Genesis 42:12

He said to them, “No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land!”

World English Bible

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Other translations

WEBBE

He said to them, “No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land!”

BSB

“No,” he told them. “You have come to see if our land is vulnerable.”

KJV

And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.

ASV

And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.

BBE

And he said to them, No, but you have come to see how poor the land is.

Original Hebrew

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וַיֹּאמֶר vai·yo·mer and he said H559 אֲלֵהֶם 'a·le·hem to them H413 לֹא lo' In- H3808 כִּי־ ki- deed H3588 עֶרְוַת 'er·vat [the] nakedness of H6172 הָאָרֶץ ha·'a·retz the land H776 בָּאתֶם ba·tem you have come H935 לִרְאוֹת lir·'ot to see H7200

Commentary

Matthew Henry · Verses 7–20

Joseph was hard upon his brethren, not from a spirit of revenge, but to bring them to repentance. Not seeing his brother Benjamin, he suspected that they had made away with him, and he gave them occasion to speak of their father and brother. God, in his providence, sometimes seems harsh with those he loves, and speaks roughly to those for whom yet he has great mercy in store. Joseph settled at last, that one of them should be left, and the rest go home and fetch Benjamin. It was a very encouraging word he said to them, "I fear God;" as if he had said, You may be assured I will do you no wrong; I dare not, for I know there is one higher than I. With those that fear God, we may expect fair dealing.

Read Matthew Henry on Genesis 42 →

Cross-references

Cross-references: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. Hebrew and Greek data from STEPBible.org (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0. Library: sources.