Genesis 42:17
New International Version
And he put them all in custody for three days.

New Living Translation
So Joseph put them all in prison for three days.

English Standard Version
And he put them all together in custody for three days.

Berean Standard Bible
So Joseph imprisoned them for three days,

Berean Literal Bible
And he put them all together in custody three days.

King James Bible
And he put them all together into ward three days.

New King James Version
So he put them all together in prison three days.

New American Standard Bible
So he put them all together in prison for three days.

NASB 1995
So he put them all together in prison for three days.

NASB 1977
So he put them all together in prison for three days.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then he put them all together in prison for three days.

Amplified Bible
Then Joseph put them all in prison for three days.

Berean Annotated Bible
So Joseph imprisoned them for three days,

Christian Standard Bible
So Joseph imprisoned them together for three days.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
So Joseph imprisoned them together for three days.

American Standard Version
And he put them all together into ward three days.

Contemporary English Version
Joseph kept them all under guard for three days,

English Revised Version
And he put them all together into ward three days.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Then he put them in jail for three days.

Good News Translation
With that, he put them in prison for three days.

International Standard Version
Then Joseph locked them all together in prison for three days.

NET Bible
He imprisoned them all for three days.

New Heart English Bible
So he put all of them together in prison for three days.

Webster's Bible Translation
And he put them all together into custody three days.
Majority Text Translations
Majority Standard Bible
So Joseph imprisoned them for three days,

World English Bible
He put them all together into custody for three days.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and he gathers them into confinement [for] three days.

Berean Literal Bible
And he put them all together in custody three days.

Young's Literal Translation
and he removeth them unto charge three days.

Smith's Literal Translation
And he will gather them to guard three days.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
So he put them in prison three days.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Therefore, he delivered them into custody for three days.

New American Bible
With that, he locked them up in the guardhouse for three days.

New Revised Standard Version
And he put them all together in prison for three days.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And he put them all together in prison for three days.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And he cast them into the prison house three days.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And he put them all together into ward three days.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And he put them in prison three days.

Additional Translations ...



Context
Joseph's Brothers Sent to Egypt
16Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be confined so that the truth of your words may be tested. If they are untrue, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!” 17So Joseph imprisoned them for three days, 18and on the third day he said to them, “I fear God. So do this and you will live:…

Cross References
So Joseph imprisoned them for three days,

Genesis 40:3-4
and imprisoned them in the house of the captain of the guard, the same prison where Joseph was confined. / The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he became their personal attendant. After they had been in custody for some time,

Genesis 40:20-23
On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, he held a feast for all his officials, and in their presence he lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker. / Pharaoh restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. / But Pharaoh hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had described to them in his interpretation. …

Genesis 40:13
Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore your position. You will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you did when you were his cupbearer.
Genesis 39:20
So Joseph’s master took him and had him thrown into the prison where the king’s prisoners were confined. While Joseph was there in the prison,

Acts 7:9
Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him

Acts 7:13
On their second visit, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers, and his family became known to Pharaoh.

Acts 7:14
Then Joseph sent for his father Jacob and all his relatives, seventy-five in all.

Acts 7:18-19
Then another king, who knew nothing of Joseph, arose over Egypt. / He exploited our people and oppressed our fathers, forcing them to abandon their infants so they would die.

Acts 7:23-25
When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his brothers, the children of Israel. / And when he saw one of them being mistreated, Moses went to his defense and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian who was oppressing him. / He assumed his brothers would understand that God was using him to deliver them, but they did not.

Acts 7:27-28
But the man who was abusing his neighbor pushed Moses aside and said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us? / Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’

Acts 7:35
This Moses, whom they had rejected with the words, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’ is the one whom God sent to be their ruler and redeemer through the angel who appeared to him in the bush.

Acts 7:37-38
This is the same Moses who told the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.’ / He was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. And he received living words to pass on to us.

Acts 7:44-45
Our fathers had the tabernacle of the Testimony with them in the wilderness. It was constructed exactly as God had directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen. / And our fathers who received it brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations God drove out before them. It remained until the time of David,

Acts 7:52
Which of the prophets did your fathers fail to persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One. And now you are His betrayers and murderers—

Acts 7:54
On hearing this, the members of the Sanhedrin were enraged, and they gnashed their teeth at him.

Acts 7:59
While they were stoning him, Stephen appealed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”


Treasury of Scripture

And he put them all together into ward three days.

put.

Isaiah 24:22
And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.

Acts 5:18
And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison.

ward.

Genesis 40:4,7
And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them: and they continued a season in ward…

Genesis 41:10
Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put me in ward in the captain of the guard's house, both me and the chief baker:

Leviticus 24:12
And they put him in ward, that the mind of the LORD might be shewed them.

