Preface: Because Judah offers up himself for Benjamin (Genesis 45), Joseph, known to his brothers only as the prime minister of Egypt, can no longer hide his identify from his brothers. He tearfully reveals himself to them, being so moved by Judah’s offer. He explains to them how, despite their actions against him 20+ years ago, God had a purpose in all of it, which purpose is being fulfilled before their very eyes—delivering them and Egypt from the great famine.

Joseph invites his entire family to live with him in Egypt because of the great famine. Pharaoh also order Joseph to send a caravan of ancient world U-Haul’s for his family in Canaan. His brothers return to Canaan to fetch their father Jacob.

There are many chapter commentaries on the book of Genesis. This will be the most extensive examination of Genesis 45, where you will be able to examine in depth every word of the original text. Every attempt has been made to make this both a complete and self-contained study. Therefore, all references, vocabulary, and related concepts should be found within this extensive study. Easy access links to more in-depth studies of some vocabulary words, concepts and doctrines are also provided.

Outline of Chapter 45:

Introduction

         vv.     1–4           Joseph Reveals Who He Is to His Brothers

         vv.     5–8           Joseph Presents the Divine View of Things to His Brothers

         vv.     9–13         Joseph Gives His Brothers Specific Instructions

         vv.    14–15         Brotherly Affection

         vv.    16–20         Pharaoh Invites All of Joseph’s Family to Live in Egypt

         vv.    21–24         Provisions for the Trip Back and the Return Trip

         vv.    25–28         Joseph’s Brothers Tell Their Father That Joseph Is Still Alive

Addendum

Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines:

         Preface               Preface

         Preface               Quotations

         Introduction         The Prequel of Genesis 45

         Introduction         The Principals of Genesis 45

         Introduction         The Places of Genesis 45

         Introduction         The Patriarchal Timeline for Genesis 45

         Introduction         Paragraph Divisions of Modern Translation for Genesis 45 (from Dr. Bob Utley)

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Genesis 45

         Introduction         William Ramey’s Chiasmos of Genesis 45:1–28

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         Chapter Updates

         v. 

         v. 

         v.       1              Joseph Maketh Himself Known to His Brethren (a painting)

         v. 

         v.       4              Joseph Reveals Himself to His Brothers (a graphic)

         v. 

         v.       5              Translating Genesis 45:5b

         v. 

         v. 

         v.       7              Genesis 46:7 (possibly by Pat D) (a graphic)

         v.       7              A Brief Review of Genesis 45:4–7

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         v.      10              Briefly Reviewing Genesis 45:9–10

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         v.      16              A Brief Review of Genesis 45:12–16

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         v. 

         v. 

         v.      19              Genesis 45 from sentimental sara leigh blogspot (a graphic)

         v. 

         v.      20              Apparent Contradiction Between Genesis 45:9–13 and 45:17–20

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         v. 

         v. 

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         v.      23              The Purpose of the Gifts Sent from Egypt

         v. 

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         v. 

         v. 

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         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         v. 

         Summary            A Set of Summary Doctrines and Commentary

         Summary            An Abbreviated Exegesis of Genesis 45

         Summary 

         Summary 

         Summary            Why Genesis 45 is in the Word of God

         Summary            What We Learn from Genesis 45

         Summary            Josephus’ History of this Time Period

         Summary            Edersheim Summarizes Genesis 45

         Summary            B. H. Carroll Summarizes Genesis 45

         Addendum 

         Addendum          Summarizing Genesis 43–45

         Addendum          Hajime Murai’s Chiasmic Structure of Genesis 43–45

         Addendum          Spiritual Lessons from Genesis 43–45

         Addendum          A Complete Translation of Genesis 45

         Addendum          Doctrinal Teachers Who Have Taught Genesis 45

         Addendum          Word Cloud from a Reasonably Literal Paraphrase of Genesis 45

         Addendum          Word Cloud from Exegesis of Genesis 45

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An Introduction to Genesis 45

I ntroduction: In Genesis 45, Joseph reveals himself to his brothers. He did not know if he should up until the last few moments when he saw that Judah was willing to trade the rest of his life for the freedom of Benjamin, who would have appeared to everyone to be in the wrong. However, Judah would be willing to stand in for Benjamin because of his love for Benjamin and their father; and because he had given his word to his father to take full responsibility. This indicated to Joseph that at least one of his brothers had changed considerably since they had sold Joseph into slavery. Furthermore, all the brothers came back with Benjamin, revealing that they were all concerned for Benjamin's welfare and they were presenting a united front. Joseph did not require all of them to return; only Benjamin. The other ten returned out of loyalty to their father and youngest brother.

Judah's honorable gesture moved Joseph to tears and gave him the desire to know his brothers once again. In this chapter, we will sit in on the conversation between Joseph and his brothers (although we will hear primarily from Joseph).

The Patriarchal Timeline for Genesis 45

Just as, there was no simple reason for there to be a chapter break between Genesis 43 and 44; so there is no real reason to break between chapters 44 and 45. All of Joseph’s brothers have returned to his home (presumably) in Egypt; and Judah is speaking directly to Joseph. Right in the middle of their conversation, we start with a new chapter. Actually, Judah has come to the end of what he had to say, and now Joseph will respond to what Judah had to say, which is the beginning of Genesis 45.

There is an organizational break here, which would explain why the chapters are divided in this way. Whoever divided up the chapters (or whatever group did this) considered primarily organization when it comes to most of the final chapters in Genesis (most of the final chapters of Genesis represent a flowing, continuing narrative, not unlike the Flood narrative which was spread over 3 chapters).

