the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Good News Translation
Genesis 43:11
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Their father, Yisra'el, said to them, "If it be so now, do this. Take from the choice fruits of the land in your vessels, and carry down a present for the man, a little balm, a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts, and almonds;
And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:
Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be so then do this. Take some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift—a little balm and honey, aromatic gum and myrrh, and pistachios and almonds.
Then their father Jacob said to them, "If it has to be that way, then do this: Take some of the best foods in our land in your packs. Give them to the man as a gift: some balm, some honey, spices, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds.
Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best products of the land in your bags, and take a gift down to the man—a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachios and almonds.
Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be so, then do this; take some of the choicest products of the land in your sacks, and carry it as a present [of tribute] to the man [representing Pharaoh], a little balm and a little honey, aromatic spices or gum, resin, pistachio nuts, and almonds.
Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be so, then do this: take some of the best products of the land in your bags, and carry down to the man as a gift, a little balsam and a little honey, labdanum resin and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds.
Then their father Israel sayd vnto them, If it must needes be so now, do thus: take of the best fruites of the lande in your vessels, and bring the man a present, a little rosen, & a little hony, spices and myrrhe, nuttes, and almondes:
Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be so, then do this: take some of the best products of the land in your bags, and bring them down to the man as a present, a little balm and a little honey, aromatic gum and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds.
Their father said: If Benjamin must go with you, take the governor a gift of some of the best things from our own country, such as perfume, honey, spices, pistachio nuts, and almonds.
Their father Isra'el answered them, "If that's how it is, do this: take in your containers some of the land's best products, and bring the man a gift — some healing resin, a little honey, aromatic gum, opium, pistachio nuts and almonds.
And their father Israel said to them, If it is then so, do this: take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a gift: a little balsam and a little honey, tragacanth and ladanum, pistacia-nuts and almonds.
Then their father Israel said, "If it is really true, take Benjamin with you. But take some gifts to the governor. Take some of the things we have been able to gather in our land. Take him some honey, pistachio nuts, almonds, spices, and myrrh.
Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be so, then do this: take some of the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry a present down to the man, a little balm and a little honey, gum, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds.
And their father Israel said to them, If it must be so now, then do this: take some of the best fruits of the land in your sacks, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, gum, and myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds;
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 take them down to the man as a gift—a little balsam and a little honey, aromatic gum and resin, pistachios and almonds.
And their father Israel said to them, If it be so, then do this: take from the produce of the land in your vessels and bring down a present to the man, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts and almonds.
Then sayde Israel their father vnto the: Yf it must nedes be so, then do this: take of the best frutes of the lande in youre sackes, and brynge the man a present: a curtesy balme, and hony, and spyces, and myrre, and dates, and almondes.
And their father Israel said unto them, If it be so now, do this: take of the choice fruits of the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spicery and myrrh, nuts, and almonds;
Then their father Israel said to them, If it has to be so, then do this: take of the best fruits of the land in your vessels to give the man, perfumes and honey and spices and nuts:
And their father Israel sayde vnto them: if it must nedes be so, nowe then do thus. Take of the best fruites of the lande in your vesselles, and bryng ye man a present, a curtsie of bawme, and a curtsie of hony, spyces and mirre, nuttes and almondes.
And their father Israel said unto them: 'If it be so now, do this: take of the choice fruits of the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spicery and ladanum, nuts, and almonds;
And their father Israel said vnto them, If it must bee so now, doe this: take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carie downe the man a Present, a litle balme, and a litle honie, spices, and myrrhe, nuts, and almonds.
And Israel, their father, said to them, If it be so, do this; take of the fruits of the earth in your vessels, and carry down to the man presents of gum and honey, and frankincense, and stacte, and turpentine, and walnuts.
And their father Israel said unto them, If it be so now, do this; take of the choice fruits of the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spicery and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:
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.
