Then Joseph could no longer restrain himself before all who stood by him, and he cried out, "Send everyone away from me!" And no one stood with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.
KJV Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren.
Notes & Key Terms
1 term
Key Terms
לְהִתְאַפֵּקlehit'appeq
"restrain himself"—to hold oneself back, to force restraint upon oneself, to contain oneself
This verb has appeared before in the Joseph narrative (43:31), where Joseph successfully restrained himself. Now the restraint fails entirely. The repetition marks the contrast: what was controlled before can no longer be contained.
Translator Notes
'Could no longer restrain himself' (lo-yakhol lehit'appeq) — the hitpael of 'apaq means to force oneself, to hold oneself back. The verb conveys the image of a dam breaking. Judah's speech in chapter 44 has done its work: the brothers' transformation is proven, and Joseph's elaborate testing collapses under the weight of his own emotion.
'Send everyone away from me' (hotsiu khol-ish me'alai) — Joseph's first act of self-revelation is to create privacy. This moment is too intimate and too dangerous for Egyptian ears. The brothers' crime — selling a man into slavery — must not become public knowledge in Pharaoh's court.
'Made himself known' (hitvadda) — the hitpael of yada (to know). The reflexive form suggests not merely announcing his identity but uncovering his whole self. Joseph removes the mask of the Egyptian vizier and becomes again the brother they sold.
He wept aloud, and the Egyptians heard, and the house of Pharaoh heard.
KJV And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
'He gave his voice in weeping' (vayyitten et-qolo bivkhi) — literally 'he gave his voice in weeping.' This is not quiet tears but audible, uncontrollable sobbing. The verb natan (to give) with qol (voice) suggests Joseph's weeping was a sound released, not merely shed. Years of concealment, grief, and longing pour out.
'The Egyptians heard... the house of Pharaoh heard' — the deliberate repetition underscores how public Joseph's private moment became. Despite dismissing everyone, his weeping was so loud it penetrated walls. This detail also prepares for Pharaoh's reaction in verse 16.
Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?" But his brothers could not answer him, for they were terrified before him.
KJV And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence.
Notes & Key Terms
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Key Terms
נִבְהֲלוּnivhalu
"terrified"—to be dismayed, terrified, alarmed, overwhelmed with sudden fear
KJV's 'troubled' understates the force. The brothers are not merely uncomfortable — they are struck with the terror of men who suddenly see their past crime standing before them in the form of absolute power. The word is used elsewhere of armies shattered in battle (Psalm 48:6).
Translator Notes
'I am Joseph' (ani Yosef) — three words that shatter the entire Egyptian facade. The declaration is stunningly abrupt. No preamble, no softening. After years of disguise and elaborate testing, Joseph's identity is revealed in the simplest possible statement.
'Is my father still alive?' (ha'od avi chai) — Joseph has already been told Jacob is alive (43:27-28), so this question is not informational. It expresses deep emotional longing — the cry of a son who has been separated from his father for over twenty years and can scarcely believe the reunion is at hand.
'Terrified' (nivhalu) — the niphal of bahal means to be dismayed, terrified, overwhelmed with sudden alarm. The brothers' terror is not merely surprise; it is the shock of realizing that the all-powerful Egyptian ruler before whom they have been bowing is the very brother they sold into slavery. Every cruelty, every lie, every deception is now exposed before the one who has power of life and death over them.
Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me, I pray you." And they came close. Then he said, "I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt."
KJV And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.
Notes & Key Terms
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Key Terms
מְכַרְתֶּםmekharten
"sold"—to sell, to hand over for a price
The same verb used in 37:28 and 37:36 to describe the original transaction. Joseph now uses it directly to his brothers' faces — not to condemn but to set up the radical reframing: what they sold, God sent.
Translator Notes
'Come close to me' (geshu-na elai) — a tender invitation. The particle na softens the imperative to a request. The brothers, paralyzed with fear, need to be coaxed forward. Joseph bridges the gap physically as he is about to bridge it emotionally.
