Genesis 42:6
New International Version
Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the person who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.

New Living Translation
Since Joseph was governor of all Egypt and in charge of selling grain to all the people, it was to him that his brothers came. When they arrived, they bowed before him with their faces to the ground.

English Standard Version
Now Joseph was governor over the land. He was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground.

Berean Standard Bible
Now 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.

King James Bible
And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.

New King James Version
Now Joseph was governor over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the earth.

New American Standard Bible
Now Joseph was the ruler over the land; he was the one who sold grain to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.

NASB 1995
Now Joseph was the ruler over the land; he was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.

NASB 1977
Now Joseph was the ruler over the land; he was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now Joseph was the one in power over the land; he was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.

Amplified Bible
Now Joseph was the ruler over the land, and he was the one who sold [grain] to all the people of the land; and Joseph’s [half] brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the ground.

Christian Standard Bible
Joseph was in charge of the country; he sold grain to all its people. His brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the ground.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Joseph was in charge of the country; he sold grain to all its people. His brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the ground.

American Standard Version
And Joseph was the governor over the land; he it was that sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down themselves to him with their faces to the earth.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And Yoseph was authorized over the land, and he sold to all the people of the land and the brothers of Yoseph came and bowed down to him on their faces on the ground.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Joseph was ruler of the land; he sold to all the people of the land. And the brethren of Joseph, having come, did reverence to him, bowing with the face to the ground.

Contemporary English Version
Since Joseph was governor of Egypt and in charge of selling grain, his brothers came to him and bowed with their faces to the ground.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And Joseph was governor in the land of Egypt, and corn was sold by his direction to the people. And when his brethren had bowed down to him,

English Revised Version
And Joseph was the governor over the land; he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down themselves to him with their faces to the earth.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
As governor of the country, Joseph was selling grain to everyone. So when Joseph's brothers arrived, they bowed in front of him with their faces touching the ground.

Good News Translation
Joseph, as governor of the land of Egypt, was selling grain to people from all over the world. So Joseph's brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the ground.

International Standard Version
Meanwhile, Joseph continued to be ruler over the land, in charge of selling to everyone in the land. Joseph's brothers appeared and bowed down to him, face down.

JPS Tanakh 1917
And Joseph was the governor over the land; he it was that sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down to him with their faces to the earth.

Literal Standard Version
and Joseph is the ruler over the land, he who is selling to all the people of the land, and Joseph’s brothers come and bow themselves to him—face to the earth.

Majority Standard Bible
Now 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.

New American Bible
Joseph, as governor of the country, was the one who sold grain to all the people of the land. When Joseph’s brothers came, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.

NET Bible
Now Joseph was the ruler of the country, the one who sold grain to all the people of the country. Joseph's brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the ground.

New Revised Standard Version
Now Joseph was governor over the land; it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground.

New Heart English Bible
Now Joseph was the ruler over the country, and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. Joseph�s brothers came and bowed themselves down to him with their faces to the ground.

Webster's Bible Translation
And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph's brethren came, and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the earth.

World English Bible
Joseph was the governor over the land. It was he who sold to all the people of the land. Joseph’s brothers came, and bowed themselves down to him with their faces to the earth.

Young's Literal Translation
and Joseph is the ruler over the land, he who is selling to all the people of the land, and Joseph's brethren come and bow themselves to him -- face to the earth.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Joseph's Brothers Sent to Egypt
5So the sons of Israel were among those who came to buy grain, since the famine had also spread to the land of Canaan. 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. 7And when Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them as strangers and spoke harshly to them. “Where have you come from?” he asked. “From the land of Canaan,” they replied. “We are here to buy food.”…

Cross References
Genesis 33:3
But Jacob himself went on ahead and bowed to the ground seven times as he approached his brother.

Genesis 37:7
We 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."

Genesis 41:41
Pharaoh also told Joseph, "I hereby place you over all the land of Egypt."

Genesis 41:43
He had Joseph ride in his second chariot, with men calling out before him, "Bow the knee!" So he placed him over all the land of Egypt.

Genesis 41:55
When extreme hunger came to all the land of Egypt and the people cried out to Pharaoh for food, he told all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you."

Genesis 48:12
Then Joseph removed his sons from his father's knees and bowed facedown.

1 Samuel 20:41
When the young man had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone, fell facedown, and bowed three times. Then he and Jonathan kissed each other and wept together--though David wept more.