In previous chapters of Genesis, there were dramatically different topics because the material which was recorded was primarily episodic. So, many chapters may have been given over to Abraham; but we drop in on his life for an incident, and then, sometimes, many years pass; and we drop in on his life for a separate, often unrelated, incident. So a chapter follows 1 or 2 or 3 incidents in Abraham’s life; and then whoever is making these decisions decides, time for a new chapter. However, we have nearly a continuous narrative for these final 10 or so chapters of Genesis.

The first half of Genesis 43 takes place in Canaan, where the family of Jacob recognize that they are out of food, and that this year will be another bad year for growing crops. So, with quite a bit of discussion, Jacob finally agrees to allow his son, Benjamin, to go down to Egypt with his brothers, as required by the prime minister of Egypt. Genesis 43:1–14

From Genesis 43:15 through Genesis 45:24, the brothers are in Egypt interacting with the prime minister, who is Joseph, their brother (and they do not know it is Joseph). For a brief time, the brothers took their grain and head back to Canaan, but Joseph’s steward went after them, alleging that some one of them took the prime minister’s silver chalice. When the chalice was found with Benjamin, he had to return to Egypt. All of his brothers went back with him (although that was not necessary). Genesis 44:3–14

What appears to be the case is, this extensive, continuous narrative could be broken up into smaller pieces, each of which could be organized into a chiasmos. So, on the one hand, most of the chapter breaks seem arbitrary; and on the other hand, they appear to coincide with the chiasmi which could be applied to each section.

Up to this point in time, Joseph had interacted with his brothers on several occasions, but chose not to reveal his identity to them. Whereas, Joseph demonstrates no animosity toward his brothers; he also is not ready to forge with them a renewed relationship. Through manipulation, Joseph would have kept Benjamin in Egypt; and that would have caused his father to come to Egypt—I have deduced that this is what Joseph wanted. Whether or not that involved his other brothers had not yet been decided.

Let’s review the last couple verses of Genesis 44, which take us into Genesis 45:

Genesis 44:33–34 [Judah is speaking to the prime minister of Egypt, pleading for Benjamin’s freedom]: “And now please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a slave to my lord. And let the boy go up with his brothers. For how will I go up to my father, and the boy is not with me lest perhaps I see the evil that will find my father?”

What Judah did here was completely unexpected; Joseph had no idea that this is the direction that he was going in. It appeared with all the Judah said, that he was going to come to the conclusion, “All of this is your fault, my lord!” But, instead, Judah offers up himself in the place of his brother to serve Joseph as a slave. This caught Joseph by surprise.

——————————

Joseph Reveals Who He Is to His Brothers

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:                       Note: I compare the Hebrew text to English translations of the Latin, Syriac (= Aramaic) and Greek texts, using the Douay-Rheims translation; George Lamsa’s translation, and Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton’s translation as revised and edited by Paul W. Esposito, respectively. I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.). I often use the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible instead of Brenton’s translation, because it updates the English text.

The Septuagint was the earliest known translation of a book (circa 200 b.c.). Since this translation was made before the textual criticism had been developed into a science and because different books appear to be translated by different men, the Greek translation can sometimes be very uneven.

When there are serious disparities between my translation and Brenton’s (or the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible), I look at the Greek text of the Septuagint (the LXX) to see if a substantive difference actually exists (and I reflect these changes in the English rendering of the Greek text). I use the Greek LXX with Strong’s numbers and morphology available for e-sword. The only problem with this resource (which is a problem for similar resources) is, there is no way to further explore Greek verbs which are not found in the New Testament. Although I usually quote the Complete Apostles’ Bible here, I have begun to make changes in the translation when their translation conflicts with the Greek and note what those changes are.

The Masoretic text is the Hebrew text with all of the vowels (vowel points) inserted (the original Hebrew text lacked vowels). We take the Masoretic text to be the text closest to the original. However, differences between the Masoretic text and the Greek, Latin and Syriac are worth noting and, once in a great while, represent a more accurate text possessed by those other ancient translators.

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Bracketed portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls are words, letters and phrases lost in the scroll due to various types of damage. Underlined words or phrases are those in the Dead Sea Scrolls but not in the Masoretic text.

I will only list the translation from the Dead Sea Scrolls if it exists and if it is different from the Masoretic text.

The Targum of Onkelos is actually the Pentateuchal Targumim, which are The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan Ben Uzziel. On the Pentateuch With The Fragments of the Jerusalem Targum From the Chaldee by J. W. Etheridge, M.A. From http://www.becomingjewish.org/texts/targum/onkelos_genesis.html and first published in 1862.

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And was not able Joseph to restrain himself to all the ones standing beside him. And so he proclaims, “Go out every man from beside me.” And no man stayed with him in a making known Joseph unto his brothers.

Dead Sea Scrolls                   .

Targum (trans. Etheridge)      .

Targum (Onkelos)                  And Joseph was not able to sustain all that was being upon him; and he cried, Let every man go out from me; and no man stood with him, while Joseph made himself known to his brethren. Translation for Onkelos and Pseudo-Jonathan by J. W. Etheridge, M.A. (1862).

Targum (Pseudo-Jonathan)   And Joseph could not endure not to (be able to) weep, on account of all who stood before him. And he said, Let every man go out from me: and no one stood with him, while Joseph made himself known to his brothers.

Jerusalem targum                  .

Revised Douay-Rheims         .

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) Joseph could no longer refrain himself before many that stood by: whereupon he commanded that all should go out, and no stranger be present at their knowing one another.

Aramaic ESV of Peshitta        Then Yoseph could not control himself before all those who stood before him, and he cried, "Cause every man to go out from me!" No one else stood with him, while Yoseph made himself known to his brothers.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    THEN Joseph could no longer control his emotions before all those who stood in his presence; and he said, Cause everyone to go out from me. And there remained no one with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.

