Joseph’s Brothers Go to Egypt
Genesis 42:1-38
Gen.42.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וירא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יעקב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- יש: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- שבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- במצרים: PREP+NOUN,prop,pl,m,abs
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יעקב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לבניו: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- למה: ADV
- תתראו: VERB,hithpael,imperfect,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Gen.41:57 (verbal): Declares that people from all lands came into Egypt to buy grain — directly echoes Gen 42:1's notice that there was grain in Egypt and motivates the same movement for food.
- Gen.43:1 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation: the famine persists and Jacob's household must decide about going to Egypt for grain; it follows and develops the situation introduced in Gen 42:1.
- Gen.12:10 (thematic): Abram goes down to Egypt because of a famine in the land — parallels the recurring biblical motif of families migrating to Egypt to obtain food during famine.
- Ruth 1:1 (thematic): Records a famine-induced migration (Elimelech's family to Moab), illustrating the wider biblical theme of displacement and survival strategies in times of famine.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, Why do you look at one another?
- And Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt; and Jacob said to his sons, Why do you look at one another?
Gen.42.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- הנה: PART
- שמעתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,sg
- כי: CONJ
- יש: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- שבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- במצרים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- רדו: VERB,qal,imperative,2,m,pl
- שמה: ADV
- ושברו: VERB,qal,imperative,2,_,pl
- לנו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- משם: PREP
- ונחיה: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
- ולא: CONJ
- נמות: VERB,qal,imperfect,1,_,pl
Parallels
- Gen.41:56-57 (structural): Same narrative context: the famine affects all lands and people come to Egypt to buy grain — the situation that prompts Jacob’s sons to go and buy wheat.
- Gen.47:13-20 (verbal): Later account of the same famine and the mechanics of buying grain in Egypt (sales, exchange of money and land) showing the consequences of seeking sustenance there.
- Gen.12:10 (thematic): Abram likewise goes down to Egypt because of a famine in the land — a recurring Genesis motif of seeking food/survival abroad during famine.
- Gen.26:1-2 (thematic): Isaac faces a famine and relocates (to Gerar), another parallel instance of a patriarchal household moving because of lack of food.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he said, See, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down there and buy for us from there, that we may live and not die.
- And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down there and buy for us from there, that we may live and not die.
Gen.42.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וירדו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- אחי: NOUN,m,pl,suff
- יוסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עשרה: NUM,card,m,pl
- לשבר: VERB,qal,inf
- בר: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ממצרים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Gen.41.57 (thematic): Famine in the land causes nations to come to Egypt to buy grain — the broader circumstance that explains why Joseph’s brothers go to Egypt.
- Gen.42.2 (verbal): Jacob notices there is grain in Egypt and instructs his sons to go buy food there; this verse is the immediate narrative antecedent to v.3 and echoes the same action.
- Gen.37.26-28 (allusion): The brothers’ earlier sale of Joseph to traders headed to Egypt creates a narrative link between their past actions involving Egypt and their present journey there to buy grain.
- Gen.45.9-11 (structural): After Joseph reveals himself, he urges his brothers to bring Jacob and the family to Egypt so they may live and be fed during the famine — a later development rooted in the brothers’ initial trip to buy grain.
Alternative generated candidates
- And ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.
- So Joseph’s brothers went down, ten, to buy grain from Egypt.
Gen.42.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואת: CONJ
- בנימין: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אחי: NOUN,m,pl,suff
- יוסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- שלח: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יעקב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- אחיו: NOUN,3,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- פן: CONJ
- יקראנו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg,obj1pl
- אסון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Gen.43:8-9 (verbal): Judah repeats and echoes the same concern when pleading with Jacob and the brothers to allow Benjamin to go: he cites Jacob’s refusal and the fear that losing Benjamin would be fatal to their father.
- Gen.42:38 (structural): Immediate context/parallel wording in which Jacob explains explicitly why he will not send Benjamin — he fears harm coming to the boy and the loss of his last son.
- Gen.44:30-34 (verbal): When Judah pleads before Joseph, he again frames the danger to Benjamin in terms of their father’s possible death, directly reflecting the rationale given by Jacob for keeping Benjamin at home.
- Gen.37:3-4 (thematic): Jacob’s special affection for Joseph (and by extension his partiality among his sons) provides background for his protective, solicitous behavior toward his children, helping explain his unwillingness to risk Benjamin.
- Gen.37:34-35 (thematic): Jacob’s extreme grief over Joseph’s apparent death (tearing his clothes, mourning) parallels and helps explain his fear of losing another son, which underlies his refusal to send Benjamin.
Alternative generated candidates
- But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob did not send with his brothers, for he said, Lest harm befall him.
- But Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob did not send with his brothers, for he said, Lest harm befall him.
Gen.42.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויבאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לשבר: VERB,qal,inf
- בתוך: PREP
- הבאים: PART,qal,ptcp,masc,pl,def
- כי: CONJ
- היה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- הרעב: NOUN,m,sg,def
- בארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,def
- כנען: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Genesis 41:56-57 (verbal): Same narrative situation: a widespread famine and peoples from many lands coming to Egypt to buy grain — language and action paralleling Gen 42:5.
- Genesis 45:16-20 (thematic): Later consequence of the same famine theme: Pharaoh and Joseph arrange for Jacob's family to come to Egypt, showing the migration that Gen 42:5 anticipates.
- Genesis 12:10 (thematic): Abram (Abraham) earlier goes down to Egypt because of a famine in Canaan — an antecedent example of famine-driven movement out of the land.
- Genesis 26:1-6 (thematic): A later recurrence: there is a famine in Isaac's time and he sojourns in Gerar, illustrating the recurring pattern of famine causing relocation within the patriarchal narratives.
- Ruth 1:1 (thematic): A parallel case of famine in the land prompting migration (Naomi and family leave Bethlehem for Moab), thematically echoing Gen 42:5's link between famine and travel/relocation.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the sons of Israel came to buy among those who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.
- And the sons of Israel came to buy grain among those who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.
Gen.42.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויוסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- השליט: VERB,qal,ptc,3,m,sg
- על: PREP
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- המשביר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לכל: PREP
- עם: PREP
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ויבאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- אחי: NOUN,m,pl,suff
- יוסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וישתחוו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- אפים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ארצה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Genesis 37:5-11 (thematic): Joseph's childhood dreams that his brothers and parents would bow to him are proleptic; Gen 42:6 records the fulfillment when his brothers bow before him.
- Genesis 41:41-44 (structural): The formal transfer of authority: Pharaoh sets Joseph over all the land of Egypt and gives him signs of office—background for the description in 42:6 of Joseph as ruler over the land.
