Genesis 43:2
ESV
And when they had eaten the grain that they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, "Go again, buy us a little food."
NIV
So when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, "Go back and buy us a little more food."
NASB
So it came about, when they had finished eating the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, 'Go back, buy us a little food.'
CSB
When they had used up the grain they had brought back from Egypt, their father said to them, "Go back and buy us a little food."
NLT
When the grain they had brought from Egypt was almost gone, Jacob said to his sons, 'Go back and buy us a little more food.'
KJV
And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food.
NKJV
And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, “Go back, buy us a little food.”
What does Genesis 43:2 mean?
Jacob had previously refused to allow his sons to return to Egypt for a second purchase of food (Genesis 42:38). The Egyptian ruler had warned them, on threat of death, not to come back unless they brought their youngest brother with them (Genesis 42:19–20). Jacob was never subtle about his favoritism (Genesis 37:4; 42:28); he seemed willing to abandon the brother kept behind (Genesis 42:24) rather than to risk Benjamin.Now, Jacob is forced to relent. His family is out of food—they will all die unless they buy grain from Egypt. He instructs his sons to go buy more, though he does not initially mention Benjamin. As Judah will point out in the following verses, they cannot return without Jacob's beloved youngest son in their company (Genesis 43:3–5).
