הידוע נדע, “were we supposed to have known?

מעט צרי, “a little balsam;” something not available in Egypt. We have read that caravans used to transport this material to Egypt in Genesis 37.25.

בטנים, “pistachios;” the letter ב is vocalised with a chataf kametz, an abbreviated vowel kametz.

ויעמדו לפני יוסף, “they stood facing Joseph.” They did not speak to him at all at that time, but they saw him from a distance. Joseph did not speak to them as he was emotionally overcome with compassion when seeing Binyamin. The brothers mistakenly interpreted Joseph’s silence as anger over the money which had been found in their bags (and which would have been interpreted as having been stolen from him or his servants.) This is why they were frightened and interpreted Joseph’s behaviour as a prelude to new accusations and worse, as spelled out with the words: להתגולל עלינו ולהתנפל עלינו, “to turn it against us and to attack us.”

.להתגולל, an expression similar to: בגלל, i.e. “to turn around” the fact that our money had been found in our bags as a pretext to attack us.

ואת חמורינו, “together with our donkeys.” They reasoned that if only we had been brought to Joseph’s private residence we would not be so worried; but the fact that we were brought here together with our donkeys, is proof that something else is afoot, i.e. an accusation.

לשבר אוכל, “to buy food;” the letter ב here is vocalised with the vowel chataf kametz, an abbreviated vowel kametz.

ויכינו את המנחה, “they set about to arrange the gift in a presentable fashion.”

וישתחו, “they prostrated themselves;” the word is written as if in the singular mode, with the last letter ו missing. (Actually it is missing in our editions of the Torah, but is meant to be read as if it were not missing.) [Compare comment by minchat shay according to whom it is spelled in the singular mode, but is to be read in the plural mode. Ed.]

אלוהים יחנך בני, ”may G-d show you favour my son!” the letter י is vocalised with a kametz, and the letter ח with a sh’va.

וירחץ פניו, “he washed his face;” seeing that he had to sit with them and to stand up after the meal, and they would otherwise see that he had been crying, unless he washed his face immediately. But earlier, in 42,24, where he did not have to face his brothers except very briefly, he did not feel the need to wash his face.

כי תועבה למצרים, “for it was something detestable for Egyptians;” Egyptians detested eating at the same table as aliens, as they felt that they were a superior race and everyone else was way inferior. We have an example of this in Isaiah 30,7 as well as in verse 39(?) here, i.e. ומצרים הבל וריק יעזרו לכן קראתי לזאת רהב לשבת, the help of Egypt I call empty and vain, I call this a disgrace and chagrin to dwell alongside them.”

הבכור כבכורתו, “the firstborn according to the mother he was the firstborn of.” Rashi explains: when it came to seating Binyamin, seeing that he did no longer have a mother, he seated him according to his being the youngest as the brothers had told him on their first visit. Joseph thought that the mothers of the others were still alive, [although we know from Yaakov’s remarks on his deathbed that Leah had already been buried by him in the cave of Machpelah (Genesis 49,31). The brothers who were not firstborns seated themselves in the order of their seniority, seeing that it does not say concerning them that ויושיב אותם, “he seated them.”. Ed.]

ויתמהו האנשים, “the men were amazed;” clearly this does not refer to the line: וישבו לפניו, “they sat before him;” their amazement was at the separation between the separate seating arrangement between 1) himself, 2) the Egyptians, and 3) themselves, the Hebrews. What they could not understand was why Joseph was seated by himself seeing that in their opinion he was also an Egyptian. They concluded that he must be of a different people or religion altogether.

וישא משאת מאת פניו, “portions were brought from him to them;” they were all served portions approved by Joseph as appropriate;ותרב משאת בנימין, “it turned out that Binyamin’s portion was greater than that of the other brothers as Joseph had so instructed the waiters.”

וישכרו עמו, “they drank wine with him and got drunk;” at that time drinking wine with gentiles if that wine had not specifically been prepared for idolatrous purposes was not yet forbidden for Hebrews.