- Genesis 41:56-57 (verbal): Describes the widespread famine and peoples coming to Egypt to buy grain, closely connected to 42:6's note that Joseph provided/sold to all the people of the land.
- Genesis 47:13-14 (verbal): Later narrative of Joseph gathering money and selling grain to the Egyptians during the famine, paralleling the function attributed to him in 42:6 as the distributor/vendor of food.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Joseph—he was the ruler over the land; he was the one who sold grain to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.
- Now Joseph—he was the ruler over the land; he was the one who sold grain to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed themselves to him with their faces to the ground.
Gen.42.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וירא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יוסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- אחיו: NOUN,3,m,sg,abs
- ויכרם: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ויתנכר: VERB,hith,perf,3,m,sg
- אליהם: PREP,3,m,pl
- וידבר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- קשות: ADJ,f,pl,abs
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- מאין: ADV,interrog
- באתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- מארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כנען: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לשבר: VERB,qal,inf
- אכל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Gen.37:18-28 (thematic): The earlier episode of Joseph among his brothers—when they seize him, strip his coat, and sell him—provides the background for their guilt and Joseph’s later covert behavior toward them in Egypt.
- Gen.45:3 (structural): A direct structural contrast: here Joseph recognizes his brothers but conceals his identity; in 45:3 he finally reveals himself—showing the literary move from concealment to disclosure.
- Ps.105:17-22 (allusion): The psalm recounts Joseph’s being bound, sold, tested, and exalted in Egypt, thematically paralleling the narrative context in which Joseph meets his brothers and begins testing them.
- Acts 7:9 (allusion): In Stephen’s speech the pattern of the brothers’ hostility and sale of Joseph is summarized; Acts recalls the same sequence that makes the encounter in Gen 42 charged with past guilt.
- Luke 24:16-31 (thematic): Typological/thematic parallel: like Joseph, the risen Jesus is initially unrecognized and speaks with others, testing and revealing identity later—both narratives use concealment and eventual revelation as dramatic devices.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, and he made himself a stranger to them and spoke with them harshly. And he said to them, From where do you come? And they said, From the land of Canaan, to buy food.
- And Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he made himself a stranger to them and spoke harshly with them. And he said to them, From where have you come? And they said, From the land of Canaan, to buy food.
Gen.42.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויכר: VERB,qal,ipf,3,m,sg
- יוסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- אחיו: NOUN,3,m,sg,abs
- והם: CONJ+PRON,3,m,pl
- לא: PART_NEG
- הכרהו: VERB,piel,perf,3,m,pl+obj3,m,sg
Parallels
- Gen.42.9 (structural): Immediate continuation of the scene: verse 9 records Joseph's reaction and recollection of his earlier dreams after the initial recognition and their failure to recognize him.
- Gen.45.3 (structural): Later reversal in the Joseph narrative where Joseph finally discloses his identity ('I am Joseph'), directly contrasting the earlier moment when his brothers did not recognize him.
- Gen.37.33 (thematic): Jacob's recognition of Joseph's bloody coat leads him to conclude Joseph is dead — a contrasting episode of recognition based on an object rather than personal identification.
- Luke 24:16 (thematic): On the road to Emmaus the disciples 'were kept from recognizing him' (the risen Jesus), a similar motif of withheld recognition that only later is lifted.
- John 21:7 (thematic): After the resurrection the disciples at first do not realize the person on the shore is Jesus; recognition occurs only when he speaks, paralleling the pattern of hidden identity followed by revelation.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.
- And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.
Gen.42.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויזכר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- יוסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- החלמות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- חלם: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- מרגלים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- לראות: VERB,qal,inf
- את: PRT,acc
- ערות: NOUN,f,pl,const
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- באתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Gen.37:5-11 (verbal): Joseph's earlier dreams in which his brothers bow to him—Gen. 42:9 explicitly recalls these dreams and uses them to interpret the brothers' presence.
- Gen.42:7 (structural): Immediate narrative context: the verse directly follows Joseph's recognition of his brothers and begins his testing/accusation by calling them spies.
- Gen.44:1-17 (thematic): Later in the Joseph narrative Joseph stages a test (the hidden cup) to probe his brothers' character and truthfulness—parallel strategy of testing and assessing their motives.
- Josh.2:1 (thematic): Joshua sends spies into Jericho 'to view the land'—shares the motif of reconnaissance/spies sent or accused to 'see' the land's condition, echoing the language and function of Gen. 42:9.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed about them, and he said to them, You are spies; to see the nakedness of the land you have come.
- And Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed concerning them, and he said to them, Spies you are; to see the nakedness of the land you have come.
Gen.42.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- אליו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- ועבדיך: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss:2,m,sg
- באו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- לשבר: VERB,qal,inf
- אכל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Genesis 42:11 (verbal): Immediate verbal parallel — the brothers repeat essentially the same declaration, "We are honest men; we are not spies," responding to the steward's suspicion.
- Genesis 42:13 (thematic): Continuing defense — after denying they are spies they explain their family situation (twelve brothers, one younger), which is the substantive justification for their journey to buy food.
- Genesis 43:8-10 (thematic): When the brothers return to Egypt they again plead their honesty and explain their family circumstances (especially Judah's speech), continuing the motif of defense against accusation and appeal for mercy.
- Numbers 13:1-3; 13:27-28 (thematic): The formal sending and report of spies into Canaan provides a broader Israelite context for the category "spies" — a contrast to Genesis 42 where accused travelers insist they are merely merchants seeking food.
- Judges 18:2-7 (thematic): The Danites' sending of men to scout Laish/Lod illustrates another narrative instance of 'spying/outlooking' territory; thematically related to the suspicion of covert intent that the Egyptian steward expresses to Joseph's brothers.
Alternative generated candidates
- And they said to him, No, my lord; your servants have come to buy food.
- And they said to him, No, my lord; your servants have come to buy food.
Gen.42.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כלנו: PRON,1,pl
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אחד: NUM,card,m,sg
- נחנו: PRON,1,pl
- כנים: ADJ,m,pl
- אנחנו: PRON,1,pl
- לא: PART_NEG
- היו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- עבדיך: NOUN,m,pl,abs,2ms
- מרגלים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Gen.44.9 (verbal): The brothers repeat essentially the same words later when accused again in Joseph’s house: they insist they are honest men and not spies (almost verbatim language).
- Gen.42.17-20 (structural): Immediate structural parallel within the same episode: after the accusation that they are spies, Joseph detains them and decrees a test (keeping one brother while sending others with grain), showing how the claim in v.11 is put to the test.
- Num.13-14 (thematic): The sending and reporting of spies into Canaan raises related themes of espionage, accusation, communal fear, and the moral credibility of the agents — parallels the motif of being labeled and tested as ‘spies.’
