قَالُوا۟ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْعَزِيزُ إِنَّ لَهُۥٓ أَبًا شَيْخًا كَبِيرًا فَخُذْ أَحَدَنَا مَكَانَهُۥٓ إِنَّا نَرَىٰكَ مِنَ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ
“They said: O ruler of the land! Lo! he hath a very aged father, so take one of us instead of him. Lo! we behold thee of those who do kindness.” — M. M. Pickthall
Taberî9-10. c.✓ Citation verified
According to this exegete, the text conveys that Joseph's brothers were pointing out their father Jacob's excessive attachment to and love for Benjamin, and for this reason they offered to the ruler of Egypt (the king) to take one of them in Benjamin's place and release him. In other words, the brothers offered themselves as sacrifice in order to alleviate the sorrow their father would experience.
يا أيها الملك كلفا بحبه، يعنون يعقوب، يعنون فخذ أحدا منا بدلا من بنيامين، وخل عنه
Zemahşerî12. c.✓ Citation verified
According to this exegete, the phrase 'take him' mentioned in the text refers to the fulfillment through taking a ransom or enslavement; that is, the taking occurs through ransom or slavery in exchange for compensation.
فخذه بدله على وجه الاسترهان أو الاستعباد
Fahreddin er-Râzî12-13. c.✓ Citation verified
In this text, Fahreddin er-Râzî mentions as two possibilities that the brothers' statement may have been made 'to indicate impossibility' or may have been made 'in the sense of remaining as a pledge until ransom arrives.' He then states that this statement was their final offer and that Joseph responded to it.
يحتمل أن يكون المراد على طريق الاستبعاد ويحتمل أن يكون المراد على طريق الرهن حتى نوصل الفداء إليك
İbn Kesîr14. c.✓ Citation verified
According to İbn Kesîr, this text explains the relevant expression as 'a compensation/exchange that will belong to you in his place'; that is, the matter in question is a replacement that takes the place of something lost or given.
أي بدله يكون عندك عوضا عنه
Beydâvî13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Beydâvî, the brothers reminded Joseph of their father's old age and the sorrow he felt from the loss of his son, and begged him for mercy, offering to leave one of them as a pledge in place of the missing child. Joseph, however, rejected this proposal by stating according to his principles that he could only keep the person in whose possession the item (the water cup) was found, and that taking someone else would be injustice. The text also states that Joseph's true intention was to express that Allah had given him only the permission to keep the one with whom the goods were found, and that this was both fitting and agreeable to him; that if he were to take anyone else, he would be unjust.
قال معاذ الله أن نأخذ إلا من وجدنا متاعنا عنده فإن أخذ غيره ظلم على فتواكم فلو أخذنا أحدكم مكانه. إنا إذا لظالمون في مذهبكم هذا
Comparison
Common ground
All exegetes agree that the verse points to the scene where the brothers offer to take one of themselves in Benjamin's place; the common ground is that the offer aimed to alleviate their father's sorrow and that Joseph had a response to this proposal.
Differences
Taberî emphasizes the motive of the proposal (sorrow for the father) through narrative-based contextual reading; Zemahşerî, İbn Kesîr, and Fahreddin er-Râzî, by directing themselves toward linguistic analysis, discuss whether the expression 'taking/compensation' carries the meaning of pledge, slavery, or exchange. Fahreddin er-Râzî additionally raises the possibility that the statement indicates impossibility, thereby distinguishing himself from the others. Beydâvî combines both contextual and linguistic readings, adding a theological dimension by linking Joseph's refusal to divine permission and the principle of justice.
Historical context
In the early period exegete Taberî, narrative transmission and story flow prevail, whereas in later periods with Zemahşerî, Fahreddin er-Râzî, and İbn Kesîr, interpretations based on language and rhetoric analysis come to the fore; in Beydâvî, these accumulated interpretations are summarized and grounded in a theological framework (divine permission, justice). The fundamental story remains fixed, while the method of interpretation has evolved over time toward linguistic depth and theological justification.