline, but they were even more concerned about these animals not carrying grain back to their families in Canaan. Their concern over their donkeys then was only a veiled form of their real worry about their families starving to death if they did not return. We find something similar in Exodus 17,3 when the Jewish people accused Moses of having taken them into the desert להמית אותי ואת בני ואת מקני בצמא, ”to kill me, my children and my cattle by thirst.” Normal people would not worry about their cattle in such a context seeing their own and their children’s lives were in jeopardy. But the Israelites mentioned the cattle (beasts of burden) as in their trek through the desert these animals were a lifeline for them.

ולהתגולל, which he translates as לאתרברבא... The word לאתרברבא denotes “lordship.” You might ask: Is this translation not contrary to the [simple] meaning of להתגולל? And why does he translate [להתנפל] as “to libel,” which is not in accordance with the plain meaning of the verse? The answer is: Onkelos started by explaining להתגולל as “lordship,” based on the verse גלת הזהב. As a result, להתנפל is understandable only if we explain it as “to libel.” Had להתגולל meant “to turn things against,” following its plain meaning, then להתנפל could mean “to come down upon.” But since להתגולל means “lordship,” להתנפל must mean “libel.” (Maharshal)

ואת חמורינו, “together with our donkeys.” They reasoned that if only we had been brought to Joseph’s private residence we would not be so worried; but the fact that we were brought here together with our donkeys, is proof that something else is afoot, i.e. an accusation.

אנחנו מובאים WE HAVE BEEN BROUGHT inside this house.

AND TO TAKE US FOR SERVANTS, AND OUR ASSES. The reason why they mention their asses in the verse is that they would feel apprehensive about them, saying, “Now they will also take our asses with their sacks, and we will not be able to send grain to our families, and thus they will all perish of famine.”

להתגלל means THAT THERE MAY BE ROLLED UPON US an accusation regarding the money AND THAT THIS MAY FALL UPON US. And according to Onkelos who rendered ולהתנפל עלינו by ולאסתקפא עלנא, it signifies seeking an occasion — just as we render in the Targum the words (Deuteronomy 12:17) עלילת דברים, which mean a pretext, by תסקופי מלין “intrigues” — but he did not translate it literally. The word ולהתגלל which he translated by לאתרברבא “to play the lord over us” he takes as connected in meaning with (Ecclesiastes 12:6) “the bowl of (גלת) gold”, and (Nahum 2:8) “And Huzzab the queen (גלתה) is carried away”, where these words from the root גלל denote symbolically royal rank.