Genesis 43:13-14 Meaning: When Letting Go Is an Act of Faith
13Take your brother also, get up, and return to the man.
14May God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release to you your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.”
13Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man:
14And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.
13take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man:
14and God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release unto you your other brother and Benjamin. And if I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.
13`And take your brother, and rise, turn back unto the man;
14and God Almighty give to you mercies before the man, so that he hath sent to you your other brother and Benjamin; and I, when I am bereaved--I am bereaved.'
13And take your brother, and arise, go again to the man.
14And the Almighty God give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother and Benjamin! And I, if I be bereaved of children, am bereaved.
Meaning in one sentence
After refusing to send Benjamin, Jacob relents and surrenders his fears to God. A devotional on trusting God with what we treasure most.
Context
These verses mark a turning point in the famine story. For weeks Jacob has held fast, refusing to let Benjamin travel to Egypt. But the grain is gone, the family is desperate, and Judah has pledged his own life as collateral for the boy. Now the old father yields. He tells his sons to take their youngest brother and return to the man, the Egyptian governor who holds Simeon prisoner and holds the power to sell them food. Jacob does more than give permission. He prays. Twice he calls God Almighty, the covenant name El Shaddai, the God who had promised to make Abraham a great nation. It is the first time that name appears in this narrative. Then he lets go: “If I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.” The resignation is real, but it comes after he has placed them in the hands of the God who provides.
Key Words
Three words carry the weight of Jacob’s surrender. The first is El Shaddai (“God Almighty”). Jacob reaches for the name his grandfather Abraham knew, the God who appeared when human strength ran out (Genesis 17:1). He does not ask for success or safety directly. He asks for rachamim, “mercy” or “compassions.” The word is plural in Hebrew, suggesting a deep well of tender care. It is the same heart-word the Psalms use for God’s motherly compassion. Jacob knows that the Egyptian official’s favor depends on the God who bends hearts like rivers. And then the final word: shakol (“bereaved”), spoken twice. “I am bereaved, I am bereaved.” It is the cry of a man who has already lost Joseph, who now risks his last beloved son, and who chooses to release him rather than cling in fear. The word itself is raw. But he speaks it after he prays, first entrustment, then acceptance.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians have read Jacob’s final words differently. Matthew Henry (Reformed) sees wisdom: “It is no fault, but our duty, to alter our purposes when there is good reason.” Jacob yields to necessity, but he prays first. John Calvin (Reformed) notes the tension in Jacob’s heart, faith mixed with anguish, and suggests Jacob spoke the bleak line partly to move his sons to protect Benjamin. Adam Clarke (Methodist) hears a note of prophecy: Jacob foresees restoration before it happens. Keil and Delitzsch (Protestant) call it “resigned submission to the will of God.” Where one ear catches despair, another catches trust. All agree Jacob does not send his sons empty-handed: he puts them into the hands of God Almighty, the same God who had kept the covenant through famine before.
A common misunderstanding
Living This Out
Jacob’s hardest letting go comes when the alternative is starvation. You may not face a famine, but you face moments that feel just as tight: a child walking into a situation you cannot control, a decision you cannot undo, a worry you cannot fix. Jacob does not pretend to be brave. He prays for mercy, not for a guarantee. Then he sets his children on the road. This week, name one thing you are gripping too tightly. Speak the name El Shaddai over it. Then open your hands. That is not weakness. It is the hardest kind of faith.
Main takeaway: Before you let go of what you treasure most, place it in the hands of God Almighty and trust Him for mercy.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Jacob was scared to let his youngest son, Benjamin, go on a long trip. But he prayed to God Almighty and asked Him to give them mercy. Then he let them go. When you’re scared to let someone go, you can pray too.
For ages 9, 12
Jacob had already lost one son, Joseph. Now Benjamin, the only other son of his beloved Rachel, had to leave. Jacob had a choice: hold on and let his family starve, or let go and trust God. He prayed using the special name El Shaddai, which means God Almighty, the all-sufficient One. Then he let Benjamin go. Trusting God doesn’t mean the fear goes away. It means putting the person or thing you love into hands bigger than yours.
Questions People Ask
Why did Jacob finally let Benjamin go after refusing in Genesis 42:38?
The famine had not broken. The family had run out of grain, and Egypt would not sell more unless Benjamin came. Judah also gave a personal guarantee for the boy’s safety (v.9). Jacob saw no other way to save his household, so he surrendered his fears and entrusted Benjamin to God.
What does ‘God Almighty’ (El Shaddai) mean in this context?
El Shaddai is the covenant name God used with Abraham and Jacob (Genesis 17:1; 35:11). It emphasizes God’s all-sufficiency and power. Jacob reaches for this name when he is powerless to control the Egyptian governor, he places the outcome in the hands of the One who has all ability.
Does Jacob’s line ‘If I am bereaved, I am bereaved’ show despair or faith?
It sounds like despair, but the verse shows he prayed first. He called on God Almighty and asked for mercy. The calm acceptance that follows is not resignation from God but trust that whatever happens, God is still God. Many commentators (like Keil and Matthew Henry) see it as submission to God’s will.
Why did Jacob pray for mercy ‘before the man’, the Egyptian governor?
Jacob knew the governor held the power to free Simeon, sell grain, or even imprison them. He also knew that human hearts are in God’s hand (Proverbs 21:1). By praying for mercy before the man, Jacob was asking God to change the governor’s attitude toward his sons. It is the same prayer approach he used with Esau years earlier (Genesis 32).
What is the significance of the plural word ‘mercy’ (rachamim) in the original Hebrew?
Rachamim is the plural of ‘rechem’ (womb). It suggests a deep, mother-like compassion, tender mercies. Jacob is not just asking for fairness; he is asking for the kind of soft-hearted generosity that only God can produce in a powerful stranger.
For pastors & researchers
Hebrew interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study