Genesis 44:1

Summary

Genesis 44:1 opens a new narrative unit in which an unnamed "he" (contextually Joseph) commands the man in charge of his household to fill the sacks of "the men" with as much food as they can carry, and to place each man's silver at the mouth of his own sack.

Key words

• y.Tzav ("he commanded", H6680) — piel narrative verb, intensive stem, marking a directive speech act that begins the scene ("and then he commanded").
• 'asher 'al-beito ("who [was] over his household", H0834A + H5921A + H1004B) — a relative clause with construct noun beit ("household of"), functioning as a title for the household overseer rather than a proper name.
• malle' ("fill", H4390) — piel imperative, 2nd person masculine singular, giving a direct command to the steward.
• yu.khe.Lu-n ("they are able", H3201) — qal imperfect with paragogic nun, an archaic/emphatic verbal ending adding weight to the ongoing capacity expressed ("as much as they are able to carry").
• sim ("put", H7760H) — qal imperative, parallel command structure to malle', coordinating the second instruction about the silver.

What the text says

The verse is built as a chain of commands framed by a narrative introduction. The initial va-yetzav ("and he commanded") uses the vav-consecutive narrative form typical of Hebrew storytelling, linking this verse to the preceding narrative flow. The subject of the command is not named directly but identified only through the relative clause 'asher 'al-beito ("the one who was over his household"), a construct phrase built on beit ("house/household of"), functioning as a title rather than a personal name — the text relies on context to identify this figure as Joseph.

The content of the command follows via the infinitive le'mor ("saying"), introducing direct speech with two coordinated imperatives: malle' ("fill") and sim ("put"). The object of the first command, 'et-'amtechot ha-'anashim ("the sacks of the men"), is qualified by the comparative clause ka'asher yukhelun se'et ("as they are able to carry"), where the paragogic nun on yukhelun adds a slightly heightened or emphatic tone to the verb without changing its core meaning. The second imperative, sim, governs the placement of kesef-'ish ("the silver of each man") be-fi 'amtachto ("in the mouth of his sack"), using construct chains (kesef-'ish, pi 'amtachto) that compress possessive relationships without additional particles, a common feature of Hebrew syntax not directly reproducible in translation.

Differences between versions

The Hebrew text does not name the commander explicitly in this verse, identifying him only through the relative clause "the one who was over his household." The LXX makes the subject explicit by inserting the name Ἰωσὴφ ("Joseph"), clarifying the referent that Hebrew leaves implicit. The Vulgate similarly names "Joseph" and renders the relative clause as a fixed title, dispensatori ("to the steward"), converting the Hebrew's descriptive clause into a single administrative noun.