Genesis 43 18

Genesis 43:18 kjv

And the men were afraid, because they were brought into Joseph's house; and they said, Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in; that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses.

Genesis 43:18 nkjv

Now the men were afraid because they were brought into Joseph's house; and they said, "It is because of the money, which was returned in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may make a case against us and seize us, to take us as slaves with our donkeys."

Genesis 43:18 niv

Now the men were frightened when they were taken to his house. They thought, "We were brought here because of the silver that was put back into our sacks the first time. He wants to attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves and take our donkeys."

Genesis 43:18 esv

And the men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph's house, and they said, "It is because of the money, which was replaced in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may assault us and fall upon us to make us servants and seize our donkeys."

Genesis 43:18 nlt

The brothers were terrified when they saw that they were being taken into Joseph's house. "It's because of the money someone put in our sacks last time we were here," they said. "He plans to pretend that we stole it. Then he will seize us, make us slaves, and take our donkeys."

Genesis 43 verses

Genesis 43 18 meaning

The brothers, upon being led to Joseph's house, were overwhelmed by intense fear. They immediately attributed their summoning to the money found returned in their grain sacks from their first journey to Egypt. Their anxious reasoning led them to believe that the powerful Egyptian official (Joseph) intended to use this as a pretext to accuse them, seize them as slaves, and confiscate their valuable donkeys, signifying total loss of freedom and property. This reveals their guilty consciences and their profound misinterpretation of Joseph's actual intentions, projecting their past actions and fears onto their present situation.

Genesis 43 18 Context

Genesis chapter 43 describes the compelled return of Joseph's brothers to Egypt due to the escalating famine, after Benjamin is finally brought with them, guaranteed by Judah. Joseph sees them and instructs his steward to bring them to his house for a meal, a customary act of hospitality for foreign dignitaries or invited guests. Verse 18 immediately captures the brothers' extreme fear upon this seemingly benevolent invitation. Their past experience of the money secretly returned in their sacks (Gen 42:27-28, 35) had already unsettled them and caused great distress, making them paranoid about accusations of theft. They are unaware of Joseph's true identity or his plans for their reconciliation and the divine purpose behind these unfolding events. This scene powerfully builds upon their guilt from selling Joseph years prior, showcasing how a troubled conscience interprets all circumstances as potentially punitive.

