Lectionary Calendar
Sunday, August 10th, 2025
the Week of Proper 14 / Ordinary 19
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Read the Bible

Literal Standard Version

Genesis 44:31

then it has come to pass, when he sees that the youth is not, that he has died, and your servants have brought down the grey hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol;

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Children;   Hell;   Judah;   Readings, Select;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Judah, son of jacob;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Hell;   Judah;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Joseph;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Color;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Color;   Joseph;   Judah;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
it will happen, when he sees that the boy is no more, that he will die. Your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant, our father, with sorrow to She'ol.
King James Version
It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave.
Lexham English Bible
it shall happen that when he sees that the boy is gone, he will die. And your servants will bring down the gray head of your servant, our father, to Sheol with sorrow.
New Century Version
when our father sees the young boy is not with us, he will die. And it will be our fault. We will cause the great sorrow that kills our father.
New English Translation
When he sees the boy is not with us, he will die, and your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father in sorrow to the grave.
Amplified Bible
when he sees that the young man is not with us, he will die; and your servants will bring the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in [great] sorrow.
New American Standard Bible
when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. So your servants will bring the gray hair of your servant, our father, down to Sheol in sorrow.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then when hee shall see that the childe is not come, he will die: so shall thy seruants bring the graye head of thy seruant our father with sorowe to the graue.
Legacy Standard Bible
so it will be that when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. Thus your servants will bring the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow.
Contemporary English Version
that he will die if Benjamin doesn't come back with me.
Complete Jewish Bible
(ii) when he sees that the boy isn't with us, he will die; and your servants will bring the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sh'ol with grief.
Darby Translation
it will come to pass when he sees that the lad is not [there], that he will die; and thy servants will bring down the grey hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to Sheol.
Easy-to-Read Version
Our father will die if he sees that the boy isn't with us—and it will be our fault. We will send our father to his grave a very sad man.
English Standard Version
as soon as he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die, and your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol.
George Lamsa Translation
It shall come to pass when he sees that the lad is not with us, he will die; and your servants shall bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol.
Christian Standard Bible®
when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. Then your servants will have brought the gray hairs of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow.
Literal Translation
it will be when he sees that the youth is not, he will die. And your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father to the grave in sorrow.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
then shall it come to passe, that yf he se not the lad there, he shal dye. So shal we thy seruauntes brynge the gray heer of thy seruaunt oure father with sorowe downe to the graue.
American Standard Version
it will come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants will bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to Sheol.
Bible in Basic English
When he sees that the boy is not with us, he will come to his death, and our father's grey head will go down in sorrow to the underworld.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then shall it come to passe, that assoone as he seeth that the lad is not come, he wyll dye: so shall we thy seruauntes bryng the gray head of thy seruaunt our father with sorowe vnto the graue.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
it will come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die; and thy servants will bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave.
King James Version (1611)
It shall come to passe, when he seeth that the lad is not with vs, that he will die, and thy seruants shall bring downe the gray haires of thy seruant our father with sorrow to the graue.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
—it shall even come to pass, when he sees the boy is not with us, that he will die, and thy servants will bring down the old age of thy servant, and our father, with sorrow to the grave.
English Revised Version
it shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave.
Berean Standard Bible
when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. Then your servants will have brought the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and he se that the child is not with vs, he schal die, and thi seruauntis schulen lede forth hise hoor heeris with sorewe to hellis.
Young's Literal Translation
then it hath come to pass when he seeth that the youth is not, that he hath died, and thy servants have brought down the grey hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to sheol;
Update Bible Version
it will come to pass, when he sees that the lad is not there, that he will die: and your slaves will bring down the gray hairs of your slave our father with sorrow to Sheol.
Webster's Bible Translation
It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad [is] not [with us], that he will die: and thy servants will bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father, with sorrow to the grave.
World English Bible
it will happen, when he sees that the boy is no more, that he will die. Your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant, our father, with sorrow to Sheol.
New King James Version
it will happen, when he sees that the lad is not with us, that he will die. So your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father with sorrow to the grave.
New Living Translation
If he sees that the boy is not with us, our father will die. We, your servants, will indeed be responsible for sending that grieving, white-haired man to his grave.
New Life Bible
when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. So your servants will bring the white hair of your servant our father down to the grave in sorrow.
New Revised Standard
when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die; and your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
so surely shall it come to pass that when he sooth that the lad is not with us, then will he die. So shall thy servants bring down the grey hairs of thy servant our father, with sorrow to hades.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he shall see that he is not with us, he will die, and thy servants shall bring down his grey hairs with sorrow unto hell.
Revised Standard Version
when he sees that the lad is not with us, he will die; and your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
when he sees that the lad is not with us, he will die. Thus your servants will bring the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow.

Contextual Overview

18And Judah comes near to him and says, "O my lord, please let your servant speak a word in the ears of my lord, and do not let your anger burn against your servant—for you are as Pharaoh. 19My lord has asked his servants, saying, Do you have a father or brother? 20And we say to my lord, We have a father, an aged one, and a child of old age, a little one; and his brother died, and he is left alone of his mother, and his father has loved him. 21And you say to your servants, Bring him down to me, and I set my eye on him; 22and we say to my lord, The youth is not able to leave his father, when he has left his father, then he has died; 23and you say to your servants, If your young brother does not come down with you, you do not add to see my face. 24And it comes to pass, that we have come up to your servant my father, that we declare to him the words of my lord; 25and our father says, Return, buy for us a little food, 26and we say, We are not able to go down; if our young brother is with us, then we have gone down; for we are not able to see the man's face, and our young brother not with us. 27And your servant my father says to us, You have known that my wife bore two to me,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

when he: 1 Samuel 4:17, 1 Samuel 4:18, 2 Corinthians 7:10, 1 Thessalonians 4:13

servants shall: Genesis 44:29, Genesis 37:26, Genesis 37:27, Genesis 37:35, 1 Samuel 22:22

grave: Genesis 44:29, Genesis 37:35

Reciprocal: Genesis 42:38 - bring Genesis 44:30 - When I 1 Kings 2:9 - his Ecclesiastes 12:5 - the almond