- Josh.2.1-7 (thematic): Narrative of Israelite spies in Jericho and the town’s response (Rahab’s admission/protection and the accusation of spies) echoes the motif of clandestine agents, accusation, and questions of trust/integrity found in Gen 42:11.
Alternative generated candidates
- We are all sons of one man; we are honest; your servants have not been spies.
- We are all sons of one man; we are honest; your servants have not been spies.
Gen.42.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- לא: PART_NEG
- כי: CONJ
- ערות: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- באתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- לראות: VERB,qal,inf
Parallels
- Gen.42.9 (verbal): Immediate verbal parallel in the same speech — Joseph explicitly accuses his brothers, 'Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come,' the same charge continued in v.12.
- Num.13:17-20 (thematic): Moses sends men 'to spy out the land' and 'see the land' and its inhabitants; parallels the theme of visiting to reconnoiter the land's condition.
- Josh.2:1 (thematic): Joshua sends two men 'to spy secretly' into Jericho to see the land and its people; echoes the motif of clandestine inspection described in Genesis 42:12.
- Deut.1:22-23 (thematic): The Israelites request that men be sent 'to search the land' before entering Canaan — a narrative parallel of sending or being accused of being sent to examine the land.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he said to them, No; for the nakedness of the land you have come to see.
- And he said to them, No; but the nakedness of the land you have come to see.
Gen.42.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- שנים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- עשר: NUM,card,m,sg,cons
- עבדיך: NOUN,m,pl,suff2ms
- אחים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אנחנו: PRON,1,pl
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אחד: NUM,card,m,sg
- בארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,def
- כנען: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- והנה: ADV
- הקטן: ADJ,m,sg,def
- את: PRT,acc
- אבינו: NOUN,m,sg,abs,prsuf1pl
- היום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- והאחד: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,def
- איננו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl,neg
Parallels
- Gen.44.20 (verbal): Nearly identical wording— the brothers again describe themselves as 'twelve brethren, sons of one man… the youngest is with our father, and one is not,' spoken later during the Benjamin/cup episode.
- Gen.35.22-26 (structural): Catalogues the sons of Jacob (the twelve brothers), providing the genealogical basis for the statement 'we are twelve brethren.'
- Gen.43.33 (thematic): At the brothers' second meeting with Joseph they are arranged 'the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth,' highlighting the significance of the youngest (Benjamin) mentioned in 42:13.
- Gen.37.34-35 (thematic): Jacob's profound mourning over Joseph's disappearance ('all his sons and daughters… could not comfort him') echoes and explains the family pain behind the phrase 'and one is not.'
Alternative generated candidates
- And they said, We, your servants, are twelve brothers, sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is with our father today, and the one is no more.
- And they said, We, your servants, are twelve brothers, sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is with our father today, and the one is no more.
Gen.42.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- יוסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
- דברתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,sg
- אלכם: PREP+PRON,2,m,pl
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- מרגלים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Gen.42.9 (verbal): Same accusation earlier in the chapter where Joseph first confronts his brothers with the words 'You are spies' (repetition of the exact charge).
- Gen.42.11-13 (structural): The brothers' immediate denial and Joseph's insistence form the surrounding dialogue to v.14; the exchange frames Joseph's test of them and their self-presentation as honest men.
- Gen.44.1-5 (thematic): Later scene in which Joseph stages a similar test (the planting of the cup and the accusation of theft) — parallel method of testing and confronting his brothers under disguise.
- Gen.37.26-28 (thematic): The brothers' earlier plot to sell Joseph highlights the background of betrayal and deceit that makes Joseph's suspicion and testing of them narratively resonant.
- Ps.105.17-22 (allusion): Psalmic retelling of Joseph's humiliation and rise in Egypt (sold, imprisoned, exalted) parallels the larger Joseph narrative context in which accusations, imprisonment, and vindication occur.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Joseph said to them, It is as I spoke to you, saying, You are spies.
- And Joseph said to them, It is as I spoke to you, saying, You are spies.
Gen.42.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בזאת: PREP
- תבחנו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- חי: ADJ,m,sg
- פרעה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אם: CONJ
- תצאו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- מזה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- אם: CONJ
- בבוא: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אחיכם: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2,m,pl
- הקטן: ADJ,m,sg,def
- הנה: PART
Parallels
- Genesis 42:19-20 (structural): Immediate narrative parallel: the same command and rationale — Joseph (as Egyptian official) insists they will not leave until the youngest brother comes, continuing and expanding the testing motif begun in 42:15.
- Genesis 44:1-5 (structural): Shows the method by which Joseph's earlier demand is actualized: Joseph instructs his steward to plant his cup in Benjamin's sack to ensure Benjamin is detained, continuing the staged testing of the brothers.
- Genesis 43:8-9 (thematic): Judah's proposal to Jacob to send Benjamin and to act as guarantor (surety) responds directly to the problem created by the demand in 42:15; highlights family responsibility and the brothers' developing moral responses.
- Genesis 44:32-34 (thematic): The climax of Joseph's testing: Judah pleads to remain as a slave in Benjamin's stead. This demonstrates the moral transformation that the detention/test begun in 42:15 was designed to produce.
- Deuteronomy 8:2 (thematic): Broad theological parallel: God 'tested' Israel in the wilderness to know what was in their heart. Provides a bookend motif of testing to reveal character and faithfulness analogous to Joseph's testing of his brothers.
Alternative generated candidates
- By this you shall be tested: By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here.
- By this you shall be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here.
Gen.42.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- שלחו: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,pl
- מכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- אחד: NUM,card,m,sg
- ויקח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- אחיכם: NOUN,m,sg,cons,2,m,pl
- ואתם: CONJ+PRON,2,pl
- האסרו: VERB,niphal,imp,2,m,pl
- ויבחנו: VERB,niphal,impf,3,m,pl
- דבריכם: NOUN,m,pl,abs,2,m,pl
- האמת: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אתכם: PRT+PRON,2,m,pl
- ואם: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- חי: ADJ,m,sg
- פרעה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- כי: CONJ
- מרגלים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Gen.42.7 (verbal): Same episode — Joseph first accuses his brothers of being "spies" (מרגלים) when he overhears them, directly connected to the demand in 42:16 to detain and test them.
- Gen.42.21-22 (thematic): The brothers’ private confession of guilt and conscience ('We are verily guilty concerning our brother') explains their fear and is the moral counterpart to Joseph’s decision to test them.
- Gen.44.1-17 (structural): A later, parallel test by Joseph: he plants his silver cup in Benjamin’s sack, accuses him of theft, and insists Benjamin remain as a hostage — the same pattern of detaining one brother to prove the others’ truthfulness.
- Num.13:1-33 (thematic): The motif of sending men to spy and testing/reporting (the 'spies' theme) parallels Genesis 42’s use of spying/espionage language and the idea of examination to determine truthfulness.
