Lectionary Calendar
Tuesday, April 29th, 2025
the Second Week after Easter
Attention!
Tired of seeing ads while studying? Now you can enjoy an "Ads Free" version of the site for as little as 10¢ a day and support a great cause!
Click here to learn more!

Read the Bible

Myles Coverdale Bible

Genesis 44:31

then shall it come to passe, that yf he se not the lad there, he shal dye. So shal we thy seruauntes brynge the gray heer of thy seruaunt oure father with sorowe downe to the graue.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Children;   Hell;   Judah;   Readings, Select;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Judah, son of jacob;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Hell;   Judah;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Joseph;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Color;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Color;   Joseph;   Judah;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
it will happen, when he sees that the boy is no more, that he will die. Your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant, our father, with sorrow to She'ol.
King James Version
It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave.
Lexham English Bible
it shall happen that when he sees that the boy is gone, he will die. And your servants will bring down the gray head of your servant, our father, to Sheol with sorrow.
New Century Version
when our father sees the young boy is not with us, he will die. And it will be our fault. We will cause the great sorrow that kills our father.
New English Translation
When he sees the boy is not with us, he will die, and your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father in sorrow to the grave.
Amplified Bible
when he sees that the young man is not with us, he will die; and your servants will bring the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in [great] sorrow.
New American Standard Bible
when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. So your servants will bring the gray hair of your servant, our father, down to Sheol in sorrow.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then when hee shall see that the childe is not come, he will die: so shall thy seruants bring the graye head of thy seruant our father with sorowe to the graue.
Legacy Standard Bible
so it will be that when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. Thus your servants will bring the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow.
Contemporary English Version
that he will die if Benjamin doesn't come back with me.
Complete Jewish Bible
(ii) when he sees that the boy isn't with us, he will die; and your servants will bring the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sh'ol with grief.
Darby Translation
it will come to pass when he sees that the lad is not [there], that he will die; and thy servants will bring down the grey hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to Sheol.
Easy-to-Read Version
Our father will die if he sees that the boy isn't with us—and it will be our fault. We will send our father to his grave a very sad man.
English Standard Version
as soon as he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die, and your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol.
George Lamsa Translation
It shall come to pass when he sees that the lad is not with us, he will die; and your servants shall bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol.
Christian Standard Bible®
when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. Then your servants will have brought the gray hairs of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow.
Literal Translation
it will be when he sees that the youth is not, he will die. And your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father to the grave in sorrow.
American Standard Version
it will come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants will bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to Sheol.
Bible in Basic English
When he sees that the boy is not with us, he will come to his death, and our father's grey head will go down in sorrow to the underworld.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then shall it come to passe, that assoone as he seeth that the lad is not come, he wyll dye: so shall we thy seruauntes bryng the gray head of thy seruaunt our father with sorowe vnto the graue.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
it will come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die; and thy servants will bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave.
King James Version (1611)
It shall come to passe, when he seeth that the lad is not with vs, that he will die, and thy seruants shall bring downe the gray haires of thy seruant our father with sorrow to the graue.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
—it shall even come to pass, when he sees the boy is not with us, that he will die, and thy servants will bring down the old age of thy servant, and our father, with sorrow to the grave.
English Revised Version
it shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave.
Berean Standard Bible
when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. Then your servants will have brought the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and he se that the child is not with vs, he schal die, and thi seruauntis schulen lede forth hise hoor heeris with sorewe to hellis.
Young's Literal Translation
then it hath come to pass when he seeth that the youth is not, that he hath died, and thy servants have brought down the grey hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to sheol;
Update Bible Version
it will come to pass, when he sees that the lad is not there, that he will die: and your slaves will bring down the gray hairs of your slave our father with sorrow to Sheol.
Webster's Bible Translation
It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad [is] not [with us], that he will die: and thy servants will bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father, with sorrow to the grave.
World English Bible
it will happen, when he sees that the boy is no more, that he will die. Your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant, our father, with sorrow to Sheol.
New King James Version
it will happen, when he sees that the lad is not with us, that he will die. So your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father with sorrow to the grave.
New Living Translation
If he sees that the boy is not with us, our father will die. We, your servants, will indeed be responsible for sending that grieving, white-haired man to his grave.
New Life Bible
when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. So your servants will bring the white hair of your servant our father down to the grave in sorrow.
New Revised Standard
when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die; and your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
so surely shall it come to pass that when he sooth that the lad is not with us, then will he die. So shall thy servants bring down the grey hairs of thy servant our father, with sorrow to hades.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he shall see that he is not with us, he will die, and thy servants shall bring down his grey hairs with sorrow unto hell.
Revised Standard Version
when he sees that the lad is not with us, he will die; and your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
when he sees that the lad is not with us, he will die. Thus your servants will bring the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow.