Septuagint (Greek)                Joseph tells his brothers who he is. Gn.45.1-28

And Joseph could not refrain himself when all were standing by him, but said, Dismiss all from me; and no one stood near Joseph, when he made himself known to his brethren. This is the New Brenton translation from http://www.katapi.org.uk/

NETS (Greek)                        .

Brenton’s Septuagint             .

Significant differences: 

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             Then Joseph, unable to keep back his feelings before those who were with him, gave orders for everyone to be sent away, and no one was present when he made clear to his brothers who he was.

Easy English                          Joseph says who he is

Then Joseph could not stay calm any longer. Many people were standing near him. He cried out, ‘Make everyone go away from me!’ So there was nobody there when Joseph told his brothers. He told them who he was.

Easy-to-Read Version–2006  Joseph Tells Who He Is

Joseph could not control himself any longer. He cried in front of all the people who were there. Joseph said, “Tell everyone to leave here.” So all the people left. Only the brothers were left with Joseph.

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  .

International Children’s B.     Joseph Reveals Who He Is

Joseph could not control himself in front of his servants any longer. He cried out, “Have everyone leave me.” When only the brothers were left with Joseph, he told them who he was.

God’s Word™                         Joseph Reveals His Identity

Joseph could no longer control his emotions in front of everyone who was standing around him, so he cried out, “Have everyone leave me!” No one else was there when Joseph told his brothers who he was.

Good News Bible (TEV)         Joseph Tells His Brothers Who He Is

Joseph was no longer able to control his feelings in front of his servants, so he ordered them all to leave the room. No one else was with him when Joseph told his brothers who he was.

The Message                         Joseph couldn’t hold himself in any longer, keeping up a front before all his attendants. He cried out, “Leave! Clear out—everyone leave!” So there was no one with Joseph when he identified himself to his brothers.

Names of God Bible               .

NIRV                                      Joseph Tells His Brothers Who He Is

Joseph couldn’t control himself anymore in front of all his attendants. He cried out, “Have everyone leave me!” So there wasn’t anyone with Joseph when he told his brothers who he was.

New Simplified Bible              Joseph could no longer control himself in front of those standing near him. He sent them out of the room and when he was alone with his brothers he made himself known to them / Joseph could no longer control his feelings in front of his servants. He sent them out of the room. When he was alone with his brothers, he told them: »I am Joseph!« He cried so loudly that the Egyptians heard him. In fact, Pharaoh’s household heard about it. V. 2 is included for context; a great deal of extra text appears to have been added to v. 1.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           Joseph reveals his identity

Joseph could no longer control himself in front of all his attendants, so he declared, “Everyone, leave now!” So no one stayed with him when he revealed his identity to his brothers.

Contemporary English V.       Since Joseph could no longer control his feelings in front of his servants, he sent them out of the room. When he was alone with his brothers, he told them, "I am Joseph."

The Living Bible                     Joseph could stand it no longer.

“Out, all of you,” he cried out to his attendants, and he was left alone with his brothers.

New Berkeley Version           .

New Century Version             Joseph Reveals Who He Is

Joseph could not control himself in front of his servants any longer, so he cried out, “Have everyone leave me.” When only the brothers were left with Joseph, he told them who he was.

New Life Version                    Then Joseph could not hide his feelings in front of all who stood by him. He cried, "Send all the people away from me." So no one was with him when Joseph told his brothers who he was.

New Living Translation           Joseph Reveals His Identity

Joseph could stand it no longer. There were many people in the room, and he said to his attendants, “Out, all of you!” So he was alone with his brothers when he told them who he was.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          However, JoSeph couldn't restrain himself when they were all standing there with him; so he said: 'Everyone is dismissed.' As the result, nobody [was there guarding] JoSeph when he told his brothers who he was and as he spoke, he was crying. A portion of v. 2 is included for context.

Beck’s American Translation .

International Standard V        Joseph Reveals Himself

At this point, Joseph could not control his emotions any longer, so he cried out to everyone who was standing nearby, “Everybody! Leave me!” As a result, none of his staff [Lit. result, no man] was anywhere near [Lit. was standing nearby] him when he revealed himself to his brothers.

New Advent (Knox) Bible       Joseph could contain himself no longer, and there were many standing by. So he gave orders that all these should leave his presence; there must be no strangers to see it, when he made himself known.

Today’s NIV                          .

Translation for Translators                                 Joseph told his brothers who he was

Joseph was not able to control his feelings any longer. He did not want to cry in front of his servants, so he said to them loudly, “All of you go outside!” After they went outside, there was no one else there with Joseph when he told his brothers who he was.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Awful Scroll Bible                   Is Joseph to have been able to hold himself back, from those standing there. He was to call out: Be leading out, a leading out of the men - is there to have been a man standing there, while Joseph is to make himself known to his brothers?

Conservapedia                       Joseph could check himself no longer in front of all those who were standing next to him. He shouted, "Everybody go away from me!" Not a man stood next to him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers.

Ferrar-Fenton Bible                Then Joseph was not able to restrain himself before all the officers around him, and cried ; — " Ever}- man go out from me ! " So not a man remained with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers.

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           And Joseph could no longer refrain before all them that stood about him, but commanded that they should go all out from him, and that there should be no man with him, while he uttered himself unto his brethren.

HCSB                                     Joseph Reveals His Identity

Joseph could no longer keep his composure in front of all his attendants, so he called out, “Send everyone away from me!” No one was with him when he revealed his identity to his brothers.

Jubilee Bible 2000                  .

H. C. Leupold                         Joseph Revealed to His Brethren; Summons the Family to Egypt (45:1-28)

But Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood round about him; so he called out: Have everyone go out from my presence. And so there was no one standing about when Joseph made himself known to his brethren.

