Gen 42:1 Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another?

This is probably similar to, "Why are you hesitating, get moving."

Gen 42:2 And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.

I'm sure Jacob would rather have provided for his family himself but he saw that things were getting desperate and it was time to move or else his family would begin to starve.

Gen 42:3 And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt.
Gen 42:4 But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him.

I wonder if dear old Jacob may have suspected his sons of doing something to Joseph and was very protective of Benjamin because of an inner feeling of distrust.

Gen 42:5 And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan.
Gen 42:6 And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.

This is in fulfillment of Joseph's boyhood dream.

Gen 42:7 And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spoke roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food.

I believe Joseph wanted to test his brothers to see if their hearts were the same as when he dwelt among them. He wanted to see if they had changed, if they were repentant or were they still hard-hearted and wicked.

Gen 42:8 And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.

Egyptian dress was no doubt different than they normally dressed. Also, Joseph was older and probably could be very different. Consider also that in no way could they have imagined Joseph whom they sold into slavery to have become a ruler in Egypt. We should never doubt the power and wonders of God though. Joseph disappeared for years and reappeared.  Israel disappeared for years and then reappeared in 1948.  Talk about the wonders of God.  Israel being in their own land again after two thousand years had to happen in fulfillment of bible prophecy.

Gen 42:9 And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.

Joseph of course knew who they were and wanted to test them and in doing so, find out how his father was. I'm sure he longed to see his father. Joseph of digging for information.

Gen 42:10 And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come.
Gen 42:11 We are all one man's sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies.
Gen 42:12 And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.
Gen 42:13 And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not.

They assumed Joseph was dead.

Gen 42:14 And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spoke unto you, saying, Ye are spies:
Gen 42:15 Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither.

This would enable him to see his brother and to see if they would defend the younger brother knowing that the father set his heart on him.

Gen 42:16 Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies.
Gen 42:17 And he put them all together into ward three days.

Perhaps this was to give them time to think and consider their ways.

Gen 42:18 And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God:
Gen 42:19 If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses:
Gen 42:20 But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.
Gen 42:21 And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.

They knew enough of the law of reaping and sowing to begin to think all this is because of their sin against Joseph years before.

Gen 42:22 And Reuben answered them, saying, Spoke I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required.
Gen 42:23 And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spoke unto them by an interpreter.
Gen 42:24 And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes.

Simeon was the one who was cruel in that he and his brother Levi killed a whole city in vengeance for their sister. He probably was the main one to show cruelty toward his brother. Usually those that do evil follow a leader that eggs them on.

Gen 42:25 Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus did he unto them.
Gen 42:26 And they laded their asses with the corn, and departed thence.
Gen 42:27 And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn, he espied his money; for, behold, it was in his sack's mouth.
Gen 42:28 And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto us?

They knew that if they were caught with that money in their sacks if would be considered stealing and that would be punished by death if they were caught. They couldn't possibly dream that it was given to them on purpose by Joseph.

Gen 42:29 And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell unto them; saying,
Gen 42:30 The man, who is the lord of the land, spoke roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.
Gen 42:31 And we said unto him, We are true men; we are no spies:
Gen 42:32 We be twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.
Gen 42:33 And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true men; leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone:
Gen 42:34 And bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffic in the land.
Gen 42:35 And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.
Gen 42:36 And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me.

We see here a hint that perhaps Jacob suspected them of harming Joseph for his accused them of bereaving him of his children. Perhaps they thought they had harmed Simeon.

Gen 42:37 And Reuben spoke unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again.

Reuben of course should have know his father would never slay his own grandchildren but it is commendable that he would sacrifice his own sons if he did not return Benjamin safely. Reuben was the only son to try to save Joseph and deliver him back to his father.

Gen 42:38 And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.

In truth Jacob did not trust his sons in this matter.

He surely must have loved Rachael to have preferred her sons to Leah's. Still all this partially is the cause of his grief in the first place.

God is a work her to bring about restoration as we see further in the next few chapters. This is the most beautiful story of love and forgiveness that I see in the bible.

Genesis 43