Genesis 43:34
New International Version
When portions were served to them from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as anyone else’s. So they feasted and drank freely with him.

New Living Translation
And Joseph filled their plates with food from his own table, giving Benjamin five times as much as he gave the others. So they feasted and drank freely with him.

English Standard Version
Portions were taken to them from Joseph’s table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. And they drank and were merry with him.

Berean Standard Bible
When the portions were served to them from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s portion was five times larger than any of the others. So they feasted and drank freely with Joseph.

King James Bible
And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him.

New King James Version
Then he took servings to them from before him, but Benjamin’s serving was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.

New American Standard Bible
Then he took portions to them from his own table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank freely with him.

NASB 1995
He took portions to them from his own table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. So they feasted and drank freely with him.

NASB 1977
And he took portions to them from his own table; but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. So they feasted and drank freely with him.

Legacy Standard Bible
And he took portions to them from his own table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times greater than any of theirs. So they feasted and drank freely with him.

Amplified Bible
Joseph selected and sent portions to them from his own table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. So they feasted and drank freely and celebrated with him.

Christian Standard Bible
Portions were served to them from Joseph’s table, and Benjamin’s portion was five times larger than any of theirs. They drank and became drunk with Joseph.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Portions were served to them from Joseph’s table, and Benjamin’s portion was five times larger than any of theirs. They drank, and they got intoxicated with Joseph.

American Standard Version
And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And they took a portion for themselves from before him, and the portion of Benyamin was greater than the portion of all their five portions, and they drank and they became drunk with him.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And they took their portions from him to themselves; but Benjamin's portion was five times as much as the portions of the others. And they drank and were filled with drink with him.

Contemporary English Version
They were served food from Joseph's table, and Benjamin was given five times as much as each of the others. So Joseph's brothers ate and drank with him and had a good time.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Taking the messes which they received of him: and the greater mess came to Benjamin, so that it exceeded by five parts. And they drank, and were merry with him.

English Revised Version
And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Joseph had portions of food brought to them from his table, but Benjamin's portion was five times more than any of the others. So they ate and drank with Joseph until they were drunk.

Good News Translation
Food was served to them from Joseph's table, and Benjamin was served five times as much as the rest of them. So they ate and drank with Joseph until they were drunk.

International Standard Version
Joseph himself brought portions to them from his own table, except that he provided to Benjamin five times as much as he did for each of the others. So they feasted together and drank freely with Joseph.

JPS Tanakh 1917
And portions were taken unto them from before him; but Benjamin's portion was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him.

Literal Standard Version
and he lifts up gifts from before him to them, and the gift of Benjamin is five hands more than the gifts of all of them; and they drink, indeed, they drink abundantly with him.

Majority Standard Bible
When the portions were served to them from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s portion was five times larger than any of the others. So they feasted and drank freely with Joseph.

New American Bible
and as portions were brought to them from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s portion was five times as large as anyone else’s. So they drank freely and made merry with him.

NET Bible
He gave them portions of the food set before him, but the portion for Benjamin was five times greater than the portions for any of the others. They drank with Joseph until they all became drunk.

New Revised Standard Version
Portions were taken to them from Joseph’s table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.

New Heart English Bible
Then he gave portions to them in front of him, but Benjamin�s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank until they all became drunk.

Webster's Bible Translation
And he took and sent messes to them from before him: but Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him.

World English Bible
He sent portions to them from before him, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. They drank, and were merry with him.

Young's Literal Translation
and he lifteth up gifts from before him unto them, and the gift of Benjamin is five hands more than the gifts of all of them; and they drink, yea, they drink abundantly with him.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Joseph's Hospitality to His Brothers
33They were seated before Joseph in order by age, from the firstborn to the youngest, and the men looked at one another in astonishment. 34When the portions were served to them from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s portion was five times larger than any of the others. So they feasted and drank freely with Joseph.

Cross References
Genesis 35:24
The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.

Genesis 45:22
He gave new garments to each of them, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five sets of clothes.


Treasury of Scripture

And he took and sent messes to them from before him: but Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of their's. And they drank, and were merry with him.

messes.

2 Samuel 11:8
And David said to Uriah, Go down to thy house, and wash thy feet. And Uriah departed out of the king's house, and there followed him a mess of meat from the king.

was five times.

Genesis 45:22
To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment.