Lexham English Bible            Joseph Reveals His Identity

Then Joseph was not able to control himself before all who were standing by him. And he cried out, "Make every man go out from me!" So no one stood with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.

NIV, ©2011                             Joseph Makes Himself Known

Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers.

NIV – UK                                .

Tree of Life Version                Joseph Reveals Himself

Now Joseph could no longer restrain himself in front of all those who were standing by him, so he cried out, “Get everyone away from me!” So no one stood with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)  Joseph reveals himself

Now Joseph could no longer con trol his feelings in the presence of all those standing by and he called out, “Leave my presence, everyone!” And only his brothers were with him when Joseph made himself known to them.

The Heritage Bible                 And Joseph was not able to contain himself before all them stationed by him, and he called out, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him while Joseph made himself known by sight to his brothers.

New American Bible (2002)   Joseph could no longer control himself in the presence of all his attendants, so he cried out, "Have everyone withdraw from me!" Thus no one else was about when he made himself known to his brothers.

New American Bible (2011)   The Truth Revealed.*

Joseph could no longer restrain himself in the presence of all his attendants, so he cried out, “Have everyone withdraw from me!” So no one attended him when he made himself known to his brothers. [45:1–28] Joseph reveals his identity and the family is reconciled.

New Jerusalem Bible             .

New RSV                               Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, ‘Send everyone away from me.’ So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.

Revised English Bible            Joseph was no longer able to control his feelings in front of all his attendants, and he called, “Let everyone leave my presence!” There was nobody present when Joseph made himself known to his brothers, but he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and news of it got to Pharaoh's household. V. 2 is included for context.

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           At last Yosef could no longer control his feelings in front of his attendants and cried, “Get everybody away from me!” So no one else was with him when Yosef revealed to his brothers who he was.

exeGeses companion Bible   YOSEPH REVEALS HIS IDENTITY

And Yoseph cannot refrain himself

in front of all who station themselves by him;

and he calls, Have every man go out from me!

And no man stands with him,

as Yoseph has his brothers know who he is.

Hebraic Roots Bible               And Joseph was not able to control himself in regard to those standing beside him. And he called out, Cause every man to go out from me. And no man stood before him as Joseph was making himself known to his brothers.

Israeli Authorized Version      .

JPS (Tanakh—1985)               Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone withdraw from me!” So there was no one else about when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.

Kaplan Translation                 Joseph Reveals Himself to his Brothers

Joseph could not hold in his emotions. Since all his attendants were present [(Radak). Or, 'He could not tolerate everyone standing over him (Rashi).], he cried out, 'Have everyone leave my presence!' Thus, no one else was with him when Joseph revealed himself to his brothers. The Kaplan Translation, particularly in Exodus through Deuteronomy, takes note of historic rabbinic opinions.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           Then Yosef could not control himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause kol ish to go out from me. And there stood no ish with him, while Yosef made himself known unto his achim.

The Scriptures 1998              .

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                Joseph Shows Kindness to His Brothers

Then Joseph could not control himself [any longer] in front of all those who attended him, and he called out, “Have everyone leave me.” So no man stood there when Joseph revealed himself to his brothers.

The Expanded Bible              Joseph Reveals Who He Is

Joseph could not ·control [or express] himself in front of ·his servants [^Lall those standing around him] any longer, so he cried out, “Have everyone leave me.” ·When only the brothers were left with Joseph [^LSo no one was standing around him when], he ·told them who he was [^Lrevealed himself to his brothers].

Kretzmann’s Commentary    Verses 1-15

Joseph Makes Himself Known

Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. Now that he had such unmistakable proof of the genuineness of his brothers' repentance, it was no longer possible for him to control his feelings. But he did not want his Egyptian servants to witness his reconciliation with his brothers. And there stood no man with him while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren, all of the attendants having left the room at his command, as being unable to understand the revelations that would now be made.

NET Bible®                             The Reconciliation of the Brothers

Joseph was no longer able to control himself before all his attendants [Heb “all the ones standing beside him.”], so he cried out, “Make everyone go out from my presence!” No one remained [Heb “stood.”] with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. When it comes to making an actual material change to the text, the NET Bible® is pretty good about indicating this. Since most of these corrections will be clear in the more literal translations below and within the Hebrew exegesis itself, I will not continue to list every NET Bible® footnote. Language footnotes will be placed in the Hebrew exegesis. Some footnotes will quoted elsewhere in this document.

Syndein/Thieme                     .

Then Joseph could no longer keep his composure. The room was crowded with people so he ordered his attendants:

Joseph: Send everyone out of the room!

Joseph didn’t want anyone else in the room when he finally told his brothers his true identity.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Benner’s Mechanical Trans.  ...and Yoseph ^[Adding] was not able to hold himself back to all the ones standing erect upon him and he called out, make all the men go out from upon me and a man did not stand with him with Yoseph ^[Adding] revealing himself to his brothers,...

Concordant Literal Version    Yet Joseph cannot check himself before all who are stationed about him. And calling is he, "Forth go every man from me!"And no man stands with him while Joseph makes himself known to his brothers.

Context Group Version          .

Darby Translation                  .

Emphasized Bible                  .

English Standard Version      .

English Standard V. – UK       .

Evidence Bible                       .

Green’s Literal Translation    And Joseph was not able to control himself in regard to those standing beside him. And he called out, Cause every man to go out from me. And no man stood before him as Joseph was making himself known to his brothers.

Jack Ballinger’s translation    .

Modern English Version         Joseph Reveals His Identity

Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all who stood by him, and he cried out, “Make every man go out from me.” So no man stood with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.

Modern KJV                           .

NASB                                     Joseph Deals Kindly with His Brothers

Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried, “Have everyone go out from me.” So there was no man with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.

