And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, hereby shall I know that you [are] true [men],.... This will be a proof and demonstration of it:
leave one of your brethren [here] with me; as an hostage; they do not say "bound in the prison", Genesis 42:19, as Joseph did, because they would not grieve their father, at least would not tell him of it at once, lest it should too much affect him:
and take [food for] the famine of your household, and be gone; that is, corn for the relief of their families, being distressed with a famine.