Bible Strands
Genesis 44:27
And your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Judah addresses Joseph in Egypt, recounting Jacob’s past statement to explain why the brothers cannot return to Canaan without Benjamin. The speech occurs during a direct plea to secure the youngest brother’s release.
The words — עַבְדְּ/ךָ֥ ('av.de./Kha) literally means "your servant," a term of submission used by Judah. שְׁנַ֖יִם (she.Na.yim) means "two," specifying the exact number of sons born to Jacob’s wife.
The thread — The mention of two sons from Jacob’s wife aligns with Genesis 30:22 and Genesis 35:16, which record God opening Rachel’s womb and her childbirth. Genesis 46:19 explicitly identifies these sons as Joseph and Benjamin.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition of Jacob’s earlier warning as the factual reason for the brothers’ current travel restriction. It requires the reader to see how recorded family history establishes the practical stakes of the present negotiation.
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 thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons:
Cross-references
- Genesis 46:19 The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.
- Genesis 30:22 Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb,
- 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 29:18 Since Jacob loved Rachel, he answered, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.”
- Genesis 29:28 And Jacob did just that. He finished the week’s celebration, and Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife.