Bible Strands
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.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The brothers speak to Joseph, who is operating under an assumed identity, immediately after he accuses them of scouting the region (Genesis 42:12). They respond directly to his charge by clarifying their family composition.
The words — עֲבָדֶ֨י/ךָ ('a.va.Dei./kha) literally means "your servants," a formal term of deference used when addressing a superior. The numerical phrase שְׁנֵ֣ים (she.Neim) combined with עָשָׂר֩ ('a.Sar) explicitly establishes the count of twelve.
The thread — The brothers restate this family structure in Genesis 42:32 during their formal petition, and Genesis 44:20 echoes the same dynamic by highlighting their elderly father and the death of one sibling. Genesis 37:30 records the earlier moment the family learned of a son’s disappearance.
Why it lands — The text presents a factual report of lineage and loss before any theological or narrative inference is drawn. It requires the reader to note how the brothers use precise numbers and relational terms to establish credibility under interrogation.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not.
Cross-references
- 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 his father loves him.’
- 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 he would say, ‘Bring your brother here’?”
- Genesis 29:32 And Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she named him Reuben, for she said, “The LORD has seen my affliction. Surely my husband will love me now.”
- Genesis 30:6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; He has heard my plea and given me a son.” So she named him Dan.
- Genesis 35:16 Later, they set out from Bethel, and while they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth, and her labor was difficult.
- Genesis 42:11 We are all sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies.”
- Genesis 42:36 Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my sons. Joseph is gone and Simeon is no more. Now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is going against me!”
- Genesis 42:38 But 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.”