Genesis 42:21

Then they said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw his anguish when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The brothers speak to one another after being detained by the Egyptian ruler, who demanded they bring their youngest brother to verify their claims. They acknowledge that their current distress follows their past refusal to heed Joseph’s pleas.

The words — אֲשֵׁמִ֣ים ('a.she.Mim) literally means [are] guilty, and אָחִ֗יו ('a.Chi/v) means his brother. These terms anchor the brothers’ confession to their specific failure regarding Joseph.

The thread — The sequence of admitting guilt before enduring affliction parallels Hosea 5:15, while their detention echoes the cords of affliction in Job 36:8. Their past violence against Joseph in Genesis 37:23 directly triggers this present reckoning.

Why it lands — The text demands recognition that past refusal to heed a brother’s plea results in present accountability. It requires the reader to trace current consequences directly to prior moral choices.

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 one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.

Cross-references

Hosea 5:15 Then I will return to My place until they admit their guilt and seek My face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.”
Genesis 37:23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the robe of many colors he was wearing—
Job 36:8 And if men are bound with chains, caught in cords of affliction,
Mark 9:43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two hands and go into hell, into the unquenchable fire.
Genesis 41:9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I recall my failures.
Numbers 32:23 But if you do not do this, you will certainly sin against the LORD—and be assured that your sin will find you out.
Judges 1:7 Then Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have gathered the scraps under my table. As I have done to them, so God has repaid me.” And they brought him to Jerusalem, where he died.
2 Samuel 12:13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” “The LORD has taken away your sin,” Nathan replied. “You will not die.
1 Kings 17:18 “O man of God,” said the woman to Elijah, “what have you done to me? Have you come to remind me of my iniquity and cause the death of my son?”
Job 34:31 Suppose someone says to God, ‘I have endured my punishment; I will offend no more.