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Read the Bible
THE MESSAGE
Genesis 43:28
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
- Nave'sDictionaries:
- AmericanEncyclopedias:
- CondensedParallel Translations
They said, "Your servant, our father, is well. He is still alive." They bowed the head, and did homage.
And they answered, Thy servant our father is in good health, he is yet alive. And they bowed down their heads, and made obeisance.
And they said, "Your servant our father is well; he is still alive." And they knelt and bowed down.
The brothers answered, "Your servant, our father, is well. He is still alive." And they bowed low before Joseph to show him respect.
"Your servant our father is well," they replied. "He is still alive." They bowed down in humility.
And they answered, "Your servant our father is in good health; he is still alive." And they bowed down [their heads before Joseph] in respect.
And they said, "Your servant our father is well; he is still alive." Then they bowed down again in homage.
Who answered, Thy seruant our father is in good health, he is yet aliue: and they bowed downe, and made obeysance.
And they said, "Your servant our father is well; he is still alive." They bowed down and prostrated themselves.
They answered, "Your servant our father is still alive and well." And again they bowed down to Joseph.
They answered, "Your servant our father is well; yes, he is still alive," as they bowed in respect.
And they said, Thy servant our father is well; he is yet alive. And they bowed, and made obeisance.
The brothers answered, "Yes, sir, our father is still alive." And they again bowed before Joseph.
They said, "Your servant our father is well; he is still alive." And they bowed their heads and prostrated themselves.
And they answered, Your servant our father is well. he is still alive. And they bowed down their heads and made obeisance.
They answered, "Your humble servant, our father, is still alive and well." And they knelt and bowed down before him.
They answered, “Your servant our father is well. He is still alive.” And they knelt low and paid homage to him.
And they said, Peace is to your servant, to our father; he still lives. And they fell down and bowed.
They answered: Thy seruaunt oure father is in good health, and is yet alyue. And they bowed them selues, and fell downe before him.
And they said, Thy servant our father is well, he is yet alive. And they bowed the head, and made obeisance.
And they said, Your servant, our father, is well, he is still living. And they went down on their faces before him.
They aunswered: Thy seruaunt our father is in good health, & is yet alyue. And they bowing them selues, made theyr obeysaunce.
And they said: 'Thy servant our father is well, he is yet alive.' And they bowed the head, and made obeisance.
And they answered, Thy seruant our father is in good health, hee is yet aliue: & they bowed downe their heads, and made obeisance.
And they said, Thy servant our father is well; he is yet alive. And he said, Blessed be that man by God; —and they bowed, and did him reverence.
And they said, Thy servant our father is well, he is yet alive. And they bowed the head, and made obeisance.
"Your servant our father is well," they answered. "He is still alive." And they bowed down to honor him.
Whiche answeriden, He is hool, thi seruaunt oure fadir lyueth yit; and thei weren bowid, and worschipiden hym.
and they say, `Thy servant our father [is] well, he is yet alive;' and they bow, and do obeisance.
And they said, Your slave our father is well, he is yet alive. And they bowed the head, and made obeisance.
And they answered, Thy servant, our father, [is] in good health, he [is] yet alive: and they bowed their heads and made obeisance.
They said, "Your servant, our father, is well. He is still alive." They bowed the head, and did homage.
And they answered, "Your servant our father is in good health; he is still alive." And they bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves.
"Yes," they replied. "Our father, your servant, is alive and well." And they bowed low again.
And they said, "Your servant, our father is well. He is still alive." Then they bowed their heads low in honor to Joseph.
They said, "Your servant our father is well; he is still alive." And they bowed their heads and did obeisance.
And they said - It is well with thy servant our father, he is yet alive. And they bent their heads and bowed them-selves down.
And they answered: Thy servant our father, is in health; he is yet living. And bowing themselves, they made obeisance to him.
They said, "Your servant our father is well, he is still alive." And they bowed their heads and made obeisance.
They said, "Your servant our father is well; he is still alive." They bowed down in homage.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
bowed: Genesis 43:26, Genesis 37:7, Genesis 37:9, Genesis 37:10
made obeisance: Exodus 18:7, 2 Samuel 1:2, 2 Samuel 14:4, 1 Kings 1:16, 2 Chronicles 24:17
Reciprocal: Genesis 18:2 - bowed 1 Samuel 20:41 - and fell Proverbs 14:19 - General Mark 15:19 - and bowing
Cross-References
When Joseph got home, they presented him with the gifts they had brought and bowed respectfully before him.
Moses went out to welcome his father-in-law. He bowed to him and kissed him. Each asked the other how things had been with him. Then they went into the tent. Moses told his father-in-law the story of all that God had done to Pharaoh and Egypt in helping Israel, all the trouble they had experienced on the journey, and how God had delivered them.
The woman of Tekoa went to the king, bowed deeply before him in homage, and said, "O King, help!"
But after the death of Jehoiada things fell apart. The leaders of Judah made a formal presentation to the king and he went along with them. Things went from bad to worse; they deserted The Temple of God and took up with the cult of sex goddesses. An angry cloud hovered over Judah and Jerusalem because of this sin. God sent prophets to straighten them out, warning of judgment. But nobody paid attention.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
And they answered, thy servant our father [is] in good health, he [is] yet alive,.... Which is an answer to both his questions; and by calling their father Joseph's servant, he did obeisance to him in them, as well as by sending a present to him, which they delivered as coming from him his servant; and it is not improbable that Jacob sent his salutation to him as his servant, and so that part of the dream of Joseph's was also fulfilled, which represented the sun doing obeisance to him, Genesis 37:9:
and they bowed their heads, and made obeisance; a second time, as they did, no doubt, at every time they gave answer to Joseph's questions; and this is again observed, to show the full completion of the above dream.
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.
