Genesis 43:7
New International Version
They replied, “The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. ‘Is your father still living?’ he asked us. ‘Do you have another brother?’ We simply answered his questions. How were we to know he would say, ‘Bring your brother down here’?”

New Living Translation
“The man kept asking us questions about our family,” they replied. “He asked, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ So we answered his questions. How could we know he would say, ‘Bring your brother down here’?”

English Standard Version
They replied, “The man questioned us carefully about ourselves and our kindred, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ What we told him was in answer to these questions. Could we in any way know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”

Berean Standard Bible
They replied, “The man questioned us in detail about ourselves and our family: ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ And we answered him accordingly. How could we possibly know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother here’?”

King James Bible
And they said, The man asked us straitly of our state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother down?

New King James Version
But they said, “The man asked us pointedly about ourselves and our family, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?’ And we told him according to these words. Could we possibly have known that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”

New American Standard Bible
But they said, “The man specifically asked about us and our relatives, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?’ So we answered his questions. Could we possibly know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”

NASB 1995
But they said, “The man questioned particularly about us and our relatives, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?’ So we answered his questions. Could we possibly know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down ‘?”

NASB 1977
But they said, “The man questioned particularly about us and our relatives, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?’ So we answered his questions. Could we possibly know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”

Legacy Standard Bible
But they said, “The man questioned particularly about us and our kin, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?’ So we told him concerning these things. Could we possibly have known that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”

Amplified Bible
And they said, “The man asked us straightforward questions about ourselves and our relatives. He said, ‘Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?’ And we answered him accordingly. How could we possibly know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down [here to Egypt]’?”

Christian Standard Bible
They answered, “The man kept asking about us and our family: ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother? ’ And we answered him accordingly. How could we know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother here’? ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
They answered, “The man kept asking about us and our family: ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother? And we answered him accordingly. How could we know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother here’?”

American Standard Version
And they said, The man asked straitly concerning ourselves, and concerning our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we in any wise know that he would say, Bring your brother down?

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And they said, “The man pointedly asked about us and about our family, and he said, “Is your father still living and do you have a brother?”, and we told him, because of these words. Were we to know that he would say, ‘Bring down your brother?.’

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And they said, The man closely questioned us about our family also, saying, Does your father yet live, and have ye a brother? and we answered him according to this question: did we know that he would say to us, Bring your brother?

Contemporary English Version
They answered, "He asked a lot of questions about us and our family. He wanted to know if you were still alive and if we had any more brothers. All we could do was answer his questions. How could we know he would tell us to bring along our brother?"

Douay-Rheims Bible
But they answered: The man asked us in order concerning our kindred: if our father lived: if we had a brother: and we answered him regularly, according to what he demanded: Bring hither your brother with you?

English Revised Version
And they said, The man asked straitly concerning ourselves, and concerning our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we in any wise know that he would say, Bring your brother down?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
They answered, "The man kept asking about us and our family: 'Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?' We simply answered his questions. How could we possibly know he would say, 'Bring your brother here'?"

Good News Translation
They answered, "The man kept asking about us and our family, 'Is your father still living? Do you have another brother?' We had to answer his questions. How could we know that he would tell us to bring our brother with us?"

International Standard Version
"The man specifically asked about us and our relatives," they responded. "He asked us, 'Is your father still alive?' and 'Do you have another brother?' So we answered his questions. How could we have known that he would tell us to bring our brother back with us?"

JPS Tanakh 1917
And they said: 'The man asked straitly concerning ourselves, and concerning our kindred, saying: Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words; could we in any wise know that he would say: Bring your brother down?'

Literal Standard Version
And they say, “The man asked diligently concerning us, and concerning our family, saying, Is your father yet alive? Have you a brother? And we declare to him according to the tenor of these things; do we certainly know that he will say, Bring down your brother?”

Majority Standard Bible
They replied, “The man questioned us in detail about ourselves and our family: ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ And we answered him accordingly. How could we possibly know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother here’?”

New American Bible
They answered: “The man kept asking about us and our family: ‘Is your father still living? Do you have another brother?’ We answered him accordingly. How could we know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down here’?”

NET Bible
They replied, "The man questioned us thoroughly about ourselves and our family, saying, 'Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?' So we answered him in this way. How could we possibly know that he would say, 'Bring your brother down'?"

