Genesis 50:15–21
Joseph, feared by his brothers, reassures them and promises to provide for them
Study it word by word15When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the evil that we did to him?”
16So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave orders before his death, saying,
17‘Thus you shall say to Joseph: “I beg you, please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did evil to you.”’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the Elohim of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.
18His brothers also went and fell down before him and said, “Here we are as your slaves.”
19Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of Elohim?
20As for you, you planned evil against me; Elohim planned it for good, in order to bring about what is happening today: keeping alive many people.
21So now, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke to their heart.
In its context
13his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, the field that Abraham bought as a possession for a burial place from Ephron the Hittite, facing Mamre.
14Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers and all who had gone up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father.
…
22Joseph lived in Egypt, he and his father’s household; and Joseph lived a hundred and ten years.
23Joseph saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation; also the sons of Machir son of Manasseh were born on Joseph’s knees.
Its words in the original
- יִּרְאוּyiru· see
See. Also look, observe, notice, consider; in some forms, "appear" or "show".
- אֲחֵיache· brother
Brother; also a close relative, or someone of the same people.
- יוֹסֵףyosef· Joseph
Joseph, a name borne by several Israelites, above all the son of Jacob and Rachel, sold into Egypt, who became ruler there and saved his family; his sons Ephraim and Manasseh became tribes. The name means "may he add".
- מֵתmet· die
Die. In the causative form, kill, put to death. Hebrew can repeat the verb for emphasis ("dying you will die" = "you will surely die").
- אֲבִיavi· father
Father; also ancestor ("our fathers"), and the founder or head of a family or group.
- יֹּאמְרוּyomru· say
Say, speak. The most common verb for bringing in what someone says; sometimes "think" (say to oneself) or "command".
- לוּlu· if only
If only; oh that; also "if".
- יִשְׂטְמֵyistme· bear a grudge
Bear a grudge, hate with a desire to do harm.
- הָשֵׁבhashev· return, turn back
Turn back, return. Also turn away; in the causative form, bring back, give back, answer. Figuratively, turn back to God (change course). Often adverbial: "again".
- רָעָהraa· evil, bad, harm
Bad; evil. It includes what is morally wrong and also what does harm: misfortune, disaster, distress.
- גָּמַלְנוּgamalnu· wean, deal with
Wean: stop nursing a child, around two or three years of age. In other passages, deal well or ill with someone; ripen.
- יְצַוּוּyetsauu· command
Command, give an order; give charge to someone.
- פְנֵיfene· face, presence
Face. From there "surface" (the face of something) and "presence" (being before someone's face); with a preposition it means "before" or "in front of".
- מוֹתmot· death
Death; also the realm of the dead, or a deadly plague.
- אָנָּאana· please!
I beg you!: an exclamation of entreaty.
- שָׂאsa· lift, carry, bear
Lift up, carry, bear. "Bear sin" is to suffer its consequences; said of God, "taking away" sin is forgiving it. "Lift up the eyes" is to look.
- פֶּשַׁעpesha· transgression
A serious wrong against someone: rebellion, transgression.
- חַטָּאתָchatata· sin, sin offering
Sin: missing the mark of what God asks; also the guilt and the punishment. In the laws the same word also names the sacrifice offered for sin.
- עַבְדֵיavde· slave, servant
Slave, servant: someone who belongs to another or is in his service. It can be a slave, a worker or a high official of the king; before God, one who serves him. "Your servant" is a polite way to say "I".
- אֱלֹהֵיelohe· Elohim, God, gods
The Hebrew word usually translated "God". This translation keeps "Elohim" when it speaks of the one true God, the Creator, the God of Israel. The word ends like a plural, but it does not mean several: for him the verb is singular ("Elohim created"); the plural form expresses greatness. The same word as a common noun names the "gods" of other peoples, and there it is a true plural, translated "gods". It is also used of mighty ones or judges.
- יֵּבְךְּyevk· weep
Weep, cry; mourn for someone.
- דַבְּרָdabra· speak
Speak, talk, say; also promise or command.
- יֵּלְכוּyelchu· go, walk
Go, walk, depart; in the causative form, lead or bring.
- יִּפְּלוּyiplu· fall
Fall; also fall upon (attack), lie down, desert to someone. In the causative form, "make fall", throw down, cast (lots).
- תִּירָאוּtirau· fear
Fear. It can be fright before a danger or deep reverence before God ("fear YHWH"). In some forms, be fearsome, awesome.
- חֲשַׁבְתֶּםchashavtem· think, count, devise
Think, consider; count something as something else ("count as", "credit as"). Also devise, design, plan, often evil: "the work of a skilled craftsman" is, literally, "the work of one who designs".
- טֹבָהtova· good
Good in the widest sense: pleasant, beautiful, useful, right, of good quality. As a noun, "good", "good things", "well-being".
- עֲשֹׂהaso· do, make
Do, make, in the widest sense: build, produce, carry out, keep (a command), prepare.
- יּוֹםyom· day
Day: the hours of light, or a whole day from one evening to the next. Also an indefinite time or age ("in the day that...", "in those days").
- הַחֲיֹתhachayot· live
Live, have life; recover. In the causative form, give life, keep alive, revive.
- עַםam· people
People: a human group joined by kinship, history and destiny. "My people", said by God, is Israel. Also the people as a crowd, or troops.
- רָבrav· many, great
Many, much, abundant, great; also "elder" or "chief".
- אֲכַלְכֵּלachalkel· provide for
Sustain, provide someone with what he needs to live; also hold, contain.
- טַפְּtap· little ones
Little ones: the children of a family.
- יְנַחֵםyenachem· relent, be sorry, comfort
A verb of deep feeling, with two uses: "comfort" someone, and "be sorry" for something or "relent". Said of God, it expresses his grief at evil or that he does not carry out a punishment he had announced; not that he had made a mistake (compare Numbers 23:19).
- לִבָּliba· heart
Heart. In Hebrew it is not only the place of feelings: it is the center of the person, where one thinks, decides and wills; also the middle of something.