His brothers also came to him, bowed down before him, and said, “We are your slaves!”
Parallel translations
- WEB His brothers also went and fell down before his face; and they said, “Behold, we are your servants.”
- KJV And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants.
- NKJV Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, “Behold, we are your servants.”
- NASB Then his brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.”
- NLT Then his brothers came and threw themselves down before Joseph. “Look, we are your slaves!” they said.
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
The brothers fall before Joseph, offering themselves as his servants.
Overview
In humble submission they bow down, unknowingly fulfilling Joseph's early dreams (Genesis 37). Their posture expresses both fear and repentance before the brother they wronged. The scene magnifies the contrast between their guilt and the undeserved grace Joseph is about to extend.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Gen 37:7–11We were binding sheaves of grain in the field, and suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to mine.”
- Gen 27:29May peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. May you be the master of your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed, and those who bless you be blessed.”
- Gen 42:6Now Joseph was the ruler of the land; he was the one who sold grain to all its people. So when his brothers arrived, they bowed down before him with their faces to the ground.
- Gen 44:14When Judah and his brothers arrived at Joseph’s house, he was still there, and they fell to the ground before him.
- Gen 45:3Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But they were unable to answer him, because they were terrified in his presence.
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 50:18 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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