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Genesis 42
1. Jacob sends his ten sons to buy grain in Egypt.
16. They are imprisoned by Joseph as spies.
18. They are set at liberty, on condition to bring Benjamin.
21. They have remorse for Joseph.
24. Simeon is kept for a pledge.
25. They return with grain, and their money.
29. Their relation to Jacob.
36. Jacob refuses to send Benjamin.












So Joseph imprisoned them for three days,

Joseph placed his brothers in custody as a measured test of their honesty and concern for Benjamin. Their confinement also confronted them with the kind of suffering Joseph had endured after they sold him into slavery. Separated from freedom and uncertain of their future, they began to recognize that their past sin against Joseph had not been forgotten before God. The three days intensified the pressure of the situation and prepared them to respond to Joseph’s demand that one brother remain behind while the others returned for Benjamin.

Gen 40:3-4 and imprisoned them in the house of the captain of the guard…
Gen 40:20-23 On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday…
Gen 40:13 Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Joseph
The son of Jacob, who was sold into slavery by his brothers and rose to become the second most powerful man in Egypt. In this passage, he is testing his brothers who have come to Egypt to buy grain during a famine.

2. Joseph's Brothers
The ten brothers who initially sold Joseph into slavery. They have come to Egypt to buy grain due to the famine in Canaan.

3. Egypt
The land where Joseph has risen to power and where his brothers have come to seek food.

4. Imprisonment
Joseph's act of imprisoning his brothers for three days as part of his plan to test their character and intentions.

5. Three Days
A significant period often used in the Bible to denote a time of testing, waiting, or preparation.
Teaching Points
Testing and Transformation
Joseph's actions serve as a test of his brothers' character, mirroring how God often tests us to reveal and refine our hearts.

Divine Timing
The three-day period signifies God's perfect timing in bringing about change and understanding in our lives.

Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Joseph's eventual forgiveness of his brothers foreshadows the reconciliation that God offers us through Christ.

Providence and Purpose
Even in difficult circumstances, God is working behind the scenes to fulfill His purposes, as seen in Joseph's journey from slavery to leadership.

Reflection and Repentance
The brothers' time in prison provides an opportunity for reflection and repentance, a necessary step in the process of reconciliation.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1. What is the meaning of Genesis 42:17?

2. How does Genesis 42:17 demonstrate Joseph's wisdom in testing his brothers' integrity?

3. What can we learn about forgiveness from Joseph's actions in Genesis 42:17?

4. How does Joseph's imprisonment of his brothers connect to God's justice in Scripture?

5. How can we apply Joseph's patience in Genesis 42:17 to our daily conflicts?

6. What role does discernment play in Joseph's decision-making in Genesis 42:17?

7. Why did Joseph imprison his brothers for three days in Genesis 42:17?

8. What is the significance of the three-day period in Genesis 42:17?

9. How does Genesis 42:17 reflect Joseph's character and leadership?

10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Genesis 42?


Verse 17. - And he put them all together into ward (literally, and he assembled them into prison) three days. Ostensibly in consequence of their unwillingness to agree to his proposal, but in reality to give them an experience of the suffering which they had inflicted on him, their brother, and so to awaken in their hearts a feeling of repentance. Yet the clemency of Joseph appears in this, that whereas he had lain three long years in prison as the result of their inhumanity towards him, he only inflicts on them a confinement of three days.

Genesis 42:17 records a real, purposeful act: “So Joseph imprisoned them for three days.” The conjunction “So” links it to Joseph’s divine strategy, the act of imprisonment confronts the brothers with their past sin, and the three-day span provides space for reflection and sets the stage for mercy. In this brief sentence God’s sovereign hand is evident, turning human wrongdoing toward eventual repentance, family restoration, and the preservation of the covenant line.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
So Joseph imprisoned them
וַיֶּאֱסֹ֥ף (way·ye·’ĕ·sōp̄)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 622: To gather for, any purpose, to receive, take away, remove

for three
שְׁלֹ֥שֶׁת (šə·lō·šeṯ)
Number - masculine singular construct
Strong's 7969: Three, third, thrice

days,
יָמִֽים׃ (yā·mîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3117: A day


Additonal Resources
Genesis 42:17 Blue Letter Bible
Genesis 42:17 Bible Gateway
Genesis 42:17 Bible.com

Genesis 42:17 NIV
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Genesis 42:17 KJV

Genesis 42:17 Study Bible
Genesis 42:17 Biblia Paralela
Genesis 42:17 Chinese Bible
Genesis 42:17 French Bible
Genesis 42:17 Catholic Bible

OT Law: Genesis 42:17 He put them all together into custody (Gen. Ge Gn)

Genesis 42:16
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