And we said unto him, We are true men; we are no spies:
Parallel translations
- WEB We said to him, ‘We are honest men. We are no spies.
- BSB But we told him, ‘We are honest men, not spies.
- NKJV But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies.
- NASB But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies.
- NLT But we said, ‘We are honest men, 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 report insisting they were honest men, not spies. Their plea of innocence is repeated to their father.
Overview
Echoing what they told Joseph, the brothers stress their honesty as they explain the ordeal to Jacob. The repetition underscores how their integrity is the issue at stake in the whole testing. Their words also remind the reader of the deeper dishonesty about Joseph that still lies buried.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 1
- Gen 42:11We are all one man’s sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies.
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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 42:31 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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