“And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food.”
As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. Where do you come from? he asked. From the land of Canaan, they replied, to buy food. Joseph's recognition and the concealment of that recognition is the beginning of the test. He speaks harshly — the same harsh treatment the brothers gave him, now directed back. The application: Joseph does not reveal himself immediately — the test must reveal whether the brothers have changed. The concealment is not revenge but discernment.
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