Upon returning to their father, the brothers face the difficult task of explaining their dramatic encounter with the Egyptian ruler and the strict demands he placed upon them. To secure their father's cooperation, they carefully craft their report, softening the harsh reality of their journey.
They present a heavily censored version of events designed to calm their father and convince him to accept the ruler's conditions [מלבי״ם, ביאור יש״ר]. The brothers deliberately omit the most frightening details, leaving out the fact that they were thrown into prison for three days and that Simeon was bound by force right in front of them. Instead, they frame the demand to keep one brother behind as a gentle request, making it sound as though the ruler simply wanted Simeon to stay with him for a pleasant conversation [ביאור יש״ר].
They further alter the narrative by claiming the ruler specifically asked for Simeon from the very beginning, even though he had originally offered to keep any one of the brothers [העמק דבר]. To make the difficult arrangement seem more appealing, they also invent a promise that was never explicitly made to them, telling their father that bringing their youngest brother back to Egypt will earn them trading privileges throughout the land [מלבי״ם].
The ruler's demands were actually structured as a two-part test to verify the brothers' identities. First, requiring them to leave someone behind proved their familial bond, as mere strangers would never risk abandoning a companion to face potential death. Second, the demand to bring their youngest brother proved they were not spies, since no father would ever send his youngest child on a dangerous espionage mission [מלבי״ם]. Another perspective suggests these tests were intended to prove not only their honesty but also that they were honorable men of property and standing [העמק דבר].
In their account, the brothers refer to the Egyptian ruler with a title implying lordship over the land. This title does not represent tyranny or oppression, but is rather rooted in the concept of a foundation or pillar. It describes a noble leader who supports, sustains, and provides for his subjects, acting as the very pillar of the entire country [רש ר הירש].
When recalling the ruler's instruction to take provisions for the hunger of their households, the primary approach among commentators is that this is simply a brief way of telling them to take the grain and food necessary to satisfy their starving families. Finally, the ruler's command to leave carried a special level of permission, allowing the brothers to depart Egypt honorably with all their flocks and herds, traveling safely in broad daylight [קיצור בעל הטורים].