Benjamin
Jacob’s youngest son and Joseph’s only full brother, at the centre of the test that reunited a family.
Old Testament · c. 1800 BC · Genesis · Also known as Benoni, Son of my right hand
About Benjamin
Benjamin was the twelfth son of Jacob and the second son of Rachel, who died giving birth to him. "She called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin." After Joseph was lost, Jacob would not let Benjamin go to Egypt: "Lest peradventure mischief befall him." When the brothers finally brought him, Joseph, still unrecognised, served him five times as much as the others, then had a silver cup hidden in his sack. When Judah offered himself as a slave in Benjamin’s place, Joseph revealed himself, "and he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck." King Saul, Mordecai and the apostle Paul all came from his tribe.
Benjamin has no recorded words, so this guide speaks about him. "Benoni" means "son of my sorrow"; "Benjamin" means "son of the right hand," a place of honour. His tribe’s land lay between Judah and the northern tribes, next to Jerusalem.
The story
Son of my right hand
On the road to Ephrath, Rachel "travailed, and she had hard labour." "And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin."
Genesis 35:16-18
Lest mischief befall him
When famine sent Jacob’s sons to Egypt, "Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him." Later Jacob said, "My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone." Only when the food ran out did he let Benjamin go.
Genesis 42:4, 36-38; 43:11-14
Five times so much
In Egypt, Joseph saw "his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son," and said, "God be gracious unto thee, my son." Then he hurried out to weep. At the meal, "Benjamin’s mess was five times so much as any of theirs."
Genesis 43:29-34
The cup in his sack
Joseph told his steward, "put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack’s mouth of the youngest." When it was found, the brothers tore their clothes and returned. Judah pleaded, "let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren."
Genesis 44:1-13, 33
Benjamin wept upon his neck
Joseph could not hold back: "I am Joseph your brother." "And he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck." He gave Benjamin "three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment."
Genesis 45:4, 14-15, 22
Key moments
- Born on the road: Rachel dies giving birth. (Genesis 35:18)
- Kept at home: "Lest peradventure mischief befall him." (Genesis 42:4)
- Honoured at Joseph’s table: "Five times so much." (Genesis 43:34)
- The silver cup found: In the youngest brother’s sack. (Genesis 44:12)
- Reunited with Joseph: They weep on each other’s neck. (Genesis 45:14)
Questions about Benjamin
Why didn’t Jacob want Benjamin to go to Egypt?
Jacob believed Joseph was dead, and Benjamin was Rachel’s only other son. "My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him... then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave." Only famine, and Judah’s promise, "I will be surety for him," changed his mind.
Why did Joseph hide a cup in Benjamin’s sack?
Genesis doesn’t explain Joseph’s reasons, but the situation speaks for itself. Years before, the brothers had sold Rachel’s favoured son. Now Rachel’s other son was in trouble: would they abandon him too? Instead Judah said, "let thy servant abide instead of the lad." Their answer showed they had changed, and Joseph revealed himself.
Who came from the tribe of Benjamin?
Israel’s first king, Saul, whose father Kish was "a Benjamite." Mordecai, and so his cousin Esther: Mordecai was "the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite." And the apostle Paul, who wrote that he was "of the tribe of Benjamin." Paul’s Hebrew name, Saul, may echo that first king.
Connected people
Read it yourself
Start with Genesis 35:16-18; 43:29-34; 44:1-45:15.