“The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly with us, and took us for spies of the country.
Parallel translations
- WEB “The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly with us, and took us for spies of the country.
- KJV The man, who is the lord of the land, spake roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.
- BSB “The man who is lord of the land spoke harshly to us and accused us of spying on the country.
- NKJV “The man who is lord of the land spoke roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.
- NLT “The man who is governor of the land spoke very harshly to us,” they told him. “He accused us of being spies scouting the land.
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 describe the lord of Egypt speaking harshly and accusing them of spying. The summary frames their plight for their father.
Overview
The brothers recount Joseph's stern treatment without knowing his identity, presenting themselves as wrongly suspected. Their report is accurate yet incomplete, omitting their own awakened guilt. It prepares Jacob to weigh the costly demand that his youngest son be surrendered.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 1
- Gen 42:7Joseph saw his brothers, and he recognized them, but acted like a stranger to them, and spoke roughly with them. He said to them, “Where did you come from?” They said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.”
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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 42:30 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
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