Genesis 42 · Verse 20

Genesis 42:20

But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.
Genesis 42:20, King James Version

Genesis 42:20 in other translations

BSBThen bring your youngest brother to me so that your words can be verified, that you may not die.” And to this they consented.
WEBBring your youngest brother to me; so will your words be verified, and you won’t die.” They did so.
ASVand bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.
YLTand your young brother ye bring unto me, and your words are established, and ye die not;' and they do so.
DARBYand bring your youngest brother to me, in order that your words be verified, and that ye may not die. And they did so.
BBEAnd come back to me with your youngest brother, so that your words may be seen to be true, and you will not be put to death. This is what you are to do.
WebsterBut bring your youngest brother to me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.

What does Genesis 42:20 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 42:17-24

17-24. put them ... into ward three days--Their confinement had been designed to bring them to salutary reflection. And this object was attained, for they looked upon the retributive justice of God as now pursuing them in that foreign land. The drift of their conversation is one of the most striking instances on record of the power of conscience [Ge 42:21, 22].

Read the full comment on Genesis 42:17-24 →

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Genesis 42:7-20

Joseph was hard upon his brethren, not from a spirit of revenge, but to bring them to repentance. Not seeing his brother Benjamin, he suspected that they had made away with him, and he gave them occasion to speak of their father and brother. God, in his providence, sometimes seems harsh with those he loves, and speaks roughly to those for whom yet he has great mercy in store. Joseph settled at last, that one of them…

Read the full comment on Genesis 42:7-20 →

Genesis 42:20 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְאֶת\־ve.'Etand <obj.>H853
אֲחִיכֶ֤ם'a.chi.Khembrother yourH251
הַקָּטֹן֙ha.ka.Ton<the> youngH6996
תָּבִ֣יאוּta.Vi.'uyou will bringH935
אֵלַ֔י'e.Laito meH413
וְיֵאָמְנ֥וּve.ye.'a.me.Nuso they may be verifiedH539
דִבְרֵיכֶ֖םdiv.rei.Khemwords yourH1697
וְלֹ֣אve.Lo'and notH3808
תָמ֑וּתוּta.Mu.tuyou will dieH4191
וַיַּעֲשׂוּ\־vai.ya.'a.su-and they didH6213
כֵֽן\׃KhensoH3651

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Genesis 42:20

  • Genesis 42:34

    And bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffick in the land.

  • Genesis 43:5

    But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down: for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.

  • Genesis 44:23

    And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more.

  • Genesis 42:15

    Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither.

  • John 2:5

    His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.

  • Genesis 43:19

    And they came near to the steward of Joseph’s house, and they communed with him at the door of the house,

  • Genesis 42:26

    And they laded their asses with the corn, and departed thence.

  • Genesis 6:22

    Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
bring.
15,34; 43:5,19; 44:23
And they.
26; 6:22; Joh 2:5

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Genesis 42:19

    If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses:

  • Genesis 42:20

    But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.

  • 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 would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.

Read all of Genesis 42

Genesis 42:20 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Pero habéis de traerme á vuestro hermano menor, y serán verificadas vuestras palabras, y no moriréis. Y ellos lo hicieron así.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		et amenez-moi le plus jeune de vos frères, et vos paroles se trouveront vraies; et vous ne mourrez pas. Et ils firent ainsi.
German
Elberfelder 1871		und euren jüngsten Bruder sollt ihr zu mir bringen, daß eure Worte sich bewähren, und ihr nicht sterbet. Und sie taten also.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		et fratrem vestrum minimum ad me adducite, ut possim vestros probare sermones, et non moriamini. Fecerunt ut dixerat,