They did not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Joseph deliberately used an interpreter, not because he couldn't understand his brothers' language, but to maintain his disguise and ensure they spoke freely about their true feelings and past actions. This subtle act of misdirection allowed him to truly assess their hearts and the depth of their repentance.
They did not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Joseph's brothers have come to Egypt seeking grain during a famine, unaware that the powerful official in charge is their long-lost brother, Joseph. He's testing them, accusing them of being spies and detaining them for three days. When he speaks to them, he uses an interpreter, making them believe he doesn't understand their Hebrew.
Why would Joseph, now powerful, choose to speak through an interpreter and hide his identity from his brothers?
Joseph's actions here aren't about revenge, but about a profound, divinely-guided strategy.
A Test of True Repentance
Joseph's brothers believed they were speaking in their own language, unaware he understood them. This allowed them to speak freely to each other, revealing their deep guilt and sorrow over what they had done to him. They confessed, 'We are verily guilty concerning our brother.' This honest confession, prompted by their distress, was exactly what Joseph needed to see.
Securing Benjamin's Safety
Joseph also needed to ensure the safety of his younger brother, Benjamin, and his father Jacob. By playing the stern Egyptian governor, he created a situation where the brothers would be motivated to return and bring Benjamin, thus securing the entire family's future in Egypt. His 'rough speech' and insistence on the youngest brother coming were carefully orchestrated steps to achieve God's larger plan.
More than just a language barrier, the 'interpreter' in this story reveals a crucial element of Joseph's strategy and the nature of communication.
The interpreter in Genesis 42:23 serves a dual purpose, highlighting both practical and symbolic truths:
Bridging Worlds
Practically, an interpreter was essential because the Hebrew and Egyptian languages, while related, had distinct differences. This is confirmed by linguistic studies of the period, suggesting that direct communication might have been difficult or prone to misunderstanding. Joseph uses this literal barrier to create a symbolic one.
Ask a follow-up
Creating a Safe Space for Truth
By speaking through an interpreter, Joseph deliberately created a distance. This allowed his brothers to speak freely to each other, believing their words were private. The interpreter, in this context, becomes a facilitator of truth, not just language. Joseph intentionally used this setup to eavesdrop on their unguarded confessions and to test their hearts without their immediate knowledge. It’s a powerful example of how the way we communicate, or even the perceived lack of direct communication, can influence what is revealed.
Understand the original words
melits · Hebrew Noun
One who mediates communication between people of different languages; in a theological sense, it highlights the barrier of understanding between human hearts or divine and human realms.
The use of an interpreter highlights Joseph's strategic effort to maintain his disguise and test his brothers' sincerity, revealing the deep cultural and linguistic differences that could exist between regions like Egypt and Canaan, even while ensuring Joseph could understand his brothers' true words.
c. 1729 BC
Joseph sold into slavery
Joseph is sold into slavery by his jealous brothers and taken to Egypt.
c. 1716 BC
Joseph interprets Pharaoh's dream
Joseph interprets Pharaoh's dreams, predicting a coming famine, and is elevated to a high position in Egypt.
c. 1706 BC
Seven years of plenty end
The seven years of abundance in Egypt conclude, and the famine begins to grip the land.
c. 1706 BC— this verse
Jacob sends sons to Egypt for grain
Jacob sends ten of his sons to Egypt to buy food, unaware that the Egyptian ruler is his long-lost son, Joseph.
c. 1706 BC
Joseph tests his brothers
Joseph, disguised, interrogates his brothers and imprisons them for three days, using an interpreter to conceal his identity and language.
This verse speaks to the idea of hidden things being revealed, much like Joseph's understanding of his brothers' words was hidden from them, highlighting that nothing is truly secret before God.
Romans 8:28This passage shows that God works all things for good, even when human actions (like Joseph's brothers' betrayal) are involved. Joseph’s understanding and subsequent actions, veiled in mystery, were ultimately part of God's plan for their salvation.
1 Samuel 16:7This verse reminds us that God looks on the heart, not just outward appearances. Joseph, by understanding his brothers' true feelings and words spoken in their own tongue, saw beyond their current facade, mirroring God’s deeper perception.
Proverbs 26:2This proverb speaks to how a curse without cause does not alight, suggesting that genuine understanding and divine justice are at play. Joseph's 'understanding' of his brothers was not arbitrary but based on his knowledge of their past actions and their current words, hinting at a deeper layer of divine reckoning.
Matthew 10:26Jesus warns his disciples, 'Therefore do not fear them, for nothing is hidden that will not be made known, nor is anything secret that will not be revealed.' This echoes the situation where Joseph understood what was hidden from his brothers' awareness, and how his own hidden identity would eventually be revealed.
calvinGenesis 42:1-38: "Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another?"
And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food.
Et vidit Joseph fratres suos, et agnovit eos, et alienum se ostendit eis: locutusque est cum eis dura, et dixit eis, Unde venistis? Et dixerunt, De terra Chenaan…
clarkeGenesis 42:23: "And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter."
For he spake unto them by an interpreter - Either there was a very great difference between the two languages as then spoken, or Joseph, to prevent all suspicion, might affect to be ignorant of both. We have many evidences in this book that the Egyptians, Hebrews, Canaanites, and Syrians, could understand each other in a general way, though there are also proofs that there was a considerabl…
Joseph deliberately used an interpreter, not because he couldn't understand his brothers' language, but to maintain his disguise and ensure they spoke freely about their true feelings and past actions. This subtle act of misdirection allowed him to truly assess their hearts and the depth of their repentance.
Joseph's brothers have come to Egypt seeking grain during a famine, unaware that the powerful official in charge is their long-lost brother, Joseph. He's testing them, accusing them of being spies and detaining them for three days. When he speaks to them, he uses an interpreter, making them believe he doesn't understand their Hebrew.
Joseph's brothers have come to Egypt seeking grain during a famine, unaware that the powerful official in charge is their long-lost brother, Joseph. He's testing them, accusing them of being spies and detaining them for three days. When he speaks to them, he uses an interpreter, making them believe he doesn't understand their Hebrew.
"They did not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them." — Joseph deliberately used an interpreter, not because he couldn't understand his brothers' language, but to maintain his disguise and ensure they spoke freely about their true feelings and past action…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026