Genesis 42:6

At that time, Joseph was in charge of Egypt country, and he was the one that sold food to everybody. So Joseph’s brothers came to him, and they got down on their knees and put their faces near the ground, to show him respect.

Plain English Version

In The King James Version

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.

In Context

5In Egypt country, Jacob’s sons went to buy food, and there were lots of other people from Canaan country there too. You see, there was no rain and no food plants growing anywhere in Canaan, so the Canaan people had to go to Egypt to buy food.

7But they didn’t know that he was their brother Joseph. They thought that he was one of the Egypt people. Joseph looked at those men, and he saw that they were his brothers. But Joseph pretended that he didn’t know them. He talked to them in the Egypt language, and somebody else talked to Joseph’s brothers in their own language and told them the things Joseph said. And Joseph talked in a rough way to them. He said, “Where do you mob come from?” His brothers said, “We come from Canaan country. We want to buy food here in Egypt.”

Read all of Genesis 42

Cross References

Genesis 19:1Later that day, while the sun was going down, those other 2 men walked into the town called Sodom. They were God’s 2 angel messengers. Abraham’s nephew, the man that was called Lot, he was sitting near the town gate, and he saw those men come into the town. So he got up to meet them, and he got down on his knees and put his face near the ground, to show them respect.

Genesis 37:9Later on, Joseph had another dream, and the next day, he told his brothers about his dream. He said to them, “Listen, I had another dream. In my dream, the sun, the moon, and 11 stars, they all bent down in front of me, to show me respect.”

Genesis 41:54Then the 7 dry years started. There was no rain, and the food plants stopped growing. It happened just like Joseph said. The same thing happened in all the other countries around Egypt too. There was no rain and no food plants growing in those countries, so the people in those countries didn’t have enough food. But there was still lots of food in those big sheds in Egypt.

Genesis 44:14Joseph was in his house, and he was waiting for those men to come back. Then those men got to the house. The one called Judah, he went inside the house, and his brothers went inside too. You know, all those men were Joseph’s brothers, but they still didn’t know that he was Joseph. So they quickly got down on their knees and put their faces near the ground, to show him respect.

Genesis 45:26They said to Jacob, “Joseph is not dead. No, he is still alive, and he is in charge of all of Egypt country.” Jacob got a big shock, and he didn’t believe those things that his sons said. You see, he thought that Joseph was dead.

Matthew Henry on Genesis 42:2-7

Jacob Sends to Egypt to Buy Corn. ( b. c. 1706.) 1 Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? 2 And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die. 3 And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt. 4 But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befal him. 5 And the sons of Israel came to… Read the whole commentary →

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Study Genesis 42:6