In Genesis 45, Joseph finally revealed his identity to his brothers who had sold him into slavery years earlier. Unable to control himself any longer in the presence of his Egyptian attendants, Joseph commanded everyone except his brothers to leave the room. In this private moment, he broke down weeping so loudly that the Egyptians and Pharaoh's household could hear him from outside.
Through his tears, Joseph declared to his stunned brothers, "I am Joseph; doth my father yet live?" The brothers were so shocked and terrified that they couldn't answer him, struck speechless by the realization that the powerful Egyptian official before them was the very brother they had betrayed. Joseph, seeing their fear, gently called them closer and reassured them, explaining that, while they intended evil against him, God used their actions for good.
Joseph urged his brothers not to be angry with themselves or each other for selling him, emphasizing that God sent him ahead to Egypt to save lives. He explained that there were still five more years of famine coming and that God positioned him in Egypt to preserve their family line. In a remarkable display of forgiveness and eternal perspective, Joseph reframed their betrayal as part of God's sovereign plan to make him "a father to Pharaoh" and ruler over all Egypt.
The practical implications of this reunion quickly became apparent as Joseph instructed his brothers to return to Canaan and bring their father Jacob — along with all their families, livestock, and possessions — to settle in the land of Goshen in Egypt. Joseph promised to provide for them there during the remaining years of famine, ensuring they wouldn't become impoverished. He gave them wagons and provisions for the journey, along with changes of clothing for each brother and special gifts of silver and garments for Benjamin.
When Pharaoh learned that Joseph's brothers had come to Egypt, he enthusiastically endorsed the plan and instructed Joseph to tell his family to bring everything and that they would receive “the good of the land of Egypt.”
The brothers arrived back in Canaan and told their father, "Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt."
