Genesis 44:20-23

44:20 We said to my lord, ‘We have an aged father, and there is a young boy who was born when our father was old. The boy’s brother is dead. He is the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’

44:21 “Then you told your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so I can see him.’ 44:22 We said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father. If he leaves his father, his father will die.’ 44:23 But you said to your servants, ‘If your youngest brother does not come down with you, you will not see my face again.’


tn Heb “and a small boy of old age,” meaning that he was born when his father was elderly.

tn Heb “his”; the referent (the boy just mentioned) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

tn Heb “he, only he, to his mother is left.”

tn The cohortative after the imperative indicates purpose here.

tn Heb “that I may set my eyes upon him.”

tn Heb “he”; the referent (the boy’s father, i.e., Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

tn The last two verbs are perfect tenses with vav consecutive. The first is subordinated to the second as a conditional clause.