Genesis 44:34
New International Version
How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come on my father.”

New Living Translation
For how can I return to my father if the boy is not with me? I couldn’t bear to see the anguish this would cause my father!”

English Standard Version
For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I fear to see the evil that would find my father.”

Berean Standard Bible
For how can I go back to my father without the boy? I could not bear to see the misery that would overwhelm him.”

King James Bible
For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father.

New King James Version
For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me, lest perhaps I see the evil that would come upon my father?”

New American Standard Bible
For how shall I go up to my father if the boy is not with me? I fear that I may see the evil that would overtake my father.”

NASB 1995
“For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me— for fear that I see the evil that would overtake my father?”

NASB 1977
“For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me, lest I see the evil that would overtake my father?”

Legacy Standard Bible
For how shall I go up to my father if the boy is not with me, lest I see the evil that would overtake my father?”

Amplified Bible
How can I go up to my father if the young man is not with me—for fear that I would see the tragedy that would overtake my [elderly] father [if Benjamin does not return]?”

Christian Standard Bible
For how can I go back to my father without the boy? I could not bear to see the grief that would overwhelm my father.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
For how can I go back to my father without the boy? I could not bear to see the grief that would overwhelm my father.”

American Standard Version
For how shall I go up to my father, if the lad be not with me? lest I see the evil that shall come on my father.

Contemporary English Version
How can I face my father if Benjamin isn't with me? I couldn't bear to see my father in such sorrow.

English Revised Version
For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest I see the evil that shall come on my father.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
How could I go back to my father if the boy isn't with me? I couldn't bear to see my father's misery!"

Good News Translation
How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I cannot bear to see this disaster come upon my father."

International Standard Version
After all, how can I go back to my father if the young man doesn't accompany me? I'm afraid of what might happen to my father."

Majority Standard Bible
For how can I go back to my father without the boy? I could not bear to see the misery that would overwhelm him.”

NET Bible
For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I couldn't bear to see my father's pain."

New Heart English Bible
For how will I go up to my father if the boy isn’t with me? I could not bear to see the misery that would come on my father."

Webster's Bible Translation
For how shall I return to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest perhaps I see the evil that shall come on my father.

World English Bible
For how will I go up to my father, if the boy isn’t with me?—lest I see the evil that will come on my father.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
for how do I go up to my father, and the youth not with me? Lest I look on the evil which finds my father.”

Young's Literal Translation
for how do I go up unto my father, and the youth not with me? lest I look on the evil which doth find my father.'

Smith's Literal Translation
For how shall I go up to my father and the youth not with me? lest I shall look upon the evil which shall find my father.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
For I cannot return to my father without the boy, lest I be a witness of the calamity that will oppress my father.

Catholic Public Domain Version
For I cannot return to my father without the boy, lest I appear as a witness to the calamity that will oppress my father.”

New American Bible
How could I go back to my father if the boy were not with me? I could not bear to see the anguish that would overcome my father.”

New Revised Standard Version
For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I fear to see the suffering that would come upon my father.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
For how can I go up to my father, if the lad is not with me? Lest I see the misfortune which will come on my father.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
For how shall I go up to my father and the boy not be with me, lest I shall see the evil that will happen to my father?”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
For how shall I go up to my father, if the lad be not with me? lest I look upon the evil that shall come on my father.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For how shall I go up to my father, the lad not being with us? lest I behold the evils which will befall my father.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Judah Pleads for Benjamin
33Now please let your servant stay here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy. Let him return with his brothers. 34For how can I go back to my father without the boy? I could not bear to see the misery that would overwhelm him.”

Cross References
Genesis 37:33-35
His father recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! A vicious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!” / Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days. / All his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said. “I will go down to Sheol mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him.

Genesis 42:36-38
Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my sons. Joseph is gone and Simeon is no more. Now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is going against me!” / Then Reuben said to his father, “You may kill my two sons if I fail to bring him back to you. Put him in my care, and I will return him.” / But Jacob replied, “My son will not go down there with you, for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If any harm comes to him on your journey, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.”

Genesis 43:8-9
And Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me, and we will go at once, so that we may live and not die—neither we, nor you, nor our children. / I will guarantee his safety. You may hold me personally responsible. If I do not bring him back and set him before you, then may I bear the guilt before you all my life.

Genesis 45:28
“Enough!” declared Israel. “My son Joseph is still alive! I will go to see him before I die.”

Genesis 46:29-30
Joseph prepared his chariot and went there to meet his father Israel. Joseph presented himself to him, embraced him, and wept profusely. / Then Israel said to Joseph, “Finally I can die, now that I have seen your face and know that you are still alive!”

1 Samuel 18:1-3
After David had finished speaking with Saul, the souls of Jonathan and David were knit together, and Jonathan loved him as himself. / And from that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return to his father’s house. / Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.

