TRV
Translation
King James Version
And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you.
Complete Jewish Bible
Here! Your own eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Binyamin, that it is my own mouth speaking to you.
Berean Standard Bible
Behold! You and my brother Benjamin can see that I, Joseph, am the one speaking with you.
American Standard Version
And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you.
World English Bible Messianic
Behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaks to you.
Geneva Bible (1599)
And behold, your eyes doe see, and the eyes of my brother Beniamin, that my mouth speaketh to you.
Young's Literal Translation
`And lo, your eyes are seeing, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth which is speaking unto you;
See on the biblical-era map
In the KJVVerse 1,371 of 31,102
Study This Verse
Commentary on Genesis 45 verses 1–15
1 ¶ Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren.
2 And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard.
3 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence.
4 And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.
5 Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.
6 For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.
7 And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
8 So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.
9 Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not:
10 And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast:
11 And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty.
12 And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you.
13 And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither.
14 And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck.
15 Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him.
Judah and his brethren were waiting for an answer, and could not but be amazed to discover, instead of the gravity of a judge, the natural affection of a father or brother.
I. Joseph ordered all his attendants to withdraw, Gen 45:1. The private conversations of friends are the most free. When Joseph would put on love he puts off state, and it was not fit his servants should be witnesses of this. Thus Christ graciously manifests himself and his loving-kindness to his people, out of the sight and hearing of the world.
II. Tears were the preface or introduction to his discourse, Gen 45:2. He had dammed up this stream a great while, and with much ado: but now it swelled so high that he could no longer contain, but he wept aloud, so that those whom he had forbidden to see him could not but hear him. These were tears of tenderness and strong affection, and with these he threw off that austerity with which he had hitherto carried himself towards his brethren; for he could bear it no longer. This represents the divine compassion towards returning penitents, as much as that of the father of the prodigal, Luk 15:20; Hos 14:8, Hos 14:9.
III. He very abruptly (as one uneasy till it was out) tells them who he was: I am Joseph. They knew him only by his Egyptian name, Zaphnath-paaneah, his Hebrew name being lost and forgotten in Egypt; but now he teaches them to call him by that: I am Joseph; nay, that they might not suspect it was another of the same name, he explains himself (Gen 45:4): I am Joseph, your brother. This would both humble them yet more for their sin in selling him, and would encourage them to hope for kind treatment. Thus when Christ would convince Paul he said, I am Jesus; and when he would comfort his disciples he said, It is I, be not afraid. This word, at first, startled Joseph's brethren; they started back through fear, or at least stood still astonished; but Joseph called kindly and familiarly to them: Come near, I pray you. Thus when Christ manifests himself to his people he encourages them to draw near to him with a true heart. Perhaps, being about to speak of their selling him, he would not speak aloud, lest the Egyptians should overhear, and it should make the Hebrews to be yet more an abomination to them; therefore he would have them come near, that he might whisper with them, which, now that the tide of his passion was a little over, he was able to do, whereas at first he could not but cry out.
IV. He endeavours to assuage their grief for the injuries they had done him, by showing them that whatever they designed God meant it for good, and had brought much good out of it (Gen 45:5): Be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves. Sinners must grieve, and be angry with themselves, for their sins; yea, though God by his power brings good out of them, for no thanks are due to the sinner for this: but true penitents should be greatly affected when they see God thus bringing good out of evil, meat out of the eater. Though we must not with this consideration extenuate our own sins and so take off the edge of our repentance, yet it may be well thus to extenuate the sins of others and so take off the edge of our angry resentments. Thus Joseph does here; his brethren needed not to fear that he would avenge upon them an injury which God's providence had made to turn so much to his advantage and that of his family. Now he tells them how long the famine was likely to last - five years; yet (Gen 45:6) what a capacity he was in of being kind to his relations and friends, which is the greatest satisfaction that wealth and power can give to a good man, Gen 45:8. See what a favourable colour he puts upon the injury they had done him: God sent me before you, Gen 45:5, Gen 45:7. Note, 1. God's Israel is the particular care of God's providence. Joseph reckoned that his advancement was not so much designed to save a whole kingdom of Egyptians as to preserve a small family of Israelites: for the Lord's portion is his people; whatever becomes of theirs, they shall be secured. 2. Providence looks a great way forward, and has a long reach. Even long before the years of plenty, Providence was preparing for the supply of Jacob's house in the years of famine. The psalmist praises God for this (Psa 105:17): He sent a man before them, even Joseph. God sees his work from the beginning to the end, but we do not, Ecc 3:11. How admirable are the projects of providence! How remote its tendencies! What wheels are there within wheels, and yet all directed by the eyes in the wheels, and the spirit of the living creature! Let us therefore judge nothing before the time. 3. God often works by contraries. The envy and contention of brethren threaten the ruin of families, yet, in this instance, they prove the occasion of preserving Jacob's family. Joseph could never have been the shepherd and stone of Israel if his brethren had not shot at him, and hated him; even those that had wickedly sold Joseph into Egypt yet themselves reaped the benefit of the good God brought out of it; as those that put Christ to death were many of them saved by his death. 4. God must have all the glory of the seasonable preservations of his people, by what way soever they are effected. It was not you that sent me hither, but God, Gen 45:8. As, on the one hand, they must not fret at it, because it ended so well, so on the other hand they must not be proud of it, because it was God's doing, and not theirs. They designed, by selling him into Egypt, to defeat his dreams, but God thereby designed to accomplish them. Isa 10:7, Howbeit he meaneth not so.