Alternative generated candidates
- Send one of you and let him bring your brother, and you be confined, and let your words be tested, whether truth is with you; and if not—by the life of Pharaoh—you are spies.
- Send one of you that he may fetch your brother, and you shall be confined, and your words shall be tested whether truth is with you; and if not—by the life of Pharaoh—you are surely spies.
Gen.42.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאסף: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- משמר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שלשת: NUM,m,pl,abs
- ימים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Genesis 42:18-20 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation: Joseph detains the brothers for three days and then separates Simeon — the same episode expanded, showing purpose and outcome of the three-day custody.
- Genesis 40:3-23 (thematic): Earlier instance of imprisonment in Joseph’s story: Joseph as a prisoner/keeper of the prison shows the recurring motif of custody that leads to later revelation and reversal.
- Jonah 1:17 (thematic): Jonah’s being confined in the fish ‘three days and three nights’ uses the same three-day time-frame as a period of judgment, testing, and impending deliverance.
- Matthew 12:40 (allusion): Jesus cites Jonah’s three days as a paradigmatic sign; this connects the biblical motif of ‘three days’ as a decisive period (testing, death/rescue, or revelation).
- Matthew 27:62-66 (thematic): Pilate’s ordering of guards at Jesus’ tomb parallels the idea of official custody/guarding to control movement and testimony — a comparable motif of confinement and its witness implications.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he put them all together in custody for three days.
- And he put them in custody for three days.
Gen.42.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- יוסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ביום: PREP
- השלישי: ADJ,m,sg,def
- זאת: DEM,f,sg
- עשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- וחיו: VERB,qal,juss,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- האלהים: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- ירא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Genesis 39:9 (thematic): Joseph refuses Potiphar’s wife, insisting he cannot commit that sin because it would be sinning against God—same moral motive of fearing God as the basis for action.
- Jonah 1:9 (verbal): Jonah explicitly says “I fear the LORD” (similar Hebrew formula), a close verbal parallel in which the speaker invokes fear of God to define identity and conduct.
- Daniel 6:10 (thematic): Daniel persists in prayer despite a royal decree because he fears God—fear of God as primary loyalty that governs behavior under political pressure, like Joseph’s claim.
- Proverbs 1:7 (thematic): “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” — proverbial teaching that fear of God undergirds right conduct and wisdom, echoing Joseph’s appeal to fearing God as decisive.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Joseph said to them on the third day, Do this and live, for I fear God.
- And on the third day Joseph said to them, Do this and live, for I fear God.
Gen.42.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אם: CONJ
- כנים: ADJ,m,pl
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- אחיכם: NOUN,m,sg,construct+2m.pl
- אחד: NUM,card,m,sg
- יאסר: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- בבית: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- משמרכם: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2m.pl
- ואתם: CONJ+PRON,2,pl
- לכו: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,pl
- הביאו: VERB,hiphil,imperat,2,m,pl
- שבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רעבון: NOUN,m,sg,construct
- בתיכם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+2m.pl
Parallels
- Gen.42.9 (verbal): Joseph's initial charge to the brothers — 'Are ye not spies?' — directly echoes the accusation in v.19 and sets up the same interrogation motif.
- Gen.42.24 (structural): Immediate narrative fulfillment of v.19: Simeon is bound in their sight and kept as a hostage while the others are sent away.
- Gen.44.33 (thematic): Judah's offer to remain as a bondman in place of Benjamin parallels the hostage/substitution dynamic introduced when one brother is detained in v.19.
- Josh.2.1 (thematic): Rahab's hiding of Israelite spies and the theme of clandestine visitation in a foreign land parallels the motif of 'spies' entering another's territory in Gen 42:19.
- Num.13:17-25 (thematic): The sending and reporting of scouts into Canaan echoes the reconnaissance/spy motif — commissioning, investigation, and the consequences of a spying mission.
Alternative generated candidates
- If you are honest, let one of your brothers be confined in prison, and you go, carry grain to relieve the hunger of your households.
- If you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined in your prison; but you, go, carry grain for the hunger of your households.
Gen.42.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואת: CONJ
- אחיכם: NOUN,m,sg,abs,2,mp
- הקטן: ADJ,m,sg,def
- תביאו: VERB,qal,impf,2,mp
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- ויאמנו: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- דבריכם: NOUN,m,pl,abs,2,mp
- ולא: CONJ
- תמותו: VERB,qal,impf,2,mp
- ויעשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- כן: ADV
Parallels
- Genesis 43:8-9 (structural): Judah tells Jacob that if Benjamin goes with them he will be surety (a guarantee) — a parallel demand to bring the youngest brother as proof and assurance to others.
- Genesis 42:21-22 (allusion): Immediate narrative response: the brothers admit their guilt and recall Benjamin as the remaining son, echoing the concern about the youngest referenced in 42:20.
- Genesis 44:4 (thematic): Joseph has his steward place the silver cup in Benjamin's sack to frame him — a later stage of the same testing strategy that required bringing the youngest to prove the brothers' story.
- Genesis 44:33-34 (thematic): Judah offers himself as surety for Benjamin (willing to remain a slave in his place), developing the guarantee motif begun when Joseph demanded that the youngest be brought.
- Genesis 42:7 (structural): Joseph confronts the brothers as spies and interrogates them — the setting and accusation that lead directly to his demand in 42:20 that they bring the youngest as verification.
Alternative generated candidates
- And bring your youngest brother to me; so your words will be proven true, and you shall not die. And they did so.
- And bring your youngest brother to me, so your words will be confirmed, and you shall not die. And they did so.
Gen.42.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- אחיו: NOUN,3,m,sg,abs
- אבל: CONJ
- אשמים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- אנחנו: PRON,1,pl
- על: PREP
- אחינו: NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss:1pl
- אשר: PRON,rel
- ראינו: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,pl
- צרת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- נפשו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- בהתחננו: VERB,hitpael,perf,3,m,sg+obj:1pl
- אלינו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- ולא: CONJ
- שמענו: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,pl
- על: PREP
- כן: ADV
- באה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- אלינו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- הצרה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Gen.37:23-28 (structural): Narrative source of the brothers' guilt: these verses describe how they seized Joseph, ignored his pleas, and sold him — the action to which Gen 42:21 refers.
- Gen.42:22 (verbal): Immediate continuation that echoes the same confession of guilt; Reuben reproaches the brothers for not heeding his warning not to harm Joseph.
- Gen.44:16-17 (thematic): When Judah speaks before the (disguised) Egyptian, he acknowledges that 'God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants' — a parallel confession of responsibility and fear over past sin involving Joseph.
