Genesis 43:5

Good News Translation

If you are not willing, we will not go, because the man told us we would not be admitted to his presence unless our brother was with us."

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
but if you will not send him, we will not go down, for the man said to us, 'You shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.'"

King James Version
But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down: for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.

Lexham English Bible
but if you will not send him, we will not go down, for the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.'"

New Century Version
But if you refuse to send Benjamin, we will not go. The governor of that country warned us that we would not see him if we didn't bring Benjamin with us."

New English Translation
But if you will not send him, we won't go down there because the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.'"

Amplified Bible
"But if you will not send him, we will not go down there; for the man said to us, 'You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.'"

New American Standard Bible
"But if you do not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, 'You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.'"

Geneva Bible (1587)
But if thou wilt not send him, we wil not go downe: for the man said vnto vs, Looke me not in the face, except your brother be with you.

Legacy Standard Bible
But if you do not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.'"

Complete Jewish Bible
but if you will not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.'"

Darby Translation
but if thou do not send [him], we will not go down, for the man said to us, Ye shall not see my face, unless your brother be with you.

Easy-to-Read Version
But if you refuse to send Benjamin, we will not go. The man warned us to not come back without him."

English Standard Version
But if you will not send him, we will not go down, for the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.'"

George Lamsa Translation
But if you will not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, You shall not see my face except your brother is with you.

Christian Standard Bible®
But if you will not send him, we will not go, for the man said to us, ‘You will not see me again unless your brother is with you.’”

Literal Translation
And if you are not sending, we will not go; for the man said to us, You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But yf thou wilt not sende him, we wyl not go downe. For the man sayde vnto vs: Ye shal not se my face, excepte youre brother be with you.

American Standard Version
but if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down; for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.

Bible in Basic English
But if you will not send him, we will not go down: for the man said to us, You are not to come before me if your brother is not with you.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
But yf thou wylt not sende hym, we wyll not go downe: for the man sayde vnto vs, ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
but if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down, for the man said unto us: Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.'

King James Version (1611)
But if thou wilt not send him, we will not goe downe: for the man saide vnto vs, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
but if thou send not our brother with us, we will not go: for the man spoke to us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, unless your younger brother be with you.

English Revised Version
but if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down: for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.

Berean Standard Bible
But if you will not send him, we will not go; for the man told us, 'You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.'"

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
ellis if thou wolt not, we schulen not go; for as we seiden ofte, the man denounside to vs, and seide, Ye schulen not se my face with out youre leeste brother.

Young's Literal Translation
and if thou art not sending -- we do not go down, for the man said unto us, Ye do not see my face without your brother [being] with you.'

Update Bible Version
but if you will not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, You shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.

Webster's Bible Translation
But if thou wilt not send [him], we will not go down, for the man said to us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother [be] with you.

World English Bible
but if you will not send him, we will not go down, for the man said to us, 'You shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.'"

New King James Version
But if you will not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, "You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you."'

New Living Translation
But if you don't let Benjamin go, we won't go either. Remember, the man said, ‘You won't see my face again unless your brother is with you.'"

New Life Bible
But if you do not send him, we will not go. For the man said, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.'"

New Revised Standard
but if you will not send him, we will not go down, for the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.'"

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
but, if thou art not sending him, we will not go down, for the man, said unto us Ye shall not see my face, except, your brother, is with you.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But if thou wilt not, we will not go: for the man, as we have often said, declared unto us, saying: You shall not see my face without your youngest brother.

Revised Standard Version
but if you will not send him, we will not go down, for the man said to us, 'You shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.'"

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"But if you do not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, 'You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.'"

