Genesis 42:27-28

42:27 When one of them ¹  opened his sack to get feed for his donkey at their resting place, ²  he saw his money in the mouth of his sack. ³  42:28 He said to his brothers, “My money was returned! Here it is in my sack!” They were dismayed; ⁴  they turned trembling one to another ⁵  and said, “What in the world has God done to us?” ⁶ 

Genesis 43:21

43:21 But when we came to the place where we spent the night, we opened our sacks and each of us found his money – the full amount ⁷  – in the mouth of his sack. So we have returned it. ⁸ 

¹ tn Heb “and the one.” The article indicates that the individual is vivid in the mind of the narrator, yet it is not important to identify him by name.

² tn Heb “at the lodging place.”

³ tn Heb “and look, it [was] in the mouth of his sack.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to look through the eyes of the character and thereby draws attention to the money.

⁴ tn Heb “and their heart went out.” Since this expression is used only here, the exact meaning is unclear. The following statement suggests that it may refer to a sudden loss of emotional strength, so “They were dismayed” adequately conveys the meaning (cf. NRSV); NIV has “Their hearts sank.”

⁵ tn Heb “and they trembled, a man to his neighbor.”

⁶ tn Heb “What is this God has done to us?” The demonstrative pronoun (“this”) adds emphasis to the question.

⁷ tn Heb “in its weight.”

⁸ tn Heb “brought it back in our hand.”