Genesis 43:14

If I be bereaved. Before their departure, the aged patriarch blessed his ten sons and expressed confidence that God would give them mercy before the ruler of Egypt. The word translated “mercy” means, literally, “bowels,” and refers to the abdomen, considered anciently the seat of the affections and emotions. Though Jacob expressed faith in God’s protection, his very next statement reveals uncertainty as to whether God could bless his reprobate sons. They were an unpredictable lot, and might be counted on to get into trouble even where none might otherwise exist. In a spirit of resignation he acquiesced to the divine will, whatever it might be.