'Whom you sold into Egypt' (asher-mekharten oti Mitsraymah) — Joseph names the crime plainly, without euphemism. He does not say 'whom you sent away' or 'whom you gave up.' The verb makhar (to sell) strips away any pretense. Yet this statement is not an accusation — it is the foundation for the theological reinterpretation that follows in verses 5-8.
Now therefore, do not be grieved, and do not be angry with yourselves that you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.
KJV Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.
Notes & Key Terms
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Key Terms
לְמִחְיָהlemichyah
"to preserve life"—preservation of life, sustenance, means of living, survival
From the root chayah (to live). This word captures the entire purpose of Joseph's Egyptian sojourn: not personal glory but the preservation of life — his family's, Egypt's, and the surrounding nations'. This is the lens through which Joseph reads his own suffering.
Translator Notes
'Do not be grieved' (al-te'atsvu) — from the root 'atsav, meaning to be pained, hurt, grieved. The same root describes God's grief over human wickedness before the flood (6:6). Joseph perceives that his brothers are crushed with guilt and moves immediately to relieve them.
'Do not be angry with yourselves' (al-yichar be'eineikhem) — literally 'let it not burn in your eyes.' Joseph addresses both their sorrow and their self-directed anger. He understands the full emotional landscape of their guilt.
'God sent me before you to preserve life' (shelachani Elohim lifneikhem lemichyah) — this is the theological heart of the Joseph narrative. The verb shalach (to send) deliberately counters makhar (to sell) from verse 4. Joseph does not deny human agency or sin; he overlays it with divine purpose. The brothers sold; God sent. Both statements are true simultaneously. The word michyah (preservation of life, sustenance) reveals God's purpose: not punishment, not merely political power, but the preservation of life itself.
For the famine has been in the midst of the land these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest.
KJV For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
'Neither plowing nor harvest' (ein-charish veqatsir) — the mention of both plowing and harvest indicates complete agricultural failure. It is not merely that crops fail to grow; the conditions make it pointless even to plow. Five more years of total agricultural collapse means the situation will grow far worse before it ends.
Joseph provides a practical justification for his theological claim: God's sending him ahead was not abstract providence but concrete preparation for a seven-year catastrophe. The timing is precise — two years in, five to go — underscoring the urgency of bringing Jacob's family to Egypt.
God sent me before you to establish for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive as a great deliverance.
KJV And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
Notes & Key Terms
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Key Terms
שְׁאֵרִיתshe'erit
"remnant"—remnant, remainder, surviving portion, what is left
This early use of 'remnant' anticipates the prophetic theology of the faithful remnant preserved through divine judgment. The concept is embryonic here — physical survival of a family — but will grow into one of the Hebrew Bible's most significant theological motifs.
Translator Notes
'To establish for you a remnant in the earth' (lasum lakhem she'erit ba'arets) — the word she'erit (remnant) is theologically loaded. It will become a major prophetic concept — the faithful remnant preserved through judgment (Isaiah 10:21, Micah 5:6-7). Here, at its earliest narrative appearance, it refers to the physical survival of Jacob's family. God's plan is not merely to save individuals but to preserve a line, a people, a covenant community.
'A great deliverance' (lifletah gedolah) — the word pletah means escape, deliverance, a group of survivors. The adjective gedolah (great) elevates this from mere survival to a grand act of divine rescue. Joseph sees his entire experience — the pit, the slavery, the prison, the rise to power — as the mechanism of a great deliverance orchestrated by God.
So now, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
KJV So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.
"it was not you who sent me here, but God"—a theological declaration of divine sovereignty over human action
This statement does not deny human responsibility but reframes the brothers' act within the larger economy of divine providence. Both realities coexist: they sold him (v.4), God sent him (v.5, 7, 8). This dual agency — human sin and divine purpose — is foundational to biblical theology.
Translator Notes
'It was not you who sent me here, but God' (lo atten shelachtem oti hena ki ha'Elohim) — this is the climactic theological statement of the Joseph narrative. Joseph does not minimize their sin (he named it plainly in v.4) but declares that behind their evil act stood a sovereign God working a greater purpose. This is not fatalism or excuse-making; it is a profound affirmation that divine sovereignty operates through and beyond human choices, even sinful ones.
