Bible Strands
Genesis 43:25
Since the brothers had been told that they were going to eat a meal there, they prepared their gift for Joseph’s arrival at noon.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator describes the brothers inside Joseph’s Egyptian house after the steward has washed their feet and fed their donkeys. They act in response to the prior instruction that they would dine with Joseph at midday.
The words — וַיָּכִינוּ (va-yāḵînū) means “and they prepared,” and מִנְחָה (minḥâ) denotes “the gift.” עַד־בּוֹא יוֹסֵף בַּצֹּהֳרַיִם literally renders “until Joseph’s coming at noon.”
The thread — The brothers’ preparation of the tribute echoes Jacob’s earlier command to pack the land’s best products in Genesis 43:11. Joseph’s prior instruction to his steward to slaughter and ready a meal for them at midday appears in Genesis 43:16.
Why it lands — The text records a practical action: the brothers ready their tribute before Joseph’s expected arrival. It asks the reader to note how prior instructions directly shape immediate obedience and timing.
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 made ready the present against Joseph came at noon: for they heard that they should eat bread there.
Cross-references
- Genesis 43:11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your packs and carry them down as a gift for the man—a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachios and almonds.
- Genesis 43:16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with his brothers, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men to my house. Slaughter an animal and prepare it, for they shall dine with me at noon.”