Contextual Overview

18 The stepte Iuda vnto him, and sayde: My lorde, let thy seruaunt speake one worde in thine eares my lorde, be not displesed at yi seruaunt also, for thou art eue as Pharao. 19 My lorde axed his seruauntes, and sayde: Haue ye yet a father or brother? 20 Then answered we: We haue a father, which is olde, and a yonge lad begotten in his age, and his brother is deed, & he is left alone of his mother, and his father loueth him. 21 Then saydest thou: Brynge him downe vnto me, and I wil se him. 22 But we answered my lorde: The lad can not come from his father, yf he shulde come from him, he were but a deed man. 23 Then saydest thou vnto thy seruauntes: Yf youre yongest brother come not hither with you, ye shall se my face nomore. 24 Then wente we vp vnto thy seruaunt my father, and tolde him my lordes wordes. 25 Then sayde oure father: Go youre waye agayne, and bye vs a litle foode. 26 But we sayde: We can not go downe, excepte oure yongest brother be with vs, then wyll we go downe: for we darre not loke the man in the face, yf oure yongest brother be not with vs. 27 Then sayde thy seruaunt my father vnto vs: Ye knowe that my wife bare me two sonnes,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

when he: 1 Samuel 4:17, 1 Samuel 4:18, 2 Corinthians 7:10, 1 Thessalonians 4:13

servants shall: Genesis 44:29, Genesis 37:26, Genesis 37:27, Genesis 37:35, 1 Samuel 22:22

grave: Genesis 44:29, Genesis 37:35

Reciprocal: Genesis 42:38 - bring Genesis 44:30 - When I 1 Kings 2:9 - his Ecclesiastes 12:5 - the almond

Cross-References

Genesis 37:35
And all his sonnes & doughters came vnto him to coforte him. But he wolde not be coforted, & saide: With sorowe wil I go downe in to the graue vnto my sonne. And his father wepte for him.
Genesis 44:17
But he sayde: God forbyd that I shulde do so. The man by whom the cuppe is founde, shall by my seruaunt, but go ye vp in peace vnto youre father.
Genesis 44:18
The stepte Iuda vnto him, and sayde: My lorde, let thy seruaunt speake one worde in thine eares my lorde, be not displesed at yi seruaunt also, for thou art eue as Pharao.
Genesis 44:26
But we sayde: We can not go downe, excepte oure yongest brother be with vs, then wyll we go downe: for we darre not loke the man in the face, yf oure yongest brother be not with vs.
Genesis 44:27
Then sayde thy seruaunt my father vnto vs: Ye knowe that my wife bare me two sonnes,
Genesis 44:29
Yf ye take this fro me also, and eny mysfortune happe him, then shal ye brynge my gray heer with sorowe downe vnto the graue.
1 Samuel 22:22
Dauid sayde vnto Abiathar: I knewe well the same daye that Doeg the Edomite was there, that he wolde tell Saul. I am giltye of the soules of thy fathers house.
2 Corinthians 7:10
For godly sorowe causeth repentaunce vnto saluacion, not to be repented of: but worldly sorowe causeth death.
1 Thessalonians 4:13
We wolde not brethren that ye shulde be ignoraunt concernynge them which are fallen a slepe, that ye sorowe not as other do which haue no hope.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad [is] not [with us], that he will die,.... As soon as ever he sees us, without asking any question and observes that Benjamin is missing he will conclude at once that he is dead, which will so seize his spirits, that he will expire immediately:

and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant, our father, with sorrow to the grave; as he said would be the case,

