One verse. Three ways to understand.
They didn't realize that Joseph could understand what they were saying, because he had been speaking to them through a translator.
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.
These are AI-assisted adaptations, not separate Bible editions. Compare them with the KJV source and read our methodology. How these readings are made →
Read the KJV source
King James Version · EnglishAnd they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter.Ask the AI Assistant
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📚 Historical Context
In the biblical narrative of Genesis, Joseph had been sold into slavery by his brothers and eventually rose to a position of great power in Egypt as the Pharaoh's administrator. Years later, during a severe famine, his brothers traveled from Canaan to Egypt to buy grain, unaware that the official they were dealing with was Joseph himself. Joseph used an interpreter to speak with them, concealing his identity and his ability to understand their language, which added to the tension in this family reunion orchestrated by God's providence.