Genesis 41:57

41:57 People from every country ¹  came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain because the famine was severe throughout the earth.

Genesis 42:2

42:2 He then said, “Look, I hear that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy grain for us ²  so that we may live ³  and not die.” ⁴ 

Genesis 43:8

43:8 Then Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me and we will go immediately. ⁵  Then we will live ⁶  and not die – we and you and our little ones.

[41:57]  ¹ tn Heb “all the earth,” which refers here (by metonymy) to the people of the earth. Note that the following verb is plural in form, indicating that the inhabitants of the earth are in view.

[42:2]  ² tn Heb “and buy for us from there.” The word “grain,” the direct object of “buy,” has been supplied for clarity, and the words “from there” have been omitted in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[42:2]  ³ tn Following the imperatives, the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav expresses purpose of result.

[42:2]  ⁴ tn The imperfect tense continues the nuance of the verb before it.

[43:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “and we will rise up and we will go.” The first verb is adverbial and gives the expression the sense of “we will go immediately.”

[43:8]  ⁶ tn After the preceding cohortatives, the prefixed verbal form (either imperfect or cohortative) with the prefixed conjunction here indicates purpose or result.