Genesis 45:22

Summary

Genesis 45:22 records Joseph distributing gifts to his brothers before their return to Canaan: each brother received chalifot semalot ("changes of clothes"), while Benjamin received a larger gift consisting of three hundred units of kesef ("silver") plus five chalifot semalot.

Key words

• khuLam ("all of them", H3605) — construct form with pronominal suffix -m ("their"), meaning "the whole of them," indicating the gift went to every brother collectively.
• naTan ("he gave", H5414G) — qal perfect, third person masculine singular, denoting a completed act; the verb appears twice, once for the group and once for Benjamin, marking two distinct giving-events.
• chaliFot ("changes of", H2487) — feminine plural construct, meaning it must be followed by another noun to complete its sense ("changes of X"); appears twice, paired both times with semalot.
• semaLot ("clothes", H8071) — feminine plural, the noun completing the construct chain chalifot semalot, "changes of clothes."
• sheLosh ("three of", H7969) — cardinal number in construct form, linking to me'ot ("hundreds") to form the compound number "three hundred."

What the text says

The verse divides into two parallel clauses, each built on the verb naTan ("he gave", H5414G) in the qal perfect. The first clause has le-khuLam ("to all of them", H9005 + H3605) as its indirect object, followed by la-'Ish ("to each man", H9005 + H0376I) — a distributive phrase clarifying that the gift of chalifot semalot ("changes of clothes", H2487 + H8071) was given individually to each brother, not just as a lump gift to the group. The construct chain chalifot semalot literally means "changes of clothes," a plural noun phrase without a specified quantity per person in the Hebrew.

The second clause shifts to Benjamin specifically, marked by u-le-Vinyamin ("and to Benjamin", H9002 + H9005 + H1144G). Here the object of naTan splits into two components joined by ve- ("and", H9002): first shelosh me'ot kesef ("three hundred of silver", H7969 + H3967 + H3701G), a numeral construct chain followed by the noun kesef ("silver", H3701G) without a stated unit of weight or coin in the Hebrew text itself; and second chamesh chalifot semalot ("five changes of clothes", H2568 + H2487 + H8071), repeating the same construct phrase used for the other brothers but specifying the number five and doubling the earlier unspecified plural.

Differences between versions

The Hebrew kesef ("silver", H3701G) carries no explicit unit; the LXX renders it χρυσοῦς ("gold pieces"), differing in metal from the Hebrew "silver." The Vulgate and Spanish/English translations (BSB, RV1909, SBLIBRE) render it as "silver" or "silver coins/pieces," aligning with the Hebrew noun but adding a coin/unit sense not explicit in the construct phrase itself. The Hebrew leaves the quantity of clothing given to each brother unspecified beyond the plural chalifot ("changes of", H2487); the LXX specifies δισσὰς ("double/two"), the Vulgate specifies "binas" ("two each"), while BSB and Spanish versions use general plural terms like "sets" or "mudas" without a fixed number.