New European Version          Joseph Reveals Himself to His Brothers

Then Joseph couldn’t refrain himself before all those who stood before him, and he cried, Cause everyone to go out from me! No one else stood with him, while Joseph made himself known to his brothers.

New King James Version       Joseph Revealed to His Brothers

Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Make everyone go out from me!” So no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers.

Owen's Translation                .

Ron Snider’s Translation       .

Stuart Wolf’s Translation       .

Third Millennium Bible            .

Updated Bible Version 2.11   .

A Voice in the Wilderness      .

Webster’s Bible Translation  Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me: and there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known to his brethren.

World English Bible                .

Young's Literal Translation     .

Young’s Updated LT             And Joseph has not been able to refrain himself before all those standing by him, and he calls, “Put out every man from me;” and no man has stood with him when Joseph makes himself known unto his brothers.

The gist of this passage:     Joseph finds himself unable to control his emotions, so he tells his staff to leave and he then makes himself known to his brothers.

Translation: Joseph was unable to control himself before those who stood beside him.

Joseph had a considerable staff of men who worked for him, who stood at his side. They were bodyguards and heads of various departments and servants.

Because his brother Judah was willing to give himself as a slave in exchange for Benjamin (who had been found to have Joseph’s royal cup in his bag of grain), Joseph found himself becoming quite emotional. His ten brothers conspired to sell him into slavery and, as a result, Joseph became an Egyptian slave. Joseph is no longer angry about this, but I believe his intention was this: keep Benjamin with him; let his brothers return to Canaan; and hope that they might bring Jacob up to speak to him.

Although Joseph did not want revenge upon his brothers, he also did not necessarily want to spend the rest of his life with them (I am theorizing here). You can forgive someone completely, put it in the past, and still not want to necessarily associate with that person. People with ex-wives and ex-husbands often come to this state of mind.

But Joseph did want to have his brother Benjamin with him, and this is why he had his silver goblet placed into Benjamin’s sack, only to be “discovered” later by the same man who placed it there. This meant that Benjamin would remain with Joseph and the other brothers would return to Canaan. That is my theory.

However, when Judah asked that he be enslaved rather than Benjamin, this really got to Joseph; this offer really entered into his heart. Joseph was unable to control himself at this point. These brothers who were willing to sell him into slavery had apparently changed—at least Judah—and he was willing to give his life in exchange for his youngest brothers. Not only did that get to Joseph emotionally, he certainly wanted to get to know his brothers now.

Translation: Therefore, he proclaimed, “Go out everyone from beside me.”

Joseph sends everyone out from his presence. This is directed to his staff. He recognizes that he will be unable to hold back his emotions from before his brothers—particularly because of what Judah had just said.

We have two primary words used to indicate that someone is saying something. The common word translated said is ʾâmar (אָמַר) [pronounced aw-MAHR] is used with great latitude and translated saying, said, declared, answered, command, appoint, report. The word used here is qârâʾ (קָרָא) [pronounced kaw-RAW] and it means to call out, to proclaim, to read aloud, to appoint, to summon. Here, Joseph is quickly ordering his staff and whatever family might be around to immediately leave him. He knew that he was becoming uncontrollably emotional and he did not want to behave in this way in front of anyone but his original family. There is no word for make here, per se—that is the Hiphil or causative stem of the words go out.

Judah offered himself up for his youngest brother, Benjamin. “Keep me as your servant rather than him,” he pleaded to Joseph, “So that his father will not die of a broken heart at the loss of this son.” This is quite out of the blue.

Genesis 45:1a Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him. And he cried, “Cause every man to go out from me!”

The word cried simply means that Joseph gave a loud command.

Joseph asks for all of his staff to leave, and now he is alone with his brothers. What Judah has said has touched Joseph greatly. That he would give up his life for his brother suggests that Judah has changed dramatically. That his other brothers returned with Benjamin to protest or to stand in unison with Benjamin is also quite affecting. Joseph had no idea that this is how his brothers were today. These are the same brothers who coldly sold Joseph into slavery because they did not like the favoritism shown him by their common father, Jacob.

Translation: And no man stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.

All of Joseph’s staff is out of the room, and Joseph then makes himself known to his brothers.

As we have seen, certain Hebrew words have a variety of meanings depending upon the context and stem. ʿÂmad (עָמַד) [pronounced ģaw-MAHD] can mean to take a stand, to stand, to present oneself, to stand still, to tarry, to delay, to remain standing, to continue, to abide and here it simply means to remain (which is in the Qal perfect, meaning that they all left all at once).

Joseph likely sends his staff out because he is going to cry and he does not want his staff to see that.

Genesis 45:1 Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him. And he cried, “Cause every man to go out from me!” And no man stood before him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers.

No man stood before him, means that all of Joseph’s servants and guards removed themselves from his home. Joseph is alone with his brothers and he finally tells them who he is actually is.

It will become clear that Joseph really did not know how his brothers would react. He may have guessed that they would run up and hug him and apologize and cry a lot; but that was not their immediate response.

I suspect that Joseph reveals his identify, and his brothers just stand there stunned. They do not run up to him; they are simply stunned by this turn of events.

Joseph Maketh Himself Known to His Brethren (a painting), James Jacques Joseph Tissot, French, 1836-1902, from PinInterst; accessed November 30, 2016. The Old Testament, c. 1896-1902.

Genesis 45:1 Joseph was unable to control himself before those who stood beside him. Therefore, he proclaimed, “Go out everyone from beside me.” And no man stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Genesis 45:1 Joseph had reached a point where he was unable to control himself before his staff. Therefore, he gave these orders to them: “Go out every one of you from my presence.” So there was no man from his staff with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. (Kukis paraphrase)

——————————

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so gives his voice in weeping and so hears Egyptians and so hears a house of Pharaoh.