Genesis 44:29; and which would be very afflicting to his sons to be the cause of it, and could not be thought of without the utmost uneasiness and distress.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

- The Ten Brothers Were Tested

Joseph has had the satisfaction of seeing his brother Benjamin safe and well. He has heard his brothers acknowledging their guilt concerning himself. He resolves to put their attachment to Benjamin, and the genuineness of their change of disposition, to a test that will at the same time expose Benjamin to no hazard.

Genesis 44:1-5

And my cup. - Besides returning each man’s money as before, a silver cup of Joseph’s is put in Benjamin’s bag, after which, when daylight comes, they are dismissed. They are scarcely out of the town when Joseph’s steward is ordered to overtake them, and charge them with stealing the cup. “And whereby indeed he divineth.” Divining by cups, we learn from this, was a common custom in Egypt (Herodotus ii. 83). It is here mentioned to enhance the value of the cup. Whether Joseph really practised any sort of divination cannot be determined from this passage.

Genesis 44:6-12

The cup is found in Benjamin’s bag. “Spake unto them these words.” The words of Joseph, supplying of course the mention of the cup which is expressed in the text only by the pronoun this. “We brought back to thee.” Silver that we might have retained, and to which you made no claim when we tendered it, we brought back. How or why should we therefore, steal silver? “Now also according to your words let it be.” He adopts their terms with a mitigation. He with whom the cup is found shall become a slave for life, and the rest be acquitted. The steward searches from the oldest to the youngest. The cup is found where it was put.

Genesis 44:13-17

“They rent their garments;” the natural token of a sorrow that knows no remedy. “And Judah went.” He had pledged himself for the safety of Benjamin to his father. And he was yet there; awaiting no doubt the result which he anticipated. “They fell before him on the earth.” It is no longer a bending of the head or bowing of the body, but the posture of deepest humiliation. How deeply that early dream penetrated into the stern reality! “Wot ye not that such a man as I doth certainly divine?” Joseph keeps up the show of resentment for a little longer, and brings out from Judah the most pathetic plea of its kind that ever was uttered. “The God,” the great and only God, “hath found out the iniquity of thy servants;” in our dark and treacherous dealing with our brother. “Behold, we are servants to my lord.” He resigns himself and all to perpetual bondage, as the doom of a just God upon their still-remembered crime. “He shall be my servant; and ye, go up in peace to your father.” Now is the test applied with the nicest adjustment. Now is the moment of agony and suspense to Joseph. Will my brothers prove true? says he within himself. Will Judah prove adequate to the occasion? say we. His pleading with his father augured well.

Verse 18-34

“And Judah came near unto him.” He is going to surrender himself as a slave for life, that Benjamin may go home with his brothers, who are permitted to depart. “Let thy servant now speak a word in the ears of my lord.” There is nothing here but respectful calmness of demeanor. “And let not thine anger burn against thy servant.” He intuitively feels that the grand vizier is a man of like feelings with himself. He will surmount the distinction of rank, and stand with him on the ground of a common humanity. “For so art thou as Pharaoh.” Thou hast power to grant or withhold my request. This forms, the exordium of the speech. Then follows the plea. This consists in a simple statement of the facts, which Judah expects to have its native effect upon a rightly-constituted heart. We will not touch this statement, except to explain two or three expressions. A young lad - a comparative youth. “Let me set mine eyes upon him” - regard him with favor and kindness. “He shall leave his father and he shall die.” If he were to leave his father, his father would die. Such is the natural interpretation of these words, as the paternal affection is generally stronger than the filial. “And now let thy servant now abide instead of the lad a servant to my lord.” Such is the humble and earnest petition of Judah. He calmly and firmly sacrifices home, family, and birthright, rather than see an aged father die of a broken heart.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile