Verse

Genesis 45:12

ESV And now your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth that speaks to you.
NIV "You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you.
NASB Behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth which is speaking to you.
CSB Look! Your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin can see that I’m the one speaking to you.
NLT Then Joseph added, 'Look! You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that I really am Joseph!
KJV And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you.
NKJV “And behold, your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my mouth that speaks to you.

What does Genesis 45:12 mean?

In this verse, Joseph seems to be struggling to convince his brothers that what they hear is true. That's not surprising. Mere moments ago, they saw Joseph as a powerful Egyptian ruler ready to enslave their youngest brother (Genesis 44:17). Then, they were horrified to learn that powerful governor was the very brother they'd sold into slavery as a teenager (Genesis 37:24–28; 45:1–11). Joseph's reassurance that he means them no harm probably took some time to overcome their shock and amazement.

Joseph tells them to believe their own eyes. Now that all has been revealed, they should be able to tell these statements are all true. Once again, he will urge them to return to Canaan and report to Jacob what they have seen (Genesis 45:13). Perhaps Joseph mentions Benjamin because Jacob is most likely to listen to him.
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