Therfor Israel, `the fadir of hem, seide to hem, If it is nede so, do ye that that ye wolen; `take ye of the beste fruytis of the lond in youre vesselis, and `bere ye yiftis to the man, a litil of gumme, and of hony, and of storax, and of mirre, and of therebynte, and of alemaundis;
And Israel their father saith unto them, `If so, now, this do: take of the praised thing of the land in your vessels, and take down to the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts and almonds;
And their father Israel said to them, If it is so now, do this: take of the choice fruits of the land in your vessels, and carry down to the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spicery and myrrh, nuts, and almonds;
And their father Israel said to them, If [it must be] so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry to the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:
Their father, Israel, said to them, "If it be so now, do this. Take from the choice fruits of the land in your vessels, and carry down a present for the man, a little balm, a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts, and almonds;
And their father Israel said to them, "If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best fruits of the land in your vessels and carry down a present for the man--a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds.
So their father, Jacob, finally said to them, "If it can't be avoided, then at least do this. Pack your bags with the best products of this land. Take them down to the man as gifts—balm, honey, gum, aromatic resin, pistachio nuts, and almonds.
Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be so, then do this: take some of the best things of the land in your bags. Carry them to the man as a gift. Give him perfume and honey and spices and special things to eat.
Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be so, then do this: take some of the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry them down as a present to the man—a little balm and a little honey, gum, resin, pistachio nuts, and almonds.
Then Israel their father said unto them - If so, then do this, - Take of the song of the land in your vessels, and carry down to the man a present, - A little balsam and a little honey, tragacanth gum and cistus gum, pistachio nuts, and almonds.
Then Israel said to them: If it must needs be so, do what you will: take of the best fruits of the land in your vessels, and carry down presents to the man, a little balm, and honey, and storax, myrrh, turpentine, and almonds.
Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be so, then do this: take some of the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry down to the man a present, a little balm and a little honey, gum, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds.
Their father Israel gave in. "If it has to be, it has to be. But do this: stuff your packs with the finest products from the land you can find and take them to the man as gifts—some balm and honey, some spices and perfumes, some pistachios and almonds. And take plenty of money—pay back double what was returned to your sacks; that might have been a mistake. Take your brother and get going. Go back to the man. And may The Strong God give you grace in that man's eyes so that he'll send back your other brother along with Benjamin. For me, nothing's left; I've lost everything."
Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be so, then do this: take some of the best products of the land in your bags, and carry down to the man as a present, a little balm and a little honey, aromatic gum and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
If it must be: Genesis 43:14, Esther 4:16, Acts 21:14
carry down: Genesis 32:13-21, Genesis 33:10, Genesis 37:25, Deuteronomy 33:14, 1 Samuel 9:7, 1 Samuel 25:27, 1 Kings 4:21, 1 Kings 10:25, 1 Kings 15:19, 2 Kings 8:8, 2 Kings 16:8, 2 Kings 20:12, Psalms 68:29, Psalms 72:10, Psalms 76:11, Proverbs 17:18, Proverbs 18:16, Proverbs 19:6, Proverbs 21:14, Ezekiel 27:17
a little balm: Genesis 37:25, Jeremiah 8:22, Ezekiel 27:15
balm: For an explanation of the words tzori, nechoth, and lot, here rendered respectively balm, spices, and myrrh, see note on Genesis 37:25. Devash, honey, is supposed by some not to have been that produced by bees, but a syrup produced from ripe dates. The Jewish doctors observe, that the word in 2 Chronicles 31:5 signifies dates; and the Arabians, at this day, call the choicest dates preserved with butter, dabous, and the honey obtained from them, dibs, or dabs. Benanim, nuts signifies pistachio nuts, the finest thing found in Syria; but, according to the others, a small nut, the produce of a species of the turpentine tree. Shekaidim is certainly almonds.
honey: Leviticus 20:24
spices: 1 Kings 10:15, Song of Solomon 4:10, Song of Solomon 4:14-16, Song of Solomon 5:1, Song of Solomon 8:14
Reciprocal: Genesis 32:20 - I will appease Genesis 43:25 - General Genesis 45:23 - good things Numbers 18:30 - the best 1 Samuel 15:26 - I will not 1 Samuel 16:20 - an ass laden 1 Samuel 25:18 - took two 1 Kings 10:10 - spices 2 Chronicles 9:9 - of spices Proverbs 17:8 - whithersoever Song of Solomon 1:13 - bundle Jeremiah 46:11 - Gilead Matthew 2:11 - presented
Cross-References
Jacob said, "No, please, if I have gained your favor, accept my gift. To see your face is for me like seeing the face of God, now that you have been so friendly to me.
