Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Genesis 43:27 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 27. 27And he asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive?
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Joseph asks whether the brothers are well and whether their elderly father—the man they previously described—is still alive.
Read It With
- Genesis 43:26–34
Read verses 27–29 with 42:13 and 43:7. Earlier family disclosure supplied Jacob's identity; Joseph's questions now move from general welfare to personal confirmation that his father lives before he turns to Benjamin.
Why This Verse Appears Here
After receiving the present and homage, Joseph turns from official business to the well-being of the family he has not seen, asking especially whether Jacob still lives.
Read Genesis 43:26–28 together
Why these verses belong together: The present and first bow lead into Joseph's inquiry about Jacob; the report that Jacob lives ends with a second bow.
Verse 26. 26 And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth.
Verse 27. 27 And he asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive?
Verse 28. 28 And they answered, Thy servant our father is in good health, he is yet alive. And they bowed down their heads, and made obeisance.
What Remains True
Care listens for the well-being of people, not only the successful completion of a transaction.
How It Can Shape Life
- Ask specific, sincere questions about people affected by a difficult situation rather than treating them as background to the main business.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 43:26–34 — Joseph Feasts With His BrothersSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? very strong
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, dream echoes, meal contrast, concealed identity, test, disclosure, and later reconciliation.
Exact location: Genesis 43:26–34 with 37:5–28, 42:6–9, 43:15–25, 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: Bowing, shalom inquiry, compassion idiom, self-restraint, three-way meal separation, abomination, portions, and drinking wording.
Exact location: WLC Genesis 43:26–34, especially vv. 26, 27–31, 32, and 34
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Translation clarification and grammatical restraint.
Exact location: NET Genesis 43 notes for vv. 26–34, especially the notes on welfare, the compassion idiom, restraint, Egyptian meal separation, portions, and intoxication wording
Open NET Genesis 43 ↗