'A father to Pharaoh' (le-av le-Par'oh) — the title 'father' here denotes a chief counselor or trusted advisor, a usage attested in ancient Egyptian court language. The irony is rich: Joseph, who was torn from his own father, has become a 'father' to the most powerful man in the world.
'Lord of all his house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt' — three titles in ascending scope: father (advisor), lord (household authority), ruler (national sovereignty). Joseph's position encompasses every sphere of Egyptian power, all orchestrated by God for the purpose stated in verses 5-7.
Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, 'Thus says your son Joseph: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me — do not delay.'
KJV Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down to me, tarry not:
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
'Hurry and go up' (maharu va'alu) — the urgency is palpable. Joseph has waited over twenty years; now he cannot bear another day of separation. The verb 'alah (to go up) reflects the geographical reality: one always goes 'up' from Egypt to Canaan.
'Thus says your son Joseph' (koh amar binkha Yosef) — the messenger formula koh amar ('thus says') is typically used for royal or prophetic declarations. Joseph sends a message to his father with the authority of the second-most powerful man in Egypt, yet he identifies himself simply as 'your son Joseph.'
'Come down to me — do not delay' (redah elai al-ta'amod) — the verb 'amad means to stand, to remain in place. Joseph pleads: do not stand still, do not hesitate. The five remaining years of famine make the invitation urgent.
You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me — you, your sons, your grandsons, your flocks, your herds, and all that you have.
KJV And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast:
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
'The land of Goshen' (erets Goshen) — a fertile region in the eastern Nile Delta, well-suited for pastoral life. By settling his family in Goshen, Joseph provides them with excellent grazing land while also keeping them somewhat separate from Egyptian urban centers — a separation that will prove both protective and isolating in the centuries to come.
'You shall be near to me' (vehayita qarov elai) — the longing of a son. Joseph has power, wealth, and honor, but what he wants is proximity to his father. The enumeration that follows — sons, grandsons, flocks, herds, everything — expresses Joseph's desire to gather all that belongs to Jacob under his care and protection.
I will provide for you there, for there are still five years of famine, so that you, your household, and all that you have are not reduced to poverty.
KJV And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
'I will provide for you' (vekhilkalti otkha) — from the root kul in the pilpel, meaning to sustain, nourish, provide for. Joseph assumes personal responsibility for his father's entire household. The son who was cast out now becomes the family's sustainer.
'Reduced to poverty' (tivvaresh) — from the root yarash in the niphal, meaning to be dispossessed, impoverished, brought to ruin. The famine threatens not merely discomfort but total economic destruction. Joseph's invitation is an act of salvation.
And behold, your eyes see — and the eyes of my brother Benjamin — that it is my own mouth speaking to you.
KJV And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
'Your eyes see... the eyes of my brother Benjamin' (eineikhem ro'ot... ve'einei achi Binyamin) — Joseph appeals to their direct sensory experience: see for yourselves. The singling out of Benjamin is significant. Benjamin is the only brother who shares Joseph's mother Rachel; he is 'my brother' in a double sense. Benjamin's eyes are given special mention because he alone among the brothers is innocent of the crime against Joseph.
'It is my own mouth speaking to you' (ki-fi hammedabber aleikhem) — Joseph is likely speaking Hebrew directly, without the interpreter who had been mediating their previous conversations (cf. 42:23). This is proof that he is not an Egyptian lord but their Hebrew brother — he speaks their language, their words, their world.
You shall tell my father of all my honor in Egypt, and of all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.
KJV And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
'All my honor in Egypt' (kol-kevodi beMitsrayim) — kavod encompasses honor, glory, splendor, and wealth. Joseph wants his father to know not for the sake of boasting but so that Jacob will understand the move to Egypt is not a desperate flight but a journey toward abundance and security.
'Hurry and bring my father down' — the repetition of urgency (cf. v.9 'hurry and go up') reveals Joseph's emotional state. He is giving instructions to his brothers, but the subtext is the longing of a son who cannot wait to see his father.
He fell on the neck of his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck.
KJV And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
'Fell on the neck of his brother Benjamin' (vayyippol al-tsavv'arei Binyamin achivu) — the verb naphal (to fall) expresses the collapse of emotional restraint into physical embrace. The plural tsavv'arei (necks) is used idiomatically in Hebrew for a single neck, perhaps conveying the fullness of the embrace.
Benjamin is embraced first and separately because he is Joseph's only full brother — both sons of Rachel. They share a mother's loss: Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin (35:18-19), and Joseph was taken from his family shortly after. This embrace reunites Rachel's two sons after more than two decades.
The mutual weeping — Joseph on Benjamin, Benjamin on Joseph — creates a symmetry of grief and joy. Benjamin, who was too young to remember Joseph's departure, now weeps with a brother restored from what must have seemed like death.
He kissed all his brothers and wept over them. And after that, his brothers spoke with him.
KJV Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
'He kissed all his brothers' (vaynasheq lekhol-echav) — Joseph extends his embrace to every brother, including those who plotted his death and those who sold him. The kiss is an act of reconciliation, not merely greeting.
'After that his brothers spoke with him' (acharei khen dibberu echav itto) — this is one of the most understated and powerful lines in the narrative. Until this moment, the brothers have been speechless — frozen in terror (v.3), unable to respond. Only after Joseph's tears, his theological reframing, his embrace, and his kisses does the ice finally break. The verb dibber (to speak) signals that genuine dialogue and relationship have been restored. Reconciliation is not complete until the silenced can speak.
The report was heard in Pharaoh's house: "Joseph's brothers have come." It pleased Pharaoh and his servants.
KJV And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, Joseph's brethren are come: and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
'The report was heard' (vehaqqol nishma) — qol here means report, news, or rumor, rather than the literal 'voice' of v.2. The news of Joseph's brothers' arrival spreads through the palace.
'It pleased Pharaoh' (vayyitav be'einei Far'oh) — literally 'it was good in the eyes of Pharaoh.' Pharaoh's positive reaction reflects both his affection for Joseph and sound political judgment: Joseph's competent management of the famine has saved Egypt, and Pharaoh is happy to reward his family.
Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Say to your brothers, 'Do this: load your animals and go — return to the land of Canaan.'"
KJV And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye; lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan;
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
'Load your animals' (ta'anu et-be'irkhem) — from ta'an, to load, burden. The animals are pack animals for transporting goods. Pharaoh begins issuing specific logistical instructions, demonstrating his personal involvement in the family relocation.
Pharaoh's directive echoes and amplifies Joseph's own instructions. The king of Egypt himself commands the journey to Canaan to retrieve Jacob, adding royal weight to Joseph's urgent plea.
Take your father and your households and come to me, and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you shall eat the fat of the land.
KJV And take your father and your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land.
Notes & Key Terms
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Key Terms
חֵלֶב הָאָרֶץchelev ha'arets
"the fat of the land"—the fat, richness, choicest part of the land
Fat represents the richest, most valued portion. In sacrificial law, fat belongs to God (Leviticus 3:16). Pharaoh promises Israel's family the divine portion, as it were, of Egypt's abundance.
Translator Notes
'The best of the land of Egypt' (tuv erets Mitsrayim) — tuv means goodness, the best part. Pharaoh offers the premium territory of Egypt, which will be identified as Goshen.
'The fat of the land' (chelev ha'arets) — chelev literally means fat, the richest and most desirable portion. In sacrificial contexts, the fat is the portion reserved for God as the choicest part. Pharaoh uses this metaphor to promise the most abundant produce of the land. The expression has entered English as an idiom through the KJV translation.
Now you are commanded — do this: take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and carry your father and come.
KJV Now thou art commanded, this do ye; take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come.
Notes & Key Terms
1 term
Key Terms
עֲגָלוֹתagalot
"wagons"—wagons, carts, wheeled vehicles for transport
Egyptian wagons were a sophisticated technology. Their provision signals both Pharaoh's generosity and the seriousness of the invitation. They will become the physical evidence that convinces Jacob the report is true.
Translator Notes
'Wagons' (agalot) — wheeled carts for transport, a mark of Egyptian technology and wealth. The provision of wagons is significant: Jacob's family will not need to walk or ride donkeys for the entire journey. The wagons are especially meant for the vulnerable — children and wives — and for the elderly Jacob himself. These wagons will later serve as proof to Jacob that Joseph is truly alive (v.27).