Genesis 43 18 Word analysis

• "And the men": (וְהָאֲנָשִׁים - ve-ha-anashim) Refers specifically to Joseph's eleven brothers (ten previously, plus Benjamin this time). The use of "the men" emphasizes them as a collective unit facing this shared moment of intense apprehension.
• "were afraid": (יָרְאוּ - yare'u from the root יָרֵא yare) While yare can also mean "to revere" (e.g., to fear God), in this context, it unequivocally signifies profound terror and alarm. This immediate, palpable fear highlights their inner turmoil and the weight of a guilty conscience.
• "because they were brought": (כִּי ה֣וּבְאוּ - ki huv'u from bo in Hophal stem) The Hophal stem indicates passive causation; they were caused to come or made to be brought, emphasizing their lack of agency and feeling of being compelled against their will, further heightening their sense of powerlessness and impending doom.
• "into Joseph's house": (בֵּית יוֹסֵף - beit Yosef) Entering the "house" of the land's ruler, rather than merely an official administrative office, would suggest a more personal, perhaps more ominous, level of interaction, adding to their dread.
• "and they said": (וַיֹּאמְר֕וּ - vayyomeru) This reveals their internal, whispered consultation, solidifying their shared interpretation and escalating their collective anxiety. It reflects their internal monologue externalized.
• "It is because of the money": (עַל־דְּבַ֤ר הַכֶּ֨סֶף֙ - al-devar hakkesef) על־דְּבַ֤ר (al-devar) means "concerning" or "on account of." Their immediate jump to the money from their previous trip shows its lingering presence as a source of unresolved suspicion and their own sense of being compromised. It indicates how much this mysterious return of money had preoccupied them.
• "that was returned in our sacks the first time": (הַשָּׁב֙ בְּאַמְתְּחֹתֵ֣ינוּ בַּתְּחִלָּ֔ה - hashav be'amt'hotenu batt'chillah) This specifies the exact incident from Genesis 42, which has evidently tormented their consciences. They connect this unresolved mystery directly to their current predicament, indicating a perception of a direct, causal link between the money and Joseph's intentions.
• "that we are brought in": (אֲנַ֙חְנוּ֙ מֽוּבָאִ֔ים - anachnu muva'im) Repetition of the passive verb reinforces their helplessness and sense of being trapped. They view their entrance into Joseph's house not as an invitation, but as an orchestrated move against them.
• "so that he may seize us": (לְהִתְגּוֹלֵ֤ל עָלֵ֙ינוּ֙ - lehitgolal aleinu from root galal) The Hithpael form lehitgolal literally means "to roll oneself upon," figuratively "to find an excuse," "to trump up a charge against," or "to turn oneself upon for profit." This strong verb denotes a malicious intention to falsely accuse and overpower, indicative of their profound distrust. It captures their conviction that this hospitality is a pretense for hostile action.
• "and take us for servants": (וְלָקַ֥חַת אֹתָ֛נוּ לַעֲבָדִ֖ים - velakaḥat otanu la'avadim) This is the ultimate fear—enslavement. In ancient Near Eastern law, theft could lead to enslavement or severe penalties. Their projection reflects the common fear of the time and the dark memory of their own past act of selling Joseph into slavery, hinting at a deep psychological mirroring.
• "with our donkeys": (וְאֶת־חֲמֹרֵֽינוּ - ve'et-hamorenu) Confiscation of their donkeys would mean complete ruin. Donkeys were vital for travel, carrying goods, and sustenance, signifying their livelihood and assets. To lose them meant losing their economic capacity and effectively becoming stripped of all possessions and personal autonomy, marking them as utter dependents.
• "they said, 'It is because of the money... that we are brought in, so that he may seize us... with our donkeys.'": This sequence demonstrates the rapid descent from fear to a perceived, fabricated motive and projected outcome, revealing their internal panic and their assumption of Joseph's ill intent based on their own guilty consciences. Their interpretation is based not on fact, but on fear-driven suspicion.

Genesis 43 18 Bonus section

The deep irony of the brothers' fear in this verse is paramount: the very man they had once enslaved (Joseph) is now the one they fear will enslave them. This serves as a potent dramatic mirroring, subtly pointing towards the principle of poetic justice or, more profoundly, God's intricate working where past transgressions are brought to light to pave the way for transformation and forgiveness. Their projected fear of losing "with our donkeys" also highlights the holistic nature of their perceived impending disaster, indicating the loss not just of personal liberty but of all means of livelihood and status within ancient society, making the potential threat even more comprehensive and terrifying to them. This verse is key in the broader narrative for showcasing their internal state leading up to Joseph's full revelation, where their confession of sin and subsequent transformation becomes possible.

Genesis 43 18 Commentary

Genesis 43:18 profoundly illustrates the psychological burden of unaddressed guilt. The brothers, unaware of Joseph's true identity, are terrified when summoned to his house. Their minds immediately connect this to the unexplained return of money in their sacks, leading them to fabricate a scenario where the "lord of the land" seeks a pretext to accuse and enslave them, a direct echo of their own betrayal of Joseph. This fear, while seemingly reasonable from their perspective of suspicion, actually underscores their deeply troubled consciences; they project their past sin (selling Joseph) onto their current situation. It's a critical moment revealing the pervasive anxiety that follows unconfessed sin, contrasting their limited human perspective and fear with God's overarching sovereign plan to bring about repentance, reconciliation, and salvation for the entire family. Joseph's benevolent intentions are entirely hidden by their internal turmoil, highlighting the vast gap between human perception and divine providence.