1 Samuel 20:41-42
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. / And Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for the two of us have sworn in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘May the LORD be a witness between you and me, and between your descendants and mine forever.’” Then David got up and departed, and Jonathan went back into the city.

2 Samuel 1:26
I grieve for you, Jonathan, my brother. You were delightful to me; your love to me was extraordinary, surpassing the love of women.

2 Samuel 18:33
The king was shaken and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he walked, he cried out, “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”

1 Kings 3:26
Then the woman whose son was alive spoke to the king because she yearned with compassion for her son. “Please, my lord,” she said, “give her the living baby. Do not kill him!” But the other woman said, “He will be neither mine nor yours. Cut him in two!”

Matthew 2:18
“A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”

Matthew 5:4
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Matthew 18:12-14
What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? / And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices more over that one sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. / In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.

Luke 15:20-24
So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still in the distance, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. / The son declared, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ / But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ...

John 11:33-36
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. / “Where have you put him?” He asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they answered. / Jesus wept. ...


Treasury of Scripture

For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father.

lest.

1 Samuel 2:33,34
And the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from mine altar, shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart: and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age…

2 Chronicles 34:28
Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon this place, and upon the inhabitants of the same. So they brought the king word again.

Esther 8:6
For how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?

come on.

Exodus 18:8
And Moses told his father in law all that the LORD had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, and all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the LORD delivered them.

Job 31:29
If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him:

Psalm 116:3
The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.

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Boy Evil Fear Find Me-For Misery Overtake Peradventure Perhaps Youth
Genesis 44
1. Joseph's policy to stay his brothers.
6. The silver cup is found in Benjamin's sack.
14. They are brought before Joseph.
18. Judah's humble supplication to Joseph.














For how can I go back to my father without the boy?
This phrase captures the deep emotional turmoil and sense of responsibility Judah feels. The Hebrew word for "father" is "אָב" (av), which not only denotes a biological parent but also signifies a patriarchal figure, a source of identity and heritage. Judah's plea reflects the weight of familial duty and the cultural importance of honoring one's father. In the ancient Near Eastern context, the family was the central unit of society, and the well-being of the father was paramount. Judah's question is rhetorical, emphasizing the impossibility of returning without Benjamin, as it would mean failing in his duty and breaking his promise to his father, Jacob.

I could not bear to see the misery
The word "misery" in Hebrew is "רָעָה" (ra'ah), which can also be translated as "evil" or "calamity." This term conveys a profound sense of suffering and distress. Judah's statement reveals his empathy and compassion, highlighting the transformation in his character. Historically, Judah had been complicit in selling Joseph into slavery, but here he demonstrates a deep concern for his father's emotional state. This change is significant in the narrative arc of Genesis, illustrating themes of repentance and redemption. Judah's willingness to sacrifice his own freedom for Benjamin's sake marks a pivotal moment in his moral development.

that would overwhelm my father
The phrase "overwhelm my father" uses the Hebrew root "דָּבַר" (dabar), which means "to speak" or "to declare," but in this context, it implies a declaration of overwhelming grief. The imagery suggests a flood of sorrow that would engulf Jacob, underscoring the depth of his potential despair. In the broader scriptural context, Jacob's life has been marked by loss and hardship, from the death of Rachel to the presumed loss of Joseph. Judah's concern for his father's emotional well-being reflects a deep familial bond and a recognition of the cumulative impact of grief. This moment foreshadows the eventual reconciliation and restoration of Jacob's family, aligning with the biblical theme of God's providence and the healing of broken relationships.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
For
כִּי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

how
אֵיךְ֙ (’êḵ)
Interjection
Strong's 349: How?, how!, where

can I go back
אֶֽעֱלֶ֣ה (’e·‘ĕ·leh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 5927: To ascend, in, actively

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

my father
אָבִ֔י (’ā·ḇî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 1: Father

without
אֵינֶ֣נּוּ (’ê·nen·nū)
Adverb | third person masculine singular
Strong's 369: A non-entity, a negative particle

the boy?
וְהַנַּ֖עַר (wə·han·na·‘ar)
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5288: A boy, lad, youth, retainer

I could not bear
פֶּ֚ן (pen)
Conjunction
Strong's 6435: Removal, lest

to see
אֶרְאֶ֣ה (’er·’eh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 7200: To see

the misery
בָרָ֔ע (ḇā·rā‘)
Preposition-b, Article | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7451: Bad, evil

that
אֲשֶׁ֥ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

would overwhelm
יִמְצָ֖א (yim·ṣā)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 4672: To come forth to, appear, exist, to attain, find, acquire, to occur, meet, be present

[him].”
אָבִֽי׃ (’ā·ḇî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 1: Father


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OT Law: Genesis 44:34 For how will I go up (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 44:33
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