Genesis 50:4

Summary

Genesis 50:4 narrates that once the days of mourning for Jacob had passed, Joseph addressed Pharaoh's household, asking them, if he had found favor in their eyes, to convey a request to Pharaoh on his behalf.

Key words

• bekhitO ("weeping", H1068) — feminine singular construct noun with pronominal suffix o ("his," H9023), forming "the days of his weeping"; it specifies whose mourning is meant.
• yedaBer ("he spoke", H1696G) — piel narrative verb form of the root also used later in dabberu; the piel stem carries an intensive nuance beyond simple "saying."
• leMor ("saying", H0559) — qal infinitive construct, used twice in the verse (lines 13 and 27) to introduce direct speech, a standard narrative device marking the transition into quoted words.
• chen ("favor", H2580) with be'einei-khem ("in your eyes/view", H5869A + H9026) — the dual noun 'einei ("view," construct) plus the plural suffix "your" builds the idiom "in your eyes," i.e., in your judgment or estimation.
• dabberu-na' ("speak, please", H1696G imperative + H4994) — piel imperative plus the particle na' ("please"), softening the command into a polite request.

What the text says

The verse opens with two narrative-vav clauses in sequence: va-ya'avru ("and they passed", H5674A) governing yemei bekhito ("the days of his weeping"), followed by va-yedaber Yosef ("and Joseph spoke"). This chaining (rule of the vav consecutive) marks two sequential events: the completion of a mourning period, then Joseph's speech. The object of Joseph's speech is introduced by 'el-beit Par'oh ("to the household of Pharaoh", H1004M + H6547H), a construct phrase identifying the group addressed, not Pharaoh directly.

The quoted speech begins with the conditional particle 'im ("if", H0518A) plus na' ("please"), attached to matza'ti chen ("I have found favor", H4672 + H2580) — a qal perfect verb indicating a completed state ("I have found"), followed by the idiomatic phrase be'einei-khem ("in your eyes"), literally referencing sight/view ('einei, dual construct of "eyes") to express standing or approval in someone's judgment. The apodosis follows with the piel imperative dabberu-na' ("please speak") plus be'oznei Par'oh ("in the ears of Pharaoh", H0241I), another idiom using the dual noun for "ears" in construct, meaning "make it heard by Pharaoh." Both idioms — "in the eyes" and "in the ears" — use body-part duals in construct state to express perception or awareness in the addressee's mind. The second leMor ("saying", H0559) reopens direct speech, though the content following this second "saying" is not included within the boundaries of this verse.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders beit Par'oh ("house of Pharaoh") as "τοὺς δυνάστας Φαραὼ" ("the potentates/nobles of Pharaoh"), specifying a group of officials rather than the more general "household." The Vulgate uses "familiam Pharaonis" ("the family/household of Pharaoh"), closer to the Hebrew construct phrase. The LXX also adds "περὶ ἐμοῦ" ("concerning me") within the imperative clause, an addition not present in the Hebrew text's dabberu-na' be'oznei Par'oh.