Genesis 42:21
Strong's Lexicon
Then they said
וַיֹּאמְר֞וּ (way·yō·mə·rū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's Hebrew 559: 1) to say, speak, utter 1a) (Qal) to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend 1b) (Niphal) to be told, to be said, to be called 1c) (Hithpael) to boast, to act proudly 1d) (Hiphil) to avow, to avouch

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's Hebrew 413: 1) to, toward, unto (of motion) 2) into (limit is actually entered) 2a) in among 3) toward (of direction, not necessarily physical motion) 4) against (motion or direction of a hostile character) 5) in addition to, to 6) concerning, in regard to, in reference to, on account of 7) according to (rule or standard) 8) at, by, against (of one's presence) 9) in between, in within, to within, unto (idea of motion to)

one
אִ֣ישׁ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew 376: 1) man 1a) man, male (in contrast to woman, female) 1b) husband 1c) human being, person (in contrast to God) 1d) servant 1e) mankind 1f) champion 1g) great man 2) whosoever 3) each (adjective)

another,
אָחִ֗יו (’ā·ḥîw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew 251: 1) brother 1a) brother of same parents 1b) half-brother (same father) 1c) relative, kinship, same tribe 1d) each to the other (reciprocal relationship) 1e) (fig.) of resemblance

“Surely
אֲבָל֮ (’ă·ḇāl)
Adverb
Strong's Hebrew 61: 1) truly, verily, surely 2) but, however, howbeit 3) contrariwise, nay rather (neg.)

we
אֲנַחְנוּ֮ (’ă·naḥ·nū)
Pronoun - first person common plural
Strong's Hebrew 587: 1) we (first pers. pl. -usually used for emphasis)

are being punished
אֲשֵׁמִ֣ים ׀ (’ă·šê·mîm)
Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's Hebrew 818: 1) guilty, faulty (and obliged to offer a guilt-offering)

because of
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's Hebrew 5921: prep 1) upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against 1a) upon, on the ground of, on the basis of, on account of, because of, therefore, on behalf of, for the sake of, for, with, in spite of, notwithstanding, concerning, in the matter of, as regards 1b) above, beyond, over (of excess) 1c) above, over (of elevation or pre-eminence) 1d) upon, to, over to, unto, in addition to, together with, with (of addition) 1e) over (of suspension or extension) 1f) by, adjoining, next, at, over, around (of contiguity or proximity) 1g) down upon, upon, on, from, up upon, up to, towards, over towards, to, against (with verbs of motion) 1h) to (as a dative) conj 2) because that, because, notwithstanding, although

our brother.
אָחִינוּ֒ (’ā·ḥî·nū)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common plural
Strong's Hebrew 251: 1) brother 1a) brother of same parents 1b) half-brother (same father) 1c) relative, kinship, same tribe 1d) each to the other (reciprocal relationship) 1e) (fig.) of resemblance

אֲשֶׁ֨ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's Hebrew 834: 1) (relative part.) 1a) which, who 1b) that which 2) (conj) 2a) that (in obj clause) 2b) when 2c) since 2d) as 2e) conditional if

We saw
רָאִ֜ינוּ (rā·’î·nū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common plural
Strong's Hebrew 7200: 1) to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to see 1a2) to see, perceive 1a3) to see, have vision 1a4) to look at, see, regard, look after, see after, learn about, observe, watch, look upon, look out, find out 1a5) to see, observe, consider, look at, give attention to, discern, distinguish 1a6) to look at, gaze at 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to appear, present oneself 1b2) to be seen 1b3) to be visible 1c) (Pual) to be seen 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to cause to see, show 1d2) to cause to look intently at, behold, cause to gaze at 1e) (Hophal) 1e1) to be caused to see, be shown 1e2) to be exhibited to 1f) (Hithpael) to look at each other, face

