Genesis 42:23 Made Simple

KJV ORIGINAL

And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter.

Close to the original. Clear modern English.

✦ MADE SIMPLE

They didn't realize that Joseph could understand what they were saying, because he had been speaking to them through a translator.

⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE

This verse shows that Joseph's brothers had no idea he could understand their language because he was using an interpreter when he spoke with them.

📚 Historical Context

Joseph had been sold into slavery by his brothers and taken to Egypt about 20 years earlier. Now he was a powerful Egyptian official, and his brothers had come to buy grain during a famine. Joseph was disguising his identity from them, speaking Egyptian and using an interpreter so they wouldn't recognize him as their long-lost brother.

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1 Corinthians 14:27

If someone's going to speak in tongues during church, keep it to two or three people max, and take turns — don't all go at once. And make sure someone's there who can translate what's being said for everyone else.

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