Genesis 42:21
King James Version
11 Jun 2026
“And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.”
נֶפֶשׁ
Life, soul, living being. Nephesh. The animating breath God places in every living creature. In animals it is the life force. In humanity it is the seat of emotion, will and identity. Every nephesh belongs to God — from the creatures in the sea to the deepest cry of the human heart.
כֵּן
-fore
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כֵּן
properly, set upright; hence (figuratively as adjective) just; but usually (as adverb or conjunction) rightly or so (in various applications to manner, time and relation; often with other particles)
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שָׁמַע
we listened
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שָׁמַע
To hear, to listen, to obey. Shema. Hear O Israel. In Hebrew to truly hear means to obey. God is looking for those who hear with the intention to do.
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רָאָה
we saw
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רָאָה
To see, to look, to perceive. Raah. The LORD sees not as man sees. Man looks on the outward appearance but God looks on the heart.
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עַל
there-
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עַל
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
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צָרָה
the distress of
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צָרָה
tightness (i.e. figuratively, trouble); transitively, a female rival:
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