- Gen.50:15-21 (thematic): After Jacob's death the brothers fear retribution and recall their crime; Joseph later reframes the event as God’s providential will, addressing the guilt and its consequences referenced in Gen 42:21.
Alternative generated candidates
- And they said each to his brother, Indeed we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us and we did not listen; therefore this distress has come upon us.
- And they said each to his brother, Indeed we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul when he begged us and we did not listen; therefore this distress has come upon us.
Gen.42.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויען: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ראובן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- הלוא: PART
- אמרתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,com,sg
- אליכם: PREP+PRON,2,pl
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- אל: NEG
- תחטאו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- בילד: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- שמעתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- וגם: CONJ
- דמו: NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss3ms
- הנה: PART
- נדרש: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Genesis 37:21-22 (verbal): Reuben's earlier intervention: he told the brothers not to kill Joseph and planned to rescue him from the pit — the same injunction he invokes in 42:22 ('I told you, do not sin against the boy').
- Genesis 37:26-28 (structural): Narrative account of the brothers selling Joseph into slavery while Reuben was absent; provides the immediate background for Reuben's reproach that they did not heed his warning and that Joseph's blood is now in question.
- Genesis 42:21 (thematic): Immediate contextual parallel: the brothers acknowledge their guilt toward their brother ('Surely we are guilty concerning our brother'), which connects directly to Reuben's complaint that they ignored his plea and now face the consequences.
- Genesis 50:15-21 (thematic): Later scene in which Joseph's brothers fear reprisal for selling him and beg forgiveness; mirrors the theme of guilt over harm done to a brother and the issue of accountability and mercy.
- Genesis 4:10 (allusion): God's rebuke to Cain — 'the voice of your brother's blood cries to me' — echoes the theological motif that the blood of a wronged brother calls for justice (cf. 'and his blood is required' in 42:22).
Alternative generated candidates
- And Reuben answered them, saying, Did I not say to you, saying, Do not sin against the child? But you did not listen; and now, behold, his blood is required.
- And Reuben answered them, saying, Did I not say to you, Do not sin against the boy? But you did not listen; and now his blood also is required.
Gen.42.23 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והם: CONJ+PRON,3,m,pl
- לא: PART_NEG
- ידעו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- כי: CONJ
- שמע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יוסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- המליץ: VERB,hiph,perf,3,m,sg
- בינתם: NOUN,f,sg,abs+3,m,pl
Parallels
- Genesis 42:7-8 (structural): Immediate narrative context: Joseph recognizes his brothers and remembers his dreams, while the brothers do not recognize him—sets up 42:23's statement that they did not know he understood them.
- Genesis 45:1-8 (thematic): Later revelation of Joseph's identity after testing his brothers; continues the theme of concealed knowledge, recognition, and the disclosure of understanding.
- Daniel 5:11-12 (thematic): Daniel is cited as an interpreter of dreams and enigmas for a foreign king—parallels the motif of an interpreter mediating understanding between speaker and audience in a courtly, multilingual setting.
- 1 Corinthians 14:13-19 (thematic): Paul emphasizes the need for interpretation so that speech may be understood by listeners; relates to Joseph's use of an interpreter to control communication and comprehension.
- John 2:23-25 (thematic): Jesus perceives what is in people though they are unaware he knows; similar motif of hidden perception—one party understands inner meaning while the other remains unaware.
Alternative generated candidates
- And they did not know that Joseph understood, for the interpreter was between them.
- And they did not know that Joseph understood, for the interpreter was between them.
Gen.42.24 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויסב: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- מעליהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- ויבך: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- וישב: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- וידבר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אלהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- ויקח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- מאתם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- שמעון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויאסר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אתו: PRON,3,m,sg,acc
- לעיניהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Gen.45:1-2 (verbal): Joseph breaks down and weeps aloud before his brothers and then reveals himself — parallels the motif of Joseph/official weeping and the disclosure/tension surrounding his identity.
- Gen.37:34-35 (thematic): Jacob's prolonged mourning over the presumed-dead Joseph echoes the theme of intense weeping connected to Joseph's fate and the family’s grief.
- Gen.44:12-34 (structural): The later episode in which Joseph tests his brothers by accusing Benjamin, searches the sacks, and detains them (recalling Simeon’s being held) continues the same strategy of hostage-taking and examination of the brothers’ behavior.
- Ps.105:17-22 (allusion): The psalm recounts Joseph being bound and placed in irons in Egypt — thematically related to detention/imprisonment imagery and the reversal whereby Joseph, now powerful, binds a brother.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he turned away from them and wept; then he returned to them and spoke to them, and he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.
- And he turned away from them and wept; and he returned to them and spoke to them; and he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.
Gen.42.25 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויצו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יוסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וימלאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- כליהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בר: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ולהשיב: VERB,hiph,inf
- כספיהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- שקו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ולתת: VERB,qal,inf
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- צדה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לדרך: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ויעש: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- כן: ADV
Parallels
- Gen.42.27 (verbal): Immediate narrative continuation: the brothers open their sacks and find the money Joseph ordered returned — the same event described from the recipients' perspective.
- Gen.43.11-14 (thematic): Jacob instructs his sons to take a present and to carry money for the man in Egypt and food for the journey, echoing the themes of provision, gifts, and money exchanged in the Egypt visit.
- Gen.45.21-22 (thematic): After revealing himself Joseph provides wagons, provisions and changes of clothing for his brothers' journey home — a later, fuller instance of Joseph supplying for their return.
- Gen.41.56-57 (thematic): During the famine all the countries come to Egypt to buy grain stored under Joseph's administration, giving the wider context for Joseph filling the brothers' sacks and provisioning travelers.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Joseph commanded, and they filled their vessels with grain, and to restore each man's money into his sack, and to give them provision for the journey; and so he did for them.
- And Joseph commanded to fill their vessels with grain, and to restore each man’s money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the road; and thus he did for them.
Gen.42.26 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וישאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- שברם: NOUN,m,sg,poss
- על: PREP
- חמריהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs,3,m,pl
- וילכו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- משם: PREP
Parallels
- Gen.42.25 (verbal): Immediate precursor in the same scene: Joseph gives them food and restores their money; verse 42:26 continues the action as they load the grain and depart.
- Gen.42.35 (structural): Narrative follow‑up: describes the brothers' return to Canaan with the grain and their report to Jacob — the consequence of their departure in v.26.
- Gen.43.11-14 (thematic): Brothers prepare provisions, take money, and set out to return to Egypt for Benjamin — repeats the motif of provisioning and departure to/ from Egypt.
- Gen.45.21-25 (thematic): Later reversal: Joseph supplies his brothers (and later Jacob) for travel and they go to and from Egypt laden with goods — echoes the image of people departing with provisions on animals.
