We said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother; and his father loves him.’
Parallel Translations
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We said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother; and his father loves him.’
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And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him.
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And we said unto my lord: We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him.
Examined in Scripture Analysis
Contradictions (1)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Cross-references (12)
Passages linked to Genesis 44:20 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Genesis 37:3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age, and he made him a tunic of many colors.
- Genesis 42:38 He said, “My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he only is left. If harm happens to him along the way in which you go, then you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.”
- Genesis 35:18 As her soul was departing (for she died), she named him Benoni, but his father named him Benjamin.
- Genesis 37:19 They said to one another, “Behold, this dreamer comes.
- Genesis 37:33-35 He recognized it, and said, “It is my son’s tunic. An evil animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces.” Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days. All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. He said, “For I will go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” His father wept for him.
- Genesis 42:13 They said, “We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is today with our father, and one is no more.”
- Genesis 42:36 Jacob, their father, said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children! Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin away. All these things are against me.”
- Genesis 43:7-8 They said, “The man asked directly concerning ourselves, and concerning our relatives, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?’ We just answered his questions. Is there any way we could know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down?’ ” Judah said to Israel, his father, “Send the boy with me, and we’ll get up and go, so that we may live, and not die, both we, and you, and also our little ones.
- Genesis 44:27-30 Your servant, my father, said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons. One went out from me, and I said, “Surely he is torn in pieces;” and I haven’t seen him since. If you take this one also from me, and harm happens to him, you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.’ Now therefore when I come to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us; since his life is bound up in the boy’s life;
- Genesis 46:21 The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.
- Genesis 49:8 “Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies. Your father’s sons will bow down before you.
- Luke 7:12 Now when he came near to the gate of the city, behold, one who was dead was carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. Many people of the city were with her.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (7 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Hebrew, child of his old age.
Hebrew, child of his old age.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Gen 44:20 And we said unto my lord, We…
Gen 44:20 And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him.
Ver. 20. {See Trapp on "Gen 44:19"}
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 A little one; so they call him comparatively to…
A little one; so they call him comparatively to themselves, who were much elder; and withal, to signify the reason why he came, not with them, because he was young and tender, and unfit for such a journey.
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 we said unto my lord, we have a…
And we said unto my lord, we have a father,.... Yet living in the land of Canaan:
an old man; being one hundred and thirty years of age, Gen 47:9,
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and a child of his old age; who was born when he was near an hundred years of age: and
a little one; not in stature, but in age, being the youngest son, and much younger than they: so they represented him, on that account, and because he was tenderly brought up with his father, and not inured to business and hardship, and so unfit to travel:
and his brother is dead; meaning Joseph: so they thought him to be, having not heard of him for twenty two years or more, and they had so often said he was dead, or suggested as much, that they at length believed he was:
and he alone is left of his mother; the only child left of his mother Rachel:
and his father loveth him; being his youngest son, and the only child of his beloved Rachel, and therefore most dear unto him.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Is left of, (habet mater.) Rachel had been dead…
Is left of, (habet mater.) Rachel had been dead about twenty-four years. (Haydock)
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).
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 20. a child of his old age] Cf. Gen_37:3,…
20. a child of his old age] Cf. Gen_37:3, where the words are applied to Joseph.
his brother is dead] See Gen_44:28, Gen_42:38 (J). According to the J narrative, his brothers thought him dead. In Gen_42:13 (E) Joseph’s fate is referred to in vaguer terms, “one is not.” This allusion to the “dead” brother in addressing Joseph adds a most effective touch to the story.
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of his mother] Lit. “to his mother,” i.e. of Rachel’s children.
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.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 General Information:
General Information:
Judah continues to speak before Joseph
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We said to my master, 'We have a father ... his father loves him.'
This is a quotation within a quotation. It can be stated as an indirect quotation. AT: "And we said to my master that we have a father ... his father loves him" (See: Quotes Within Quotes and Direct and Indirect Quotations)
we said to my master
Judah refers to Joseph as "my master." This is a formal way of speaking to someone with greater authority. AT: "we said to you, my master" (See: First, Second, or Third Person)
his father loves him
This refers to love for a friend or family member.
Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me that I may see him.'
This is a quotation within a quotation. It can be stated as an indirect quotation. AT: "And you said to your servants that we should bring our youngest brother to you so that you may see him" (See: Quotes Within Quotes and Direct and Indirect Quotations)
Then you said to your servants
Judah refers to himself and his brothers as "your servants." AT: "Then you said to us, your servants" (See: First, Second, or Third Person)
Bring him down to me
It was common to use the word "down" when speaking of traveling from Canaan to Egypt. AT: "Bring him to me" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
After that, we said to my master, 'The boy cannot ... father would die.'
This is a quotation within a quotation. It can be stated as an indirect quotation. AT: "In response, we said to my master that the boy cannot ... father would die" (See: Quotes Within Quotes and Direct and Indirect Quotations)
his father would die
It is implied that their father would die from sorrow. (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
translationWords
love
servant
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.