Genesis 42:38

KJV1611 – Modern English

And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he alone is left: if harm befalls him on the journey in which you go, then you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וַיֹּ֕אמֶר לֹֽא־יֵרֵ֥ד בְּנִ֖י עִמָּכֶ֑ם כִּֽי־אָחִ֨יו מֵ֜ת וְה֧וּא לְבַדּ֣וֹ נִשְׁאָ֗ר וּקְרָאָ֤הוּ אָסוֹן֙ בַּדֶּ֙רֶךְ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר תֵּֽלְכוּ־בָ֔הּ וְהוֹרַדְתֶּ֧ם אֶת־שֵׂיבָתִ֛י בְּיָג֖וֹן שְׁאֽוֹלָה׃

Transliteration

And wə-yōʾmer not yēreḏ my son with you; for his brother is mēṯ and he alone nišʾār, and qərāʾāhû ʾāsôn in the děrěḵ which you will tēlḵû in it, and you will wəhôraḏtěm ʾěṯ my śêḇāṯî in yāḡôn to šəʾôlāh.

Grammar Details

• *wə-yōʾmer*: waw consecutive + imperfect, 3rd masculine singular - and he said
• *yēreḏ*: qal imperfect, 3rd masculine singular - he will go down
• *mēṯ*: qal perfect, 3rd masculine singular - he died/is dead
• *nišʾār*: niphal perfect, 3rd masculine singular - he is left/remained
• *qərāʾāhû*: qal perfect, 3rd masculine singular + 3rd masculine singular suffix - it will meet/befall him
• *ʾāsôn*: noun, masculine singular - harm/calamity/disaster
• *děrěḵ*: noun, feminine singular - way/road/journey
• *tēlḵû*: qal imperfect, 2nd masculine plural - you will go/walk
• *wəhôraḏtěm*: waw consecutive + hiphil perfect, 2nd masculine plural - and you will bring down
• *ʾěṯ*: direct object marker
• *śêḇāṯî*: noun, feminine singular + 1st common singular suffix - my gray hair/old age
• *yāḡôn*: noun, masculine singular - sorrow/grief
• *šəʾôlāh*: noun, feminine singular + directional hey - to Sheol/the grave

Word Meanings

• *lōʾ-yēreḏ*: he shall not go down/will not go/must not go
• *mēṯ*: is dead/has died/passed away
• *ləḇaddô*: by himself/alone/only him
• *nišʾār*: is left/has remained/is the only one left
• *qərāʾāhû ʾāsôn*: harm will befall him/disaster will strike him/calamity will happen to him
• *wəhôraḏtěm*: you will bring down/send down/cause to descend
• *śêḇāṯî*: my gray hair/my old age/me in my old age
• *bəyāḡôn*: in sorrow/with grief/mourning
• *šəʾôlāh*: to Sheol/to the grave/to the realm of the dead

Other Translations

• Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

  But Jacob said, 'My son will not go down there with you, for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow.'

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he only is left: if harm befall him by the way in which ye go, then will ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.

• Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)

  And he sayde: my sonne shall not go downe with you. For his brother is dead and he is left alone Moreouer some mysfortune myght happen vpon him by the waye which ye goo. And so shuld ye brynge my gray head with sorowe vnto the graue.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  He sayde: my sonne shal not go downe with you: for his brother is deed, and he is left alone. Yf eny mysfortune shulde happen vnto him by the waye yt ye go, ye shulde bringe my graye hayre with sorowe downe vnto the graue.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  But he sayd, My sonne shall not go downe with you: for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if death come vnto him by the way which ye goe, then ye shall bring my gray head with sorow vnto the graue.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  And he said: My sonne shall not go downe with you, for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if destruction come vpon hym by the way whiche ye go, ye shall bring my gray head with sorowe vnto the graue.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  He said, "My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he only is left. If harm happens to him by the way in which you go, then you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol."

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  and he saith, `My son doth not go down with you, for his brother `is' dead, and he by himself is left; when mischief hath met him in the way in which ye go, then ye have brought down my grey hairs in sorrow to sheol.'

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he only is left: if harm befall him by the way in which ye go, then will ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he only is left: if harm befall him by the way in which ye go, then will ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  And he said, I will not let my son go down with you; for his brother is dead and he is all I have: if evil overtakes him on the journey, then through you will my grey head go down to the underworld in sorrow.

• World English Bible (2000)

  He said, "My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he only is left. If harm happens to him along the way in which you go, then you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol."

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  But Jacob replied,“My son will not go down there with you, for his brother is dead and he alone is left. If an accident happens to him on the journey you have to make, then you will bring down my gray hair in sorrow to the grave.”

Referenced Verses

• Gen 37:35 : 35 And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave mourning my son. Thus his father wept for him.
• Gen 42:4 : 4 But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob did not send with his brothers; for he said, Lest perhaps harm befall him.
• Gen 37:33 : 33 And he knew it, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast has devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces.
• Gen 42:13 : 13 And they said, Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is no more.
• Gen 35:16-18 : 16 And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was only a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel was in labor, and she had hard labor. 17 And it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her, Do not fear; you shall have this son also. 18 And it came to pass, as her soul was departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin.
• Gen 30:22-24 : 22 God remembered Rachel, listened to her, and opened her womb. 23 She conceived and bore a son and said, "God has taken away my reproach." 24 She named him Joseph and said, "The LORD shall add to me another son."
• Gen 44:20 : 20 And we said to my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him.
• Gen 44:27-34 : 27 And your servant my father said to us, You know that my wife bore me two sons: 28 And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I have not seen him since: 29 And if you take this also from me, and harm befalls him, you shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. 30 Now therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life; 31 It shall come to pass, when he sees that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and your servants shall bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to the grave. 32 For your servant became a guarantee for the lad to my father, saying, If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame to my father forever. 33 Now therefore, I pray you, let your servant stay instead of the lad as a slave to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brothers. 34 For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad is not with me? lest perhaps I see the evil that shall come upon my father.
• 1 Kgs 2:6 : 6 Do therefore according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace.
• Ps 71:18 : 18 Now also when I am old and gray-headed, O God, do not forsake me, until I have shown your strength to this generation, and your power to everyone that is to come.
• Ps 90:10 : 10 The days of our years are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their strength is labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
• Eccl 1:14 : 14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and a striving after wind.
• Eccl 2:26 : 26 For God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to the man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and collecting, only to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.
• Isa 38:10 : 10 I said in the prime of my days, I shall go to the gates of Sheol: I am deprived of the rest of my years.
• Isa 46:4 : 4 Even to your old age I am he; and even to gray hairs I will carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.