Genesis 42:19 kjv

If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses:

Genesis 42:19 nkjv

If you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined to your prison house; but you, go and carry grain for the famine of your houses.

Genesis 42:19 niv

If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households.

Genesis 42:19 esv

if you are honest men, let one of your brothers remain confined where you are in custody, and let the rest go and carry grain for the famine of your households,

Genesis 42:19 nlt

If you really are honest men, choose one of your brothers to remain in prison. The rest of you may go home with grain for your starving families.

Genesis 42 verses

Genesis 42 19 Meaning

Genesis 42:19 records Joseph's directive to his brothers during their visit to Egypt for grain. As a test of their integrity, Joseph instructs them to send one brother back to Canaan to retrieve Benjamin, their youngest brother, while the rest remain imprisoned in Egypt. This severe condition is imposed to verify the truthfulness of their claims about their family, specifically whether they truly had a younger brother and if their report of their father and family's well-being was accurate. The explicit purpose is to prove whether "there be any truth" in them, emphasizing that their failure to comply would confirm Joseph's initial accusation of them being spies, with dire consequences.

Genesis 42 19 Context

Genesis chapter 42 opens with Jacob sending his ten elder sons to Egypt to buy grain due to a severe famine in Canaan. Upon their arrival, they unknowingly bow before their brother Joseph, now the governor of Egypt, fulfilling Joseph's youthful dreams (Gen 37:5-10). Joseph recognizes them but conceals his identity. He initially accuses them of being spies, a severe charge, to observe their reactions and test their character. After they plead their case, mentioning their father Jacob and their youngest brother Benjamin back home, Joseph proposes this test in verse 19. This challenge is pivotal; it's not only a test of their honesty regarding Benjamin but also a strategic move by Joseph to discern if their hearts have changed from their past betrayal of him, particularly how they value their family. Their distress in Gen 42:21 reveals the inner working of conviction due to their past sin against Joseph, facilitated by the hardship Joseph imposes. Historically, powerful Egyptian officials held considerable authority, and Joseph's demands would have been terrifyingly absolute.

Genesis 42 19 Word analysis

• But send: The Hebrew particle וְ (ve), often translated "and" or "but," here functions adversatively, signaling a shift or modification to the previous discussion (sending all home with grain). Joseph is narrowing down his demands. It implies a strategic and controlled counter-proposal.
• one of you: Hebrew: אֶחָד מִכֶּם (echad mikem). This specificity highlights Joseph's shrewdness. It forces a decision and separation within the group, making their compliance harder and increasing the tension. It ensures continued leverage over the rest.
• to fetch your brother: Hebrew: הָבִיאוּ אֶת־אֲחִיכֶם (haviu et-achichem) – "bring your brother." This is the core requirement and the ultimate test of their veracity. Joseph's focus on Benjamin is key to understanding his purpose. It tests their willingness to protect and deliver their full family, contrasting their past abandonment of Joseph.
• and you shall be kept in prison: Hebrew: וְאַתֶּם תֵּאָסְרוּ (ve'attem te'aseru) – "and you yourselves shall be imprisoned." The term for "prison" is מִשְׁמָר (mishmar), referring to a guard-house, place of custody, or watch. This physical restraint serves as a coercive measure, ensuring the return of Benjamin. It also acts as a period of reflection and psychological pressure, forcing them to confront their situation.
• that your words may be proved: Hebrew: וְיִבָּחֲנוּ דִּבְרֵיכֶם (ve'yibbachanu divreychem) – "and your words will be tested/examined." The verb בָּחַן (bachan), "to prove" or "to test," carries the connotation of examination, scrutiny, and often, refining, like metals are tested for purity (Ps 66:10). This reveals Joseph's clear objective: he wants to ascertain their truthfulness.
• whether there be any truth in you: Hebrew: הַאֱמֶת אִתְּכֶם (ha'emet itchem) – "is there truth with you?". This is a direct challenge to their honesty and character. Joseph is probing the deepest recesses of their integrity. He is assessing their "emet," meaning firmness, fidelity, reliability, not just factual accuracy.
• or else by the life of Pharaoh: Joseph swears by the life of Pharaoh, a common and potent oath in ancient Egypt (Gen 47:30, 1 Sam 25:26). This lends gravitas and ultimate authority to his threat, as swearing by a king's life invokes his very power and wrath. It reinforces Joseph's Egyptian persona and his status.
• surely you are spies: Hebrew: כִּי מְרַגְּלִים אַתֶּם (ki meragglim attem) – "for certainly you are spies." This re-emphasizes the grave accusation and the severe consequence of failure. Being a spy was a capital offense. This is the explicit default conclusion if their story is not substantiated by Benjamin's arrival.

Words-group analysis:

• "But send one of you to fetch your brother, and you shall be kept in prison": This entire clause outlines Joseph's elaborate test, showcasing his strategic thinking. It balances coercion (imprisonment) with a demand for action (sending one home for Benjamin), ensuring his leverage over them and creating a dynamic situation that would reveal their character and truth. It's a calculated move to replicate the desperate situation they created for him decades earlier.
• "that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you": This phrase encapsulates the central theme of verification and integrity. Joseph is not acting on blind suspicion but designing a situation to objectively test their honesty, particularly regarding their familial situation and potential change of heart towards their family. The test is geared towards uncovering a deeper "truth" than mere factual accuracy – a truth of character and reliability.
• "or else by the life of Pharaoh surely you are spies": This final statement of the verse provides the ultimatum and clarifies the high stakes. Joseph uses a culturally appropriate and legally binding Egyptian oath, reinforcing his authoritative position and the seriousness of the situation. This stark binary choice leaves the brothers with no option but to comply or face severe, life-threatening consequences, ensuring the success of his "proving" operation. It highlights the vast power disparity and the immediate threat to their lives.

Genesis 42 19 Bonus section

Joseph's demanding one brother remain as a "pledge" or guarantee (Gen 42:24-25 reveals Simeon is chosen) echoes ancient Near Eastern legal and cultural practices of securing trust or transactions. The method of "testing" employed by Joseph is a pattern throughout scripture where God allows or orchestrates circumstances that put individuals or groups under pressure to reveal their true spiritual condition or obedience. This narrative foreshadows future divine trials that Israel would face to prove their loyalty to God, particularly in the wilderness, before entering the promised land. It also demonstrates how a painful past can be used by God, through the wisdom of an individual, to facilitate healing and reconciliation, demanding a true demonstration of character change. The famine itself, an act of God, served as the catalyst that brought the brothers to Joseph, thereby creating the very conditions for this crucial test and the subsequent reconciliation.

Genesis 42 19 Commentary

Genesis 42:19 is a masterful demonstration of Joseph's divinely guided wisdom, blending Egyptian governmental authority with a profound psychological and moral test. His objective is not mere revenge but rather the discerning of his brothers' true character and the orchestration of God's redemptive plan for the family of Israel. The requirement to send one brother while imprisoning the others is a precisely calibrated crucible. The confinement serves not only as leverage but also as a period of isolated introspection for the brothers, forcing them to confront their past sins (which they indeed do in Gen 42:21). Joseph's test regarding Benjamin is acutely significant, echoing their betrayal of him and the profound grief it caused Jacob. This specific demand would reveal whether they had genuinely learned from their past cruelty and if their familial loyalty now extended to protecting their youngest brother, a parallel to Joseph himself. The solemn oath "by the life of Pharaoh" emphasizes the gravity and finality of Joseph's judgment should they fail, adding an Egyptian official flavor to a plan deeply rooted in God's ultimate purpose.