Dead Sea Scrolls                   .

Targum of Onkelos                .

Jerusalem targum                  .

Targum (Onkelos)                  And he gave forth his voice with weeping; and the Mizraee heard, and a man of Pharoh's house heard.

Targum (Pseudo-Jonathan)   And he lifted up his voice with weeping; and the Mizraee heard, and a man of the house of Pharoh heard.

Revised Douay-Rheims         .

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) And he lifted up his voice with weeping, which the Egyptians and all the house of Pharao heard.

Aramaic ESV of Peshitta        He wept aloud. The Egyptians heard, and the house of Pharaoh heard.

Plain English Aramaic Bible   .

Peshitta (Syriac)                    And he wept aloud; and the Egyptians and the household of Pharaoh heard it.

Septuagint (Greek)                And he uttered his voice with weeping; and all the Egyptians heard, and it was reported to the house of Pharao.

NETS (Greek)                        .

Brenton’s Septuagint             .

Significant differences: 

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             And so loud was his weeping, that it came to the ears of the Egyptians and all Pharaoh's house.

Easy English                          He wept aloud. The *Egyptians heard him and the people in *Pharaoh’s *household heard him.

Easy-to-Read Version–2006  Joseph could not control himself any longer. He cried in front of all the people who were there. Joseph said, “Tell everyone to leave here.” So all the people left. Only the brothers were left with Joseph. Then he told them who he was. Joseph continued to cry, and all the Egyptian people in Pharaoh’s house heard it. He said to his brothers, “I am your brother Joseph. Is my father doing well?” But the brothers did not answer him because they were confused and afraid. Vv. 1 & 3 are included for context.

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  .

International Children’s B.     .

God’s Word™                         .

Good News Bible (TEV)         He cried with such loud sobs that the Egyptians heard it, and the news was taken to the king's palace.

The Message                         But his sobbing was so violent that the Egyptians couldn’t help but hear him. The news was soon reported to Pharaoh’s palace.

Names of God Bible               .

NIRV                                      He wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him. Everyone in Pharaoh’s house heard about it.

New Simplified Bible              .

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           .

Contemporary English V.       Then he cried so loudly that the Egyptians heard him and told about it in the king's palace.

The Living Bible                     Then he wept aloud. His sobs could be heard throughout the palace, and the news was quickly carried to Pharaoh’s palace.

New Berkeley Version           .

New Century Version             Joseph cried so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and the people in the king’s palace heard about it.

New Life Version                    .

New Living Translation           Then he broke down and wept. He wept so loudly the Egyptians could hear him, and word of it quickly carried to Pharaoh’s palace.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          Well, all the Egyptians heard about this, and it was reported to the house of Pharaoh.

Beck’s American Translation .

International Standard V        He cried so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, including Pharaoh’s household.

New Advent (Knox) Bible       But when he spoke, he burst into such a fit of weeping that these Egyptians, and all Pharao’s household, could not but hear it.

Revised Knox Bible                .

Today’s NIV                          .

Translation for Translators     He cried so loudly that the people of Egypt who were outside heard it, and even the people in the king's palace heard it.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Awful Scroll Bible                   He is with a loud noise weeping, and it was to be published to the Egypt, and the house of Pharaoh was to hear, the hearing of it.

Conservapedia                       He even raised his voice in lamentation, so that the Egyptians could hear him, even in the household of Pharaoh.

Ferrar-Fenton Bible                Then Joseph discovered his language to his brothers, and the Mitzerites heard, and it was reported to the house of Pharoh,...

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           And he wept aloud, so that the Egyptians and the house of Pharao heard it.

HCSB                                     .

Jubilee Bible 2000                  .

H. C. Leupold                         And so there was no one standing about when Joseph made himself known to his brethren. Joseph raised his voice so loudly in weeping, that the Egyptians heard it, and even the house of Pharaoh heard it.

Lexham English Bible            And {he wept loudly}, so that the Egyptians heard [it] and the household of Pharaoh heard [it].

NIV, ©2011                             .

NIV – UK                                .

Tree of Life Version                But he gave his voice to weeping so that the Egyptians heard, and Pharaoh’s household heard.

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)  He wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard and the news spread through Pha raoh’s house.

The Heritage Bible                 And he gave a loud call of weeping, and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard attentively.

New American Bible (2002)   .

New American Bible (2011)   But his sobs were so loud that the Egyptians heard him, and so the news reached Pharaoh’s house.

New Jerusalem Bible             .

New RSV                               Then Joseph could not control his feelings in front of all his retainers, and he exclaimed, 'Let everyone leave me.' No one therefore was present with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers, but he wept so loudly that all the Egyptians heard, and the news reached Pharaoh's palace. V. 1 is included for context.

Revised English Bible            .

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           He wept aloud, and the Egyptians heard, and Pharaoh’s household heard.

exeGeses companion Bible   ...and he gives his voice in weeping:

and the Misrayim and the house of Paroh hear.

Hebraic Roots Bible               .

Israeli Authorized Version      .

JPS (Tanakh—1985)               His sobs were so loud that the Egyptians could hear, and so the news reached Pharaoh’s palace.

Kaplan Translation                 He began to weep with such loud sobs that the Egyptians could hear it. The news [of these strange happenings] reached Pharaoh's palace.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And he wept aloud; and the Mitzrayim and the Bais Pharaoh heard.

The Scriptures 1998              And he wept aloud, and the Mitsrites and the house of Pharaoh heard it.

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                Joseph wept aloud, and the Egyptians [who had just left him] heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard of it.

The Expanded Bible              Joseph cried so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and the ·people in the king’s palace [^Lhouse of Pharaoh] heard about it.

