Genesis 42:21

42:21 They said to one other, ¹  “Surely we’re being punished ²  because of our brother, because we saw how distressed he was ³  when he cried to us for mercy, but we refused to listen. That is why this distress ⁴  has come on us!”

Genesis 43:18

43:18 But the men were afraid when they were brought to Joseph’s house. They said, “We are being brought in because of ⁵  the money that was returned in our sacks last time. ⁶  He wants to capture us, ⁷  make us slaves, and take ⁸  our donkeys!”

Genesis 44:26

44:26 But we replied, ‘We cannot go down there. ⁹  If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go, ¹⁰  for we won’t be permitted to see the man’s face if our youngest brother is not with us.’

Genesis 47:19

47:19 Why should we die before your very eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we, with our land, will become ¹¹  Pharaoh’s slaves. ¹²  Give us seed that we may live ¹³  and not die. Then the land will not become desolate.” ¹⁴ 

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¹ tn Heb “a man to his neighbor.”

² tn Or “we are guilty”; the Hebrew word can also refer to the effect of being guilty, i.e., “we are being punished for guilt.”

³ tn Heb “the distress of his soul.”

⁴ sn The repetition of the Hebrew noun translated distress draws attention to the fact that they regard their present distress as appropriate punishment for their refusal to ignore their brother when he was in distress.

⁵ tn Heb “over the matter of.”

⁶ tn Heb “in the beginning,” that is, at the end of their first visit.

⁷ tn Heb “to roll himself upon us and to cause himself to fall upon us.” The infinitives here indicate the purpose (as viewed by the brothers) for their being brought to Joseph’s house.

⁸ tn The word “take” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁹ tn The direct object is not specified in the Hebrew text, but is implied; “there” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

¹⁰ tn Heb “go down.”

¹¹ tn After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with vav here indicates consequence.

¹² sn Pharaoh’s slaves. The idea of slavery is not attractive to the modern mind, but in the ancient world it was the primary way of dealing with the poor and destitute. If the people became slaves of Pharaoh, it was Pharaoh’s responsibility to feed them and care for them. It was the best way for them to survive the famine.

¹³ tn After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with vav here indicates purpose or result.

¹⁴ tn The disjunctive clause structure (vav [ו] + subject + negated verb) highlights the statement and brings their argument to a conclusion.