We are all one man’s sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies.
Parallel translations
- WEB We are all one man’s sons; we are honest men. Your servants are not spies.”
- BSB We are all sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies.”
- NKJV We are all one man’s sons; we are honest men; your servants are not spies.”
- NASB We are all sons of one man; we are honest men, your servants are not spies.”
- NLT We are all brothers—members of the same family. We are honest men, sir! We are not spies!”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
They claim to be one man's honest sons, not spies. The appeal to family identity opens the door to the test that follows.
Overview
By stressing that they are all sons of one father, the brothers give Joseph the family details he will use to demand Benjamin. Their assertion of being "honest men" is ironic, for their honesty is exactly what is on trial. Joseph's probing will expose whether they have truly become trustworthy since they sold him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- 2 Cor 6:4But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,
- Gen 42:19If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses:
- Gen 42:33–34And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true men; leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone:
- John 7:18He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 42:11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.