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Genesis 42:19-21
New English Translation
Genesis 42:19-21
New English Translation
19 If you are honest men, leave one of your brothers confined here in prison[a] while the rest of you go[b] and take grain back for your hungry families.[c] 20 But you must bring[d] your youngest brother to me. Then[e] your words will be verified[f] and you will not die.” They did as he said.[g]
21 They said to one another,[h] “Surely we’re being punished[i] because of our brother, because we saw how distressed he was[j] when he cried to us for mercy, but we refused to listen. That is why this distress[k] has come on us!”
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- Genesis 42:19 tn Heb “bound in the house of your prison.”
- Genesis 42:19 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial-temporal.
- Genesis 42:19 tn Heb “[for] the hunger of your households.”
- Genesis 42:20 tn The imperfect here has an injunctive force.
- Genesis 42:20 tn After the injunctive imperfect, this imperfect with vav indicates purpose or result.
- Genesis 42:20 tn The Niphal form of the verb has the sense of “to be faithful; to be sure; to be reliable.” Joseph will test his brothers to see if their words are true.
- Genesis 42:20 tn Heb “and they did so.”
- Genesis 42:21 tn Heb “a man to his neighbor.”
- Genesis 42:21 tn Or “we are guilty”; the Hebrew word can also refer to the effect of being guilty, i.e., “we are being punished for guilt.”
- Genesis 42:21 tn Heb “the distress of his soul.”
- Genesis 42:21 sn The repetition of the Hebrew noun translated distress draws attention to the fact that they regard their present distress as appropriate punishment for their refusal to ignore their brother when he was in distress.
New English Translation (NET)
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