Genesis 42:38 kjv

And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.

Genesis 42:38 nkjv

But he said, "My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is left alone. If any calamity should befall him along the way in which you go, then you would bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave."

Genesis 42:38 niv

But Jacob said, "My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow."

Genesis 42:38 esv

But he said, "My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is the only one left. If harm should happen to him on the journey that you are to make, you would bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol."

Genesis 42:38 nlt

But Jacob replied, "My son will not go down with you. His brother Joseph is dead, and he is all I have left. If anything should happen to him on your journey, you would send this grieving, white-haired man to his grave. "

Genesis 42 verses

Genesis 42 38 Meaning

Genesis 42:38 encapsulates Jacob's profound anguish and fear, rooted in the belief that his beloved son Joseph is dead. He vehemently refuses to allow his last surviving son from Rachel, Benjamin, to accompany his brothers to Egypt, fearing that any harm befalling Benjamin would bring his own life to a sorrowful end in the grave. This verse powerfully conveys Jacob's deep parental love, his emotional vulnerability, and the devastating impact of past trauma on his present decision-making.

Genesis 42 38 Context

Genesis chapter 42 opens with Jacob sending his sons to Egypt to buy grain due to the severe famine. Unbeknownst to them, the governor of Egypt is their long-lost brother Joseph. Joseph recognizes his brothers, but they do not recognize him. As a test, Joseph accuses them of being spies and demands that they bring their youngest brother, Benjamin, to prove their honesty. He detains Simeon and holds the others accountable. Upon their return, Jacob's sons recount the demand, and when they discover their money mysteriously returned in their sacks, their fear and Jacob's despair intensify. Jacob's immediate refusal to send Benjamin, articulated in verse 38, highlights his deep trauma from Joseph's supposed death. This moment sets up a major tension in the narrative, as the family's survival depends on their obedience to Joseph's demands, which conflicts directly with Jacob's overwhelming protective instincts and profound grief. Historically, famines were catastrophic events, making travel for food a perilous but necessary endeavor in the ancient Near East, where the patriarchs relied on the fertility of the land.

Genesis 42 38 Word analysis

• But he said: Refers to Jacob. This phrase introduces his emphatic and desperate refusal, signifying a pivotal moment of emotional protest.
• My son: Hebrew: בְּנִ֥י (bᵊnî). A deeply personal and affectionate address, highlighting Benjamin's unique place in Jacob's heart as the last son of Rachel.
• shall not go down: Hebrew: לֹא־יֵרֵ֥ד (lō’-yērēḏ). An absolute negative, conveying Jacob's firm decision. "Go down" is a standard idiom for traveling from Canaan (higher elevation) to Egypt (lower elevation) via the Nile.
• with you: Hebrew: אִתְּכֶ֖ם (’it·tə·ḵem). Jacob implicity attributes Joseph's loss to his brothers' past actions (or inaction), and thus does not trust them to protect Benjamin.
• for his brother is dead: Hebrew: כִּֽי־אָחִ֣יו מֵ֔ת (kî-’āḥîw mēṯ). Refers to Joseph. This belief is the fundamental source of Jacob's profound fear and sorrow. The tragedy of Joseph’s loss has created an insurmountable wall of protection around Benjamin.
• and he alone is left: Hebrew: וְהוּא֙ לְבַדּ֣וֹ נִשְׁאָ֔ר (wəhû lə·ḇad·dōw niš·’ār). Benjamin is Jacob's sole remaining son from Rachel, magnifying his perceived value and vulnerability. This underscores the intensity of his emotional attachment and his view of Benjamin as the last vestige of Rachel's legacy.
• If harm should befall him: Hebrew: אָס֥וֹן (’ā·sōwn). A strong word meaning calamity, disaster, or mortal injury. Jacob envisions the worst possible outcome, a direct reflection of his post-traumatic stress.
• on the journey that you are to make: Hebrew: בַּדֶּ֖רֶךְ אֲשֶׁ֣ר תֵּלְכ֣וּ בָ֑הּ (bad·de·reḵ ’ăšer tēlḵū ḇāh). Highlights the specific, current threat of a long, potentially dangerous journey to Egypt, a known route fraught with risks.
• then you would bring my gray hairs down: Hebrew: וְהוֹרַדְתֶּ֞ם אֶת־שֵׂיבָתִ֣י (wəhôraḏ·tem ’eṯ-śê·ḇā·ṯî). "Gray hairs" is a metonymy for Jacob's old age, his very life. It signifies that the brothers would be directly responsible for his hastened demise.
• to Sheol: Hebrew: שְׁאֹ֖לָה (šə’ō·lāh). The common biblical term for the grave, the underworld, the realm of the dead. It denotes the physical end of life. For Jacob, it signifies a sorrowful and premature end to his earthly existence. The ancient Hebrew understanding of Sheol was not primarily a place of reward or punishment, but a shadowy realm where all the dead eventually gather, typically conceived as quiet and inactive, a stark contrast to vibrant, polytheistic underworlds.
• in sorrow: Hebrew: בְּיָגֽוֹן (bəyā·ḡōwn). Emphasizes the deep emotional agony that would accompany his death. It's not just death, but death brought on by crushing grief. This highlights Jacob's emotionally sensitive nature and the accumulation of past hardships.

