Genesis 45:15
ESV
And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them. After that his brothers talked with him.
NIV
And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him.
NASB
And he kissed all his brothers and wept on them, and afterward his brothers talked with him.
CSB
Joseph kissed each of his brothers as he wept, and afterward his brothers talked with him.
NLT
Then Joseph kissed each of his brothers and wept over them, and after that they began talking freely with him.
KJV
Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him.
NKJV
Moreover he kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after that his brothers talked with him.
What does Genesis 45:15 mean?
Joseph has just embraced his younger brother Benjamin (Genesis 35:24), and both have wept together at their unexpected reunion (Genesis 45:1–14). Now Joseph kisses, embraces, and cries on all of his other ten brothers. He expresses physically what his words have implied: He is not holding their crime against them. He truly believes, though they intended harm, God used their terrible treatment of him to save their family and their future. This very moment was the purpose of all his suffering.Though Benjamin wept with Joseph, we're not told that the other brothers cry. Perhaps they are too stunned, still processing everything Joseph has revealed to them. They do, however, begin to talk to him, likely asking questions, trying to fully comprehend everything that has happened to Joseph over the last two decades.
Genesis 45:1–15 records Joseph's emotional revelation of his identity. Still unrecognized by his estranged brothers, Joseph had tested them, leading to Judah's passionate, sacrificial offer (Genesis 44:18–34). Overcome with emotion, Joseph identifies himself to his dumbfounded brothers. He states with confidence that all this has happened as part of God's plan to preserve the people of Israel.
Genesis 45 is a series of revelations. Following an emotional breakdown, Joseph finally reveals his identity to his baffled brothers. After they realize the governor of Egypt is the one they sold into slavery two decades earlier, he rushes to tell them he does not hold them responsible. In His own way, God had arranged for Joseph's enslavement, for the purpose of saving many people from famine. With Pharaoh's enthusiastic support, Joseph arranged for his brothers to return to Canaan, pack up Jacob and all they own, and come back to resettle in Egypt. Jacob, finally convinced all this is true, agrees to the move.