Contextual Overview

¹ The famine in Canaan got worse, ² and when the family of Jacob had eaten all the grain which had been brought from Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, "Go back and buy a little food for us." ³ Judah said to him, "The man sternly warned us that we would not be admitted to his presence unless we had our brother with us. ⁴ If you are willing to send our brother with us, we will go and buy food for you. ⁵ If you are not willing, we will not go, because the man told us we would not be admitted to his presence unless our brother was with us." ⁶ Jacob said, "Why did you cause me so much trouble by telling the man that you had another brother?" ⁷ They answered, "The man kept asking about us and our family, ‘Is your father still living? Do you have another brother?' We had to answer his questions. How could we know that he would tell us to bring our brother with us?" ⁸ Judah said to his father, "Send the boy with me, and we will leave at once. Then none of us will starve to death. ⁹ I will pledge my own life, and you can hold me responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you safe and sound, I will always bear the blame. ¹⁰ If we had not waited so long, we could have been there and back twice by now."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

will not: Genesis 42:38, Genesis 44:26, Exodus 20:12

Reciprocal: Genesis 42:20 - bring Genesis 43:3 - see my face Genesis 44:23 - General Genesis 44:25 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 42:38
But Jacob said, "My son cannot go with you; his brother is dead, and he is the only one left. Something might happen to him on the way. I am an old man, and the sorrow you would cause me would kill me."

Genesis 44:26
We answered, ‘We cannot go; we will not be admitted to the man's presence unless our youngest brother is with us. We can go only if our youngest brother goes also.'

Exodus 20:12
"Respect your father and your mother, so that you may live a long time in the land that I am giving you.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But if thou wilt not send [him], we will not go down,.... This they said not as undutiful, and from a spirit of rebellion and disobedience to their father, or of stubbornness and obstinacy, but because they durst not go down, nor could they with any safety; they might expect to be taken up as spies, and put to death as they were threatened; and besides, it would be in vain, and to no purpose, since there was no likelihood of succeeding, or of getting any provision:

for the man said unto us, ye shall not see my face, except your brother [be] with you; which they repeat both for the confirmation of it, and as an apology for themselves, to clear them from any charge of unfaithfulness.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

- Joseph and His Eleven Brethren

11. דבשׁ d^ebash, “honey,” from the bee, or sirup from the juice of the grape. בטנים bôṭ^en, “pistachio nuts.” שׁקד shâqêd, “almond tree;” related: “awake.” The tree is also called לוּז lûz. 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. “And Judah said.” 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. “Is your father yet alive?” “Have ye a brother?” These questions do not come out in the previous narrative, on account of its brevity. But how pointed they are, and how true to Joseph’s 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. “The best of the land” - the sung or celebrated products of the land. “A little honey.” 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. “Nuts.” These are supposed to be pistachio nuts, from the pistacia vera, a tree resembling the terebinth, a native of Anatolia, Syria, and Palestine. “Almonds.” 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. “Other silver;” not double silver, but a second sum for the new purchase. “God Almighty” - 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. “If I am bereaved, I am bereaved.” This is the expression of acquiescence in whatever may be the will of Providence. “Double silver,” - what was returned and what was to pay for a second supply of corn.

Genesis 43:16-18

The invitation into Joseph’s house fills the brothers with alarm. “Saw with them Benjamin.” 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. “Brought the men to Joseph’s house.” 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 Joseph’s house to lay aside their fears, and prepare their present. “Spake to him at the door of the house.” This was, of course, before they entered. “When we came to the inn.” The relater is prone to lump matters in the narration, for the sake of brevity. They began to “open their bags” at the first lodging-place, and finished the process at the last when they got home. Other silver. This explains the phrase “second silver” in Genesis 43:12. “Peace be to you.” 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. “He brought out unto them Simon.” 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 “make ready their present.”

Genesis 43:26-34

They are now entertained by Joseph. They brought the present, and made a lowly obeisance before him. “They bent the head.” See Genesis 24:26. “God be gracious unto thee, my son.” 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. “And Joseph hastened away.” 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. “They set for him by himself.” 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. “That is an abomination to the Mizrites.” For the Hebrews partook of the flesh of kine, both male and female.

But Herodotus informs us (ii. 41), that “male kine, if clean, are used by the Egyptians, but the females they are not allowed to sacrifice, since they are sacred to Isis.” And he adds that “a 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.” They considered all foreigners unclean, and therefore, refused to eat with them (see Rawlinson’s 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 Egypt’s sultan a man of wonder. “Benjamin’s mess.” 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. “And were merry.” 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.