Bible Strands
Genesis 42:7
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.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Joseph, serving as Egypt’s grain distributor, encounters his brothers who have traveled from Canaan to purchase food. He recognizes them but deliberately conceals his identity and addresses them with a direct inquiry about their origin and purpose.
The words — וַ/יִּתְנַכֵּ֨ר (va/i.yit.na.Ker) literally means he acted as a stranger or concealed himself, while וַ/יְדַבֵּ֧ר (va/y.da.Ber) records his harsh speech. Both verbs share the root נכר, which ties the concepts of recognition and estrangement together in the narrative.
The thread — The motif of concealed identity and sudden accusation continues in Genesis 42:9 and Genesis 42:14, where Joseph cites his dreams and formally charges them with spying. The brothers’ complaint about his harsh words and false accusations is recorded in Genesis 42:30 when they return to their father.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to track the deliberate gap between Joseph’s knowledge and his brothers’ ignorance, noting how providence is advanced through concealed testing. It asks the reader to observe how divine purposes unfold through controlled confrontation rather than immediate resolution.
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 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.
Cross-references
- Genesis 42:30 “The man who is lord of the land spoke harshly to us and accused us of spying on the country.
- Genesis 42:9 Joseph remembered his dreams about them and said, “You are spies! You have come to see if our land is vulnerable.”
- Genesis 42:14 Then Joseph declared, “Just as I said, you are spies!
- Genesis 42:19 If you are honest, leave one of your brothers in custody while the rest of you go and take back grain to relieve the hunger of your households.
- Matthew 15:23 But Jesus did not answer a word. So His disciples came and urged Him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”