The language of ivrit ( עברית ) Genesis 44, Post #4
Welcome to my Hebrew reading & language series.
Genesis 44:24-29
We left off last week with the brothers returning to Mitsraim (Egypt) last week and explaining the entire situation that had transpired up to now. the ruler of Mitsraim (Joseph) wants to keep the thief who is Benjamin and send the others back to their father.
It is a tense situation because the boys promised their father that they would not "lose" Benjamin in the process of buying food in the foreign country. Now the brothers are facing that exact scenario because of the accusation against Benjamin for stealing the master's cup.
Reading these kinds of passages in Hebrew is good for us because we see the narrative being told in the past tense and we can begin to understand the verbs that we are learning in present tense when they happen and in the the past tense as they retell what had happened.
They are able to communicate their father's worries to Joseph and his fear of becoming so gravely grieved if he were to lose Benjamin that it would bring his soul down the depths of Sheol (Hades, Hell, Gehenna), which is commonly thought of as the place of the dead.
Today's reading
English
"When we went back to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. And when our father said, 'Go again, buy us a little food,' w e said, 'We cannot go down. If our youngest brother goes with us, then we will go down. For we cannot see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.' Then your servant my father said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons. One left me, and I said, "Surely he has been torn to pieces," and I have never seen him since. If you take this one also from me, and harm happens to him, you will bring down my gray hairs in evil to Sheol.'
Hebrew
The story continues next week finishing with the retelling ...
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