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.’
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Genesis 44:27-29 sits inside this longer paragraph.
Then Judah came near to him, and said, “Oh, my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord’s ears, and don’t let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even as Pharaoh. My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father, or a brother?’ 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.’ You said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.’ We said to my lord, ‘The boy can’t leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’ You said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will see my face no more.’ When we came up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. Our father said, ‘Go again and buy us a little food.’ We said, ‘We can’t go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down: for we may not see the man’s face, unless our youngest brother is with us.’ 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; it will happen, when he sees that the boy is no more, that he will die. Your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant, our father, with sorrow to Sheol. For your servant became collateral for the boy to my father, saying, ‘If I don’t bring him to you, then I will bear the blame to my father forever.’ Now therefore, please let your servant stay instead of the boy, my lord’s slave; and let the boy go up with his brothers. For how will I go up to my father, if the boy isn’t with me?—lest I see the evil that will come on my father.”
Parallel Translations
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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.’
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And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons:
And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not since:
And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.
Show all 3 translations
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And thy servant my father said unto us: Ye know that my wife bore me two sons;
and the one went out from me, and I said: Surely he is torn in pieces; and I have not seen him since;
and if ye take this one also from me, and harm befall him, ye will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.
Cross-references (15)
- Genesis 42:38 (vv28–29) 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…
- Genesis 37:33 (v28) He recognized it, and said, “It is my son’s tunic. An evil animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces.”
- Genesis 46:19 (v27) The sons of Rachel, Jacob’s wife: Joseph and Benjamin.
- Genesis 43:14 (v29) May God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release to you your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved of my…
- Genesis 42:36 (vv28–29) 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…
Show all 13 cross-references
- Genesis 30:22-25 (v27) God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her, and opened her womb. She conceived, bore a son, and said, “God has taken away my reproach.”…
- Genesis 35:16-18 (v27) They traveled from Bethel. There was still some distance to come to Ephrath, and Rachel travailed. She had hard labor. When she was in hard…
- Genesis 37:13-14 (v28) Israel said to Joseph, “Aren’t your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.” He said to him, “Here I am.”…
- Genesis 44:31 (v29) it will happen, when he sees that the boy is no more, that he will die. Your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant, our…
- Deuteronomy 31:17 (v29) Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be…
- Genesis 29:18-21 (v27) Jacob loved Rachel. He said, “I will serve you seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter.” Laban said, “It is better that I give her to…
- Genesis 29:28 (v27) Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week. He gave him Rachel his daughter as wife.
- Psalms 88:3-4 (v29) For my soul is full of troubles. My life draws near to Sheol. I am counted among those who go down into the pit. I am like a man who has no…
13 distinct cross-references across this passage (15 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (6 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv27, 29 Rachel bare to Jacob, Joseph and Benjamin.
Rachel bare to Jacob, Joseph and Benjamin.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On v27 He calleth her
He calleth her
my wife, by way of eminency, as Gen 46:19, because she only was his wife by design and choice, whereas Leah was put upon him by fraud, and might have been refused by him, if he had so pleased; and the other two were given to him by Rachel and Leah.
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 On vv27–29 And thy servant my father said unto us,.... When…
And thy servant my father said unto us,.... When thus pressed to let Benjamin go with them:
ye know that my wife bare me two sons; Rachel, by whom he had Joseph and Benjamin, and whom he calls his wife, she being his only lawful wife; Leah was imposed upon him, Gen 29:20; and the other two were concubines, Gen 30:4.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv28–29 28. and I have not seen him since] The…
28. and I have not seen him since] The unconscious pathos in the words which Judah uses must have struck Joseph to the heart.
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.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v29 grave Heb. Sheol, (See Scofield "Hab 2:5").
grave Heb. Sheol, (See Scofield "Hab 2:5").
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v27 General Information:
General Information:
Judah continues his story to Joseph
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said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons. One of them went out from me and I said, "Surely he is torn in pieces, and I have not seen him since." Now if you also take this one from me, and harm comes to him, you will bring down my gray hair with sorrow to Sheol.'
This has a two level and three level quotation. They can be stated as indirect quotations. AT: "said to us that we know that his wife, Rachel, bore him only two sons, and that one of them went out and an animal tore him to pieces, and he has not seen him since. Then he said that if we take his other son and something bad happens to him, then we would cause him to die of sorrow." (See: Quotes Within Quotes and Direct and Indirect Quotations)
said to us
Here "us" does not include Joseph. (See: Exclusive and Inclusive "We")
You know
Here "You" is plural and refers to the brothers. (See: Forms of You)
he is torn in pieces
This can be stated in active form. AT: "a wild animal has torn him to pieces" (See: Active or Passive)
harm comes to him
Something bad happening to a person is spoken of as if "harm" were something that travels and comes to a person. (See: Metaphor)
you will bring down my gray hair with sorrow to Sheol
To "bring down ... to Sheol" is way of saying they will cause him to die and go to Sheol. He uses the word "down" because it was commonly believed Sheol is somewhere underground. AT: "then you will cause me, an old man, to die of sorrow" (See: Idiom)
my gray hair
This stands for Jacob and emphasizes his old age. AT: "me, an old man" (See: Synecdoche)
translationWords
servant
Hades
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.