V. He promises to take care of his father and all the family during the rest of the years of famine. 1. He desires that his father may speedily be made glad with the tidings of his life and dignity. His brethren must hasten to Canaan, and must inform Jacob that his son Joseph was lord of all Egypt; (Gen 45:9): they must tell him of all his glory there, Gen 45:13. He knew it would be a refreshing oil to his hoary head and a sovereign cordial to his spirits. If any thing would make him young again, this would. He desires them to give themselves, and take with them to their father, all possible satisfaction of the truth of these surprising tidings: Your eyes see that it is my mouth, Gen 45:12. If they would recollect themselves, they might remember something of his features, speech, etc., and be satisfied. 2. He is very earnest that his father and all his family should come to him to Egypt: Come down unto me, tarry not, Gen 45:9. He allots his dwelling in Goshen, that part of Egypt which lay towards Canaan, that they might be mindful of the country from which they were to come out, Gen 45:10. He promises to provide for him: I will nourish thee, Gen 45:11. Note, It is the duty of children, if the necessity of their parents do at any time require it, to support and supply them to the utmost of their ability; and Corban will never excuse them, Mar 7:11. This is showing piety at home, Ti1 5:4. Our Lord Jesus being, like Joseph, exalted to the highest honours and powers of the upper world, it is his will that all that are his should be with him where he is, Joh 17:24. This is his commandment, that we be with him now in faith and hope, and a heavenly conversation; and this is his promise, that we shall be for ever with him.
VI. Endearments were interchanged between him and his brethren. He began with the youngest, his own brother Benjamin, who was but about a year old when Joseph was separated from his brethren; they wept on each other's neck (Gen 45:14), perhaps to think of their mother Rachel, who died in travail of Benjamin. Rachel, in her husband, Jacob, had been lately weeping for her children, because, in his apprehension, they were not - Joseph gone, and Benjamin going; and now they were weeping for her, because she was not. After he had embraced Benjamin, he, in like manner, caressed them all (Gen 45:15); and then his brethren talked with him freely and familiarly of all the affairs of their father's house. After the tokens of true reconciliation follow the instances of a sweet communion.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–15. Public domain.
Copy as
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
Copy as
Continue studying Genesis 45:12 across the web’s major study libraries — every link below opens this exact verse, chapter, or book on the destination site.
Read & Compare
BibleGatewayThis verse in more than 200 translations and 70 languages.
Bible.comThe YouVersion reader — hundreds of translations, reading plans, and highlights.
ESV.orgCrossway's official English Standard Version reader.
NET BibleThe NET translation with 60,000+ translators' notes on every rendering decision.
STEP BibleTyndale House's free study tool — original text, vocabulary, and scholarly resources.
BibliaLogos Bible Software's free web reader.
USCCBThe New American Bible (Revised Edition) with the U.S. bishops' study notes.
Commentaries
BibleHub CommentariesDozens of classic commentaries on this verse, gathered on one page.
StudyLightMore than 100 commentary sets — the largest collection on the web.
BibleRefPlain-English commentary on what this verse means, verse by verse.
Enduring WordDavid Guzik's free commentary on this chapter, widely used by Bible teachers.
Bible Study ToolsVerse commentary alongside Greek and Hebrew study aids.
Original Language & Research
- BibleHub InterlinearThe verse word by word — original language, transliteration, and English.
- BibleHub LexiconEvery word's original-language definition and Strong's entry.
Blue Letter BibleDeep-study tools — Strong's numbers, concordance, and word studies.
SefariaThe Hebrew text with Rashi and centuries of Jewish commentary.
Sermons, Hymns & Audio
TrulyRandomVerse is not affiliated with these sites and doesn’t control their content. They’re linked because they’re genuinely useful.