Kretzmann’s Commentary    And he wept aloud; his emotion, his agitation, so long repressed, broke forth like a flood carrying with it every obstruction. And the Egyptians, the servants outside, and the house of Pharaoh heard, either because the house of Joseph was near the royal palace or because the news was quickly carried there.

NET Bible®                             He wept loudly [Heb “and he gave his voice in weeping,” meaning that Joseph could not restrain himself and wept out loud.]; the Egyptians heard it and Pharaoh’s household heard about it [Heb “and the Egyptians heard and the household of Pharaoh heard.” Presumably in the latter case this was by means of a report.].

Syndein/Thieme                     .

The Voice                               But he began to cry so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the Pharaoh’s household heard it too!

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Benner’s Mechanical Trans.  ...and he gave his voice with weeping and they heard the Mitsrayim ^[Troubles] and the house of Paroh ^{[Great house]} heard,...

Concordant Literal Version    And giving is he his voice to lamentation. And hearing are all the Egyptians. And hearing is the household of Pharaoh.

Context Group Version          .

Darby Translation                  And he raised his voice in weeping; and the Egyptians heard, and the house of Pharaoh heard.

Emphasized Bible                  And Joseph could not restrain himself before all who were stationed near him, so he cried out—Have forth every man from me! And there stood no man with him, when Joseph made himself known unto his brethren, Then gave he forth his voice in weeping,—and the Egyptians heard, and the house of Pharaoh heard. V. 1 is included for context.

English Standard Version      And he wept aloud, so that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it.

English Standard V. – UK       .

Evidence Bible                       .

Green’s Literal Translation    .

Jack Ballinger’s translation    .

Modern English Version         He wept so loudly that the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard about it.

Modern KJV                           .

NASB                                     He wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard of it.

New European Version          .

New King James Version       .

Owen's Translation                .

Ron Snider’s Translation       .

Stuart Wolf’s Translation       .

Third Millennium Bible            .

Updated Bible Version 2.11   .

A Voice in the Wilderness      .

Webster’s Bible Translation  .

World English Bible                .

Young's Literal Translation     .

Young’s Updated LT             And he gives forth his voice in weeping, and the Egyptians hear, and the house of Pharaoh hears.

The gist of this passage: 

Translation: He gives his voice over in weeping,...

Joseph was very moved by what Judah had offered, and he cried aloud.

The Hebrew for wept is not what we would think. The verb is the Qal imperfect of nâthan (נָתַן) [pronounced naw-THAHN] and it means to give, to put, to set, to place. The direct object is qôwl (קוֹל) [pronounced kohl] and it means voice, sounds but not necessarily words. This is all followed by a preposition and the masculine singular of bekîy (בֶּכִי) [pronounced behk-EE] and it means weeping. So the literal translation is Joseph [kept] giving forth his voice in weeping.

Translation: ...so that the Egyptians heard...

Joseph’s crying is so loud that the Egyptians can hear him (these are those who have been told to exit his home).

Translation: ...and the house of Pharaoh heard.

There were the servants from the house of Pharaoh who worked under Pharaoh. Although we do not have the verb to make known here, it is possible that news of Joseph’s weeping was brought to the attention of those in the house (palace) of Pharaoh.

Joseph met with people at his palace (or, had he been an executive, we would have said in his office). When his brothers returned and he fed them at his home, they had to be taken from where they were to there. This means that Pharaoh had a palace of sorts set up in this area that Jacob, as second-in-command, worked from. It is unclear if Joseph lived in the palace where he worked or how that was set up. Obviously, today, executives do not live at the office, no matter how high up the ladder they are.

Pharaoh appears to work out of a different palace, as there was no need for two commanding figures to rule over the same area. There are suggestions within this text that they were near each other (and it is not a stretch to think that there may have been more than one palace for Pharaoh to work out of). It is possible that these were adjoining buildings; it is possible that they both worked out of different rooms within the same palace.

This palace was staffed by Pharaoh with men who were principally responsible to Pharaoh, but they were under Joseph and they lived at this palace—these are the ones called the household of Pharaoh. There were also those who worked in the palace as Joseph did, and went home later; these are the Egyptians. Joseph's crying was so great and his emotions were so expressive, that he could be heard throughout the entire palace. He had never before cried where anyone could hear him so this was a great shock to those under his command. His staff had no idea who these people were exactly, although obviously realized that they were treated much differently than the rest of those who came to Egypt for help.

In any case, we are probably dealing with two different palaces, but probably palaces which are near one another; and it is not out of the realm of possibility that there are two large offices found within the same palace (one for Joseph and one for Pharaoh).

Genesis 45:2 And he wept aloud. And the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard.

Genesis 45:2 He gives his voice over in weeping, so that the Egyptians heard and the house of Pharaoh heard. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Genesis 45:2 Joseph wept aloud, so much so that the Egyptians heard his voice, as did the house of Pharaoh. (Kukis paraphrase)

Nevertheless, Joseph’s weeping was so loud that he could be heard outside of his house.

It appears that Joseph began weeping before he revealed his identify to his brothers; and the circumstances must have caused the brothers no little confusion. This head of state standing before them first dismisses his personal staff and armed guard; and now, he starts crying.

Up to this point in time, Joseph had been in control of himself and his emotions; however, he was unprepared for the offer that Judah made. He really did not expect the 10 brothers to return with Benjamin (after all, they did not remain there with Simeon; they got out of there as quickly as they could). All of this moved him; and he could see how much his brothers had changed—particularly Judah. You may recall that earlier, Joseph became aware that his brothers were guilt-ridden for what they had done to Joseph; but it is one thing to regret past actions; it is altogether something else to make fundamental changes in one’s life. Joseph recognizes that his brothers are now different.

