“And behold, your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my mouth that speaks to you.
Parallel translations
- WEB Behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaks to you.
- KJV And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you.
- BSB Behold! You and my brother Benjamin can see that I, Joseph, am the one speaking with you.
- NASB Behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth which is speaking to you.
- NLT Then Joseph added, “Look! You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that I really am Joseph!
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
Joseph points to the brothers' own eyes and Benjamin's as witnesses that he truly speaks to them. He assures them his identity is no illusion.
Overview
Joseph appeals to their direct sight and to his speaking in their own language as proof of who he is. The mention of Benjamin singles out his full brother as a special witness. This assurance helps the stunned brothers grasp the reality of their reconciliation.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Gen 42:23They didn’t know that Joseph understood them; for there was an interpreter between them.
- Luke 24:39See my hands and my feet, that it is truly me. Touch me and see, for a spirit doesn’t have flesh and bones, as you see that I have.”
- John 20:27Then he said to Thomas, “Reach here your finger, and see my hands. Reach here your hand, and put it into my side. Don’t be unbelieving, but believing.”
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 45:12 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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