Bible Strands
Genesis 50:15
When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph bears a grudge? Then he will surely repay us for all the evil that we did to him.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Joseph’s brothers speak among themselves immediately after burying Jacob and returning to Egypt. They voice a conditional fear that Joseph will now retaliate for their past betrayal.
The words — The Hebrew ל֥וּ (lu) translates literally as “if,” framing their anxiety as a hypothetical scenario. The phrase כִּי מֵת אֲבִיהֶם (ki met avihem) states plainly that Jacob had died, removing the patriarchal presence that previously restrained their brother.
The thread — Their fear of retaliation mirrors Genesis 27:41, where Esau plots revenge after losing his father’s blessing. The brothers’ earlier conscience is echoed in Genesis 42:21, while Proverbs 28:1 contrasts their flight with the boldness of the righteous.
Why it lands — The text records the brothers’ suspicion before any reconciliation occurs, showing how past harm breeds ongoing anxiety. It asks the reader to recognize that human fear often persists long after the actual threat has passed.
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 when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 28:1 The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.
- Genesis 27:41 Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. And Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”
- 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.”
- Leviticus 26:36 As for those of you who survive, I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies, so that even the sound of a windblown leaf will put them to flight. And they will flee as one flees the sword, and fall when no one pursues them.
- Job 15:21 Sounds of terror fill his ears; in his prosperity the destroyer attacks him.
- Psalms 14:5 There they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is in the company of the righteous.
- Psalms 53:5 There they are, overwhelmed with dread, where there was nothing to fear. For God has scattered the bones of those who besieged you. You put them to shame, for God has despised them.
- Genesis 37:28 So when the Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.
- Genesis 42:17 So Joseph imprisoned them for three days,
- Romans 2:15 So they show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts either accusing or defending them