Treasury of Scripture

And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph's brothers came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.

governor.

Genesis 41:40,41
Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou…

Genesis 45:8,26
So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt…

Psalm 105:16-21
Moreover he called for a famine upon the land: he brake the whole staff of bread…

he it was.

Genesis 41:55,56
And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do…

bowed.

Genesis 18:2
And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,

Genesis 19:1
And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;

Genesis 37:7,9
For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf…

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Arrived Bow Bowed Corn Earth Faces Governor Grain Ground Joseph Joseph's Ruler Selling Sold Themselves
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Arrived Bow Bowed Corn Earth Faces Governor Grain Ground Joseph Joseph's Ruler Selling Sold Themselves
Genesis 42
1. Jacob sends his ten sons to buy grain in Egypt.
16. They are imprisoned by Joseph as spies.
18. They are set at liberty, on condition to bring Benjamin.
21. They have remorse for Joseph.
24. Simeon is kept for a pledge.
25. They return with grain, and their money.
29. Their relation to Jacob.
36. Jacob refuses to send Benjamin.














(6) Joseph's brethren came and bowed down themselves before him.--Throughout the land of Egypt Joseph would sell by deputy, and only give general directions; but the arrival of so large a party as Joseph's ten brethren, each probably with several attendants, would be reported to the governor in person, as certainly was the case with Abraham when he went into Egypt (Genesis 12:14-15). Such visits would happen only occasionally, and the arrival of foreigners was always a matter looked upon with suspicion, especially upon the Arabian frontier.

Verse 6. - And Joseph was the governor over the land. The word שָׁלִּיט from שָׁלַט, to rule, describes one invested with despotic authority, or a sultan (Gesenius), in which character the early Shemites appear to have regarded Joseph (Keil). It is probably the same idea which recurs in the name Salatis, which, according to Manetho, belonged to the first of the shepherd kings (Josephus, 'Contra Apionem,' 1:14). Occurring nowhere else in the Pentateuch, it reappears in the later writings of Ecclesiastes (Ecclesiastes 7:10; 10:5), Ezra (Ezra 4:20; 7:24), Daniel (Daniel 2:15; 5:29), which, however, need not suggest an exilian or post-exilian authorship, but may be explained by the fact that the root is found equally in the Arabic and Aramaean dialects (Keil). And he it was that sold to all the people of the land. Not conducted the retail corn trade (Tuch, Oort, Kuenen), which was assigned to subordinates (ver. 25; Genesis 44:1), but presided over the general market of the kingdom (Murphy), probably fixing the price at which the grain should be sold, determining the quantities to be allowed to purchasers, and examining the companies of foreigners who came to buy (Rosenmüller, Havernick, Lange, Gerlach). And Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth. And so fulfilled his early dream in Shechem (Genesis 37:7, 8).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Now Joseph
וְיוֹסֵ֗ף (wə·yō·w·sêp̄)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3130: Joseph -- 'he increases', a son of Jacob, also the name of several Israelites

was the ruler
הַשַּׁלִּ֣יט (haš·šal·lîṭ)
Article | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7989: Having mastery, domineering

of
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the land,
הָאָ֔רֶץ (hā·’ā·reṣ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

who
ה֥וּא (hū)
Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

sold grain
הַמַּשְׁבִּ֖יר (ham·maš·bîr)
Article | Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 7666: To deal in grain

to all
לְכָל־ (lə·ḵāl)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

its
הָאָ֑רֶץ (hā·’ā·reṣ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

people.
עַ֣ם (‘am)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

So when [his]
יוֹסֵ֔ף (yō·w·sêp̄)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3130: Joseph -- 'he increases', a son of Jacob, also the name of several Israelites

brothers
אֲחֵ֣י (’ă·ḥê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 251: A brother, )

arrived,
וַיָּבֹ֙אוּ֙ (way·yā·ḇō·’ū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

they bowed down
וַיִּשְׁתַּֽחֲווּ־ (way·yiš·ta·ḥă·wū-)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hitpael - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 7812: To depress, prostrate

before him
ל֥וֹ (lōw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew

with their faces
אַפַּ֖יִם (’ap·pa·yim)
Noun - md
Strong's 639: The nose, nostril, the face, a person, ire

to the ground.
אָֽרְצָה׃ (’ā·rə·ṣāh)
Noun - feminine singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land


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OT Law: Genesis 42:6 Joseph was the governor over the land (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 42:5
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