When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Bring the men into the house, and butcher an animal, and prepare; for the men will dine with me at noon.”
Parallel Translations
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When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Bring the men into the house, and butcher an animal, and prepare; for the men will dine with me at noon.”
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And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ruler of his house, Bring these men home, and slay, and make ready; for these men shall dine with me at noon.
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And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house: 'Bring the men into the house, and kill the beasts, and prepare the meat; for the men shall dine with me at noon.'
Cross-references (11)
Passages linked to Genesis 43:16 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Genesis 44:1 He commanded the steward of his house, saying, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in his sack’s mouth.
- Genesis 43:19 They came near to the steward of Joseph’s house, and they spoke to him at the door of the house,
- Genesis 15:2 Abram said, “Lord Yahweh, what will you give me, since I go childless, and he who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?”
- Genesis 21:8 The child grew and was weaned. Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.
- Genesis 24:2-10 Abraham said to his servant, the elder of his house, who ruled over all that he had, “Please put your hand under my thigh. I will make you swear by Yahweh, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live. But you shall go to my country, and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” The servant said to him, “What if the woman isn’t willing to follow me to this land? Must I bring your son again to the land you came from?” Abraham said to him, “Beware that you don’t bring my son there again. Yahweh, the God of heaven—who took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my birth, who spoke to me, and who swore to me, saying, ‘I will give this land to your offspring—he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. If the woman isn’t willing to follow you, then you shall be clear from this oath to me. Only you shall not bring my son there again.” The servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter. The servant took ten of his master’s camels, and departed, having a variety of good things of his master’s with him. He arose, and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor.
- Genesis 26:30 He made them a feast, and they ate and drank.
- Genesis 31:54 Jacob offered a sacrifice in the mountain, and called his relatives to eat bread. They ate bread, and stayed all night in the mountain.
- Genesis 39:4-5 Joseph found favor in his sight. He ministered to him, and Potiphar made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. From the time that he made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, Yahweh blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake. Yahweh’s blessing was on all that he had, in the house and in the field.
- Genesis 44:4 When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, “Up, follow after the men. When you overtake them, ask them, ‘Why have you rewarded evil for good?
- 1 Samuel 25:11 Shall I then take my bread, my water, and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men who I don’t know where they come from?”
- Proverbs 9:2 She has prepared her meat. She has mixed her wine. She has also set her table.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (14 sources)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain 16. And he said to the ruler of his…
16. And he said to the ruler of his house. Here we perceive the fraternal disposition of Joseph; though it is uncertain whether he was perfectly reconciled, as I will shortly show, in its proper place. If, however, remembering the injury, he loved his brethren less than before, he was still far from having vindictive feelings towards them. But because it was something suspicious that foreigners and men of ignoble rank should be received in a friendly manner, like known guests, to a banquet, by the chief governor of the kingdom, the sons of Jacob would conceive a new fear; namely, that he wished to cast them all into chains; and that their money had been craftily concealed in their sacks, in order that it might prove the occasion of accusation against them. It is however probable, that the crime which they had committed against Joseph, occurred to their minds, and that this fear had proceeded from a guilty conscience. For, unless the judgment of God had tormented them, there was no cause why they should apprehend such an act of perfidy. It may seem absurd, that unknown men should be received to a feast by a prince of the highest dignity. But why not rather incline to a different conjecture; namely, that the governor of Egypt has done this for the purpose of exhibiting to his friends the new and unwonted spectacle of eleven brethren sitting at one table? It will, indeed, sometimes happen that similar anxiety to that felt by Joseph’s brethren, may invade even the best of men; but I would rather ascribe it to the judgment of God, that the sons of Jacob, whose conscience accused them of having inhumanely treated their brother, suspected that they would be dealt with in the same manner. However, they take an early opportunity of vindicating themselves, before inquiry is made respecting the theft. Now, freely to declare that the money had been found in their sacks, and that they had brought it from home to repay it immediately was a strong mark of their innocence. Moreover, they do this in the very porch of the house, because they suspected that, as soon as they entered, the question would be put to them.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Or, to the ruler of his house.
Or, to the ruler of his house.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Gen 43:16 And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them,…
Gen 43:16 And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ruler of his house, Bring [these] men home, and slay, and make ready; for [these] men shall dine with me at noon.
Ver. 16. Slay, and make ready.] Heb., Slay a slaughter of beasts, as at feasts is usual. Quaere nunc cur subito moriamur? saith Seneca; quia mortibas vivimus; What wonder we die suddenly, that live by the death of others?
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Shall dine with me at noon.] After serious business despatched in the morning. Aristotle disposed of the morning in studying philosophy; of the afternoon in eloquence, or whatever else he made his recreation.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain The usual time for the more solemn meal in…
The usual time for the more solemn meal in the east countries, as the evening was the time, and the supper the great meal, among the Romans.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And the man did as Joseph bade: and the…
And the man did as Joseph bade: and the man brought the men into Joseph's house. Showed them the way to it, and introduced them into it, and led them into some apartment in it, and ordered every thing to be got ready for dinner as his master had bid him, being a diligent and faithful servant: at old Cair is shown to travellers (y) the house of Joseph in the tower, and a very surprising well, said to be made by him, and here, they say; the granaries were, in which the corn was laid up.
