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Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Genesis 42:21

We are verily guilty The words of Joseph's brethren represent the vitality of conscience after a long interval of years. They have the traditional belief that calamity will overtake the guilty. Cf. the words of Elihu, Job 36:6-14.

his soul See note on Genesis 12:13. Cf. Genesis 27:4; Genesis 27:25.

this distress The same word is used by them to denote their present state of trouble and Joseph's former agony of mind, when they threw him into the cistern to die. It is the law of retaliation, "distress" for "distress," cf. Exodus 21:24. Joseph's treatment works well; cf. Isaiah 26:16; Hosea 5:15.

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See also Genesis 42:21 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Genesis 42:21. _WE_ ARE _VERILY GUILTY_] How finely are the office and influence of conscience exemplified in these words! It was about _twenty-two_ years since they had sold their brother, and...

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    - Joseph and Ten of His Brethren 1. שׁבר _sheber_, “fragment, crumb, hence, grain.” בר _bar_ “pure,” “winnowed,” hence, “corn” (grain). 6. שׁליט _shallı̂yṭ_, “ruler, governor, hence,” Sultan. Not e...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    CHAPTER 42 THE FIRST VISIT OF JOSEPH'S BRETHREN _ 1. Joseph's brethren sent to Egypt (Genesis 42:1)_ 2. Joseph meets his brethren (Genesis 42:6) 3. Put in prison for three days (Genesis 42:17) 4....

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    GENESIS 42. JOSEPH'S BROTHERS COME TO EGYPT TO BUY CORN, AND UNWITTINGLY ENCOUNTER JOSEPH. The greater part is taken from E, but Genesis 42:2; Genesis 42:4_ b_, Genesis 42:5;...

  • Charles Simeon's Horae Homileticae

    DISCOURSE: 54 THE POWER OF CONSCIENCE Genesis 42:21. _And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we wo...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    THEY SAID ONE TO ANOTHER— Nothing can more strongly or beautifully picture to us the power of conscience, and the utility of affliction to awaken that power, than this conversation, and these mutual r...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    3. _Joseph as Prime Minister of Egypt_ (Genesis 41:46 to Genesis 47:31) 46 And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh,...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    _AND HE PUT THEM ALL TOGETHER INTO WARD THREE DAYS._ Put them all together into ward three days. Their confinement had been designed to bring them to salutary reflection. And this object was attained...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    THE FIRST VISIT OF JOSEPH'S BRETHREN TO EGYPT 1. When Jacob saw] The caravans which travelled from Egypt to Syria would bring the news to Hebron....

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    Conscience arouses in the brethren the fear that the day of reckoning, so long delayed, has come at last....

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    GOD’S ANCIENT PEOPLE GENESIS _ALUN OWEN_ CHAPTER 42 JACOB SENDS HIS SONS TO EGYPT V1 Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt. So he said to his sons, ‘You look at each other and you do nothing...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    The brothers were losing one member. That reminded them that they had sent Joseph away many years before. They thought that God was punishing them for what they had done. Reuben called Joseph ‘the bo...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    WE ARE VERILY GUILTY. — They had evidently expected that whatever suspicions might be aroused by their first appearance, all such ideas would disappear upon their explanation of themselves and their p...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    וַ יֹּאמְר֞וּ אִ֣ישׁ אֶל ־אָחִ֗יו אֲבָל֮ אֲשׁ

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    VISITS OF JOSEPH'S BRETHREN Genesis 42:1; Genesis 43:1; Genesis 44:1 "Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good."-...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    SIMEON HELD; THE OTHERS SENT HOME Genesis 42:18 The behavior of this great Egyptian official-for so the brethren deemed him-must have seemed very hard and tyrannical to the trembling shepherds from t...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    According to the foretelling of Joseph in interpreting Pharaoh's dreams, the famine came; but through Joseph's executive ability Egypt was provided with corn sufficient not only for its own needs, but...

  • Gary Hampton Commentaries

    JOSEPH'S BROTHERS BOW BEFORE HIM Jacob heard of the great supply of grain in Egypt. He sent the ten older brothers to buy grain to sustain them. As the grand vizier, Joseph had complete control over t...

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    And they said one to another, (f) We [are] verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upo...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    _We deserve. Conscience upbraids. "Punishment opens the mouth, which sin had shut," St. Gregory. (Menochius) --- They had sold Joseph about 22 years before! (Calmet)_...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    Observe, in this verse, the effects of conscience: see that scripture: Romans 2:15. Observe the conscious sense of merited punishment also: therefore (say they) is this distress come upon us. Sinners...

  • Introductory Lectures - Commentary by William Kelly

    Having already shown the position of Isaac, I resume briefly with the remark that he stands before us clearly as the representative of the Son, and this too as dead, risen, and in heaven. All will und...