Take your brother and return at once.
May Almighty God cause the man to have pity on you, so that he will give Benjamin and your other brother back to you. As for me, if I must lose my children, I must lose them."
When we set up camp on the way home, we opened our sacks, and each man found his money in the top of his sack—every bit of it. We have brought it back to you.
But I have promised you this rich and fertile land as your possession, and I will give it to you. I am the Lord your God, and I have set you apart from the other nations.
May their land be blessed with sun-ripened fruit, Rich with the best fruits of each season.
"If we go to him, what can we give him?" Saul asked. "There is no food left in our packs, and we don't have a thing to give him, do we?"
Please, sir, accept this present I have brought you, and give it to your men.
Solomon's kingdom included all the nations from the Euphrates River to Philistia and the Egyptian border. They paid him taxes and were subject to him all his life.
in addition to the taxes paid by merchants, the profits from trade, and tribute paid by the Arabian kings and the governors of the Israelite districts.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
And their father said unto them,.... Being in some measure convinced by their reasonings, and in part at least reconciled to let Benjamin go with them, there being nothing to be done, he perceived, unless he consented to it:
if [it must be] so now, do this; if nothing else will do but Benjamin must go, which after all he was reluctant to, then he advises them to do as follows:
take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels; such as were the peculiar produce of the land of Canaan, and the best of it; for which it was most famous, and praised, as the word used signifies; these Jacob advises to take and put into their sacks they carried to bring back their corn in:
and carry down the man a present; the great man and governor of Egypt, whose name was not known, little thinking it was his son Joseph; this he proposed to be done, in order to procure his friendship, that he might carry it kindly and respectfully to them, release Simeon, and send back Benjamin with them. The present consisted of the following things,
a little balm: or rosin, of which there was great quantity in and about Gilead; :-:
and a little honey; the land of Canaan in general is called a land flowing with milk and honey; and some parts of it were famous for it, as the, parts about Ziph, called from thence the honey of Ziphim i: this is the first time mention is made of "honey" in Scripture. Some say k Bacchus was the inventor of it. Justin l makes a very ancient king of a people in the country, now called Spain, to whom he gives the name of Gorgoris, to be the first that found out the way of gathering honey; but by this it appears to be of a more early date. Dr. Shaw m thinks, that not honey, properly so called, is meant, but a kind of "rob" made of the juice of grapes, called by the Arabs "dibsa", a word near in sound with, and from the same root as this. And who further observes, that Hebron alone (the place were Jacob now was) sends every year to Egypt three hundred camel loads, i.e. near two thousand quintals of this rob: and Leo Africanus says n, there is but little honey to be found in Egypt, wherefore it made this part of the present the more acceptable:
spices; of various sorts, a collection of them; though it is thought, by Bochart and others, that the "storax" is particularly meant; the best of that sort being, as Pliny o says in Judea. The Targum and Jarchi take it to be "wax", as do also other Jewish writers:
and myrrh; the liquor called "stacte", that drops from the myrrh tree. Some will have this "lot", as the word is, the same with "ladanum"; one should rather think that it should be the lotus or lote tree, the fruit of which, Pliny p says, is the size of a bean, and of a saffron colour, and Herodotus q says, it is sweet like a date; but that it was frequent in Egypt, and needed not be carried there. The Targum renders it "chestnuts", and so Ben Melech, as it does what follows,
nuts, and almonds, the oil of nuts, and the oil of almonds: the former design not common, but the pistachio nuts, as Jarchi observes from R. Machir; and these, as Pliny r says, were well known in Syria, and were good for food and drink, and against the bites of serpents; and, as Bochart s observes, are frequently mentioned by naturalists along with almonds, and as like unto them.
