Genesis 43:7
in Genesis 43They 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 he would say, ‘Bring your brother here’?”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And they said, The man asked straitly concerning ourselves, and concerning our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we in any wise know that he would say, Bring your brother down?
KJV
And they said, The man asked us straitly of our state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother down?
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This verse in Genesis 43
Commentary
2 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
Why did you bring this trouble upon me
on Genesis 43:6-7
Israel blames his sons for answering a stranger's questions honestly. His sons had taken a young goat and Joseph's robe to deceive him at 37:31. Their answer is that the man questioned them in detail about themselves and their family, and the demand for the brother came after.
This site's exposition
Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?
The questions about a living father and another brother appear here for the first time. Chapter 42 recorded only the brothers' own words, and Judah repeats the questions at 44:19. Joseph was asking after Jacob and Benjamin from the first hour.
The words behind it
26 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּאמְר֡וּ | vaiyomeru | and they said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| שָׁא֣וֹל | shaol | carefully <to ask> | H7592 → | 171 times |
| שָֽׁאַל־ | shaal- | he asked | H7592 → | 171 times |
| הָ֠אִישׁ | haish | the man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| לָ֣נוּ | lanu | of us | ||
| וּלְמֽוֹלַדְתֵּ֜נוּ | ulemoladtenu | and of kindred our | H4138 → | 22 times |
| לֵאמֹ֗ר | lemor | <to> saying | H559 → | 5305 times |
| הַע֨וֹד | haod | ¿ still | H5750 → | 490 times |
| אֲבִיכֶ֥ם | ʾavikhem | [is] father your | H1 → | 1212 times |
| חַי֙ | chai | living | H2416 → | 498 times |
| הֲיֵ֣שׁ | hayesh | ¿ [does] there | H3426 → | 140 times |
| לָכֶ֣ם | lakhem | [belong] to you | ||
| אָ֔ח | ʾach | a brother | H251 → | 630 times |
| וַנַ֨גֶּד־ | vanaged- | and we told | H5046 → | 370 times |
| ל֔וֹ | lo | to him | ||
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| פִּ֖י | pi | [the] mouth of | H6310 → | 498 times |
| הַדְּבָרִ֣ים | hadevarim | the words | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| הָאֵ֑לֶּה | haeleh | <the> these | H428 → | 746 times |
| הֲיָד֣וֹעַ | hayadoa' | ¿ really <to know> | H3045 → | 945 times |
| נֵדַ֔ע | neda' | did we know | H3045 → | 945 times |
| כִּ֣י | ki | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| יֹאמַ֔ר | yomar | he will say | H559 → | 5305 times |
| הוֹרִ֖ידוּ | horidu | bring down | H3381 → | 381 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אֲחִיכֶֽם׃ | ʾachikhem | brother your | H251 → | 630 times |
וַיֹּאמְר֡וּand they said
vaiyomeruH559 →5305 times
שָׁא֣וֹלcarefully <to ask>
shaolH7592 →171 times
שָֽׁאַל־he asked
shaal-H7592 →171 times
הָ֠אִישׁthe man
haishH376 →1663 times
לָ֣נוּof us
lanu
וּלְמֽוֹלַדְתֵּ֜נוּand of kindred our
ulemoladtenuH4138 →22 times
לֵאמֹ֗ר<to> saying
lemorH559 →5305 times
הַע֨וֹד¿ still
haodH5750 →490 times
אֲבִיכֶ֥ם[is] father your
ʾavikhemH1 →1212 times
חַי֙living
chaiH2416 →498 times
הֲיֵ֣שׁ¿ [does] there
hayeshH3426 →140 times
לָכֶ֣ם[belong] to you
lakhem
אָ֔חa brother
ʾachH251 →630 times
וַנַ֨גֶּד־and we told
vanaged-H5046 →370 times
ל֔וֹto him
lo
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
פִּ֖י[the] mouth of
piH6310 →498 times
הַדְּבָרִ֣יםthe words
hadevarimH1697 →1440 times
הָאֵ֑לֶּה<the> these
haelehH428 →746 times
הֲיָד֣וֹעַ¿ really <to know>
hayadoa'H3045 →945 times
נֵדַ֔עdid we know
neda'H3045 →945 times
כִּ֣יthat
kiH3588 →4482 times
יֹאמַ֔רhe will say
yomarH559 →5305 times
הוֹרִ֖ידוּbring down
horiduH3381 →381 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
אֲחִיכֶֽם׃brother your
ʾachikhemH251 →630 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 43:3But Judah replied, “The man solemnly warned us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’
it leads to
- Genesis 44:23
But you said to your servants, ‘Unless your younger brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’
- Genesis 43:5
But if you will not send him, we will not go; for the man told us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’”
- Genesis 44:23
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 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 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 37:30
Through
Genesis 43:27He asked if they were well, and then he asked, “How is your elderly father you told me about? Is he still alive?”
it leads to
- Genesis 42:13
But 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.”
- 1 Samuel 25:5
So David sent ten young men and instructed them, “Go up to Nabal at Carmel. Greet him in my name
- 1 Chronicles 18:10
he sent his son Hadoram to greet King David and bless him for fighting and defeating Hadadezer, who had been at war with Tou. Hadoram brought all kinds of articles of gold and silver…
- Genesis 42:13
Where this verse is studied
About Genesis

This page draws on John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
