Genesis 42:16

WEB · Bible Passage

Bible Text

Send one of you, and let him get your brother, and you shall be bound, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you, or else by the life of Pharaoh surely you are spies."

No explanation yet for this passage

Ask Explain Bible AI and get a full explanation of Genesis 42:16 from a Reformed theological perspective.

Get a full Reformed explanation of this passage

Maps for this passage

Canaan in the Patriarchal AgeCanaan during the patriarchal period, before the Israelite conquest.

The Ancient Near East (Fertile Crescent)The ancient Near East and Fertile Crescent, from Mesopotamia to Egypt, the world of the patriarchs.

Historical maps are public-domain atlas plates, digitized by Wikimedia Commons.

Canaan was the land where Jacob’s family lived, while Egypt was the powerful Nile-based kingdom where Joseph governed during the famine. In this scene, the brothers’ journey from Canaan to Egypt places them under Joseph’s authority and advances God’s providential preservation of Jacob’s household.

Places in this passage

Genesis 42:16 mentions Canaan and Egypt.

Photo of Egypt — Egypt · Ricardo Liberato