Favor · the best way to learn the Bible
Genesis 42 Bible study: The brothers bow
Joseph's brothers came to Egypt for grain and bowed before him, as in his dream, without knowing him. He recognized them but acted like a stranger, tested them and kept Simeon. The brothers confessed, in front of him, "We are certainly guilty concerning our brother," and Joseph turned away and wept. Jacob said, "All these things are against me."
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the words behind the words, what most readers miss, and how it all leads to Jesus.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
“They said to one another, “We are certainly guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us, and we wouldn’t listen. Therefore this distress has come upon us.””
Try it · Did you catch it?
“Joseph's brothers confessed their guilt about him with Joseph standing there.”
Is that in Genesis 42, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
The brothers bow
Jacob sends ten sons to Egypt to buy grain, but keeps Benjamin home, "Lest perhaps harm happen to him" (42:1-4). Joseph is the governor who sells the grain, and "Joseph’s brothers came, and bowed themselves down to him with their faces to the earth" (42:6). "Joseph recognized his brothers, but they didn’t recognize him." Then "Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed about them" (42:8-9).
Where it leads to Jesus
Not recognized the first time
Genesis 42:8leads toActs 7:52
"Joseph recognized his brothers, but they didn’t recognize him" (42:8). Stephen retells this journey, when Jacob "sent out our fathers the first time", and says only "On the second time Joseph was made known to his brothers" (Acts 7:12-13); he tells of Moses too, whose brothers "didn’t understand" (Acts 7:25), and ends with "the Righteous One, of whom you have now become betrayers and murderers" (Acts 7:52). Some read this as Stephen's picture of Jesus, not known by his own at first; Stephen doesn't draw that link, and others read the two journeys simply as history.
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Genesis 42
That was a taste
The rest of Genesis 42 is waiting in Favor
- "You are spies!"
- "We are certainly guilty"
- "All these things are against me"
- The dreams come true
- "His blood is required"
- 14 questions as you read
- 4 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Genesis 42 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
נָכַרnakarsay na-KHAR
Brown-Driver-Briggs lists two verbs spelled the same way: one meaning "regard, recognize", and one meaning "act or treat as foreign, or strange; disguise", and under the second it glosses the form in this verse (vayyitnakker) "he acted as a stranger toward them". Both come in 42:7: Joseph "recognized them, but acted like a stranger to them". The next verse repeats the first: "Joseph recognized his brothers, but they didn’t recognize him" (42:8).
For your group
Genesis 42 Bible study questions
- 1Years later, the brothers said, "We are certainly guilty concerning our brother." What does this chapter show about how a hidden wrong affects people?
- 2Joseph tested his brothers before he revealed himself. When is it wise to see if someone has changed before trusting them again?
- 3Jacob said, "All these things are against me," but the reader knows Joseph was alive. When has something looked against you that later turned out otherwise?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Genesis 42 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
Start a Bible studyThe best way to learn the Bible
Favor opens up every chapter as you read.
Favor is a Bible study app for your phone or computer. It takes you through the Bible one chapter at a time, a few minutes a day, and shows you what's really there: the words behind the words, the moments most people miss, and how the whole story fits together. For you. For everyone.
Every chapter explains itself
As you read, short notes open up what's really going on, the details most readers walk past, and the honest questions people ask.
The Hebrew and Greek behind it
Tap a highlighted word to see the original, how to say it, and what it means, checked against the original-language texts.
Every page leads to Jesus
Watch promises made in Genesis kept in Jesus. Each line lights up on your map as you read.
Better together
Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together.
- 1
Start your free week
Sign up in a minute with your email.
- 2
Read a few minutes a day
Each chapter opens itself up as you go. Tap what you're curious about.
- 3
Bring your people, if you like
Send one link. Everyone reads the same chapter, then meets to talk.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
How much does it cost?
Your first week is free. After that it's $10 a month per person, the same for everyone, including groups and churches. There are no tiers and nothing extra to unlock.
Can I read Genesis 42 straight away?
Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach Genesis 42 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
Do I need a group?
No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
Is Favor tied to a church?
No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
Start with Genesis 42
The best way to learn the Bible. For you. For everyone.
There's a seat for you at the table.
Start your free weekFirst week free, then $10 a month per person · Log in
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home