Genesis 42:38
in Genesis 42But Jacob replied, “My son will not go down there with you, for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If any harm comes to him on your journey, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he only is left: if harm befall him by the way in which ye go, then will ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.
KJV
And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.
⋯
This verse in Genesis 42
Commentary
6 notes on this verseHe is left alone - That is, Benjamin is the only remaining son of Rachel; for he supposed Joseph, who was the other son, to be dead. Shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow - Here he keeps up the idea of the oppressive burden mentioned Gen 42:36, to which every occurrence was adding an additional weight, so that he felt it impossible to support it any longer.
This site's exposition
You may kill my two sons if I fail to bring him back
on Genesis 42:37-38
Reuben offers his father the lives of two grandsons, and Jacob gives him no answer. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown read the offer as a clumsy way of promising the greatest care he could. Jacob answers that Benjamin alone is left to him. Jacob closes on his own death, his gray hair going down to Sheol in sorrow.
This site's exposition
he alone is left
In Jacob's words Benjamin alone is left, as if Rachel's son were the only one who counts. Ten sons stand listening. The favour that once gave Joseph the robe has passed to the younger boy, and Sheol is the word Jacob first used at 37:35.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
After they had loaded their supplies, the [brothers] went up and related to their father the evils that they had endured on this trip and how they had become objects of ridicule in Egypt, having been falsely accused of spying in Egypt, and that they …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
My son shall not go down with you - He plainly intimates a distrust of them, remembering that he never saw Joseph since he had been with them; therefore Benjamin shall not go with you.
And he said, my son shall not go down with you,....
The words behind it
22 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֕אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לֹֽא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יֵרֵ֥ד | yered | he will go down | H3381 → | 381 times |
| בְּנִ֖י | beni | son my | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| עִמָּכֶ֑ם | ʾimakhem | with you | H5973 → | 1050 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| אָחִ֨יו | ʾachiv | brother his | H251 → | 630 times |
| מֵ֜ת | met | he has died | H4191 → | 839 times |
| וְה֧וּא | vehu' | and he | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| לְבַדּ֣וֹ | levado | to only him | H905 → | 200 times |
| נִשְׁאָ֗ר | nishar | [is] remaining | H7604 → | 133 times |
| וּקְרָאָ֤הוּ | ukeraahu | and it will happen to him | H7122 → | 139 times |
| אָסוֹן֙ | ʾason | harm | H611 → | 5 times |
| בַּדֶּ֙רֶךְ֙ | baderekh | on the journey | H1870 → | 707 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| תֵּֽלְכוּ־ | telekhu- | you will go | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| בָ֔הּ | vah | on <the> it | ||
| וְהוֹרַדְתֶּ֧ם | vehoradtem | and you will cause to go down | H3381 → | 381 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| שֵׂיבָתִ֛י | seivati | gray hair my | H7872 → | 19 times |
| בְּיָג֖וֹן | beyagon | in sorrow | H3015 → | |
| שְׁאֽוֹלָה׃ | sheolah | Sheol towards | H7585 → | 66 times |
וַיֹּ֕אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
לֹֽא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
יֵרֵ֥דhe will go down
yeredH3381 →381 times
בְּנִ֖יson my
beniH1121 →4930 times
עִמָּכֶ֑םwith you
ʾimakhemH5973 →1050 times
כִּֽי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
אָחִ֨יוbrother his
ʾachivH251 →630 times
מֵ֜תhe has died
metH4191 →839 times
וְה֧וּאand he
vehu'H1931 →1879 times
לְבַדּ֣וֹto only him
levadoH905 →200 times
נִשְׁאָ֗ר[is] remaining
nisharH7604 →133 times
וּקְרָאָ֤הוּand it will happen to him
ukeraahuH7122 →139 times
אָסוֹן֙harm
ʾasonH611 →5 times
בַּדֶּ֙רֶךְ֙on the journey
baderekhH1870 →707 times
אֲשֶׁ֣רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
תֵּֽלְכוּ־you will go
telekhu-H1980 →1546 times
בָ֔הּon <the> it
vah
וְהוֹרַדְתֶּ֧םand you will cause to go down
vehoradtemH3381 →381 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
שֵׂיבָתִ֛יgray hair my
seivatiH7872 →19 times
בְּיָג֖וֹןin sorrow
beyagonH3015 →
שְׁאֽוֹלָה׃Sheol towards
sheolahH7585 →66 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Genesis 37:33His father recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! A vicious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!”
it leads to
- Genesis 44:28
When one of them was gone, I said: “Surely he has been torn to pieces.” And I have not seen him since.
- Genesis 37:20
“Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. We can say that a vicious animal has devoured him. Then we shall see what becomes of his dreams!”
- Genesis 44:28
Through
Genesis 42:13But they answered, “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.”
it leads to
- Genesis 37:30
returned to his brothers, and said, “The boy is gone! What am I going to do?”
- Genesis 42:32
We are twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.’
- Genesis 44:20
And we answered, ‘We have an elderly father and a younger brother, the child of his old age. The boy’s brother is dead. He is the only one of his mother’s sons left, and…
- Genesis 43:7
They replied, “The man questioned us in detail about ourselves and our family: ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ And we answered him accordingly. How could we possibly know that…
- Genesis 37:30
Through
Genesis 37:35All his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said. “I will go down to Sheol mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him.
it leads to
- 2 Samuel 12:17
The elders of his household stood beside him to help him up from the ground, but he was unwilling and would not eat anything with them.
- Job 2:11
Now when Job’s three friends—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite—heard about all this adversity that had come upon him, each of them came from his home, and they met together…
- 2 Samuel 12:17
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Genesis
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Ephrem the Syrian, COMMENTARY ON GENESIS 37:1-2; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.