Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Sforno · Torah
Sforno on Genesis 44:20/ספורנו על בראשית מ״ד:כ׳
אוְאָבִיו אֲהֵבוֹ. יוֹתֵר מִכֻּלָּנוּ, וְלָכֵן לֹא הִנִּיחוֹ בָּרִאשׁוֹנָה לָבוֹא עִמָּנוּ, וְזֹאת הָיְתָה הַסִּבָּה שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה עִמָּנוּ אָז, לֹא שֶׁשְּׁלַחְנוּהוּ לְרַגֵּל כַּאֲשֶׁר חָשַׁבְתָּ:
1ואביו אהבו, more than he loves all (any) of us combined. Therefore he did not allow him to come to Egypt the first time we came here in order to buy food for our families. The reason was not that we came on a spying mission, as you appear to have thought