Genesis 42:15

Genesis 42:15 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither.
• New International Version (NIV)And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.
• English Standard Version (ESV)By this you shall be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here.
• New King James Version (NKJV)In this manner you shall be tested: By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.

Context of Genesis 42:15

13They replied, “Your servants are from a family of twelve brothers. We are the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is with our father at this time, and one is no longer alive.” 14But Joseph told them, “It is just as I said to you: You are spies! You will be tested in this way: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not depart from this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16One of you must go and get your brother, while the rest of you remain in prison. In this way your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth. If not, then, as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!” 17He imprisoned them all for three days.

Genesis 42:15 word by word

בְּזֹ֖את תִּבָּחֵ֑נוּ חֵ֤י פַרְעֹה֙ אִם־תֵּצְא֣וּ מִזֶּ֔ה כִּ֧י אִם־בְּב֛וֹא אֲחִיכֶ֥ם הַקָּטֹ֖ן הֵֽנָּה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Herebyזֹאתzô'th · thisH2063
• ye shall be provedבָּחַןbâchan · to testH974
• By the lifeחַיchay · aliveH2416
• of Pharaohפַּרְעֹהpar‛ôh · PharaohH6547
• ye shall not go forthיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: comeH3318
• hence, except your youngestקָטֹןqâţân qâţôn · small: youngH6996
• brotherאָח'âch · brother: male-siblingH251
• comeבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935

Cross-references for Genesis 42:15

• Genesis 42:7When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger to them and spoke to them harshly. He asked, “Where do you come from?” They answered, “From the land of Canaan, to buy grain for food.”
• Deuteronomy 6:13You must revere the Lord your God, serve him, and take oaths using only his name.
• 1 Samuel 1:26She said, “Just as surely as you are alive, my lord, I am the woman who previously stood here with you in order to pray to the Lord.
• 1 Samuel 17:55Now as Saul watched David going out to fight the Philistine, he asked Abner, the general in command of the army, “Whose son is this young man, Abner?” Abner replied, “As surely as you live, O king, I don’t know.”
• 1 Samuel 20:3Taking an oath, David again said, “Your father is very much aware of the fact that I have found favor with you, and he has thought, ‘Don’t let Jonathan know about this, or he will be upset.’ But as surely as the Lord lives and you live, there is about one step between me and death!”
• Jeremiah 5:2These people make promises in the name of the Lord. But the fact is, what they swear to is really a lie.”
• Matthew 5:33“Again, you have heard that it was said to an older generation, ‘Do not break an oath, but fulfill your vows to the Lord.’
• Matthew 23:16“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple is bound by nothing. But whoever swears by the gold of the temple is bound by the oath.’
• James 5:12And above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath. But let your “Yes” be yes and your “No” be no, so that you may not fall into judgment.
• Genesis 42:20But you must bring your youngest brother to me. Then your words will be verified and you will not die.” They did as he said.
• Genesis 43:3But Judah said to him, “The man solemnly warned us, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.’
• Genesis 44:20We said to my lord, ‘We have an aged father, and there is a young boy who was born when our father was old. The boy’s brother is dead. He is the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’

Commentaries on Genesis 42:15

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 15By the life of Pharaoh - פרעה חי chey Pharaoh, Pharaoh liveth. As if he had said, As surely as the king of Egypt lives, so surely shall ye not go hence unless your brother come hither. Here therefore is no oath; it is just what they themselves make it in their report to their father, Genesis 43:3; : the man did solemnly protest unto us; and our translators should not have put it in the form of an oath, especially as the original not only will bear another…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-38Verses 1-38 - Joseph and Ten of His Brethren 1. שׁבר sheber “fragment, crumb, hence, grain.” בר bar “pure,” “winnowed,” hence, “corn” (grain). 6. שׁליט shallı̂yṭ “ruler, governor, hence,” Sultan. Not elsewhere found in the Pentateuch. 25. כלי kelı̂y “vessel,” here any portable article in which grain may be conveyed. שׂק śaq “sack,” the very word which remains in our language to this day. אמתחת 'amtachath “bag.” Twenty years, the period of Joseph‘s long…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-20Verses 7-20 Joseph was hard upon his brethren, not from a spirit of revenge, but to bring them to repentance. Not seeing his brother Benjamin, he suspected that they had made away with him, and he gave them occasion to speak of their father and brother. God, in his providence, sometimes seems harsh with those he loves, and speaks roughly to those for whom yet he has great mercy in store. Joseph settled at last, that one of them should be left, and the…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15-17Joseph put his brothers in prison for three days. He did this to see if they felt guilt for what they had done in the past (42:21–23). The brothers had similarly thrown Joseph into a cistern-prison while they decided what to do with him (37:24).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1515. By the life of Pharaoh--It is a very common practice in Western Asia to swear by the life of the king. Joseph spoke in the style of an Egyptian and perhaps did not think there was any evil in it. But we are taught to regard all such expressions in the light of an oath (Mt 5:34; Jas 5:12).Read the comment

Topics related to Genesis 42:15

• Commerce
• Dissembling

In the dictionaries

• Pharaoh
• Pharaoh, king of Egypt
• Bereave
• Espy
• Famine
• Fear
• Joseph
• Lade
• Lord
• Nakedness

Commentaries on Genesis 42

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings