Genesis 50:21

Translation
King James Version
Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.
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KJV (with Strong's)
Now therefore fear H3372 ye not: I will nourish H3557 you, and your little ones H2945. And he comforted H5162 them, and spake H1696 kindly H3820 unto them.
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Complete Jewish Bible
So don't be afraid -I will provide for you and your little ones." In this way he comforted them, speaking kindly to them.
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Berean Standard Bible
Therefore do not be afraid. I will provide for you and your little ones.” So Joseph reassured his brothers and spoke kindly to them.
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American Standard Version
Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.
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World English Bible Messianic
Now therefore don’t be afraid. I will nourish you and your little ones.” He comforted them, and spoke kindly to them.
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Geneva Bible (1599)
Feare not nowe therefore, I will nourish you, and your children: and hee comforted them, and spake kindly vnto them.
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Young's Literal Translation
and now, fear not: I do nourish you and your infants;' and he comforteth them, and speaketh unto their heart.
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See also
Genesis 47:121 Peter 3:9Genesis 45:10Genesis 45:11Matthew 5:44Matthew 6:141 Thessalonians 5:15
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All Genesis Sites (Canaan) View full PDF
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All Genesis Sites (Middle East) View full PDF
Genesis 37:12-36, Genesis 39:1-23, Genesis 42:1-26, Genesis 42:27-38, Genesis 43:1-34, Genesis 45:1-28, Genesis 46:1-27, Genesis 46:28-47:12, Genesis 47:27-31, Genesis 49:29-50:14, Genesis 50:15-21, Genesis 50:22-25
Genesis 37:12-36, Genesis 39:1-23, Genesis 42:1-26, Genesis 42:27-38, Genesis 43:1-34, Genesis 45:1-28, Genesis 46:1-27, Genesis 46:28-47:12, Genesis 47:27-31, Genesis 49:29-50:14, Genesis 50:15-21, Genesis 50:22-25 View full PDF

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In the KJVVerse 1,528 of 31,102

Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Genesis 50:21 encapsulates Joseph's profound act of grace and unwavering reassurance towards his brothers following the death of their father, Jacob. Despite their past betrayal and their lingering fears of retribution, Joseph dispels their anxieties by promising comprehensive provision for them and their families. This verse powerfully reaffirms his complete forgiveness and demonstrates his deep-seated trust in God's sovereign plan to transform their evil intentions into a redemptive good for the entire family line.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: Genesis 50:21 occurs immediately after the burial of Jacob and Joseph's powerful theological declaration in Genesis 50:20, where he articulates that what his brothers intended for evil, God intended for good, to preserve many lives. The brothers, still burdened by guilt and fear of retribution, approach Joseph, seemingly believing that Joseph's kindness was merely a facade maintained out of respect for their father. Their fear is palpable, leading them to humble themselves before Joseph, even offering themselves as his servants. Joseph's response in verse 21 directly addresses their deep-seated anxiety, building upon his earlier pronouncements of forgiveness and divine providence, and serving as the final, tender act of reconciliation in the patriarchal narrative of Genesis.
  • Historical & Cultural Context: In ancient Near Eastern cultures, the death of a patriarch often triggered shifts in power dynamics and the settling of old scores. Vengeance for past wrongs was a common expectation, especially when a powerful individual like Joseph had been grievously wronged. The brothers' fear was thus culturally understandable; they anticipated Joseph, now unconstrained by his father's presence, would exercise his immense power as Pharaoh's second-in-command to punish them. Furthermore, the concept of a "kind heart" or "speaking to the heart" (as implied by "spake kindly") was a significant cultural expression of genuine empathy and reconciliation, indicating a deeper level of comfort than mere polite words. Joseph's actions, therefore, defied cultural expectations of retribution, highlighting the unique nature of his character shaped by divine wisdom.
  • Key Themes: This verse powerfully contributes to several overarching themes in Genesis and the broader biblical narrative. It climaxes the theme of Divine Providence and Sovereignty, showcasing how God orchestrates human actions, even sinful ones, for His ultimate redemptive purposes, as seen in Joseph's journey from pit to palace (e.g., Genesis 45:5-8). It also brings to a tender close the theme of Reconciliation and Forgiveness, demonstrating a radical form of grace that extends beyond mere pardon to active provision and emotional restoration, a stark contrast to the initial animosity and envy (e.g., Genesis 37). Finally, it underscores the theme of God's Faithful Provision, as Joseph, acting as God's instrument, promises to sustain his family, echoing God's consistent care for His people throughout their trials and journeys (e.g., Genesis 22:14).

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • Fear (Hebrew, yârêʼ', H3372): This word means "to fear," "to be afraid," or "to dread." In this context, it refers to the brothers' palpable apprehension and terror of Joseph's potential retribution. Joseph's command, "fear ye not," directly addresses this deep-seated anxiety, inviting them to lay aside their dread and trust in his benevolent intentions, which are rooted in God's larger redemptive plan.
  • Nourish (Hebrew, kûwl', H3557): This root primarily means "to keep in" or "to contain," but figuratively, it extends to "to maintain," "to sustain," or "to provide sustenance." Joseph's promise, "I will nourish you," signifies far more than simply providing food; it encompasses a comprehensive commitment to their well-being, security, and future, ensuring their ongoing provision and protection.
  • Comforted (Hebrew, nâcham', H5162): This word means "to sigh," "to be sorry," "to pity," or "to console." Here, it denotes Joseph's act of offering solace and reassurance to his distressed brothers. This comfort is not superficial but deeply empathetic, aiming to alleviate their emotional burden and the guilt that had plagued them for years, signifying a complete and heartfelt reconciliation.

Verse Breakdown

  • "Now therefore fear ye not:" Joseph directly confronts his brothers' profound fear, which arose from their guilt and the cultural expectation of retribution. This imperative command is not a dismissal of their feelings but a compassionate invitation to release their anxiety and trust in his genuine forgiveness and the divine purpose behind their shared history. It sets the tone for a relationship based on grace, not vengeance.
  • "I will nourish you, and your little ones." This is Joseph's concrete promise of comprehensive provision and protection. The term "nourish" (from kûwl') implies not just food, but full sustenance, care, and security for their entire families, including the most vulnerable. This commitment extends beyond a temporary act of kindness to a long-term, covenantal-like responsibility, ensuring their survival and flourishing in Egypt.
  • "And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them." This concluding phrase emphasizes the tender and deeply personal nature of Joseph's interaction. "Comforted" (from nâcham') highlights his empathetic solace. The phrase "spake kindly unto them" is a translation of a Hebrew idiom, "spoke to their heart" (דָּבַר עַל־לֵב, dâbar_ al _lêb'), signifying that his words were not merely polite or formal, but deeply reassuring, designed to soothe their inner turmoil, alleviate their guilt, and restore their peace of mind. This demonstrates the completeness and sincerity of his forgiveness.

Literary Devices

The passage employs several impactful literary devices. Direct Address is prominent as Joseph speaks directly to his brothers, confronting their fears head-on with an imperative ("fear ye not") and a personal promise ("I will nourish you"). This creates an intimate and immediate sense of reconciliation. The use of Contrast is also significant, juxtaposing the brothers' deep-seated fear and guilt with Joseph's profound grace, comfort, and promise of provision. This highlights the transformative power of forgiveness. Furthermore, the phrase "spake kindly unto them" (literally "spoke to their heart") is an example of Idiom, conveying a deeper level of empathy and genuine reassurance than a literal translation might suggest, emphasizing the emotional depth of the reconciliation. Finally, the narrative employs Foreshadowing through Joseph's actions, as his role as a deliverer and provider for his family, despite their sin against him, subtly points to a greater deliverer to come.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Joseph's actions in this verse provide a powerful biblical model for radical forgiveness and comprehensive reconciliation. His willingness to not only pardon but actively reassure and provide for those who deeply wronged him exemplifies a grace that transcends human expectations of justice. This act is rooted in his profound understanding of God's sovereignty, recognizing that even the most malicious human intentions can be woven into God's greater redemptive tapestry for good. Joseph's comfort and provision thus become a tangible expression of God's own character as the ultimate Provider and Consoler, turning a history of betrayal into a testament to divine faithfulness and a future of security for the nascent nation of Israel.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Joseph's response in Genesis 50:21 offers timeless lessons for believers today, challenging us to embody a profound and transformative forgiveness. We are called to extend grace and active reconciliation even to those who have deeply wronged us, remembering that true forgiveness seeks not merely to pardon but to restore relationships and alleviate the burden of guilt. This requires a spiritual maturity that sees beyond personal injury to God's larger redemptive purposes. Furthermore, Joseph's unwavering trust in God's sovereignty, even amidst personal suffering and the lingering effects of sin, calls us to cultivate a similar faith, believing that God can redeem our trials and even the wrongs committed against us for His greater glory and our ultimate good. Finally, we are encouraged to be sources of comfort and assurance to others, speaking words that soothe, heal, and affirm, just as Joseph "spake kindly to their heart," thereby reflecting God's own compassionate nature in our interactions and becoming agents of His peace in a broken world.

Questions for Reflection

  • How does Joseph's forgiveness challenge your understanding of what it means to truly forgive someone who has deeply hurt you?
  • In what areas of your life do you need to trust more deeply in God's sovereign plan, even when circumstances seem bleak or unfair?
  • How can you, like Joseph, be an instrument of comfort and reassurance to others, speaking words that minister grace and peace?

FAQ

Why were Joseph's brothers still afraid of him after Jacob's death?

Answer: Joseph's brothers feared that his kindness and forgiveness during Jacob's lifetime were merely a facade, maintained out of respect for their father. With Jacob, the patriarchal figure and buffer, now gone, they worried Joseph would finally exact revenge for their past betrayal of selling him into slavery. Their fear stemmed from a deep-seated guilt and a lack of full comprehension of Joseph's genuine forgiveness and his understanding of God's sovereign plan, as articulated in Genesis 50:20.

How does Joseph's statement "I will nourish you" reflect God's character?

Answer: Joseph's promise to "nourish" (Hebrew kûwl', meaning to sustain, support, and provide comprehensively) mirrors God's character as the ultimate Provider and Sustainer of His people. Just as God faithfully provides for all creation and specifically for His chosen, Joseph, in his divinely appointed role as a deliverer, extends this same comprehensive care to his family. It demonstrates a commitment to ongoing provision and protection, reflecting God's covenant faithfulness and echoing promises found throughout Scripture, such as in Matthew 6:26.

What is the significance of Joseph "speaking kindly unto them"?

Answer: The phrase "spake kindly unto them" translates the Hebrew idiom "spoke to their heart" (dâbar_ al _lêb'). This signifies far more than mere polite conversation; it indicates that Joseph's words were deeply empathetic, comforting, and designed to penetrate their inner turmoil and soothe their guilt. It highlights the emotional depth of his forgiveness and his genuine desire to restore their peace of mind and the relationship, demonstrating a complete and heartfelt reconciliation that went beyond outward actions to address their deepest fears and insecurities.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

Joseph's role in Genesis 50:21 serves as a profound and poignant type of Christ. Just as Joseph, though grievously wronged by his brothers, became their ultimate savior and provider, delivering them from famine and dispelling their fears of retribution, so too does Christ, though innocent and without sin, bear the immense spiritual debt of humanity and offer salvation. Joseph's undeserved forgiveness and his comprehensive promise to nourish his family powerfully foreshadow Christ's ultimate act of atonement on the cross, where He forgives our infinite spiritual debt and promises to nourish us with eternal life and spiritual sustenance. Joseph's comforting words and compassionate heart, which "spoke to their heart," point directly to Jesus, the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep (John 10:11), offering perfect peace, complete reconciliation with God (2 Corinthians 5:18-19), and everlasting provision to all who trust in Him. Through Christ, our deepest fears are assuaged, our guilt is removed, and we are brought into a relationship of abundant life and perfect security, just as Joseph secured the future of his family.

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Commentary on Genesis 50 verses 15–21

We have here the settling of a good correspondence between Joseph and his brethren, now that their father was dead. Joseph was at court, in the royal city; his brethren were in Goshen, remote in the country; yet the keeping up of a good understanding, and a good affection, between them, would be both his honour and their interest. Note, When Providence has removed the parents by death, the best methods ought to be taken, not only for the preventing of quarrels among the children (which often happen about the dividing of the estate), but for the preserving of acquaintance and love, that unity may continue even when that centre of unity is taken away.