Do not let your eyes be troubled over your possessions, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.
KJV Also regard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
'Do not let your eyes be troubled over your possessions' (ve'einkhem al-tachos al-keleikhem) — the verb chus means to pity, to show concern, to spare. Pharaoh tells them not to worry about leaving belongings behind in Canaan. Whatever they cannot transport will be more than replaced by Egypt's abundance. The mention of 'eyes' continues the motif of seeing that runs through this chapter (vv.12, 16).
'The best of all the land of Egypt is yours' — Pharaoh's generosity is extravagant and unconditional. This stands in stark contrast to how Egypt will treat Israel's descendants in Exodus. The current Pharaoh's warmth makes the later Pharaoh's hostility all the more bitter.
The sons of Israel did so. Joseph gave them wagons according to the command of Pharaoh, and he gave them provisions for the journey.
KJV And the children of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
'The sons of Israel' (benei Yisra'el) — the narrator uses the formal designation 'sons of Israel' rather than 'his brothers,' perhaps anticipating the national identity this family will assume. They are not merely Joseph's brothers; they are the embryonic nation.
'Provisions for the journey' (tsedah laderekh) — tsedah denotes food prepared for a journey, travel supplies. Joseph ensures they lack nothing for the long trek to Canaan and back.
To each of them he gave a change of garments, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments.
KJV To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
'Changes of garments' (chalifot semalot) — fine garments were a form of wealth and honor in the ancient Near East. Joseph gives each brother a set, recalling painfully the 'coat of many colors' (ketonet passim) that marked Joseph as the favored son and triggered the brothers' jealousy (37:3-4).
'To Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments' — Benjamin receives dramatically more than the others. This preferential treatment echoes Jacob's favoring of Joseph. Yet Joseph does not fear the brothers' jealousy now — either because he trusts their transformation or because his admonition in v.24 addresses this concern. The five garments may correspond to the five remaining years of famine, or they may simply reflect abundant generosity toward his only full brother.
To his father he sent the following: ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and provisions for his father for the journey.
KJV And to his father he sent after this manner; ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she asses laden with corn and bread and meat for his father by the way.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
'Ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt' — the gifts are lavish: twenty animals in total, carrying Egypt's finest goods. The ten male donkeys carry luxury items (mittuv Mitsrayim, 'from the goodness of Egypt'), while the ten female donkeys carry practical sustenance for the journey.
'Grain, bread, and provisions' (bar valechem umazon) — three terms for food, emphasizing abundance. Bar is raw grain, lechem is bread (prepared food), and mazon is general provisions or sustenance. Joseph ensures his father will lack nothing.
He sent his brothers away, and they departed. He said to them, "Do not quarrel on the way."
KJV So he sent his brethren away, and they departed: and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way.
Notes & Key Terms
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Key Terms
אַל־תִּרְגְּזוּal-tirgezu
"do not quarrel"—to tremble, to be agitated, to quarrel, to be disturbed
Targum Onkelos renders this 'do not quarrel.' Rashi interprets it as 'do not engage in halakhic discussion' (lest you lose your way), but the plain sense is Joseph's concern that the brothers will argue about their past guilt during the long journey home.
Translator Notes
'Do not quarrel on the way' (al-tirgezu baderekh) — the verb ragaz has a range of meanings: to tremble, to be agitated, to quarrel. The precise sense here is debated. It could mean: (a) do not quarrel with one another — perhaps about who bears the most blame for selling Joseph; (b) do not be agitated or anxious — a calming reassurance after the emotional turmoil; (c) do not linger or get distracted on the road. The context of brothers burdened with old guilt and new revelations makes (a) most likely. Joseph knows them well enough to anticipate that the journey home could devolve into recrimination and blame-shifting.
They went up from Egypt and came to the land of Canaan, to Jacob their father.
KJV And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father,
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
'They went up from Egypt' (vayyaʿalu miMitsrayim) — the journey is described with characteristic brevity. The narrator skips the entire journey — no details of travel, no overnight stops — and cuts directly to the arrival. The narrative is focused entirely on the emotional arc: Joseph's revelation, the brothers' departure, and now Jacob's reaction.