his
נַפְשׁ֛וֹ (nap̄·šōw)
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew 5315: 1) soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion 1a) that which breathes, the breathing substance or being, soul, the inner being of man 1b) living being 1c) living being (with life in the blood) 1d) the man himself, self, person or individual 1e) seat of the appetites 1f) seat of emotions and passions 1g) activity of mind 1g1) dubious 1h) activity of the will 1h1) dubious 1i) activity of the character 1i1) dubious

anguish
צָרַ֥ת (ṣā·raṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's Hebrew 6869: 1) straits, distress, trouble 2) vexer, rival wife

when he pleaded
בְּהִתְחַֽנְנ֥וֹ (bə·hiṯ·ḥan·nōw)
Preposition-b | Verb - Hitpael - Infinitive construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew 2603: 1) to be gracious, show favour, pity 1a) (Qal) to show favour, be gracious 1b) (Niphal) to be pitied 1c) (Piel) to make gracious, make favourable, be gracious 1d) (Poel) to direct favour to, have mercy on 1e) (Hophal) to be shown favour, be shown consideration 1f) (Hithpael) to seek favour, implore favour 2) to be loathsome

with us,
אֵלֵ֖ינוּ (’ê·lê·nū)
Preposition | first person common plural
Strong's Hebrew 413: 1) to, toward, unto (of motion) 2) into (limit is actually entered) 2a) in among 3) toward (of direction, not necessarily physical motion) 4) against (motion or direction of a hostile character) 5) in addition to, to 6) concerning, in regard to, in reference to, on account of 7) according to (rule or standard) 8) at, by, against (of one's presence) 9) in between, in within, to within, unto (idea of motion to)

but we would not
וְלֹ֣א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's Hebrew 3808: 1) not, no 1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition) 1b) not (with modifier-negation) 1c) nothing (subst) 1d) without (with particle) 1e) before (of time)

listen.
שָׁמָ֑עְנוּ (šā·mā·‘ə·nū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common plural
Strong's Hebrew 8085: v 1) to hear, listen to, obey 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to hear (perceive by ear) 1a2) to hear of or concerning 1a3) to hear (have power to hear) 1a4) to hear with attention or interest, listen to 1a5) to understand (language) 1a6) to hear (of judicial cases) 1a7) to listen, give heed 1a7a) to consent, agree 1a7b) to grant request 1a8) to listen to, yield to 1a9) to obey, be obedient 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be heard (of voice or sound) 1b2) to be heard of 1b3) to be regarded, be obeyed 1c) (Piel) to cause to hear, call to hear, summon 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to cause to hear, tell, proclaim, utter a sound 1d2) to sound aloud (musical term) 1d3) to make proclamation, summon 1d4) to cause to be heard n m 2) sound

That is why
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's Hebrew 5921: prep 1) upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against 1a) upon, on the ground of, on the basis of, on account of, because of, therefore, on behalf of, for the sake of, for, with, in spite of, notwithstanding, concerning, in the matter of, as regards 1b) above, beyond, over (of excess) 1c) above, over (of elevation or pre-eminence) 1d) upon, to, over to, unto, in addition to, together with, with (of addition) 1e) over (of suspension or extension) 1f) by, adjoining, next, at, over, around (of contiguity or proximity) 1g) down upon, upon, on, from, up upon, up to, towards, over towards, to, against (with verbs of motion) 1h) to (as a dative) conj 2) because that, because, notwithstanding, although

כֵּן֙ (kên)
Adverb
Strong's Hebrew 3651: adv 1) so, therefore, thus 1a) thus, so 1b) just so 1c) therefore 1d) so...as (paired with adv) 1e) then 1f) forasmuch as (in phrase) 1g) (with prep) 1g1) therefore, this being so (specific) 1g2) hitherto 1g3) therefore, on this ground (general) 1g4) afterwards 1g5) in such case adj 2) right, just, honest, true, veritable 2a) right, just, honest 2b) correct 2c) true, veritable 2d) true!, right!, correct! (in assent)

