And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die.
Parallel translations
- WEB We said to my lord, ‘The boy can’t leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’
- BSB So we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father. If he were to leave, his father would die.’
- NKJV And we said to my lord, ‘The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’
- NASB But we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’
- NLT But we said to you, ‘My lord, the boy cannot leave his father, for his father would die.’
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
Judah had warned that the boy could not leave his father, who would die at the separation. He stresses the deadly cost of parting them.
Overview
Judah recalls his earlier protest that taking Benjamin would endanger Jacob's very life. This emphasizes how tightly the father's heart is bound to his youngest son. Judah lays the groundwork to show that Benjamin's enslavement would be a fatal blow to their father.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Gen 42:38And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.
- Gen 44:30Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad’s life;
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 44:22 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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