The Meaning of Genesis 44:20 Explained

Genesis 44:20

KJV: And we said unto 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 loveth him.

YLT: and we say unto my lord, We have a father, an aged one, and a child of old age, a little one; and his brother died, and he is left alone of his mother, and his father hath loved him.

Darby: And we said to my lord, We have an aged father, and a child born to him in his old age, yet young; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother; and his father loves him.

ASV: And we said unto 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 loveth him.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And we said  unto 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  loveth  him. 

What does Genesis 44:20 Mean?

Context Summary

Genesis 44:18-34 - Judah Pleads For Benjamin
No portion in Genesis could be more suitable for Good Friday. Judah's proposal to give himself instead of Benjamin reminds us of Him who freely gave Himself up for us all. It was with such love, but of infinite intensity, that Christ loved us. In Judah's words we find the loftiest type of pleading which man has ever put forth for man. It is extraordinary to get this glimpse of the strong and noble emotions that slumber in hearts where we should least expect them! But these words are poor and cold compared with those that Jesus utters on our behalf. It must have required extraordinary self-command on Joseph's part to make his brethren suffer thus. But he dared to enforce it, because he knew the goal they were approaching. Christ often turns aside to hide His sorrow at our griefs, which are the necessary pathway to where all tears are wiped away. [source]

Chapter Summary: 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

What do the individual words in Genesis 44:20 mean?

and we said to my lord we have to us a father an old man and a child of [his] old age [who is] young and his brother is dead and is left he alone of his mother's children and his father loves him
וַנֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אֶל־ אֲדֹנִ֔י יֶשׁ־ לָ֙נוּ֙ אָ֣ב זָקֵ֔ן וְיֶ֥לֶד זְקֻנִ֖ים קָטָ֑ן וְאָחִ֨יו מֵ֜ת וַיִּוָּתֵ֨ר ה֧וּא לְבַדּ֛וֹ לְאִמּ֖וֹ וְאָבִ֥יו אֲהֵבֽוֹ

וַנֹּ֙אמֶר֙  and  we  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֲדֹנִ֔י  my  lord 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: אָדֹון  
Sense: firm, strong, lord, master.
יֶשׁ־  we  have 
Parse: Adverb
Root: יֵשׁ  
Sense: being, existence, substance, there is or are.
לָ֙נוּ֙  to  us 
Parse: Preposition, first person common plural
אָ֣ב  a  father 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
זָקֵ֔ן  an  old  man 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: זָקֵן  
Sense: old.
וְיֶ֥לֶד  and  a  child 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: יֶלֶד  
Sense: child, son, boy, offspring, youth.
זְקֻנִ֖ים  of  [his]  old  age 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: זְקֻנִים  
Sense: old age, extreme old age.
קָטָ֑ן  [who  is]  young 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: קָטָן 
Sense: young, small, insignificant, unimportant.
וְאָחִ֨יו  and  his  brother 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אָח  
Sense: brother.
מֵ֜ת  is  dead 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מוּת  
Sense: to die, kill, have one executed.
וַיִּוָּתֵ֨ר  and  is  left 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָתַר  
Sense: to be left over, remain, remain over, leave.
לְבַדּ֛וֹ  alone 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בַּד 
Sense: alone, by itself, besides, a part, separation, being alone.
לְאִמּ֖וֹ  of  his  mother's  children 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אֵם  
Sense: mother.
וְאָבִ֥יו  and  his  father 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
אֲהֵבֽוֹ  loves  him 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: אָהַב  
Sense: to love.