My lord asked his servants: My lord is, of course, Joseph, and his servants are the brothers. So the clause means “You asked us….” In the first encounter in chapter 42, Joseph did not ask about their father; but in 43.7 Judah reported to Jacob that the ruler had asked, “Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?”

In some translations this statement is referred back in time to the previous visit: “At an earlier time you asked…” or “On our first trip here you asked….”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .