43:7 They replied, “The man questioned us 1 thoroughly 2 about ourselves and our family, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ 3 So we answered him in this way. 4 How could we possibly know 5 that he would say, 6 ‘Bring your brother down’?”
44:16 Judah replied, “What can we say 7 to my lord? What can we speak? How can we clear ourselves? 8 God has exposed the sin of your servants! 9 We are now my lord’s slaves, we and the one in whose possession the cup was found.”
1 tn The word “us” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
2 tn The infinitive absolute with the perfect verbal form emphasizes that Joseph questioned them thoroughly.
3 sn The report given here concerning Joseph’s interrogation does not exactly match the previous account where they supplied the information to clear themselves (see 42:13). This section may reflect how they remembered the impact of his interrogation, whether he asked the specific questions or not. That may be twisting the truth to protect themselves, not wanting to admit that they volunteered the information. (They admitted as much in 42:31, but now they seem to be qualifying that comment.) On the other hand, when speaking to Joseph later (see 44:19), Judah claims that Joseph asked for the information about their family, making it possible that 42:13 leaves out some of the details of their first encounter.
4 tn Heb “and we told to him according to these words.”
5 tn The infinitive absolute emphasizes the imperfect verbal form, which here is a historic future (that is, future from the perspective of a past time).
6 tn Once again the imperfect verbal form is used as a historic future (that is, future from the perspective of past time).
7 tn The imperfect verbal form here indicates the subject’s potential.
8 tn The Hitpael form of the verb צָדֵק (tsadeq) here means “to prove ourselves just, to declare ourselves righteous, to prove our innocence.”
9 sn God has exposed the sin of your servants. The first three questions are rhetorical; Judah is stating that there is nothing they can say to clear themselves. He therefore must conclude that they have been found guilty.