Bible Strands
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’?”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The brothers speak to their father Jacob in Canaan before departing on their second grain journey. They respond directly to his rebuke for mentioning they had another brother.
The words — The Hebrew שָׁאַל (sha'al, "he asked") and הָ/אִישׁ (ha/'ish, "the man") record the official's detailed interrogation of their family origins. The phrase הַ/ע֨וֹד אֲבִי/כֶ֥ם (ha/'od 'a.vi./Khem, "is your father still alive?") specifies the exact question that forced their hand.
The thread — The official's scrutiny of their lineage and father's status mirrors the earlier warning in Genesis 43:3 and the subsequent inquiry in Genesis 43:27. The brothers' defense of their unavoidable honesty aligns with their initial report in Genesis 42:13.
Why it lands — The text documents their defensive explanation for mentioning Benjamin, showing how human caution meets divine providence. It asks the reader to observe how reluctant obedience to a superior's demand becomes the mechanism for family restoration.
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, The man asked us straitly of our state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother down?
Cross-references
- Genesis 43:3 But Judah replied, “The man solemnly warned us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’
- 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.”
- Genesis 43:27 He asked if they were well, and then he asked, “How is your elderly father you told me about? Is he still alive?”