Genesis 49:23
New International Version
With bitterness archers attacked him; they shot at him with hostility.

New Living Translation
Archers attacked him savagely; they shot at him and harassed him.

English Standard Version
The archers bitterly attacked him, shot at him, and harassed him severely,

Berean Standard Bible
The archers attacked him with bitterness; they aimed at him in hostility.

King James Bible
The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:

New King James Version
The archers have bitterly grieved him, Shot at him and hated him.

New American Standard Bible
“The archers provoked him, And shot at him and were hostile toward him;

NASB 1995
“The archers bitterly attacked him, And shot at him and harassed him;

NASB 1977
“The archers bitterly attacked him, And shot at him and harassed him;

Legacy Standard Bible
And the archers bitterly attacked him and shot at him, And they bore a grudge against him;

Amplified Bible
“The [skilled] archers have bitterly attacked and provoked him; They have shot [at him] and harassed him.

Christian Standard Bible
The archers attacked him, shot at him, and were hostile toward him.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The archers attacked him, shot at him, and were hostile toward him.

American Standard Version
The archers have sorely grieved him, And shot at him, and persecuted him:

Contemporary English Version
Enemies attacked with arrows, refusing to show mercy.

English Revised Version
The archers have sorely grieved him, And shot at him, and persecuted him:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Archers provoked him, shot at him, and attacked him.

Good News Translation
His enemies attack him fiercely And pursue him with their bows and arrows.

International Standard Version
Even though enemies attacked him, shooting at him and pursuing him viciously,

Majority Standard Bible
The archers attacked him with bitterness; they aimed at him in hostility.

NET Bible
The archers will attack him, they will shoot at him and oppose him.

New Heart English Bible
The archers will attack him with bitterness, and shoot at him, and harass him.

Webster's Bible Translation
The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:

World English Bible
The archers have severely grieved him, shot at him, and persecuted him:
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And embitter him indeed, they have striven, "" Indeed, archers hate him;

Young's Literal Translation
And embitter him -- yea, they have striven, Yea, hate him do archers;

Smith's Literal Translation
This adversary will embitter him, and the lords of the arrows will lie in wait.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
But they that held darts provoked him, and quarrelled with him, and envied him.

Catholic Public Domain Version
But those who held darts, provoked him, and they contend with him, and they envied him.

New American Bible
Harrying him and shooting, the archers opposed him;

New Revised Standard Version
The archers fiercely attacked him; they shot at him and pressed him hard.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
A company of men quarreled with him, and being great in numbers, envied him;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And they contended with him, and they have increased and the Lords of armies envied him:
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
The archers have dealt bitterly with him, And shot at him, and hated him;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Against whom men taking evil counsel reproached him, and the archers pressed hard upon him.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Jacob Blesses His Sons
22Joseph is a fruitful vine—a fruitful vine by a spring, whose branches scale the wall. 23The archers attacked him with bitterness; they aimed at him in hostility. 24Yet he steadied his bow, and his strong arms were tempered by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, in the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,…

Cross References
Psalm 18:34-35
He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. / You have given me Your shield of salvation; Your right hand upholds me, and Your gentleness exalts me.

Psalm 64:3-4
who sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their bitter words like arrows, / ambushing the innocent in seclusion, shooting suddenly, without fear.

Psalm 120:3-4
What will He do to you, and what will be added to you, O deceitful tongue? / Sharp arrows will come from the warrior, with burning coals of the broom tree!

Psalm 140:3-4
They sharpen their tongues like snakes; the venom of vipers is on their lips. Selah / Guard me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked. Keep me safe from men of violence who scheme to make me stumble.

Isaiah 54:17
No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication is from Me,” declares the LORD.

Jeremiah 20:10-11
For I have heard the whispering of many: “Terror is on every side! Report him; let us report him!” All my trusted friends watch for my fall: “Perhaps he will be deceived so that we may prevail against him and take our vengeance upon him.” / But the LORD is with me like a fearsome warrior. Therefore, my persecutors will stumble and will not prevail. Since they have not succeeded, they will be utterly put to shame, with an everlasting disgrace that will never be forgotten.

