For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for ever.
Thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father. In addressing superiors, the Hebrews were accustomed to call themselves servants. "Thy servant," in this passage, stands for I; and hence, the pronominal adjective, my father, occurs in the latter part of it. Joseph's behaviour must not be viewed from any single point, or in separate parts, but as a whole-the development of a well-thought, deeplaid, closely-connected plan; and though some features of it do certainly exhibit an appearance of harshness, yet the pervading principle of his conduct was real, genuine, brotherly kindness. Read in this light, the narrative of the proceedings describes the continuous though secret pursuit of one end; and Joseph discovers, in his management of the scheme, a very high order of intellect-a warm and susceptible heart, united to a judgment that exerted a complete control over his feelings-a happy invention in devising means toward the attainment of his ends, and an inflexible adherence to the course, however painful, which prudence required.