Genesis 43:11
וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲבִיהֶם אִם־כֵּן׀ אֵפוֹא זֹאת עֲשׂוּ קְחוּ מִזִּמְרַת הָאָרֶץ בִּכְלֵיכֶם וְהוֹרִידוּ לָאִישׁ מִנְחָה מְעַט צֳרִי וּמְעַט דְּבַשׁ נְכֹאת וָלֹט בָּטְנִים וּשְׁקֵדִֽים׃
✦ Hebrew interlinear
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✦ The same verse in five languages
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֜ם יִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל אֲבִיהֶ֗ם אִם־כֵּ֣ן׀ אֵפוֹא֮ זֹ֣את עֲשׂוּ֒ קְח֞וּ מִזִּמְרַ֤ת הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ בִּכְלֵיכֶ֔ם וְהוֹרִ֥ידוּ לָאִ֖ישׁ מִנְחָ֑ה מְעַ֤ט צֳרִי֙ וּמְעַ֣ט דְּבַ֔שׁ נְכֹ֣את וָלֹ֔ט בָּטְנִ֖ים וּשְׁקֵדִֽים׃
εἶπεν δὲ αὐτοῖς Ἰσραὴλ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτῶν Εἰ οὕτως ἐστίν, τοῦτο ποιήσατε· λάβετε ἀπὸ τῶν καρπῶν τῆς γῆς ἐν τοῖς ἀηίοις ὑμῶν, καὶ καταγάγετε τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ δῶρα τῆς ῥιτίνης καὶ τοῦ μέλιτος, θυμίαμα καὶ στακτὴν καὶ τερέμινθον καὶ κάρυα.
Greek text from Swete's edition, CC BY-SA 4.0
Latin (Vulgate)
Igitur Israël pater eorum dixit ad eos: Si sic necesse est, facite quod vultis: sumite de optimis terræ fructibus in vasis vestris, et deferte viro munera, modicum resinæ, et mellis, et storacis, stactes, et terebinthi, et amygdalarum.
Entonces su padre Israel les dijo: “Si no hay más remedio, háganlo. Tomen de los mejores productos de nuestra tierra, échenlos en sus costales, y llévenselos a ese hombre como regalo: un poco de bálsamo, un poco de miel, especias, mirra, nueces y almendras.
Classic Spanish (Reina-Valera 1909)
Entonces Israel su padre les respondió: Pues que así es, hacedlo; tomad de lo mejor de la tierra en vuestros vasos, y llevad á aquel varón un presente, un poco de bálsamo, y un poco de miel, aromas y mirra, nueces y almendras.
Then their father Israel said to them, “ If it must be so, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your packs and carry them down as a gift for the man— a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachios and almonds.
✦ What the text says
Summary
Israel instructs his sons that if the situation requires it, they should proceed by taking some of the best products of the land in their bags and bring them as a gift to "the man" (Joseph, unnamed here). The verse lists specific items: balm, honey, spice, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds.
Key words
- zimRat ("[the] best products of", H2173) — feminine singular construct noun, linking to "the land" that follows; indicates choice or select produce.
- minChah ("a gift", H4503H) — feminine singular noun designating a present given to a superior or official figure, here "the man."
- tzoRi ("balm", H6875) — masculine singular noun, first item in the list of goods, governed by the construct me'At ("a little of", H4592).
- neKhot ("spice", H5219) — feminine singular noun; appears without a preceding "a little of," differing in construction from the balm and honey items.
- hoRidu ("take down", H3381) — hiphil (causative) plural imperative, instructing the sons to cause the goods to go down (to Egypt).
What the text says
The verse opens with the narrative formula vaYomer ("he said", H0559) plus va ("and", H9001), introducing Israel's direct speech to his sons, identified through the phrase Yisra'El 'aviHem ("Israel their father"). The conditional clause 'im-ken 'eFo' ("if so then", H0518A/H3651C/H0645) expresses a conclusion drawn from prior circumstances, followed by the imperative 'aSu ("do", H6213A) referring to zot ("this", H2063) — the plan about to be detailed.
The instructions unfold through paired imperatives: qeChu ("take", H3947G) and hoRidu ("take down", H3381), both hiphil/qal plural commands directing the sons' actions. The phrase mizzimRat ha'Aretz ("from the best products of the land") uses the construct chain zimRat...ha'Aretz to specify the source of goods, placed bikhLei-Khem ("in your vessels", H3627+H9026), indicating the containers for carrying items. The list of goods itself is built through repeated construct nouns me'At ("a little of") governing tzoRi ("balm") and deVash ("honey"), while neKhot ("spice") and Lot ("myrrh") appear as bare nouns joined by va ("and", H9002), followed by the plural nouns bateNim ("pistachio nuts", H0992) and sheKeDim ("almonds", H8247), also joined by va. This shifts the grammatical pattern partway through the list from construct-quantity phrases to simple coordinated nouns.
Differences between versions
The LXX renders neKhot ("spice", H5219) as θυμίαμα ("incense") and Lot ("myrrh", H3910) as στακτήν ("stacte"), while the Vulgate gives storacis and stactes respectively — three different lexical choices for these two Hebrew terms. The LXX also renders zimRat ha'Aretz ("best products of the land") as τῶν καρπῶν τῆς γῆς ("the fruits of the land"), a more general term than the Hebrew construct phrase suggesting select or choice goods.
This explanation describes the text using linguistic data; it adds no doctrine or confessional interpretation.