and the one went out from me, and I said, “Surely he is torn in pieces”; and I haven’t seen him since.
Parallel translations
- KJV And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not since:
- BSB When one of them was gone, I said: “Surely he has been torn to pieces.” And I have not seen him since.
- NKJV and the one went out from me, and I said, “Surely he is torn to pieces”; and I have not seen him since.
- NASB and the one left me, and I said, “Surely he is torn to pieces,” and I have not seen him since.
- NLT and one of them went away and never returned. Doubtless he was torn to pieces by some wild animal. I have never seen him since.
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
Jacob had concluded one son was torn to pieces and never seen again. His unhealed grief over Joseph drives the warning about Benjamin.
Overview
Judah quotes Jacob's lasting sorrow over Joseph, whom he believes destroyed by a beast. The words carry dramatic irony, spoken before the very son presumed dead. Jacob's enduring grief underscores how a second loss would utterly crush him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Gen 37:33He recognized it, and said, “It is my son’s coat. An evil animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces.”
- Gen 37:13–14Israel said to Joseph, “Aren’t your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.” He said to him, “Here I am.”
- Gen 42:36Jacob, their father, said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children! Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin away. All these things are against me.”
- Gen 42:38He said, “My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he only is left. If harm happens to him along the way in which you go, then you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.”
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 44:28 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.