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Then Jacob exclaimed, “It must be true! My son Joseph is alive! I must go and see him before I die.”
Genesis 45:28 · New Living Translation
Parallel translations
  • WEB Israel said, “It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”
  • KJV And Israel said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die.
  • BSB “Enough!” declared Israel. “My son Joseph is still alive! I will go to see him before I die.”
  • NKJV Then Israel said, “It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”
  • NASB Then Israel said, “It is enough; my son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I 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

Israel declares it is enough: Joseph lives, and he will go see him before he dies. The father's longing overcomes his years of sorrow.

Overview

Now called Israel, the patriarch resolves to journey to Egypt to see his beloved son before death. His words express deep contentment that the long-lost Joseph is alive. This decision sets in motion Israel's descent into Egypt, a pivotal step in the unfolding of God's covenant plan.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 3

  • Luke 2:28–30then he received him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,
  • John 16:21–22A woman, when she gives birth, has sorrow, because her time has come. But when she has delivered the child, she doesn’t remember the anguish any more, for the joy that a human being is born into the world.
  • Gen 46:30Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face, that you are still alive.”

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Genesis videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Genesis 45:28YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on GenesisMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 45:28 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.