Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Genesis 42:13 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 13. 13And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
The brothers say they are twelve sons of one father: the youngest remains with their father, and one brother is gone. Without realizing it, they tell Joseph that Benjamin and Jacob are alive while describing Joseph to Joseph as absent.
Read It With
- Genesis 42:1–17
Read verses 11–16 and Genesis 37:31–35. Their kinship defense becomes news about the family, while the earlier deception explains the irony of 'one is not.'
Why This Verse Appears Here
The fuller family account supplies the decisive news that Jacob and Benjamin live and creates the condition Joseph will use in the test.
Read Genesis 42:10–13 together
Why these verses belong together: The brothers deny espionage, claim one-father kinship and honesty, and disclose the youngest brother, father, and absent brother.
Verse 10. 10 And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come.
Verse 11. 11 We are all one man’s sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies.
Verse 12. 12 And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.
Verse 13. 13 And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not.
What Remains True
Ordinary speech can expose unresolved loss and hidden truth; careful listening attends to what a family says and what its established history keeps unsettled.
How It Can Shape Life
- When describing a painful family absence, distinguish what is known from what is assumed, and do not turn a long-maintained account into certainty simply through repetition.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 42:1–17 — Joseph Tests the Brothers Who Do Not Recognize HimSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
Where care is needed
'One is not' presents Joseph as gone or presumed no longer living, but the verse does not reveal each brother's precise belief about his fate.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Displayed text, famine movement, dreams, recognition, accusation, family disclosure, test, confinement, later tears, reconciliation, and providential conclusion.
Exact location: Genesis 42:1–17 with 37:2–36, 41:37–57, 42:18–28, 44:1–45:15, and 50:15–21 in the pinned standardized 1769 KJV
Open source ↗hebrew text morphology and lemma data
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026
Supports: Ruler and grain-distributor titles, bowing, recognition and concealment forms, harsh words, nakedness idiom, honesty language, testing, oath, and ward terminology.
Exact location: WLC Genesis 42:1–17, especially vv. 6–17
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: KJV clarification, idioms, recognition, dream correspondence, spying accusation, family language, oath, testing, and confinement.
Exact location: NET Genesis 42 notes for vv. 1–17, especially vv. 1, 4, 6–9, 11, 13, and 15–17
Open NET Genesis 42 ↗