Genesis 42:9

42:9 Then Joseph remembered ¹  the dreams he had dreamed about them, and he said to them, “You are spies; you have come to see if our land is vulnerable!” ² 

Genesis 42:12

42:12 “No,” he insisted, “but you have come to see if our land is vulnerable.” ³ 

Genesis 42:16

42:16 One of you must go and get ⁴  your brother, while ⁵  the rest of you remain in prison. ⁶  In this way your words may be tested to see if ⁷  you are telling the truth. ⁸  If not, then, as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!”

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¹ sn You are spies. Joseph wanted to see how his brothers would react if they were accused of spying.

² tn Heb “to see the nakedness of the land you have come.”

³ tn Heb “and he said, ‘No, for the nakedness of the land you have come to see.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for clarity.

⁴ tn Heb “send from you one and let him take.” After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose.

⁵ tn The disjunctive clause is here circumstantial-temporal.

⁶ tn Heb “bound.”

⁷ tn The words “to see” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁸ tn Heb “the truth [is] with you.”