"Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his brothers, and he cried out, 'Have everyone leave my presence!' So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh's household heard about it." (Genesis 45:1-2 NIV)
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Joseph could no longer continue this testing of his brother's love and loyalty toward Benjamin and their father. However, he clears the room before revealing himself to his brothers. This was a private matter, and a private moment.
However, the loud weeping of Joseph caused the Egyptians outside the room to wonder. What had happened to this great man to cause such a reaction? The news spread quickly, even reaching Pharaoh's household. Something very big was going on at Joseph's house.
The Egyptians weren't the only ones who were wondering. Apparently Joseph's brothers were frozen with terror at the strange outburst. Had the theft of the cup so enraged this man that even Judah's compelling story had failed to move him? Were they all gong to be killed?
Something in their expression made Joseph realize that they had no idea what was going on.
"Joseph said to his brothers, 'I am Joseph! Is my father still living? But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence." (Genesis 45:3 NIV)
I bet they were terrified. Standing before them was their younger brother Joseph, whom they had sold into slavery years before out of jealousy. They had callously laughed at his pleas for mercy. Now, he had the power of life or death over them.
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