As discussed before, I don’t believe that Joseph was testing his brothers throughout these past chapters; and finally, with this test, they passed, and he revealed himself to them (this appears to be the opinion of many commentators). I believe that Joseph was simply manipulating the situation so that Benjamin would be left behind with him in Egypt; and that their father would come to Egypt to protest. He seems, up to this point, to be up in the air about how to deal with his remaining brothers. However, what happened here was unexpected, revelatory, and therefore, Joseph decided to make himself known to his brothers.

——————————

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so says Joseph unto his brothers, “I [am] Joseph. Is still my father alive?” And were unable his brothers to answer him for they were overwhelmed from his faces.

Dead Sea Scrolls                   .

Targum of Onkelos                .

Jerusalem targum                  .

Targum (Onkelos)                  And Joseph said to his brothers, I am Joseph! Is my father yet living? And his brethren were not able to answer him a word, for they were confounded before him.

Targum (Pseudo-Jonathan)   And Joseph said to his brothers, I am Joseph ! Is my father yet alive ?

But his brothers could not answer him a word; for they were troubled before him.

Revised Douay-Rheims         .

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) And he said to his brethren: I am Joseph: is my father yet living? His brethren could not answer him, being struck with exceeding great fear.

Aramaic ESV of Peshitta        Yoseph said to his brothers, "I am Yoseph! Does my father still live?" His brothers could not answer him; for they were terrified at his presence.

Plain English Aramaic Bible   .

Peshitta (Syriac)                    And Joseph said to his brothers, I am Joseph your brother; is my father still alive? But his brothers could not answer him because they were afraid at his presence.

Septuagint (Greek)                And Joseph said to his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him, for they were troubled.

NETS (Greek)                        .

Brenton’s Septuagint             .

Significant differences: 

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             And Joseph said to his brothers, I am Joseph: is my father still living? But his brothers were not able to give him an answer for they were troubled before him.

Easy English                          Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph. Is my father really still alive?’ His brothers could not answer him. They were very fearful to be with him.

Easy-to-Read Version–2006  He said to his brothers, “I am your brother Joseph. Is my father doing well?” But the brothers did not answer him because they were confused and afraid.

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  .

International Children’s B.     .

God’s Word™                         .

Good News Bible (TEV)         Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But when his brothers heard this, they were so terrified that they could not answer.

The Message                         Joseph spoke to his brothers: “I am Joseph. Is my father really still alive?” But his brothers couldn’t say a word. They were speechless—they couldn’t believe what they were hearing and seeing.

Names of God Bible               .

NIRV                                      Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers weren’t able to answer him. They were too afraid of him.

New Simplified Bible              .

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           Joseph said to his brothers, “I’m Joseph! Is my father really still alive?” His brothers couldn’t respond because they were terrified before him.

Contemporary English V.       Joseph asked his brothers if his father was still alive, but they were too frightened to answer.

The Living Bible                     .

New Berkeley Version           .

New Century Version             .

New Life Version                    .

New Living Translation           “I am Joseph!” he said to his brothers. “Is my father still alive?” But his brothers were speechless! They were stunned to realize that Joseph was standing there in front of them.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          For JoSeph said to his brothers, 'I'm JoSeph! Is my father still alive?'

However, his brothers couldn't answer him, because they were in shock!

Beck’s American Translation .

International Standard V        Joseph blurted out, “I’m Joseph! Is my father really alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, because they had become terrified [Or dismayed] to be in his presence.

New Advent (Knox) Bible       I am Joseph, said he to his brethren; is my father yet alive? But his brethren were so overcome with fear that they could not answer him, and he must needs use gentleness; Come closer, he said, and then, when they had drawn close to him, I am Joseph, that brother of yours whom you sent away to be sold as a slave in Egypt. V. 4 is included for context.

Revised Knox Bible                .

Today’s NIV                          .

Translation for Translators     Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is our father still alive?” But his brothers were not able to reply, because they were frightened because of what he said.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Awful Scroll Bible                   Joseph was to say to his brothers: I am to be Joseph. Is my father alive? - are his brothers to have been able to answer him? - For they are to have been in dismay, turned before him.

Conservapedia                       Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?" His brothers could not answer him, because they were flustered to be standing in front of him.

Ferrar-Fenton Bible                .

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           And he said unto his brethren: I am Joseph, does my father yet live? But his brethren could not answer him, for they were abashed at his presence.

HCSB                                     .

Jubilee Bible 2000                  .

H. C. Leupold                         And Joseph said to his brethren: I am Joseph. Is my father still alive? But his brethren were not able to answer him, for they were terrified at the sight of him.

Lexham English Bible            .

NIV, ©2011                             .

NIV – UK                                .

Tree of Life Version                Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” And his brothers were unable to answer him because they were terrified at his presence.

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)  Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” And his brothers could not answer because they were terrified at seeing him.

The Heritage Bible                 .

New American Bible (2002)   "I am Joseph," he said to his brothers. "Is my father still in good health?" But his brothers could give him no answer, so dumbfounded were they at him.

New American Bible (2011)   “I am Joseph,” he said to his brothers. “Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could give him no answer, so dumbfounded were they at him. Acts 7:13.

New Jerusalem Bible             Joseph said to his brothers, 'I am Joseph. Is my father really still alive?' His brothers could not answer him, they were so dumbfounded at seeing him.

New RSV                               .

Revised English Bible            Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Can my father be still alive?” They were so dumbfounded at finding themselves face to face with Joseph that they could not answer.

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           Yosef said to his brothers, “I am Yosef! Is it true that my father is still alive?” His brothers couldn’t answer him, they were so dumbfounded at seeing him.

exeGeses companion Bible   And Yoseph says to his brothers,

I am Yoseph! Is my father yet alive?

- and his brothers cannot answer him;