Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus did he unto them.
Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, х kªleeyhem (H3627)] - utensils, vessels.
And to restore every man's money into his sack, х saqow (H8242)] - coarse cloth, made of hair-sacking, to hold grain. There are two sorts of sacks taken notice of under different names in the history of Joseph, which ought not to be confounded-the one for grain, the other for the baggage and everything in general which a person carries with him for his own use. There are no wagons used almost in all Asia, as far as to India: everything is carried upon beasts of burden in sacks of wool, covered in the middle with leather down to the bottom, the better to make resistance to water, etc. Sacks of this sort are now called Tambellit. They enclose in them their things done up in large parcels. It is of this kind of sacks we are to understand what is said here in the latter clause, and not of the sacks in which they carried their grain (Chardin, quoted in Harmer's 'Observations.' vol. 2:, p. 189). The money may have been in bags containing certain sums (cf. 2 Kings 5:23; Isaiah 46:6; Proverbs 7:20; Haggai 1:6). This private generosity was not an infringement of his duty-a defrauding of the revenue. He would have a discretionary power-he was daily enriching the king's exchequer-and he might have paid the sum from his own purse.
Verse 26. They laded their asses with the corn, and departed thence. They probably returned by the same route as they had journeyed into Egypt; and, as the family were living at Hebron, the shortest course was by the way of Beer-sheba or Gaza, through the northern part of the wilderness of Shur. There is no weight in the objection to the historic truth of this narrative, founded on the employment of donkeys. Modern travelers who have passed through this desert have gone on horses and donkeys; and although it is a journey of twelve days, during which the tourists carried their own supplies of water in skin bottles, the latter beasts of burden stood the fatigue well, drinking of the brackish water which the rare wells of the desert furnished. Donkeys, as well as camels, are used in traversing this route; but horses are very unsuitable. Verse 27. Inn - a mere station for baiting beasts of burden.
Espied his money. The discovery threw them into greater perplexity than ever. If they had been congratulating themselves on escaping from the ruthless governor, they perceived that now he would have a handle against them; and it is observable that they looked upon this as a judgment of heaven. Thus, one leading design of Joseph was gained, in their consciences being roused to a sense of guilt.