Genesis 42:8
in Genesis 42Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.
KJV
And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.
⋯
This verse in Genesis 42
Commentary
2 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
Joseph was the ruler of the land
on Genesis 42:6-8
His brothers bow to the ground in front of him, and the sheaves of his first dream are standing up. He recognizes them, treats them as strangers and speaks harshly, and the brother they sold is talking to them through an Egyptian face. Spurgeon read the harsh speech as kindness at work.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.
The words behind it
7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיַּכֵּ֥ר | vaiyaker | and he recognized | H5234 → | 49 times |
| יוֹסֵ֖ף | yosef | Joseph | H3130 → | 213 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אֶחָ֑יו | ʾechav | brothers his | H251 → | 630 times |
| וְהֵ֖ם | vehem | and they | H1992 → | 553 times |
| לֹ֥א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| הִכִּרֻֽהוּ׃ | hikiruhu | they recognized him | H5234 → | 49 times |
וַיַּכֵּ֥רand he recognized
vaiyakerH5234 →49 times
יוֹסֵ֖ףJoseph
yosefH3130 →213 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
אֶחָ֑יוbrothers his
ʾechavH251 →630 times
וְהֵ֖םand they
vehemH1992 →553 times
לֹ֥אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
הִכִּרֻֽהוּ׃they recognized him
hikiruhuH5234 →49 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
Luke 24:16But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him.
it leads to
- John 20:14
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there; but she did not recognize that it was Jesus.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- John 21:4
Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not recognize that it was Jesus.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Luke 24:31
Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Jesus—and He disappeared from their sight.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Mark 16:12
After this, Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them as they walked along in the country.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- John 20:14
Through
Genesis 37:2This is the account of Jacob. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he was tending the flock with his brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah, and he brought their father…
it leads to
- Genesis 35:25–26
The sons of Rachel’s maidservant Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali.
- Genesis 35:25–26
Through
John 20:14When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there; but she did not recognize that it was Jesus.
it leads to
- Luke 24:16
But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him.
- Song of Solomon 3:3–4
I encountered the watchmen on their rounds of the city: “Have you seen the one I love?”
- Matthew 28:9
Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” They came to Him, grasped His feet, and worshiped Him.
- Luke 24:16
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 Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, sermon 'Rough, But Friendly'; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.