Genesis 42:27 - Exposition

And as one of them opened his sack —literally, and the one opened his sack, i.e. they did not all open their sacks on the homeward journey, although afterwards, in reporting the circumstance to Joseph, they represent themselves as having done so ( Genesis 43:21 ); but only one at the wayside inn, and the rest on reaching home ( Genesis 42:35 ; vide infra, Genesis 43:21 )— to give his ass provender in the inn (the מָלוֹן , from לוּן morf , an inn to pass the night, was not in the modern sense of the term, but simply a halting-place or camping station where travelers were wont to lodge, without finding for themselves or animals any other food than they carried with them), he espied his money; for, behold, it was in his sack's mouth— literally, in the opening, of his amtachath, אַמְתַּחַת , from מָתַח , to spread out, an old word for a sack ( Genesis 43:18 , Genesis 43:21 , Genesis 43:22 ), here used synonymously with שַׂק , from which it would seem that the travelers carried two sorts of bags, one for the corn כְּלִי ( Genesis 42:25 ), and another for the called asses' provender called אַמְתַּחַת . It was in the latter that the money had been placed.