And they answered, Thy servant our father is in good health, he is yet alive. And they bowed down their heads, and made obeisance.
They answered, 'Your servant our father is doing well and is still alive.' Then they bowed their heads and showed respect.
The brothers are telling Joseph (whom they don't recognize) that their father Jacob is alive and well, and they bow respectfully before him.
📚 Historical Context
In the book of Genesis, this verse occurs during a severe famine in Canaan, where Jacob's sons are forced to return to Egypt to buy more grain after their first visit. Unbeknownst to them, they are speaking to their long-lost brother Joseph, who has become a powerful ruler in Egypt and is testing their character. Their act of bowing down reflects the cultural customs of the ancient Near East, where such gestures showed respect and submission to authority, and it echoes Joseph's earlier dreams of his family bowing before him.
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