(y) Radzivil, Thevenot, Le Brun & Lucas apud Jablonski de Terra Goshen, Dissert. 5. sect. 6.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 16. Slay, and make ready] טבח טבח teboach…
Verse 16. Slay, and make ready] טבח טבח teboach tebach, slay a slaying, or make a great slaughter - let preparations be made for a great feast or entertainment. See a similar form of speech, Pr 9:2; 1Sa 25:11; and Ge 31:54.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Victims: the blood of which was first offered to…
Victims: the blood of which was first offered to God, as he had appointed, (chap. xviii. 1; Leviticus xvii. 5.) and the flesh brought upon the table. If idolatry was then common in Egypt, as Calmet supposes, in opposition to Grotius, Joseph did not participate at least in that impiety. --- At noon. This was the time for the chief meal in Egypt. The Hebrews generally took something at this time, and again in the evening. To eat before noon was esteemed a mark of intemperance. (Ecclesiastes x. 16; Acts ii. 15.) Plato thought the people of Italy, who eat two full meals in the day, would never be eminent for wisdom or for prudence. (Atheneus iv. 10.) (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain ruler of his house--In the houses of wealthy Egyptians…
ruler of his house--In the houses of wealthy Egyptians one upper man servant was intrusted with the management of the house (compare Gen 39:5).
slay, and make ready--Hebrew, "kill a killing"--implying preparations for a grand entertainment (compare Gen 31:54; Sa1 25:11; Pro 9:2; Mat 22:4). The animals have to be killed as well as prepared at home. The heat of the climate requires that the cook should take the joints directly from the hands of the flesher, and the Oriental taste is, from habit, fond of newly killed meat. A great profusion of viands, with an inexhaustible supply of vegetables, was provided for the repasts, to which strangers were invited, the pride of Egyptian people consisting rather in the quantity and variety than in the choice or delicacy of the dishes at their table.
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dine . . . at noon--The hour of dinner was at midday.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain RECEPTION AND FEAST AT JOSEPH’S HOUSE, Gen_43:16-34.
RECEPTION AND FEAST AT JOSEPH’S HOUSE, Gen_43:16-34.
16. The ruler of his house — His steward, who had oversight of his domestic affairs.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 16. the steward of his house] See Gen_43:19 and…
16. the steward of his house] See Gen_43:19 and Gen_44:1; Gen_44:4. The steward of Joseph’s house was the “major domo” of the establishment. Joseph himself had occupied that position. Cf. Gen_39:5.
slay] The slaying of animals indicated a banquet. It was a sign of special honour. Meat food was not usual for the Bedouin. But it was probably regularly eaten by kings and their officials, and by dwellers in towns in Egypt.
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at noon] Observe the hour for a banquet. In Palestine the chief meal was in the evening. Cf. Gen_31:54; 1Sa_9:19.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (16) Slay.—The charge of inaccuracy brought against the narrator,…
(16) Slay.—The charge of inaccuracy brought against the narrator, upon the supposition that the higher classes in Egypt, especially the priests, did not eat flesh, has been abundantly disproved, as the representations of feasts belonging to this period show that an abundance of animal food was consumed. Animals, moreover, sacred in one district were freely eaten in another. Generally the priests might eat the flesh of oxen and geese, but not mutton, pork or fish. (Rawlinson’s Egypt, i. 438.)
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain And when (literally, and) Joseph saw Benjamin with them,…
And when (literally, and) Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he literally, and he) said to the ruler of his house, literally, to him who was over his house, i.e. the steward (cf. Gen_24:2 Gen_39:4 Gen_44:1) Bring these men home (i.e. conduct these men to my house, which was probably at some distance), and slay, literally, slay a slaughter. The assertion that the narrator is here guilty of an inaccuracy in representing Joseph as having animal food prepared for himself and his guests (Bohlen) is refuted by Herodotus (2:37, 40) and by Wilkinson ("Ancient Egyptians," vol. 2: Ge 7. pp. 22, 23, ed. 1878), who says that "beef and goose constituted the principal part of the animal food throughout Egypt," and that according to the sculptures "a considerable quantity of meat was served up at those repasts to which strangers were invited." "Though there was scarcely an animal which was not held sacred in some province, there was, perhaps with the only exception of the cow, none which" was not killed and eaten in other parts of the land" (Kalisch)and make ready; for these men shall dine with me at noon literally, at the double lights ( i.e. at mid-day, the time of greatest splendor.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 Benjamin with them
Benjamin with them
"Benjamin with Joseph's older brothers"
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the steward of his house
The "steward" was responsible for managing Joseph's household activities.
He brought the men
Here "brought" can be translated as "took." (See: Go and Come)
to Joseph's house
"into Joseph's house"
translationWords
Joseph (OT)
Benjamin
manager
house
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 43:16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them: Joseph now…
43:16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them: Joseph now knew that Benjamin was well (see study note on 42:1–44:34). The feast was both a celebration and a test.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.