Genesis 42:7

7 And when Joseph saw his brothers, it was clear to him who they were, but he made himself strange to them, and talking roughly to them, said, Where do you come from? And they said, From the land of Canaan, to get food.

Genesis 42:7 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 42:7

And Joseph saw his brethren
Among those that came to buy corn, and when they prostrated themselves before him: and he knew them;
some of them being at man's estate, and their beards grown when they sold him, and their habits and dress now being much the same it was then, and by them he knew the younger: but made himself strange unto them;
took no notice of them as his relations, but carried himself to them as he did to other foreigners, and yet more strangely: and spake roughly unto them;
or hard ^F26 things or words; put on a stern countenance, and spoke with a high tone and in a rough surly manner to them: and he said unto them, whence come ye?
who are ye? of what country are ye? what is your business here? and they said, from the land of Canaan to buy food;
which they could not get in Canaan, the famine being there so great.

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FOOTNOTES:

F26 (twvq) "dura", Pagninus, Montanus, Drusius, Piscator, Schmidt.

Genesis 42:7 In-Context

5 And the sons of Israel came with all the others to get grain: for they were very short of food in the land of Canaan.

6 Now Joseph was ruler over all the land, and it was he who gave out the grain to all the people of the land; and Joseph's brothers came before him and went down on their faces to the earth.

7 And when Joseph saw his brothers, it was clear to him who they were, but he made himself strange to them, and talking roughly to them, said, Where do you come from? And they said, From the land of Canaan, to get food.

8 Now though Joseph saw that these were his brothers, they had no idea who he was.

9 Then the memory of his dreams about them came back to Joseph, and he said to them, You have come secretly to see how poor the land is.