New Revised Standard Version
They replied, “The man questioned us carefully about ourselves and our kindred, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?’ What we told him was in answer to these questions. Could we in any way know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”

New Heart English Bible
They said, "The man kept asking about ourselves, and concerning our relatives, saying, 'Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?' So we just answered his questions. How were we to know that he would say, 'Bring your brother down?'"

Webster's Bible Translation
And they said, The man asked us strictly concerning our state, and our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: Could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother down?

World English Bible
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?’”

Young's Literal Translation
and they say, 'The man asked diligently concerning us, and concerning our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye a brother? and we declare to him according to the tenor of these things; do we certainly know that he will say, Bring down your brother?'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Return to Egypt with Benjamin
6“Why did you bring this trouble upon me?” Israel asked. “Why did you tell the man you had another brother?” 7They replied, “The man questioned us in detail about ourselves and our family: ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ And we answered him accordingly. How could we possibly know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother here’?” 8And Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me, and we will go at once, so that we may live and not die—neither we, nor you, nor our children.…

Cross References
Genesis 42:13
But they answered, "Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more."

Genesis 43:6
"Why did you bring this trouble upon me?" Israel asked. "Why did you tell the man you had another brother?"

Genesis 43:27
He asked if they were well, and then he asked, "How is your elderly father you told me about? Is he still alive?"

Genesis 44:19
My lord asked his servants, 'Do you have a father or a brother?'


Treasury of Scripture

And they said, The man asked us straightly of our state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have you another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother down?

asked us straitly.

Genesis 43:3
And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.

tenor.

Genesis 43:3
And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.

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Genesis 43
1. Jacob is persuaded to send Benjamin.
15. Joseph entertains his brothers.
19. They discover their fears to the steward.
26. Joseph makes them a feast.














Verse 7. - And they said, The man asked us straitly of our state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? Though not appearing in the preceding narrative of the historian (Genesis 42:13, 32), it must yet be held as accurate that the information given to Joseph about Jacob and Benjamin was supplied in answer to direct inquiries, since Judah afterwards gives the same account of it (Genesis 44:19) when pleading before Joseph in behalf of Benjamin. And we told him according to the tenor of these words - literally, according to these words, i.e. either in conformity to his questions (Ainsworth, Rosenmüller, Keil), κατὰ τὴν ἐπερώτησιν ταύτην (LXX.), juxta id quod fuerat sciscitatus (Vulgate), or like those words we have told thee (Kalisch). Could we certainly know (literally, knowing could we know) that he would say, Bring your brother down?

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
They replied,
וַיֹּאמְר֡וּ (way·yō·mə·rū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“The man
הָ֠אִישׁ (hā·’îš)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

questioned
שָׁא֣וֹל (šā·’ō·wl)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 7592: To inquire, to request, to demand

us
לָ֣נוּ (lā·nū)
Preposition | first person common plural
Strong's Hebrew

in detail
שָֽׁאַל־ (šā·’al-)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7592: To inquire, to request, to demand

about ourselves and our family:
וּלְמֽוֹלַדְתֵּ֜נוּ (ū·lə·mō·w·laḏ·tê·nū)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common plural
Strong's 4138: Nativity, lineage, native country, offspring, family

‘Is your father
אֲבִיכֶ֥ם (’ă·ḇî·ḵem)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 1: Father

still
הַע֨וֹד (ha·‘ō·wḏ)
Adverb
Strong's 5750: Iteration, continuance, again, repeatedly, still, more

alive?
חַי֙ (ḥay)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 2416: Alive, raw, fresh, strong, life

Do you have
הֲיֵ֣שׁ (hă·yêš)
Adverb
Strong's 3426: Being, substance, existence, is

another brother?’
אָ֔ח (’āḥ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 251: A brother, )

And we answered
וַנַ֨גֶּד־ (wa·nag·geḏ-)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - first person common plural
Strong's 5046: To be conspicuous

him
ל֔וֹ‪‬ (lōw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew

accordingly.
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

How could we possibly know
הֲיָד֣וֹעַ (hă·yā·ḏō·w·a‘)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 3045: To know

that
כִּ֣י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

he would say,
לֵאמֹ֗ר (lê·mōr)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 559: To utter, say

‘Bring
הוֹרִ֖ידוּ (hō·w·rî·ḏū)
Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 3381: To come or go down, descend

your brother here’?”
אֲחִיכֶֽם׃ (’ă·ḥî·ḵem)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 251: A brother, )


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OT Law: Genesis 43:7 They said The man asked directly concerning (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 43:6
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