Alternative generated candidates
- And they loaded their grain upon their donkeys and went from there.
- And they loaded their grain on their donkeys and went away from there.
Gen.42.27 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויפתח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- האחד: PRON,indef,sg,m
- את: PRT,acc
- שקו: NOUN,m,sg,suff
- לתת: VERB,qal,inf
- מספוא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לחמרו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,suff
- במלון: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- וירא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- כספו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m
- והנה: ADV
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- בפי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,construct
- אמתחתו: NOUN,f,sg,suff
Parallels
- Genesis 44:12 (verbal): A virtually parallel episode: the brothers open their sacks and discover a planted object (the silver cup) in Benjamin's sack — same motif and narrative device (an item found in a sack provoking alarm).
- Genesis 37:28 (thematic): Joseph is sold to Ishmaelite traders for silver — thematically links silver with betrayal, transaction, and the brothers' later confrontation over money.
- Matthew 27:3-10 (thematic): Judas returns the thirty pieces of silver and the chief priests use the money for the potter's field — another New Testament episode where silver figures centrally in guilt, discovery/return, and moral consequence.
- Deuteronomy 22:1-3 (thematic): Laws about finding and returning lost property — thematically related to issues of possession, discovered objects, and obligations when money or goods are found in another's custody.
Alternative generated candidates
- And one opened his sack to give fodder to his donkey at the lodging place, and he saw his money, and behold, it was in the mouth of his bag.
- And one opened his sack to give fodder to his donkey at the lodging place, and he saw his money, and behold, it was in the mouth of his bag.
Gen.42.28 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- אחיו: NOUN,3,m,sg,abs
- הושב: VERB,qal,ptc,ms
- כספי: NOUN,m,sg,poss
- וגם: CONJ
- הנה: PART
- באמתחתי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,poss
- ויצא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- לבם: NOUN,m,sg,poss
- ויחרדו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- אחיו: NOUN,3,m,sg,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- מה: PRON,int
- זאת: DEM,f,sg
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לנו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
Parallels
- Gen.42.21 (structural): Immediate internal parallel in the same scene: the brothers recognize their guilt and fear (“we are guilty concerning our brother”), preparing the emotional reaction in 42:28.
- Gen.44:12 (verbal): Repetition of the same episode motif — the brothers find their money returned in their sacks, linking the narrative structure and shock of discovery.
- Gen.50:20 (thematic): Joseph’s later reflection that what his brothers intended for evil God intended for good shows the theological interpretation of the mysterious events the brothers attribute to God in 42:28.
- Prov.21:1 (thematic): Expresses the theme of divine control over human hearts and events — fitting the brothers’ exclamation, 'What is this God has done to us?,' which perceives God’s hand in their plight.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he said to his brothers, My money has been returned, and moreover, behold, it is in my bag. And their hearts failed, and they trembled, each to his brother, saying, What is this that God has done to us?
- And he said to his brothers, My money has been returned, and moreover, behold, it is in my bag. And their hearts failed, and they trembled, each to his brother, saying, What is this that God has done to us?
Gen.42.29 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויבאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- יעקב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אביהם: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- ארצה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כנען: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויגידו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- הקרת: NOUN,m,pl,def
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
Parallels
- Genesis 37:32-35 (verbal): Brothers report to Jacob about Joseph’s fate — bringing Joseph’s bloodied coat and telling Jacob he is torn to pieces; both passages depict the sons conveying traumatic news about a brother to their father and Jacob’s consequent grief.
- Genesis 45:25-28 (thematic): The brothers return to Jacob in Canaan and report the truth about Joseph — that he is alive and governor in Egypt; this functions as a narrative counterpart (resolution) to the earlier report in 42:29 and shows the reversal of Jacob’s distress.
- Genesis 42:36 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation within the same episode: Jacob’s anguished reaction to the news about Joseph (and fear for Benjamin) is recorded here, linking the report in 42:29 with Jacob’s mourning and loss of appetite.
- Psalm 105:17-22 (allusion): A later retelling of the Joseph story that summarizes key events (sold by his brothers, bound, put in iron, tested) and recalls the family crisis; serves as a thematic reflection on the same family-reporting and suffering motifs present in Genesis 42:29.
Alternative generated candidates
- And they came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan and told him all that had befallen them, saying,
- And they came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan, and they told him all that had befallen them, saying,
Gen.42.30 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- האיש: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אתנו: PRON,1,pl
- קשות: ADJ,f,pl,abs
- ויתן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אתנו: PRON,1,pl
- כמרגלים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Genesis 42:9 (verbal): Same scene—Joseph (the Egyptian ruler) accuses the brothers of being spies and treats them harshly; the language and charge are repeated within the chapter.
- Numbers 13:1–3,17–20 (thematic): The sending of scouts/’spies’ to survey a land; thematically parallels the role and peril of being labeled a מרגל (spy) when examining territory.
- Joshua 2:1 (thematic): Joshua’s secret mission of two spies into Jericho echoes the motif of covert reconnaissance and the risks spies face among foreign populations.
- 2 Samuel 10:4–5 (thematic): King Hanun’s humiliation of David’s envoys because they were suspected of being spies parallels a foreign ruler treating visitors harshly on the accusation of espionage.
Alternative generated candidates
- The man, the lord of the land, spoke with us harshly and took us for spies of the land.
- The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly with us and counted us as spies of the land.
Gen.42.31 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ונאמר: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,sg
- אליו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- כנים: ADV
- אנחנו: PRON,1,pl
- לא: PART_NEG
- היינו: VERB,qal,perf,1,pl
- מרגלים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Gen.42:9–11 (verbal): Immediate repetition in the same episode: the brothers earlier respond to the charge of being spies with the same formula—'we are honest men; we are not spies.'
- Gen.42:17–20 (structural): Same interrogation/test motif in the narrative: Joseph detains the brothers, tests them (imprisonment, search of sacks, demand for proof), which frames the 'we are not spies' denial within a larger trial structure.
- Num.13:1–33 (thematic): The classic Israelite 'spies' episode: sending of scouts into Canaan and the tensions/accusations that follow. The passage shares the motif of reconnaissance, report, and the decisive consequences of spying for group dynamics and leadership.
- Josh.2:1–7 (thematic): Spying on the land of Canaan and the moral-political handling of spies: Rahab's interaction with Israelite spies contrasts with the Genesis scene (acknowledgment and protection versus denial and accusation), highlighting different responses to espionage.
Alternative generated candidates
- And we said to him, We are honest; we were not spies.
- But we said to him, We are honest; we have not been spies.
Gen.42.32 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- שנים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- עשר: NUM,card,m,sg,cons
- אנחנו: PRON,1,pl
- אחים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- אבינו: NOUN,m,sg,abs,prsuf1pl
- האחד: PRON,indef,sg,m
- איננו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl,neg
- והקטן: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,def
- היום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- את: PRT,acc
- אבינו: NOUN,m,sg,abs,prsuf1pl
- בארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,def
- כנען: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Genesis 42:21–22 (verbal): Immediate narrative parallel in the same scene: the brothers confess their guilt and again state that one brother is missing and the youngest remains with their father (same wording/context).
- Genesis 35:22–26 (structural): Catalogue of Jacob’s twelve sons that establishes the family composition (the ‘twelve brothers’) and identifies Benjamin as the youngest, underlying the brothers’ claim here.
- Genesis 37:31–35 (thematic): Account of the brothers’ deception about Joseph’s disappearance and Jacob’s mourning (‘one is not’); explains how Joseph came to be absent from the family.
- Psalm 105:16–22 (thematic): Poetic retelling of the Joseph story (sold into slavery and absent from his family), echoing the themes of a missing son and the brothers’ role in his disappearance.
Alternative generated candidates
- We are twelve brothers, sons of our one father; one is no more, and the youngest is with our father today in the land of Canaan.
- We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.
Gen.42.33 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלינו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- האיש: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- בזאת: PREP
- אדע: VERB,qal,imperfect,1,_,sg
- כי: CONJ
- כנים: ADJ,m,pl
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- אחיכם: NOUN,m,sg,suff2m
- האחד: PRON,indef,sg,m
- הניחו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- אתי: PRON,1,sg
- ואת: CONJ
- רעבון: PN,m,sg
- בתיכם: NOUN,m,pl,suff2m
- קחו: VERB,qal,impv,2,pl
- ולכו: VERB,qal,imp,2,pl
Parallels
- Genesis 42:18-20 (structural): Immediate narrative context in which the Egyptian (Joseph, unrecognized) accuses the brothers of being spies and demands a pledge — setting up the requirement that one brother remain as proof of their honesty.
- Genesis 42:24-28 (structural): Direct continuation showing the outcome of the demand: Simeon is detained while the others' sacks are filled with grain and money is returned — the concrete fulfillment of leaving a brother behind.
- Genesis 43:9 (thematic): Judah offers to be surety for Benjamin ('let me be surety for him'), echoing the motif of leaving/pledging a brother as guarantee for the others' future conduct and safety.
- Genesis 44:12-34 (thematic): Joseph’s later, intensified test in which Benjamin is accused and kept; Judah’s impassioned plea and offer to substitute himself (44:33–34) develop the theme of a brother left as hostage and the ethical testing of the brothers' integrity.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the man, the lord of the land, said to us, By this I shall know that you are honest: Leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the hunger of your households and go.
- And the man, the lord of the land, said to us, By this I shall know that you are honest: leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the hunger of your households, and go.
Gen.42.34 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והביאו: VERB,hiphil,imp,2,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- אחיכם: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2mp
- הקטן: ADJ,m,sg,def
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- ואדעה: VERB,qal,impf,1,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- מרגלים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- כי: CONJ
- כנים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- אחיכם: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2mp
- אתן: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- לכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- ואת: CONJ
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- תסחרו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Genesis 42:11 (verbal): Brothers’ declaration that they are ‘honest men’ (כֵּ֣ן/כּנִּים) echoes the exact claim Joseph sets as the test in 42:34.
- Genesis 42:18-20 (structural): Immediate narrative context: Joseph accuses them of being spies, detains Simeon and explicitly orders that the younger brother be brought — the situation that 42:34 formalizes.
- Genesis 43:8-9 (structural): Judah offers himself as surety for Benjamin (‘let me be surety for him’), picking up the motif of a pledge/guarantee demanded in 42:34.
- Genesis 44:18-34 (thematic): Judah’s later plea and willingness to become a substitute for Benjamin fulfills and reverses the original test by demonstrating the brothers’ changed loyalty and responsibility.
- Genesis 41:54-57 (thematic): Description of Egypt buying grain under Joseph’s administration parallels the promise in 42:34 that, if proven honest, the brothers may buy grain and trade in the land.
Alternative generated candidates
- And bring your youngest brother to me; then I will know that you are not spies but that you are honest; I will give your brother to you, and you may trade in the land.
- And bring your youngest brother to me; then I shall know that you are not spies, but honest; I will give your brother to you, and you may trade in the land.
Gen.42.35 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- הם: PRON,personal,3,m,pl
- מריקים: VERB,piel,ptc,3,m,pl
- שקיהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3,m,pl
- והנה: ADV
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- צרור: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כספו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m
- בשקו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
- ויראו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- צררות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- כספיהם: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,pl
- המה: PRON,3,m,pl
- ואביהם: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,pl
- וייראו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Genesis 42:27-28 (verbal): Immediate context: the same action — the brothers empty their sacks and discover the money returned, and both they and Jacob are frightened. Shares wording and narrative moment.
- Genesis 44:12-13 (structural): A later, deliberately parallel test by Joseph: the discovery of a planted object (the silver cup) in a brother's sack leads to accusation and fear. Mirrors the motif of searching sacks and finding incriminating items.
- Genesis 37:31-35 (thematic): Earlier episode where the brothers present Joseph's bloodied coat as evidence and Jacob reacts with grief/fear. Parallel theme of found/introduced 'evidence' provoking parental alarm.
- Matthew 27:3-5 (allusion): In the New Testament Judas returns the thirty pieces of silver and experiences remorse/fear; money as tangible proof of guilt and a cause of dread links to the Genesis scene's moral and emotional dynamics.
Alternative generated candidates
- And it happened, as they were emptying their sacks, that behold, each man's bundle of money was in his sack; and they and their father saw their bundles of money, and they were afraid.
- And it came to pass as they were emptying their sacks, that, behold, each man’s bundle of money was in his sack; and they saw their bundles of money, they and their father, and they were afraid.
Gen.42.36 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- יעקב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אביהם: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- אתי: PRON,1,sg
- שכלתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- יוסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- איננו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl,neg
- ושמעון: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- איננו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl,neg
- ואת: CONJ
- בנימן: NOUN,m,sg,proper
- תקחו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- עלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- היו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- כלנה: NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Gen.37.34-35 (verbal): Jacob's earlier mourning for Joseph — language and grief echo here ('Joseph is not'); both passages show Jacob's refusal/ inability to be comforted over loss of Joseph.
- Gen.42.38 (structural): Immediate narrative parallel in the same scene: Jacob refuses to send Benjamin with his sons, explicitly because he fears losing his last remaining son, amplifying the complaint of 42:36.
- Gen.44.30-34 (thematic): Judah's plea to Jacob after the revelation that Benjamin may be detained — repeats the theme of a father fearing the loss of his remaining son and articulates the same consequence ('then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave').