Lamentations 3:52
Without cause my enemies hunted me like a bird.

Zechariah 9:13
For I will bend Judah as My bow and fit it with Ephraim. I will rouse your sons, O Zion, against the sons of Greece. I will make you like the sword of a mighty man.

Matthew 5:11-12
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. / Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.

Matthew 10:22
You will be hated by everyone because of My name, but the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.

Luke 6:22-23
Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man. / Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For their fathers treated the prophets in the same way.

John 15:18-20
If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. / If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. / Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well.

Acts 7:9
Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him

Acts 9:4-5
He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?” / “Who are You, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” He replied.

Romans 8:35-37
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? / As it is written: “For Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” / No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.


Treasury of Scripture

The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:

Genesis 37:4,18,24,28
And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him…

Genesis 39:7-20
And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me…

Genesis 42:21
And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.

Jump to Previous
Archers Arrows Attacked Bitterly Bitterness Cruelly Dealt Embitter Fiercely Grieved Harassed Hate Hated Hostility Persecute Provoked Shot Sorely Striven Troubled Wounding
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Archers Arrows Attacked Bitterly Bitterness Cruelly Dealt Embitter Fiercely Grieved Harassed Hate Hated Hostility Persecute Provoked Shot Sorely Striven Troubled Wounding
Genesis 49
1. Jacob calls his sons to bless them.
3. Their blessing in particular.
29. He charges them about his burial.
33. He dies.














The archers
This phrase metaphorically represents the adversaries or enemies of Joseph. In the Hebrew text, the word for "archers" is "בַּעֲלֵי חִצִּים" (ba'alei chitzim), which literally means "masters of arrows." This imagery is powerful, suggesting not just random attackers but skilled and deliberate foes. Historically, archers were considered formidable warriors, and their mention here underscores the intensity and precision of the opposition Joseph faced. In a spiritual sense, this can be seen as the various trials and tribulations that come against a believer, testing their faith and resilience.

attacked him with bitterness
The Hebrew word for "bitterness" is "מָרַר" (marar), which conveys a sense of deep-seated animosity and resentment. This phrase indicates that the attacks on Joseph were not just physical but also emotional and psychological, driven by envy and hatred. In the broader biblical narrative, this reflects the jealousy of Joseph's brothers and the subsequent hardships he endured in Egypt. For the Christian believer, this can be a reminder of the spiritual warfare faced in life, where challenges often come with a personal and painful edge.

and aimed in hostility
The word "aimed" in Hebrew is "רָבוּ" (ravu), which implies a deliberate and focused effort to harm. "Hostility" is translated from "שָׂטְמוּ" (satmu), meaning enmity or animosity. This phrase highlights the intentional and aggressive nature of the opposition Joseph faced. Historically, this can be seen in the context of Joseph's life, where he was betrayed by his brothers, falsely accused by Potiphar's wife, and forgotten by the cupbearer. Spiritually, it serves as a reminder that believers may face targeted attacks from the enemy, but through faith and reliance on God, they can overcome these adversities.

(23) The archers.--Naturally Jacob next describes the sorrows of Joseph's youth, but in poetical terms, so as not to wound the feelings of his brethren, or rouse up thoughts of vengeance in Joseph's own mind. Thus be compares him to a warrior, too mighty for his enemies to close with in open conflict, but whom they harass from a distance. "Hated him" would be better translated, laid snares for him, were guilty of treachery and deceit.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The archers
בַּעֲלֵ֥י (ba·‘ă·lê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1167: A master, a husband, owner

attacked him with bitterness,
וַֽיְמָרֲרֻ֖הוּ (way·mā·ră·ru·hū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural | third person masculine singular
Strong's 4843: To be, bitter

and aimed
וָרֹ֑בּוּ (wā·rōb·bū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 7232: To multiply ten thousand times

in hostility.
וַֽיִּשְׂטְמֻ֖הוּ (way·yiś·ṭə·mu·hū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7852: To bear a grudge or cherish animosity against


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OT Law: Genesis 49:23 The archers have sorely grieved him shot (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 49:22
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