i Misn. Machshirin, c. 5. sect. 9. k "Et a Baccho mella reperta ferunt", Ovid. Fast. l. 3. l E Trogo, l. 44. c. 4. m Travels, p. 339. No. 6. Ed. 2. n Descriptio Africae, l. 8. p. 682. o Nat. Hist. l. 12. c. 25. p Ib. l. 13. c. 17. q Melpomene, sive, l. 4. c. 177. Vid. Euterpe, sive, l. 2. c. 92. r Nat. Hist. l. 13. c. 5. s Canaan, l. 1. c. 10. col. 389.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
- Joseph and His Eleven Brethren
11. ×××©× debash, âhoney,â from the bee, or sirup from the juice of the grape. ××× ×× boÌtÌ£en, âpistachio nuts.â ש××§× shaÌqeÌd, âalmond tree;â related: âawake.â The tree is also called ××Ö¼× luÌz. Some refer the former to the fruit, the latter to the tree.
The eleven brothers are now to bow down before Joseph.
Genesis 43:1-10
The famine was severe. The pressure began to be felt more and more. The twelve households had at length consumed all the corn they had purchased, and the famine still pressed heavily upon them. Jacob directs them to return. âAnd Judah said.â Reuben had offended, and could not come forward. Simon and Levi had also grieved their father by the treacherous slaughter of the Shekemites. Judah therefore, speaks. âIs your father yet alive?â âHave ye a brother?â These questions do not come out in the previous narrative, on account of its brevity. But how pointed they are, and how true to Josephâs yearnings! They explain how it was that these particulars came out in the replies of the brothers to Joseph. For the charge of being spies did not call for them in exculpation. Judah now uses all the arguments the case would admit of, to persuade his father to allow Benjamin to go with them. He closes with the emphatic sentence, If I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me have sinned against thee all my days; that is, let me bear the blame, and of course the penalty of having sinned against thee in so tender a point. Both Judah and his father knew that this was a matter that touched the interest of the former very deeply. Reuben was bearing the blame of a grievous sin, and had no hope of the birthright. Simon and Levi were also bearing blame, and, besides, had not the natural right, which belonged only to Reuben. Judah came next, and a failure in securing the safe return of Benjamin might set him also aside. He undertakes to run this risk.
Genesis 43:11-15
Jacob at length reluctantly sends Benjamin with them. He employs all means, as is usual with him, of securing a favorable result. âThe best of the landâ - the sung or celebrated products of the land. âA little honey.â Palestine abounded with bee honey. A sirup obtained by boiling down the juice of the grape was also called by the same name, and formed an article of commerce. âNuts.â These are supposed to be pistachio nuts, from the pistacia vera, a tree resembling the terebinth, a native of Anatolia, Syria, and Palestine. âAlmonds.â The almond tree buds or flowers earlier in the spring than other trees. It is a native of Palestine, Syria, and Persia. For the other products see Genesis 37:25. âOther silver;â not double silver, but a second sum for the new purchase. âGod Almightyâ - the Great Spirit, who can dispose the hearts of men as he pleases. Jacob looks up to heaven for a blessing, while he uses the means. âIf I am bereaved, I am bereaved.â This is the expression of acquiescence in whatever may be the will of Providence. âDouble silver,â - what was returned and what was to pay for a second supply of corn.
Genesis 43:16-18
The invitation into Josephâs house fills the brothers with alarm. âSaw with them Benjamin.â This was an unspeakable relief to Joseph, who was afraid that his full brother, also the favorite of his father, might have incurred the envy and persecution of the brothers. âBrought the men to Josephâs house.â This he eventually did, but not until after the conference between him and them took place. The men were afraid of a plot to rob them of their liberty and property.