1 Samuel 1:5
But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb.

1 Samuel 9:22-24
And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the parlour, and made them sit in the chiefest place among them that were bidden, which were about thirty persons…

were merry.

Proverbs 31:6
Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.

Ecclesiastes 9:7
Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.

Ecclesiastes 10:19
A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things.

Jump to Previous
Benjamin Benjamin's Drank Else's Feasted Five Food Freely Gift Greater Hands Joseph Joseph's Lifteth Merry Mess Portion Portions Served Table Theirs Times
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Benjamin Benjamin's Drank Else's Feasted Five Food Freely Gift Greater Hands Joseph Joseph's Lifteth Merry Mess Portion Portions Served Table Theirs Times
Genesis 43
1. Jacob is persuaded to send Benjamin.
15. Joseph entertains his brothers.
19. They discover their fears to the steward.
26. Joseph makes them a feast.














(34) Messes.--A portion of food from that prepared for the chief is regarded in the East as a mark both of honour and friendship, and the largeness of Benjamin's mess marked him out as the especial object of Joseph's regard. The words literally are, "And the portion of Benjamin was great above the portions of all of them five hands," that is, five times. It has been supposed that Joseph intended to try his brethren by this preference, and see if they were still envious. More probably it was dictated simply by his love.

They drank and were merry with him.--Heb., They drank and were drunken with him. The verb is that used of Noah in Genesis 9:21, but probably the rendering in Haggai 1:6, "and were filled with drink," would give the right meaning. They lost all fear and suspicion, and gave themselves up to enjoyment.

Verse 34. - And he took and sent (literally, and he sent) messes - maseoth, from nasa, to take or lift up, i.e. things taken or lifted up, hence portions or gifts (2 Samuel 11:8) - unto them from before him (cf. 1 Samuel 9:23). The practice of thus honoring guests was also observed among other nations (vide 'Iliad,' 7:321). But Benjamin's mess (or portion) was five times so much as any of theirs - literally, exceeded the portions of all of them five hands, i.e. five times. Herodotus (6:57) mentions that among the Spartans the king received a double portion. The unusually large portion assigned to Benjamin was designed as an expression of his strong fraternal affection, and perhaps also as a test of his brethren to ascertain if they were now free from that spirit of envy which had prompted their former cruelty to him. And they drank, and were merry with him - literally, and drank largely with him. Though the verb שָׁכַר sometimes signifies to drink to the full (Haggai 1:6; Song of Solomon 5:1), and though intoxication was not unusual at Egyptian entertainments, there is no reason to suppose that either Joseph or his brethren were inebriated (Vulgate, Alford), or that more is meant than simply that their hearts became exhilarated "because their cares were dissipated by the kindness they were receiving, the presence of Simeon, and the attention paid to Benjamin" (Murphy).



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
When the portions
מַשְׂאֹ֜ת (maś·’ōṯ)
Noun - feminine plural construct
Strong's 4864: A raising, rising, an utterance, a beacon, a present

were served
וַיִּשָּׂ֨א (way·yiś·śā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5375: To lift, carry, take

to them
אֲלֵהֶם֒ (’ă·lê·hem)
Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

from Joseph’s table,
פָּנָיו֮ (pā·nāw)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 6440: The face

Benjamin’s
בִּנְיָמִ֛ן (bin·yā·min)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1144: Benjamin -- 'son of the right hand', youngest son of Jacob, also the name of two other Israelites

portion
מַשְׂאַ֧ת (maś·’aṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 4864: A raising, rising, an utterance, a beacon, a present

was five
חָמֵ֣שׁ (ḥā·mêš)
Number - feminine singular
Strong's 2568: Five

times
יָד֑וֹת (yā·ḏō·wṯ)
Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 3027: A hand

larger than
וַתֵּ֜רֶב (wat·tê·reḇ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 7235: To be or become much, many or great

anyone else’s.
כֻּלָּ֖ם (kul·lām)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

So they feasted
וַיִּשְׁתּ֥וּ (way·yiš·tū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 8354: To imbibe

and drank freely
וַֽיִּשְׁכְּר֖וּ (way·yiš·kə·rū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 7937: To become tipsy, to satiate with a, stimulating drink, influence

with [Joseph].
עִמּֽוֹ׃ (‘im·mōw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5973: With, equally with


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OT Law: Genesis 43:34 He sent portions to them from before (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 43:33
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