New English Translation
Genesis 43:31
31Then he washed his face and came out. With composure he said, “Set out the food.”
Genesis 43:31 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And he washed his face, and went out, and refrained himself, and said, Set on bread.
- New International Version (NIV)After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself, said, “Serve the food.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)Then he washed his face and came out. And controlling himself he said, "Serve the food."
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then he washed his face and came out; and he restrained himself, and said, “Serve the bread.”
Context of Genesis 43:31
29When Joseph looked up and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, he said, “Is this your youngest brother, whom you told me about?” Then he said, “May God be gracious to you, my son.” 30Joseph hurried out, for he was overcome by affection for his brother and was at the point of tears. So he went to his room and wept there. Then he washed his face and came out. With composure he said, “Set out the food.” 32They set a place for him, a separate place for his brothers, and another for the Egyptians who were eating with him. (The Egyptians are not able to eat with Hebrews, for the Egyptians think it is disgusting to do so.) 33They sat before him, arranged by order of birth, beginning with the firstborn and ending with the youngest. The men looked at each other in astonishment.
Read all of Genesis 43Genesis 43:31 word by word
וַיִּרְחַ֥ץ פָּנָ֖יו וַיֵּצֵ֑א וַיִּ֨תְאַפַּ֔ק וַיֹּ֖אמֶר שִׂ֥ימוּ לָֽחֶם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Genesis 43:31
- Genesis 45:1Joseph was no longer able to control himself before all his attendants, so he cried out, “Make everyone go out from my presence!” No one remained with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers.
- Isaiah 42:14“I have been inactive for a long time; I kept quiet and held back. Like a woman in labor I groan; I pant and gasp.
- Jeremiah 31:16The Lord says to her, “Stop crying! Do not shed any more tears! For your heartfelt repentance will be rewarded. Your children will return from the land of the enemy. I, the Lord, affirm it!
- 1 Peter 3:10For the one who wants to love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from uttering deceit.
- Genesis 43:25They got their gifts ready for Joseph’s arrival at noon, for they had heard that they were to have a meal there.
Commentaries on Genesis 43:31
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-34Verses 1-34 - Joseph and His Eleven Brethren 11. דבשׁ debash “honey,” from the bee, or sirup from the juice of the grape. בטנים bôṭen “pistachio nuts.” שׁקד shâqêd “almond tree;” related: “awake.” The tree is also called לוּז lûz Some refer the former to the fruit, the latter to the tree. The eleven brothers are now to bow down before Joseph. Genesis 43:1-10 The famine was severe. The pressure began to be felt more and more. The twelve households had…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 26-34Verses 26-34 Observe the great respect Joseph's brethren paid to him. Thus were Joseph's dreams more and more fulfilled. Joseph showed great kindness to them. He treated them nobly; but see here the early distance between Jews and gentiles. In a day of famine, it is enough to be fed; but they were feasted. Their cares and fears were now over, and they ate their bread with joy, reckoning they were upon good terms with the lord of the land. If God accept…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-34Joseph did several unusual things to his brothers when they came looking for grain. The last time Joseph had been with them, they were filled with jealousy, hatred, and anger; they attempted to destroy their brother, and they deceived their father. Joseph put them through various tests, similar to the trying situations they had put him through, to see if they had changed.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 31-3431. Joseph said, Set on bread--equivalent to having dinner served, "bread" being a term inclusive of all victuals. The table was a small stool, most probably the usual round form, "since persons might even then be seated according to their rank or seniority, and the modern Egyptian table is not without its post of honor and a fixed gradation of place" [Wilkinson]. Two or at most three persons were seated at one table. But the host being the highest in…Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 43:31
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Genesis 43
- 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
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