SUMMARY
Genesis 45:12 captures Joseph's profound and direct self-revelation to his brothers, particularly Benjamin, emphasizing the undeniable sensory proof of his identity. This pivotal declaration, delivered in their native tongue and without an interpreter, serves to dismantle any lingering doubt or disbelief, paving the way for genuine reconciliation and the full restoration of Jacob's family after years of separation and misunderstanding.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The verse employs several powerful literary devices to convey its profound message. Emphasis is evident through the repetition of "eyes" and the direct, emphatic statement "it is my mouth that speaketh unto you," underscoring the undeniable reality of Joseph's presence and words. Sensory Imagery is central, as Joseph appeals directly to the brothers' senses of sight ("your eyes see," "the eyes of my brother Benjamin") and hearing ("my mouth that speaketh"). This concrete, sensory evidence is crucial for breaking through their shock and disbelief. The use of Direct Address ("unto you") creates an intimate and personal tone, fostering a sense of immediate connection and urgency. Finally, there is a subtle Contrast with Joseph's earlier interactions where he used an interpreter, highlighting the significance of this moment of unmediated, authentic communication.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Genesis 45:12 is a profound moment of divine revelation and human reconciliation, echoing deeper theological truths. Just as Joseph, after a period of hiddenness and apparent absence, reveals himself directly to his brothers, so too does God continually reveal Himself to humanity, ultimately and most fully in the person of Jesus Christ. This direct, personal encounter is foundational for true relationship and forgiveness. The verse underscores that God's plan often unfolds through unexpected and painful circumstances, but His ultimate purpose is always redemptive, bringing about good even from human sin and suffering. Joseph's insistence on being seen and heard directly embodies the transparency and authenticity required for spiritual and relational healing.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Joseph's powerful declaration in Genesis 45:12 offers invaluable insights into the dynamics of reconciliation and the importance of authentic communication within human relationships. In moments of deep hurt, misunderstanding, or estrangement, the willingness to step forward, drop all pretense, and communicate directly and sincerely is paramount. Joseph's appeal to his brothers' senses—"your eyes see," "my mouth that speaketh"—highlights that genuine reconciliation often requires tangible presence and unmediated truth. It's not enough to send a message; sometimes, we must show up, be vulnerable, and speak from the heart, allowing our true selves to be seen and heard. This verse encourages us to pursue honesty and transparency in our interactions, especially when seeking to mend broken bonds or to offer and receive forgiveness. Just as Joseph's direct revelation paved the way for the healing of his family, our own willingness to be truly present and authentic can open the door to profound healing and restoration in our relationships, reflecting the very heart of God's desire for reconciliation.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why does Joseph specifically mention "your eyes see" and "my mouth that speaketh"?
Answer: Joseph emphasizes sensory evidence—sight and hearing—to provide undeniable proof of his identity. After years of disguise and speaking through an interpreter (Genesis 42:23), this direct appeal to their senses removes all doubt, assuring his brothers that the powerful Egyptian vizier is truly their long-lost brother, Joseph. It's a powerful statement of authenticity, designed to overcome their shock and disbelief by appealing to what they could physically perceive.
Why is Benjamin singled out in this verse?
Answer: Benjamin was Joseph's only full brother, both being sons of Rachel. He was also the youngest and was not present when the other brothers sold Joseph into slavery (Genesis 37:28). By mentioning Benjamin specifically, Joseph not only offers him personal reassurance and acknowledges their unique bond but also subtly reassures the other brothers that Benjamin's safety, which had been a point of contention and testing (Genesis 44:1-17), is now secured. It highlights the depth of Joseph's familial affection and his desire to restore the entire family unit.
How does Joseph's direct communication here contribute to reconciliation?
Answer: Direct and authentic communication is foundational for reconciliation. By speaking openly and without disguise, Joseph breaks down the barriers of fear, guilt, and misunderstanding that had separated him from his brothers. This personal revelation, confirmed by his own voice and presence, allows for genuine dialogue, forgiveness, and the rebuilding of trust, moving beyond the past deception and towards a future of restored family unity. It demonstrates vulnerability and a willingness to engage directly with the pain of the past, which is essential for true healing.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Joseph's dramatic revelation of himself, after a long period of being unrecognized and even rejected by his brothers, serves as a profound type of Christ. Like Joseph, Jesus was rejected by His own people (John 1:11), suffered unjustly (Isaiah 53:3-7), and was exalted to a position of ultimate authority and power at the right hand of God (Philippians 2:9-11). Just as Joseph, through his suffering and subsequent exaltation, became the means of salvation for his family and many nations during a time of famine, so too did Christ, through His crucifixion and resurrection, become the unique means of eternal salvation for all humanity (Acts 4:12). This moment in Genesis 45:12 foreshadows the day when those who once rejected Christ will fully recognize Him, not through an interpreter or a veiled presence, but through His direct and authentic presence, leading to ultimate reconciliation and eternal life (Revelation 1:7).