28
They said,וַיֹּאמְרוּ“Your servantלְעַבְדְּךָour fatherלְאָבִינוּis well;שָׁלוֹםhe is stillעוֹדֶנּוּalive.”חָיAnd they bowed their headsוַיִּקְּדוּand bowed down.וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲוּוּ
Genesis 43:28
Study it in the app“They said, “Your servant our father is well; he is still alive.” And they bowed their heads and bowed down.”
With the Hebrew beneath
Genesis 43:28, word by word
- They saidיֹּאמְרוּyomru
say
To say with the mouth to someone what one thinks or wants, or to answer him.
Where else “yomru” appears- “Your servantעַבְדְּavd
your servant
"Your servant": a humble way to say "I".
Where else “avd” appears- our fatherאָבִיavi
father
The man who begets a child and heads his household.
Where else “avi” appears- is wellשָׁלוֹםshalom
well-being
Health, safety, nothing lacking.
Where else “shalom” appears- aliveחָיchay
alive
Having life, not dead.
Where else “chay” appears- And they bowed their headsיִּקְּדוּyikdu
bow down
Bow the head or the body as a sign of respect.
Where else “yikdu” appears- and bowed downיִּשְׁתַּחֲוּוּyishtachauu
bow down
To bow to the ground before someone in respect.
Where else “yishtachauu” appears
The context
27He asked them about their well-being and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?”
28 · This verse (above)
29He lifted his eyes and saw Benjamin his brother, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me?” And he said, “May Elohim show you favor, my son.”
To study Genesis 43 in a group
1. What it says
What did Judah ask of Jacob about Benjamin (vv. 8-10)?
2. What it means
What does Judah mean by “I will be surety for him” and “I will have sinned against you for all time” (v. 9)?
3. How I live it
How can you take responsibility for someone in your family?