- Job 3:25 (allusion): General lament-theme: 'the thing I feared is come upon me' resonates with Jacob's sense that calamity has accumulated against him ('all these things are against me').
Alternative generated candidates
- And Jacob their father said to them, You have bereaved me: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and Benjamin you would take—upon me are all these things!
- And Jacob their father said to them, You have bereaved me: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and Benjamin you would take. All of this has come upon me.
Gen.42.37 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ראובן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- אביו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- את: PRT,acc
- שני: NUM,m,pl,construct
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- תמית: VERB,qal,imf,2,m,sg
- אם: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- אביאנו: VERB,qal,imf,1,m,sg,suf:3,m,pl
- אליך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- תנה: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- אתו: PRON,3,m,sg,acc
- על: PREP
- ידי: NOUN,f,pl,cons
- ואני: PRON,1,sg
- אשיבנו: VERB,hiph,imf,1,m,sg,suf:3,m,sg
- אליך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Genesis 43:9 (verbal): Reuben repeats essentially the same promise to Jacob in the next chapter—if he does not bring Benjamin back he will bear the blame—using near-identical pledge language.
- Genesis 37:21-22 (thematic): Earlier Reuben intervened to save Joseph from being killed and intended to return him to his father ('I will bring him to his father'), a parallel act of protecting and restoring a brother to Jacob.
- Genesis 44:32-33 (thematic): Judah later offers himself as surety for Benjamin ('I became surety for the lad unto my father'), a similar kinship-pledge guaranteeing a brother’s safety and return.
- Genesis 42:38 (structural): The immediate narrative response: Jacob refuses to send Benjamin, showing the very problem Reuben’s pledge aims to solve and highlighting the tension within the family.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Reuben said to his father, saying, Put my two sons to death if I do not bring him back to you; put him into my hand, and I will bring him back to you.
- And Reuben said to his father, saying, You may put my two sons to death if I do not bring him back to you; put him into my hand, and I will return him to you.
Gen.42.38 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- ירד: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- עמכם: PREP+PRON,2,pl
- כי: CONJ
- אחיו: NOUN,3,m,sg,abs
- מת: ADJ,m,sg
- והוא: CONJ+PRON,3,m,sg
- לבדו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- נשאר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- וקראהו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl+PRON,3,m,sg
- אסון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בדרך: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- תלכו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- בה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- והורדתם: VERB,hif,impf,2,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- שיבתי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- ביגון: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שאולה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Gen.44:29-31 (verbal): Nearly identical language and concern — Jacob again refuses to send Benjamin, fearing the loss of his only remaining son and that his gray hairs will be brought down with sorrow to Sheol.
- Gen.37:34-35 (thematic): Jacob’s earlier mourning for Joseph (’I will go down into the grave to my son mourning’) provides the background for his present fear of losing another son and explains the depth of his grief.
- Gen.43:8-10 (structural): Judah’s appeal to the brothers about bringing Benjamin and his recognition of Jacob’s reluctance shows the brothers’ awareness of Jacob’s fear and sets up the negotiation over the youngest son.
- Gen.44:33-34 (thematic): Judah’s subsequent offer to be surety for Benjamin (willing to remain in Egypt) directly responds to Jacob’s stated fear of losing his sole remaining son and aims to avert bringing sorrow on Jacob’s old age.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he said, My son will not go down with you, for his brother is dead and he alone is left; and if harm befalls him on the way in which you go, you will bring down my gray head with sorrow to Sheol.
- And he said, My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead and he alone is left; if harm befall him on the way you go, then you will bring down my gray head with sorrow to Sheol.
And Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt; and Jacob said to his sons, Why do you look at one another? And he said, Look, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down there and buy for us from there, that we may live and not die.
Then ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. But Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob did not send with his brothers, for he said, Lest harm befall him. And the sons of Israel came to buy among those who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. Now Joseph was the ruler over the land; he was the one who sold grain to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down to him, faces to the ground. And Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he made himself a stranger to them and spoke with them harshly. And he said to them, From where have you come? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food. And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. And Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed about them, and he said to them, You are spies; to see the land’s nakedness you have come. And they said to him, No, my lord; your servants have come to buy food.
We all are sons of one man; we are honest; your servants are not spies. And he said to them, No; to see the land’s nakedness you have come. And they said, Your servants are twelve brothers, we are sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is with our father today, and the one is no more. And Joseph said to them, It is as I spoke to you: You are spies.
By this you shall be tested: By Pharaoh’s life, you shall not go out from here unless your youngest brother comes here.
Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother; and you, be confined, and let your words be tested whether truth is with you; and if not—by Pharaoh’s life—you are spies. And he put them together in custody for three days. And Joseph said to them on the third day, Do this and live; I fear God.
If you are honest, let one of your brothers be confined in your prison-house; and you, go, bring grain for the hunger of your households. And bring your youngest brother to me, so your words will be confirmed, and you shall not die. And they did so.
Then they said each to his brother, Indeed we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we did not listen; therefore this distress has come upon us. And Reuben answered them, saying, Did I not say to you, Do not sin against the boy? But you did not listen; and now, behold, his blood is being required. And they did not know that Joseph understood, for the interpreter was between them. And he turned away from them and wept; then he returned to them and spoke to them, and he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.
Then Joseph commanded, and they filled their vessels with grain, and to restore each man’s silver to his sack, and to give them provisions for the road; and he did so for them. And they loaded their grain onto their donkeys and went from there. And one of them opened his sack to give fodder to his donkey at the lodging place, and he saw his silver, and behold, it was in the mouth of his sack. And he said to his brothers, My silver has been returned, and moreover, here it is in my sack. Then their hearts failed them, and they trembled, each to his brother, saying, What is this that God has done to us? And they came to Jacob their father, to the land of Canaan, and they told him all that had happened to them, saying:
The man, the lord of the land, spoke with us harshly and accounted us as spies of the land. And we said to him, We are honest; we have not been spies.
Twelve we are, brothers, sons of our father; the one is no more, and the youngest is today with our father in the land of Canaan. And the man, the lord of the land, said to us, By this I shall know that you are honest: leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the hunger of your households, and go. And bring your youngest brother to me; then I shall know that you are not spies, but that you are honest; I will give your brother to you, and you may trade in the land. And it happened as they were emptying their sacks that, behold, each man’s bundle of silver was in his sack; and they and their father saw the bundles of their silver, and they were afraid. And Jacob their father said to them, You have bereaved me; Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and Benjamin you would take—upon me are all these. And Reuben said to his father, saying, My two sons you may put to death if I do not bring him back to you; put him into my hand, and I will bring him back to you. And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. Should harm befall him on the way in which you go, then you will bring down my gray head in sorrow to Sheol.