this
הַזֹּֽאת׃ (haz·zōṯ)
Article | Pronoun - feminine singular
Strong's Hebrew 2063: 1) this, this one, here, which, this...that, the one...the other, such 1a) (alone) 1a1) this one 1a2) this...that, the one...the other, another 1b) (appos to subst) 1b1) this 1c) (as predicate) 1c1) this, such 1d) (enclitically) 1d1) then 1d2) who, whom 1d3) how now, what now 1d4) what now 1d5) wherefore now 1d6) behold here 1d7) just now 1d8) now, now already 1e) (poetry) 1e1) wherein, which, those who 1f) (with prefixes) 1f1) in this (place) here, then 1f2) on these conditions, herewith, thus provided, by, through this, for this cause, in this matter 1f3) thus and thus 1f4) as follows, things such as these, accordingly, to that effect, in like manner, thus and thus 1f5) from here, hence, on one side...on the other side 1f6) on this account 1f7) in spite of this, which, whence, how

distress
הַצָּרָ֖ה (haṣ·ṣā·rāh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's Hebrew 6869: 1) straits, distress, trouble 2) vexer, rival wife

has come
בָּ֣אָה (bā·’āh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's Hebrew 935: 1) to go in, enter, come, go, come in 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to enter, come in 1a2) to come 1a2a) to come with 1a2b) to come upon, fall or light upon, attack (enemy) 1a2c) to come to pass 1a3) to attain to 1a4) to be enumerated 1a5) to go 1b) (Hiphil) 1b1) to lead in 1b2) to carry in 1b3) to bring in, cause to come in, gather, cause to come, bring near, bring against, bring upon 1b4) to bring to pass 1c) (Hophal) 1c1) to be brought, brought in 1c2) to be introduced, be put

upon us.”
אֵלֵ֔ינוּ (’ê·lê·nū)
Preposition | first person common plural
Strong's Hebrew 413: 1) to, toward, unto (of motion) 2) into (limit is actually entered) 2a) in among 3) toward (of direction, not necessarily physical motion) 4) against (motion or direction of a hostile character) 5) in addition to, to 6) concerning, in regard to, in reference to, on account of 7) according to (rule or standard) 8) at, by, against (of one's presence) 9) in between, in within, to within, unto (idea of motion to)

Parallel Strong's
Berean Study Bible
Then they said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw his anguish when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.”

Young's Literal Translation
And they say one unto another, ‘Verily we [are] guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul, in his making supplication unto us, and we did not hearken: therefore hath this distress come upon us.’

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then they said to each other, “ Obviously, we are being punished for what we did to our brother. We saw his deep distress when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this trouble has come to us.”

New American Standard Bible
Then they said to one another, "Truly we are guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen; therefore this distress has come upon us."

King James Bible
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.
Parallel Verses
New International Version
They said to one another, "Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that's why this distress has come on us."

New Living Translation
Speaking among themselves, they said, "Clearly we are being punished because of what we did to Joseph long ago. We saw his anguish when he pleaded for his life, but we wouldn't listen. That's why we're in this trouble."

English Standard Version
Then they said to one another, “In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.”

New American Standard Bible
Then they said to one another, "Truly we are guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen; therefore this distress has come upon us."

King James Bible
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.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then they said to each other, "Obviously, we are being punished for what we did to our brother. We saw his deep distress when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this trouble has come to us."

International Standard Version
"We're all guilty because of what we did to our brother!" they told each other. "We kept on watching his suffering while he pleaded with us! We're in this mess because we wouldn't listen!"

NET Bible
They said to one other, "Surely we're being punished because of our brother, because we saw how distressed he was when he cried to us for mercy, but we refused to listen. That is why this distress has come on us!"

American Standard Version
And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.

English Revised Version
And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.

Young's Literal Translation
And they say one unto another, 'Verily we are guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul, in his making supplication unto us, and we did not hearken: therefore hath this distress come upon us.'
















Cross References
Genesis 37:26
And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?

Genesis 37:27
Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.

Genesis 45:3
And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence.

Genesis 50:15
And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him.

Hosea 5:15
I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

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 42:19
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 42:18
And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God:

Genesis 42:22
And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required.

Genesis 42:23
And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter.
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