  • James Nisbet's Church Pulpit Commentary

    _CONSCIENCE AWAKENED_ ‘And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother,’ etc. Genesis 42:21 I. JOSEPH’S BRETHREN HAD NOT BEEN PLACED IN ANY PECULIAR CIRCUMSTANCES OF TRIAL...

  • John Calvin's Bible Commentary

    21._And they said one to another_. This is a remarkable passage, showing that the sons of Jacob, when reduced to the greatest straits, recall to memory a fratricide committed thirteen years previously...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY COVERS CHAPTER S 42 THROUGH 47. At the same time another scene presents itself. His brethren, who had rejected him, forced by famine, are brought, by the path of repentance an...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    AND THEY SAID ONE TO ANOTHER,.... Before they went out of the prison, at least while in the presence of Joseph: WE [ARE] VERILY GUILTY CONCERNING OUR BROTHER; meaning Joseph, whom they had sold for a...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    And they said one to another, We [are] verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _We are verily guilty_ This is the just punishment of that wickedness which we committed against our brother. Though we could conceal it from men, we now see and feel it was known to God, who is recko...

  • KJV Original Language Details

    1 Iacob sendeth his ten sonnes to buy corne in Egypt. 6 They are imprisoned by Ioseph for spies. 18 They are set at libertie, on condition to bring Beniamin. 21 They haue remorse for Ioseph. 24 Si...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    Simeon Kept Back in Egypt...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    And they said one to another, we are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us....

  • Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures

    SIXTH SECTION _Retributive Discipline. The Famine and the First Journey to Egypt. Joseph’s struggles with himself. The repentance of the Brethren. Joseph and Simeon._ GENESIS 42:1-38. 1Now when Jaco...

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    JACOB SENDS HIS SONS TO EGYPT The famine reaches to Jacob's land. God makes him and his sons to feel the distress of famine until they hear that Egypt has an abundance of food that is available for s...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    21-24 The office of conscience is to bring to mind things long since said and done. When the guilt of this sin of Joseph's brethren was fresh, they made light of it, and sat down to eat bread; but no...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    This is the just punishment of that great wickedness, which though we could cover from men, yet we now see and feel was known to God, who is now reckoning with us for it. Thus Divine vengeance overtak...

  • Notes on the Pentateuch by Charles Henry Mackintosh

    On which we shall dwell more particularly. There is not in scripture a more perfect and beautiful type of Christ than Joseph. Whether we view Christ as the object of the Father's love, the object of t...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Genesis 42:21 said H559 (H8799) one H376 another H251 truly H61 guilty H818 brother H251 for H834 saw...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    ‘And they said to one another, “We are truly guilty in respect of our brother, for we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us and we would not listen. This is why this distress has come o...

  • Sermon Bible Commentary

    Genesis 42:21 I. Joseph's brethren had not been placed in any peculiar circumstances of trial since the loss of Joseph; consequently their sin had slept. There had been nothing to call it to light; th...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Joseph preserves his brethren from the famine. CHARACTERS: Jacob, Joseph, brothers. CONCLUSION: Times of testing await those who are guilty and often prove the effectual means of awakening...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Genesis 42:4. _Benjamin._ Jacob wished to reserve him to be heir of the blessing instead of Joseph, who he thought was dead. Hence he let the ten go, for it is highly probable that the Egyptians would...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _We are verily guilty concerning our brother_ CONSCIENCE AWAKENS IN JOSEPH’S BRETHREN I. Joseph’s brethren had not been placed in any peculiar circumstances of trial since the loss of Joseph; consequ...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    GENESIS—NOTE ON GENESIS 42:1 Shortage of food in Canaan forces Jacob to send his sons to Egypt, but Benjamin, Joseph’s younger brother, remains at home, for Jacob fears losing him, too. When Joseph en...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    CRITICAL NOTES.— Genesis 42:23. Interpreter.] Heb. _The interpreter_—of the court. This official was not necessarily employed in interpreting a foreign tongue. He was the medium through which the pri...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION GENESIS 42:1 NOW WHEN JACOB SAW—literally, _and Jacob saw, i.e._ perceived by the preparations of others for buying corn in Egypt (Lange), but more probably learnt by the report which othe...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    The Pharaoh in Egypt had had two dreams with similarities because they had one interpretation. The first dream involved the seven fat cows grazing by the river and seven lean cows rising up and eating...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    they said. Genesis 41:9 Numbers 32:23 2 Samuel 12:13 1 Kings 17:18 Job 3

  • Wells of Living Water Commentary

    JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN Genesis 42:1 INTRODUCTORY WORDS As we enter the Genesis 42:1 of Genesis we find Jacob and Joseph's brethren under the throes of the famine. As we see it from the Divine view...

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    We are very guilty concerning our brother — We do not read that they said this during their three days imprisonment; but now when the matter was come to some issue, and they saw themselves still embar...

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