Genesis 42:7

Joseph saw his brothers, and he recognized them, but acted like a stranger to them, and spoke roughly with them. He said to them, “Where did you come from?” They said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.”

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Other translations

WEBBE

Joseph saw his brothers, and he recognised them, but acted like a stranger to them, and spoke roughly with them. He said to them, “Where did you come from?” They said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.”

BSB

And when Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them as strangers and spoke harshly to them. “Where have you come from?” he asked. “From the land of Canaan,” they replied. “ We are here to buy food.”

KJV

And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food.

ASV

And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly with them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food.

BBE

And when Joseph saw his brothers, it was clear to him who they were, but he made himself strange to them, and talking roughly to them, said, Where do you come from? And they said, From the land of Canaan, to get food.

Original Hebrew

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וַיַּרְא vai·yar' and he saw H7200 יוֹסֵף yo·sef Joseph H3130 אֶת־ 'et- (marks the object) H853 אֶחָיו 'e·chav brothers his H251 וַיַּכִּרֵם vai·ya·ki·rem and he recognized them H5234 וַיִּתְנַכֵּר vai·yit·na·ker and he acted as a stranger H5234 אֲלֵיהֶם 'a·lei·hem to them H413 וַיְדַבֵּר vay·da·ber and he spoke H1696 אִתָּם 'i·tam with them H854 קָשׁוֹת ka·shot harsh H7186 וַיֹּאמֶר vai·yo·mer and he said H559 אֲלֵהֶם 'a·le·hem to them H413 מֵאַיִן me·'a·yin from where H370 בָּאתֶם ba·tem have you come H935 וַיֹּאמְרוּ vai·yo·me·ru and they said H559 מֵאֶרֶץ me·'e·retz from [the] land of H776 כְּנַעַן ke·na·'an Canaan H3667 לִשְׁבָּר־ lish·bor- to buy H7666 אֹכֶל 'o·khel food H400

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

5

People & places

JosephCanaan Canaan

Topics

Dissembling

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