Genesis 42: Lock Him Up!

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi · Oct 27, 2025 · 2m

The brothers make their way to Egypt and do not recognize Yosef. Yosef, however, recognizes them and decides to toy with them. When the brothers reveal that Binyamin is back with Yaakov, Yosef uses this as a hook. He tells them that in order to prove they are not spies, they must bring Binyamin back. Yosef then takes Shimon captive as collateral.Why does he take Shimon?Rashbam recalls the story of Dina and Shechem. Yosef took Shimon to separate him from his brother Levi. The last time Shimon and Levi were paired up and angry, they massacred an entire city. This answer makes sense and shows…