I. Joseph's brethren humbly make their court to him for his favour. 1. They began to be jealous of Joseph, not that he had given them any cause to be so, but the consciousness of guilt, and of their own inability in such a case to forgive and forget, made them suspicious of the sincerity and constancy of Joseph's favour (Gen 50:15): Joseph will peradventure hate us. While their father lived, they thought themselves safe under his shadow; but now that he was dead they feared the worst from Joseph. Note, A guilty conscience exposes men to continual frights, even where no fear is, and makes them suspicious of every body, as Cain, Gen 4:14. Those that would be fearless must keep themselves guiltless. If our heart reproach us not, then have we confidence both towards God and man. 2. They humbled themselves before him, confessed their fault, and begged his pardon. They did it by proxy (Gen 50:17); they did it in person, Gen 50:18. Now that the sun and moon had set, the eleven stars did homage to Joseph, for the further accomplishment of his dream. They speak of their former offence with fresh regret: Forgive the trespass. They throw themselves at Joseph's feet, and refer themselves to his mercy: We are thy servants. Thus we must bewail the sins we committed long ago, even those which we hope through grace are forgiven; and, when we pray to God for pardon, we must promise to be his servants. 3. They pleaded their relation to Jacob and to Jacob's God. (1.) To Jacob, urging that he directed them to make this submission, rather because he questioned whether they would do their duty in humbling themselves than because he questioned whether Joseph would do his duty in forgiving them; nor could he reasonably expect Joseph's kindness to them unless they thus qualified themselves for it (Gen 50:16): Thy father did command. Thus, in humbling ourselves to Christ by faith and repentance, we may plead that it is the command of his Father, and our Father, that we do so. (2.) To Jacob's God. They plead (Gen 50:17), We are theservants of the God of thy father; not only children of the same Jacob, but worshippers of the same Jehovah. Note, Though we must be ready to forgive all that are any way injurious to us, yet we must especially take heed of bearing malice towards any that are the servants of the God of our father: such we should always treat with a peculiar tenderness; for we and they have the same Master.

II. Joseph, with a great deal of compassion, confirms his reconciliation and affection to them; his compassion appears, Gen 50:17. He wept when they spoke to him. These were tears of sorrow for their suspicion of him, and tears of tenderness upon their submission. In his reply, 1. He directs them to look up to God in their repentance (Gen 50:19): Am I in the place of God? He, in his great humility, thought they showed him too much respect, as if all their happiness were bound up in his favour, and said to them, in effect, as Peter to Cornelius, "Stand up, I myself also am a man. Make your peace with God, and then you will find it an easy matter to make your peace with me." Note, When we ask forgiveness of those whom we have offended we must take heed of putting them in the place of God, by dreading their wrath and soliciting their favour more than God's. "Am I in the place of God, to whom alone vengeance belongs? No, I will leave you to his mercy." Those that avenge themselves step into the place of God, Rom 12:19. 2. He extenuates their fault, from the consideration of the great good which God wonderfully brought out of it, which, though it should not make them the less sorry for their sin, yet might make him the more willing to forgive it (Gen 50:20): You thought evil (to disappoint the dreams), but God meant it unto good, in order to the fulfilling of the dreams, and the making of Joseph a greater blessing to his family than otherwise he could have been. Note, When God makes use of men's agency for the performance of his counsels, it is common for him to mean one thing and them another, even the quite contrary, but God's counsel shall stand. See Isa 10:7. Again, God often brings good out of evil, and promotes the designs of his providence even by the sins of men; not that he is the author of sin, far be it from us to think so; but his infinite wisdom so overrules events, and directs the chain of them, that, in the issue, that ends in his praise which in its own nature had a direct tendency to his dishonour; as the putting of Christ to death, Act 2:23. This does not make sin the less sinful, nor sinners the less punishable, but it redounds greatly to the glory of God's wisdom. 3. He assures them of the continuance of his kindness to them: Fear not; I will nourish you, Gen 50:21. See what an excellent spirit Joseph was of, and learn of him to render good for evil. He did not tell them they were upon their good behaviour, and he would be kind to them if he saw they conducted themselves well; no, he would not thus hold them in suspense, nor seem jealous of them, though they had been suspicious of him: He comforted them, and, to banish all their fears, he spoke kindly to them. Note, Broken spirits must be bound up and encouraged. Those we love and forgive we must not only do well for but speak kindly to.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 15–21. Public domain.
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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.
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