Genesis 45:27
וַיְדַבְּרוּ אֵלָיו אֵת כָּל־דִּבְרֵי יוֹסֵף אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אֲלֵהֶם וַיַּרְא אֶת־הָעֲגָלוֹת אֲשֶׁר־שָׁלַח יוֹסֵף לָשֵׂאת אֹתוֹ וַתְּחִי רוּחַ יַעֲקֹב אֲבִיהֶֽם׃
✦ Hebrew interlinear
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✦ The same verse in five languages
וַיְדַבְּר֣וּ אֵלָ֗יו אֵ֣ת כָּל־דִּבְרֵ֤י יוֹסֵף֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר דִּבֶּ֣ר אֲלֵהֶ֔ם וַיַּרְא֙ אֶת־הָ֣עֲגָל֔וֹת אֲשֶׁר־שָׁלַ֥ח יוֹסֵ֖ף לָשֵׂ֣את אֹת֑וֹ וַתְּחִ֕י ר֖וּחַ יַעֲקֹ֥ב אֲבִיהֶֽם׃
ἐλάλησαν δὲ αὐτῷ πάντα τὰ ῥηθέντα ὑπὸ ἸωσήΦ, ὅσα εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· ἰδὼν δὲ τὰς ἃς ἀπέστειλεν ἸωσὴΦ ὥστε ἀναλαβεῖν αὐτόν, ἀνεζωπύρησεν τὸ μὰ Ἰακὼβ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῶν. εἶπεν δὲ Ἰσραήλ Μέγα μοί ἐστιν εἰ ἔτι ὁ υἱός μου ἸωσὴΦ ζῇ· πορευθεὶς ὄψομαι αὐτὸν πρὸ τοῦ ἀποθανεῖν με.
Greek text from Swete's edition, CC BY-SA 4.0
Latin (Vulgate)
Illi e contra referebant omnem ordinem rei. Cumque vidisset plaustra et universa quæ miserat, revixit spiritus ejus,
Pero cuando le contaron todo lo que José les había dicho, y vio las carretas que José había enviado para llevarlo, el espíritu de Jacob revivió.
Classic Spanish (Reina-Valera 1909)
Y ellos le contaron todas las palabras de José, que él les había hablado; y viendo él los carros que José enviaba para llevarlo, el espíritu de Jacob su padre revivió.
However, when they relayed all that Joseph had told them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob was revived.
✦ What the text says
Summary
Jacob's sons report to him all of Joseph's words, and when Jacob sees the carts that Joseph had sent to transport him, his spirit revives. The verse marks the turning point where Jacob moves from disbelief to renewed vitality.
Key words
- y.da.be.Ru ("they spoke", H1696G) — piel narrative form (plural), indicating an intensive or emphatic act of speaking; the sons actively relay the message rather than merely mentioning it.
- div.Rei ("[the] words of", H1697G) — masculine plural construct, linked to kol ("all", H3605) and yo.Sef ("Joseph", H3130G), forming the phrase "all the words of Joseph."
- i.yaR' ("he saw", H7200G) — qal narrative form (singular, he), marking the next event in sequence: Jacob's visual confirmation, distinct from merely hearing the report.
- te.Chi ("it lived", H2421) — qal narrative form (feminine, she/it), agreeing with Ru.ach ("spirit of", H7307G); this verb denotes coming back to life or reviving.
- 'a.vi.Hem ("father their", H0001G + H9028) — construct noun with plural suffix, identifying Jacob specifically as "their father," tying the emotional resolution to the sons who caused the earlier report.
What the text says
The Hebrew sentence is built on three sequential narrative verbs connected by the vav consecutive: va-y.da.be.Ru ("and they spoke"), va-y.yar' ("and he saw"), and va-t.te.chi ("and it lived"). This chain presents three discrete actions in temporal sequence: the sons speaking, Jacob seeing, and the spirit reviving. The object of the first verb is marked by 'et (H0853) governing the phrase kol div.rei Yosef ("all the words of Joseph"), a construct chain indicating the totality of the message relayed.
The verb di.ber ("he had spoken", H1696G) is a piel perfect, marking completed action prior to the main narrative sequence — this is what Joseph had said, as background information, contrasted with the narrative verbs describing what happens next in Jacob's presence. Similarly, sha.lach ("he had sent", H7971G) is a qal perfect describing Joseph's prior action of sending the carts, providing the circumstance for Jacob's seeing them.
The final clause uses Ruach ("spirit of", H7307G) in construct with Ya'akov ("Jacob", H3290), followed by avihem ("their father", H0001G + H9028), a construct noun with the plural pronominal suffix referring back to the sons mentioned in the opening clause. The verb techi ("it lived", H2421) agrees grammatically with the feminine noun ruach, describing the spirit's revival as the culmination of hearing the report and seeing the physical evidence (the carts).
This explanation describes the text using linguistic data; it adds no doctrine or confessional interpretation.