Genesis 43:19-25
They are encouraged by the steward of Josephâs house to lay aside their fears, and prepare their present. âSpake to him at the door of the house.â This was, of course, before they entered. âWhen we came to the inn.â The relater is prone to lump matters in the narration, for the sake of brevity. They began to âopen their bagsâ at the first lodging-place, and finished the process at the last when they got home. Other silver. This explains the phrase âsecond silverâ in Genesis 43:12. âPeace be to you.â Be at rest. All is well. Your God. The steward of Joseph expresses himself as one who fears and trusts God, the God of the Hebrews, who had displayed his omniscience and omnipotence in Egypt. âHe brought out unto them Simon.â While they still linger at the entrance, the considerate steward bethought himself of bringing out Simon to them, which reassured their hearts, and induced them to enter willingly. He now succeeds therefore, in bringing them in, and then bestows upon them the usual attentions of Eastern hospitality. They now âmake ready their present.â
Genesis 43:26-34
They are now entertained by Joseph. They brought the present, and made a lowly obeisance before him. âThey bent the head.â See Genesis 24:26. âGod be gracious unto thee, my son.â His kind treatment of Benjamin, on whose presence he had so much insisted, was calculated to reassure the brothers. The latter was born in his thirteenth year, and therefore, he was entitled to assume the paternal style in regard to him. Joseph still appeals with a natural and unconstrained reverence to his own God. âAnd Joseph hastened away.â The little touch of tenderness he had involuntarily thrown into his address to Benjamin, is too much for his feelings, which yearn toward his brother, and he is obliged to retreat to his chamber to conceal his tears and compose his countenance. âThey set for him by himself.â As the governor, or as connected by affinity with the priestly caste, Joseph does not eat with the other Egyptians. The Egyptians cannot eat with the Hebrews. âThat is an abomination to the Mizrites.â For the Hebrews partook of the flesh of kine, both male and female.
But Herodotus informs us (ii. 41), that âmale kine, if clean, are used by the Egyptians, but the females they are not allowed to sacrifice, since they are sacred to Isis.â And he adds that âa native of Egypt will not kiss a Greek, use his knife, his spit, or his cauldron, or taste the flesh cut with a Greek knife.â They considered all foreigners unclean, and therefore, refused to eat with them (see Rawlinsonâs Herodotus on p. q.). They sat in his presence; arranged according to the order of their birth, to their great amazement. Egypt was to them a land of wonders, and Egyptâs sultan a man of wonder. âBenjaminâs mess.â The honored guest was distinguished by a larger or daintier portion of the fare (1 Samuel 9:23-24; Homer, ii. 7,321). A double portion was assigned to the Spartan kings. The fivefold division was prominent in Egyptian affairs Genesis 41:34; Genesis 45:22; Genesis 47:2, Genesis 47:24, Genesis 47:26. âAnd were merry.â They drank freely, so as to be exhilarated, because their cares were dissipated by the kindness they were receiving, the presence of Simon, and the attention paid to Benjamin.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Genesis 43:11. Carry down the man a present — From the very earliest times presents were used as means of introduction to great men. This is particularly noticed by Solomon: A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men, Proverbs 18:16. But what was the present brought to Joseph on this occasion? After all the labour of commentators, we are obliged to be contented with probabilities and conjecture. According to our translation, the gifts were balm, honey, spices, myrrh, nuts, and almonds.
Balm — ×¦×¨× tsori is supposed to signify resin in general, or some kind of gum issuing from trees.
Honey — ××ש debash has been supposed to be the same as the rob of grapes, called in Egypt dibs. Others think that honey, in the common sense of the term, is to be understood here: we know that honey was plentiful in Palestine.
Spices — × ××ת nechoth is supposed to mean gum storax, which might be very valuable on account of its qualities as a perfume.
Myrrh — ×× lot, supposed by some to mean stacte; by others to signify an ointment made of myrrh.
Nuts — ××× ×× botnim, by some rendered pistachio nuts, those produced in Syria being the finest in the world; by others, dates; others, walnuts; others, pine apples; others, the nuts of the terebinth tree.
Almonds — שק××× shekedim, correctly enough translated, and perhaps the only article in the collection of which we know any thing with certainty. It is generally allowed that the land of Canaan produces the best almonds in the east; and on this account they might be deemed a very acceptable present to the governor of Egypt. Those who wish to see this subject exhausted must have recourse to the Physica Sacra of Scheuehzer.