Cross-References

Genesis 37:35
and all his sons and all his daughters rise to comfort him, and he refuses to comfort himself, and says, "For I go down to my son mourning, to Sheol," and his father weeps for him.
Genesis 44:17
and he says, "Far be it from me to do this; the man in whose hand the cup has been found, he becomes my servant; and you, go up in peace to your father."
Genesis 44:18
And Judah comes near to him and says, "O my lord, please let your servant speak a word in the ears of my lord, and do not let your anger burn against your servant—for you are as Pharaoh.
Genesis 44:26
and we say, We are not able to go down; if our young brother is with us, then we have gone down; for we are not able to see the man's face, and our young brother not with us.
Genesis 44:27
And your servant my father says to us, You have known that my wife bore two to me,
Genesis 44:29
when you have taken also this from my presence, and harm has met him, then you have brought down my grey hairs with evil to Sheol.
1 Samuel 22:22
And David says to Abiathar, "I have known on that day when Doeg the Edomite [is] there, that he certainly declares [it] to Saul; I have brought [it] around to every person of the house of your father;
2 Corinthians 7:10
for sorrow toward God works conversion to salvation without regret, and the sorrow of the world works death,
1 Thessalonians 4:13
And I do not wish you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who have fallen asleep, that you may not sorrow, as also the rest who have no hope,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad [is] not [with us], that he will die,.... As soon as ever he sees us, without asking any question and observes that Benjamin is missing he will conclude at once that he is dead, which will so seize his spirits, that he will expire immediately:

and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant, our father, with sorrow to the grave; as he said would be the case,

Genesis 44:29; and which would be very afflicting to his sons to be the cause of it, and could not be thought of without the utmost uneasiness and distress.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

- The Ten Brothers Were Tested

Joseph has had the satisfaction of seeing his brother Benjamin safe and well. He has heard his brothers acknowledging their guilt concerning himself. He resolves to put their attachment to Benjamin, and the genuineness of their change of disposition, to a test that will at the same time expose Benjamin to no hazard.

Genesis 44:1-5

And my cup. - Besides returning each man’s money as before, a silver cup of Joseph’s is put in Benjamin’s bag, after which, when daylight comes, they are dismissed. They are scarcely out of the town when Joseph’s steward is ordered to overtake them, and charge them with stealing the cup. “And whereby indeed he divineth.” Divining by cups, we learn from this, was a common custom in Egypt (Herodotus ii. 83). It is here mentioned to enhance the value of the cup. Whether Joseph really practised any sort of divination cannot be determined from this passage.

Genesis 44:6-12

The cup is found in Benjamin’s bag. “Spake unto them these words.” The words of Joseph, supplying of course the mention of the cup which is expressed in the text only by the pronoun this. “We brought back to thee.” Silver that we might have retained, and to which you made no claim when we tendered it, we brought back. How or why should we therefore, steal silver? “Now also according to your words let it be.” He adopts their terms with a mitigation. He with whom the cup is found shall become a slave for life, and the rest be acquitted. The steward searches from the oldest to the youngest. The cup is found where it was put.

Genesis 44:13-17

“They rent their garments;” the natural token of a sorrow that knows no remedy. “And Judah went.” He had pledged himself for the safety of Benjamin to his father. And he was yet there; awaiting no doubt the result which he anticipated. “They fell before him on the earth.” It is no longer a bending of the head or bowing of the body, but the posture of deepest humiliation. How deeply that early dream penetrated into the stern reality! “Wot ye not that such a man as I doth certainly divine?” Joseph keeps up the show of resentment for a little longer, and brings out from Judah the most pathetic plea of its kind that ever was uttered. “The God,” the great and only God, “hath found out the iniquity of thy servants;” in our dark and treacherous dealing with our brother. “Behold, we are servants to my lord.” He resigns himself and all to perpetual bondage, as the doom of a just God upon their still-remembered crime. “He shall be my servant; and ye, go up in peace to your father.” Now is the test applied with the nicest adjustment. Now is the moment of agony and suspense to Joseph. Will my brothers prove true? says he within himself. Will Judah prove adequate to the occasion? say we. His pleading with his father augured well.

Verse 18-34

“And Judah came near unto him.” He is going to surrender himself as a slave for life, that Benjamin may go home with his brothers, who are permitted to depart. “Let thy servant now speak a word in the ears of my lord.” There is nothing here but respectful calmness of demeanor. “And let not thine anger burn against thy servant.” He intuitively feels that the grand vizier is a man of like feelings with himself. He will surmount the distinction of rank, and stand with him on the ground of a common humanity. “For so art thou as Pharaoh.” Thou hast power to grant or withhold my request. This forms, the exordium of the speech. Then follows the plea. This consists in a simple statement of the facts, which Judah expects to have its native effect upon a rightly-constituted heart. We will not touch this statement, except to explain two or three expressions. A young lad - a comparative youth. “Let me set mine eyes upon him” - regard him with favor and kindness. “He shall leave his father and he shall die.” If he were to leave his father, his father would die. Such is the natural interpretation of these words, as the paternal affection is generally stronger than the filial. “And now let thy servant now abide instead of the lad a servant to my lord.” Such is the humble and earnest petition of Judah. He calmly and firmly sacrifices home, family, and birthright, rather than see an aged father die of a broken heart.


 
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