‘And their father Israel said to them, “If it is so now, do it. Take of the choice fruits of the land in your vessels, and carry the Man down a present, a little balm and a little honey, spicery and myrrh, nuts and almonds. And take double the amount of silver in your hand, and carry again in your hand the silver that was returned in the mouth of your sacks. Perhaps it was an oversight. Take also your brother and arise, go again to the Man, and El Shaddai (God Almighty) give you mercy before the Man that he may release to you your other brother and Benjamin. And if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.” '
“If it is so, now do it.” We would say, ‘if it must be so'. Jacob is very reluctant but accepts the inevitable. The prospect of starvation leaves them with no alternative. He suggests they take with them a gift. This was a normal courtesy when approaching a high official and a sign of good breeding.
“The choice fruits (literally ‘strength”) of the land.' These have not been quite so badly affected by the famine. They grow on bushes and trees which are less susceptible. The honey is wild bees' honey which was used then instead of sugar (see Ezekiel 27:17).
They must also take double the silver so as to replace that which was sent back as it must surely have been an oversight. That is all they can hope. The alternative would leave them with no hope anyway.
“El Shaddai give you mercy before the man -.” He prays that the One Who promised they would become a company of nations protect them before the high official of that great nation Egypt.
The meaning of ‘El Shaddai' is not yet apparent to us but the LXX translates it as ‘the Almighty'. Whenever God is mentioned under the name of El Shaddai it is in relation to many nations, not just to the family tribe. To Abraham in Genesis 17 ‘you shall be the father of a multitude of nations (hamon goyim)', and Ishmael is a part of that covenant, to Isaac as he blesses Jacob in Genesis 28:3 ‘that you may be a company of peoples' (liqhal ‘amim), to Jacob at Bethel in Genesis 35:11 ‘a nation and a company of nations (uqhal goyim) shall be of you', and again to Jacob in Genesis 48:4 reference is made to ‘a company of peoples' (liqhal ‘amim). It is in recognition of this fact that Jacob now speaks of El Shaddai when he sends his sons back to Egypt to obtain the release of Simeon and entrusts them with Benjamin (Genesis 43:14). It is Yahweh as El Shaddai, the sovereign God over the whole world, who has the power to prevail over the great governor of Egypt. This may also be why Isaac used this title of Yahweh when he sent his son into a foreign land.
“That he may release to you your other brother and Benjamin.” How little the other brothers mean to him compared with Benjamin is made clear here. He does not even mention Simeon's name. His release is of secondary importance. What matters is that Benjamin is not held. We can see now why the brothers had not mentioned the release of Simeon as an argument. They knew their father's thoughts.
“And if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.” A final note of resignation. His hand has been forced by the famine. He may even lose all his children but he can do nothing about it. The choice is to risk that or the death for all.