Genesis 43:17

Summary

Genesis 43:17 narrates that the steward ("the man") acted according to Joseph's instructions and brought Joseph's brothers ("the men") into Joseph's house. The verse consists of two sequential actions linked by narrative verb forms.

Key words

• va-Ya'as ("and he did", H6213A) — qal narrative form, marking the first sequential action: the man's compliance.
• ha-'Ish ("the man", H0376G) — definite noun, referring to the same figure ("the man") mentioned earlier in the chapter as Joseph's household steward; repeated as subject of both verbs.
• ka-'asher ("just as", H9004 + H0834D) — preposition + relative particle forming a comparative clause, tying the man's action directly to Joseph's prior speech.
• va-yaVe' ("and he brought", H0935P) — hiphil (causative) narrative form: the man caused the brothers to enter, distinct from a simple "coming."
• Beita ("[the] house of", H1004B) construct + directional he (H9011) — construct noun with directional ending, meaning "toward/into the house," specifying destination.

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence is built as two clauses joined by the narrative vav (H9001), producing the typical wayyiqtol chain of Biblical Hebrew narrative: va-Ya'as ("and he did") followed later by va-yaVe' ("and he brought"). This chaining presents the two actions as sequential and immediate: first the man's general compliance, then the specific act of bringing the brothers inside.

The comparative clause ka-'asher 'aMar Yosef ("just as Joseph had said") uses the relative particle 'asher (H0834D) to subordinate the man's action to Joseph's earlier statement, marking conformity rather than independent initiative. The verb 'aMar (H0559) is qal perfect, indicating Joseph's speech was a completed prior event relative to the man's action.

The second verb, yaVe' (H0935P), is hiphil — a causative stem of the root meaning "to come" (H0935), so it literally denotes "he caused [the men] to come," rendered as "brought." This distinguishes it from a simple verb of motion; the man is agent causing others to move. The destination is marked by Beita Yosef — a construct noun Beit ("house of") with the directional he suffix (H9011) attached, functioning adverbially as "toward the house," followed by the proper name Yosef (H3130G) in construct relation, giving "toward the house of Joseph."

Differences between versions

The LXX renders ha-'Ish ("the man") as ὁ ἄνθρωπος ("the man"), matching the Hebrew closely, while the Vulgate uses ille ("that one/he"), omitting an explicit noun equivalent to "the man" in this clause. The Vulgate also renders the comparative clause as quod sibi fuerat imperatum ("what had been commanded to him"), differing from the Hebrew's direct reference to Yosef ("Joseph") as the one who "said" ('aMar); the Vulgate does not name Joseph in this clause. The Hebrew's directional construction Beita Yosef ("toward the house of Joseph") appears in the LXX as εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν Ἰωσήφ ("into the house of Joseph") and in the Vulgate simply as domum ("home/house"), without repeating Joseph's name.