And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and spoke with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes.
All Commentaries on Genesis 42:24 Go To Genesis 42
John Chrysostom
AD 407
See how Joseph takes every means of putting fear into them so that, on seeing Simeon’s bonds, they may reveal whether they manifested any sympathy for their brother. You see, everything he does is to test their attitude out of his wish to discover if they had been like that in dealing with Benjamin. Hence Joseph also had Simeon bound in front of them to test them carefully and see if they showed any signs of affection for him. That is to say, concern for Simeon led them to hasten Benjamin’s arrival, which he was anxious for, so as to gain assurance from his brother’s arrival.