They told him, saying, "Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt!" But his heart grew numb, for he did not believe them.
KJV And told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob's heart fainted, for he believed them not.
Notes & Key Terms
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Key Terms
וַיָּפׇגvayyafag
"grew numb"—to grow cold, become numb, faint, be stunned
This rare verb (only here in the Hebrew Bible in the qal) captures the paradox of overwhelming news: Jacob's heart does not break or leap — it freezes. KJV's 'fainted' captures the physical sensation but misses the emotional numbness. The heart grown numb is the heart of a man who has suffered too long to trust in sudden joy.
Translator Notes
'Joseph is still alive' (od Yosef chai) — the news is delivered bluntly. There is no soft preparation, no gradual revelation. The brothers simply declare what seemed impossible: Joseph lives.
'His heart grew numb' (vayyafag libbo) — the verb pug means to grow cold, to become numb, to faint. Jacob's heart does not leap with joy — it goes numb. After more than twenty years of mourning a son he believed dead, after the deception of the blood-soaked coat (37:31-33), Jacob's first reaction is not belief but paralysis. The news is too great, too improbable, too good to absorb. This is the response of a man whose grief has become the structure of his identity.
'He did not believe them' (lo he'emin lahem) — the irony cuts deep. The brothers who deceived Jacob about Joseph's death (37:31-35) now tell him the truth, and he cannot believe them. Their credibility was destroyed by their original lie, and even truth cannot immediately repair what deception has broken.
They told him all the words of Joseph that he had spoken to them. And when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived.
KJV And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived.
Notes & Key Terms
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Key Terms
וַתְּחִי רוּחַvattechi ruach
"the spirit... revived"—to live, to come alive, to be restored to life, to revive
The revival of Jacob's spirit reverses the death-like grief that has characterized him since Joseph's disappearance. The root chayah (to live) echoes the michyah (preservation of life) of v.5 — Joseph's mission to preserve life now reaches his own father's spirit.
Translator Notes
'All the words of Joseph' (kol divrei Yosef) — the brothers relay everything Joseph said. The theological reframing (God sent me), the practical plan (come to Goshen), the urgency (do not delay) — all of it is repeated to Jacob. Words alone, however, are insufficient; it is the physical evidence that turns the tide.
'When he saw the wagons' (vayyar et-ha'agalot) — seeing is believing where hearing was not enough. The wagons are proof: no one in Canaan could send Egyptian wagons. They are tangible evidence of Joseph's power and his invitation. Jacob's transition from numbness to belief is mediated by sight, not speech.
'The spirit of Jacob their father revived' (vattechi ruach Ya'aqov avihem) — the verb chayah (to live, to revive) applied to Jacob's spirit is a kind of resurrection language. Jacob's spirit, which had been dead with grief since chapter 37, now comes back to life. The man who said 'I will go down to Sheol mourning for my son' (37:35) now receives his son back from the dead, as it were.
This single exclamation compresses Jacob's entire emotional arc — from mourning to numbness to belief to resolve — into one syllable. It is both a declaration ('this is great!') and a command ('enough talk — let me go').
Translator Notes
'Enough!' (rav) — a single word that encapsulates Jacob's transformation from doubt to resolve. Rav means 'much' or 'enough' — it may convey 'this is great news!' or 'enough — say no more — I believe you.' Either way, it marks the decisive turn.
'Israel said' — the narrator switches from 'Jacob' (v.27) to 'Israel.' This name change is significant. Jacob — the man of struggle, grief, and deception — gives way to Israel — the man who wrestled with God and prevailed. The revived spirit brings the revived name. When Jacob acts in faith and resolution, he is Israel.
'I will go and see him before I die' (elkhah ve'er'ennu beterem amut) — Jacob, who has spoken repeatedly of going down to Sheol in grief (37:35, 42:38), now speaks of going to Egypt in hope. The journey toward death has become a journey toward reunion. 'Before I die' is not morbid but purposeful: there is one thing left that Jacob must do with his remaining life, and that is to see Joseph.