Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Genesis 43:6 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 6. 6And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother?
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Israel asks why the sons harmed him by revealing another brother, expressing the crisis through the personal danger now attached to Benjamin.
Read It With
- Genesis 43:1–14
Read verses 6–10 with 42:36–38. Jacob's earlier bereavement speech explains the accusation; the brothers' defense and Judah's surety answer it.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Jacob's accusation exposes the grief and blame still blocking agreement, so the brothers and Judah must answer more than the practical grain shortage.
Read Genesis 43:6–10 together
Why these verses belong together: Jacob blames the disclosure, the brothers defend it, and Judah answers the stalemate by naming the household's danger, assuming surety, and confronting delay.
Verse 6. 6 And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother?
Verse 7. 7 And they said, The man asked us straitly of our state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother down?
Verse 8. 8 And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones.
Verse 9. 9 I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever:
Verse 10. 10 For except we had lingered, surely now we had returned this second time.
What Remains True
Grief can shape a decision-maker's questions, but blame alone cannot resolve the new conditions facing the whole household.
How It Can Shape Life
- When fear makes you ask who caused a crisis, also ask what information and responsible action are now needed to protect everyone affected.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 43:1–14 — Judah Persuades Jacob to Send BenjaminSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
Where care is needed
The text does not say whether Jacob is making a settled moral judgment, venting grief, or using accusation to resist the journey.
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, dialogue, surety, gift, money, El Shaddai, bereavement, and narrative connections.
Exact location: Genesis 43:1–14 with 42:2, 42:29–38, 43:15–34, 44:18–34, 28:3, 35:11, and 37:25 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: Infinitive absolutes, survival sequence, surety, guilt, mercy, El Shaddai, and repeated bereavement wording.
Exact location: WLC Genesis 43:1–14, especially vv. 3, 7–10, and 14
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Lexical, supplied-word, gift-item, money, surety, and divine-title translation clarification.
Exact location: NET Genesis 43 notes for vv. 1–14, especially vv. 3, 7, 9, 11–12, and 14
Open NET Genesis 43 ↗