Words-group Analysis:

• "My son shall not go down with you": A resolute declaration born of fear, effectively putting Jacob's parental grief above the family's practical needs and God's larger providential plan.
• "for his brother is dead, and he alone is left": This phrase is key to understanding Jacob's perspective. It explains his seemingly irrational attachment to Benjamin as the last precious remnant after enduring the painful loss of Joseph. His view of Benjamin's "aloneness" amplifies his vulnerability.
• "If harm should befall him...then you would bring my gray hairs down to Sheol in sorrow": This vividly expresses Jacob's deepest dread: a double loss leading to his own accelerated death from utter heartbreak. It is a powerful parental appeal, laden with the weight of anticipated sorrow, implying that he cannot endure another loss like Joseph's. This highlights a common human experience of linking a person's vitality to the well-being of those they love most deeply.

Genesis 42 38 Bonus section

• Dramatic Irony: The poignancy of Jacob's declaration is heightened by the dramatic irony of the situation. Unbeknownst to him, the "harm" is orchestrated by Joseph himself, not out of malice, but to test and transform his brothers. Moreover, Joseph is very much alive, and it is his specific demand that is causing Jacob's distress.
• The Weight of Parenthood: This verse eloquently speaks to the immense emotional burden and love a parent carries, especially for a child who represents a previous loss or is perceived as particularly vulnerable. Jacob’s response resonates with the protective instinct deeply ingrained in fatherhood.
• Jacob's Character: This moment underscores a consistent theme in Jacob's life: he is a man who often wrestles, not only with God and men, but also with his own emotions, particularly grief and fear. His journey is marked by sorrow as much as by divine encounter.
• Descent as a Motif: The idea of "going down" (to Egypt, to Sheol) is a significant motif throughout Genesis, often symbolizing profound change, suffering, or movement towards divine intervention, whether positive or negative. For Jacob, "going down to Sheol" in sorrow is the ultimate despair.

Genesis 42 38 Commentary

Genesis 42:38 reveals Jacob at his most vulnerable and human, dominated by the scars of his past. The trauma of Joseph’s supposed death, amplified by Rachel’s passing during Benjamin’s birth, has instilled in him a profound protectiveness that borders on paralysis. His emphatic refusal to send Benjamin reflects not only immense love for his youngest son but also a deeply pessimistic worldview shaped by life's hardships, betrayals, and losses. He fears the repetition of tragedy, imagining himself literally grieving to death in the underworld ("Sheol").

This moment serves as a dramatic tension point in the narrative. Jacob's understandable, yet flawed, human anxieties conflict directly with the hidden divine plan that is unfolding through Joseph's actions. While Jacob sees only peril and the ultimate destruction of his happiness, God is meticulously orchestrating the preservation of the patriarchal line and their migration to Egypt for a period of growth. Jacob's grief, though legitimate, obscures his ability to trust fully in God’s providence beyond his immediate sight. It showcases how personal trauma can make us risk-averse, preventing us from stepping out in faith, even when necessary for our ultimate good or for fulfilling a greater purpose. This emotional struggle must eventually be overcome for the narrative—and the fulfillment of God’s covenant promises—to progress.