Genesis 47:16

וַיֹּאמֶר יוֹסֵף הָבוּ מִקְנֵיכֶם וְאֶתְּנָה לָכֶם בְּמִקְנֵיכֶם אִם־אָפֵס כָּֽסֶף׃

✦ Hebrew interlinear

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✦ The same verse in five languages

Hebrew

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יוֹסֵף֙ הָב֣וּ מִקְנֵיכֶ֔ם וְאֶתְּנָ֥ה לָכֶ֖ם בְּמִקְנֵיכֶ֑ם אִם־אָפֵ֖ס כָּֽסֶף׃

Greek (Septuagint)

εἶπεν δὲ αὐτοῖς Ἰωσήφ Φέρετε τὰ κτήνη ὑμῶν, καὶ δώσω ὑμῖν ἄρτους ἀντὶ τῶν κτηνῶν ὑμῶν, εἰ ἐκλέλοιπεν τὸ ἀργύριον ὑμῶν.

Greek text from Swete's edition, CC BY-SA 4.0

Latin (Vulgate)

Quibus ille respondit: Adducite pecora vestra, et dabo vobis pro eis cibos, si pretium non habetis.

Spanish

José les contestó: “Entréguenme su ganado, y yo les daré comida a cambio de sus animales, ya que se les acabó el dinero”.

Classic Spanish (Reina-Valera 1909)

Y José dijo: Dad vuestros ganados, y yo os daré por vuestros ganados, si se ha acabado el dinero.

English

“ Then bring me your livestock,” said Joseph. “Since the money is gone, I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock.”

✦ What the text says

Summary

Joseph responds to the Egyptians who have no more money by instructing them to hand over their livestock. He states he will give them something in exchange for that livestock, since (or "if") their silver has run out.

Key words

ha.Vu ("give", H3051) — qal imperative masculine plural: a direct command to the group ("give!" / "hand over!").
mik.nei.khem ("your livestock", H4735 + H9026) — masculine singular construct noun with 2nd person plural suffix; appears twice in the verse (positions 5-6 and 12-13), framing the exchange.
'e.te.Nah ("let me give [it]", H5414G) — qal form glossed as "let me give," expressing Joseph's own intended action, paired with the preposition la ("to", H9005) + suffix "you."
'im ("if", H0518A) — conditional/subordinating particle introducing the final clause; can function as "if" or, in some renderings, "since."
'a.Fes ("it has come to an end", H0656) — qal perfect, describing a completed state: the money has already run out by the time Joseph speaks.

What the text says

The verse is built as two linked clauses joined by the narrative va ("and", H9001). The first clause is Joseph's command: ha.Vu mik.nei.khem ("give your livestock"), a plural imperative addressed to the Egyptians as a group. The second clause, introduced by ve ("and/so", H9002), presents Joseph's reciprocal action: 'e.te.Nah la.khem be.mik.nei.khem ("let me give to you for your livestock"). Notably, the Hebrew does not specify an object for what Joseph will give — the text simply says "I will give to you in exchange for your livestock," leaving the substance of the exchange unstated. The final clause, 'im 'a.Fes ka.sef, uses the qal perfect 'a.Fes to mark the money's depletion as a completed fact preceding Joseph's offer, with 'im linking this fact to the preceding statement as a condition or reason.

Differences between versions

The Hebrew leaves unspecified what Joseph gives in return for the livestock — only "in exchange for your livestock" (be.mik.nei.khem) appears. The LXX supplies an explicit object, ἄρτους ("bread"), and the Vulgate similarly adds cibos ("food"), both making explicit what the Hebrew leaves implicit. Additionally, the particle 'im ("if", H0518A) is rendered conditionally in RV1909 ("si se ha acabado") but causally in BSB ("since the money is gone"), reflecting two different ways of construing the same Hebrew particle.

This explanation describes the text using linguistic data; it adds no doctrine or confessional interpretation.