Genesis 44:21

THE MESSAGE

"Then you told us, ‘Bring him down here so I can see him.' We told you, master, that it was impossible: ‘The boy can't leave his father; if he leaves, his father will die.'

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
You said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.'

King James Version
And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him.

Lexham English Bible
Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me that I may set my eyes upon him.'

New Century Version
Then you said to us, ‘Bring that brother to me. I want to see him.'

New English Translation
"Then you told your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so I can see him.'

Amplified Bible
"Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me that I may actually see him.'

New American Standard Bible
"Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me so that I may set my eyes on him.'

Geneva Bible (1587)
Now thou saidest vnto thy seruants, Bring him vnto me, that I may set mine eye vpo him.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me that I may set my eyes on him.'

Contemporary English Version
You ordered us to bring him here, so you could see him for yourself.

Complete Jewish Bible
But you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, so that I can see him.'

Darby Translation
And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down to me, that I may set mine eye on him.

Easy-to-Read Version
Then you said to us, ‘Bring that brother to me. I want to see him.'

English Standard Version
Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.'

George Lamsa Translation
Then you said to your servants, Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes upon him.

Good News Translation
Sir, you told us to bring him here, so that you could see him,

Christian Standard Bible®
Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him to me so that I can see him.’

Literal Translation
And you said to your servants, Bring him down to me, and let me see him.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then saydest thou: Brynge him downe vnto me, and I wil se him.

American Standard Version
And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him.

Bible in Basic English
And you said to your servants, Let him come down to me with you, so that I may see him.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And thou saidest vnto thy seruauntes: bryng him vnto me, that I may set my eyes vpon him.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And thou saidst unto thy servants: Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him.

King James Version (1611)
And thou saidst vnto thy seruants, Bring him downe vnto mee, that I may set mine eyes vpon him.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And thou saidst to they servants, Bring him down to me, and I will take care of him.

English Revised Version
And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him.

Berean Standard Bible
Then you told your servants, 'Bring him down to me so that I can see him for myself.'

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And thou seidist to thi seruauntis, Brynge ye hym to me, and Y schal sette myn iyen on hym.

Young's Literal Translation
`And thou sayest unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, and I set mine eye upon him;

Update Bible Version
And you said to your slaves, Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.

Webster's Bible Translation
And thou saidst to thy servants, Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes upon him.

World English Bible
You said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.'

New King James Version
Then you said to your servants, "Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.'

New Living Translation
"And you said to us, ‘Bring him here so I can see him with my own eyes.'

New Life Bible
Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him here to me, so I may see him.'

New Revised Standard
Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, so that I may set my eyes on him.'

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So then thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, - that I may set mine eyes upon him.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And thou saidst to thy servants: Bring him hither to me, and I will set my eyes on him.

Revised Standard Version
Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes upon him.'

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me that I may set my eyes on him.'

Contextual Overview

¹⁸Judah came forward. He said, "Please, master; can I say just one thing to you? Don't get angry. Don't think I'm presumptuous—you're the same as Pharaoh as far as I'm concerned. You, master, asked us, ‘Do you have a father and a brother?' And we answered honestly, ‘We have a father who is old and a younger brother who was born to him in his old age. His brother is dead and he is the only son left from that mother. And his father loves him more than anything.' ²¹"Then you told us, ‘Bring him down here so I can see him.' We told you, master, that it was impossible: ‘The boy can't leave his father; if he leaves, his father will die.' ²³ "And then you said, ‘If your youngest brother doesn't come with you, you won't be allowed to see me.' ²⁴"When we returned to our father, we told him everything you said to us. So when our father said, ‘Go back and buy some more food,' we told him flatly, ‘We can't. The only way we can go back is if our youngest brother is with us. We aren't allowed to even see the man if our youngest brother doesn't come with us.' ²⁷"Your servant, my father, told us, ‘You know very well that my wife gave me two sons. One turned up missing. I concluded that he'd been ripped to pieces. I've never seen him since. If you now go and take this one and something bad happens to him, you'll put my old gray, grieving head in the grave for sure.' ³⁰"And now, can't you see that if I show up before your servant, my father, without the boy, this son with whom his life is so bound up, the moment he realizes the boy is gone, he'll die on the spot. He'll die of grief and we, your servants who are standing here before you, will have killed him. And that's not all. I got my father to release the boy to show him to you by promising, ‘If I don't bring him back, I'll stand condemned before you, Father, all my life.' ³³"So let me stay here as your slave, not this boy. Let the boy go back with his brothers. How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? Oh, don't make me go back and watch my father die in grief!"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Bring: Genesis 42:15, Genesis 42:20, Genesis 43:29

that I may: Jeremiah 24:6, Jeremiah 40:4, Amos 9:4

Cross-References

Genesis 43:29
Then Joseph picked out his brother Benjamin, his own mother's son. He asked, "And is this your youngest brother that you told me about?" Then he said, "God be gracious to you, my son."

Jeremiah 40:4
"But today, Jeremiah, I'm setting you free, taking the chains off your hands. If you'd like to come to Babylon with me, come along. I'll take good care of you. But if you don't want to come to Babylon with me, that's just fine, too. Look, the whole land stretches out before you. Do what you like. Go and live wherever you wish. If you want to stay home, go back to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan. The king of Babylon made him governor of the cities of Judah. Stay with him and your people. Or go wherever you'd like. It's up to you." The captain of the bodyguard gave him food for the journey and a parting gift, and sent him off.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And thou saidst unto thy servants, bring him down unto me,.... Judah does not relate the reason of his order, which was to give proof that they were no spies, but as if Joseph designed to show favour to Benjamin, as undoubtedly he did:

that I may set mine eyes upon him; not barely see him, as Aben Ezra interprets it, though that would be, and was, very desirable by him, and agreeable to him; but he desired to set his eyes upon him, not only for his own pleasure, but for the good of Benjamin, as the Targum of Jonathan adds; he intimated that he should receive him kindly, show favour unto him, and use him well: the Septuagint version is, "and I will take care of him": Joseph's brethren had told him, that Benjamin was at home with their father, who they suggested was afraid to let him go with them, lest evil should befall him; wherefore to encourage him to let him go with them, Joseph promised to take care of him, that no hurt should be done to him, but he should be provided with everything that was proper and necessary; and this Judah improves into an argument with the governor in favour of Benjamin, that since he desired his coming, in order to show him a kindness, he hoped he would not detain him, and make a slave of him.

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.