Essay sobre Gênesis 41:61

Worldwide famine creates the backdrop for the family drama that is about to unfold. The ancients understood famine as sent by the gods, often as punishment; and the events of our text suggest that God is indeed the prime mover here. We are again presented with the characters of Chap. 37, all of whom have somehow changed. Yaakov emerges as more pitiful than ever (a shadow of the wrestler at the Yabbok), Yosef as powerful governor, not only of all Egypt but of his family’s destiny as well, and the brothers, remarkably, are repentant (42:21–22). We also see Yosef’s emotional side for the first time. He weeps in 42:24, as he will do three times again (43:30; 45:2, 14–15).