And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not since:
Parallel translations
- WEB and the one went out from me, and I said, “Surely he is torn in pieces”; and I haven’t seen him 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 37:33And he knew it, and said, It is my son’s coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.
- Gen 37:13–14And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I.
- Gen 42:36And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me.
- 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.
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
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