Verses 5-6 are translated quite differently by various versions. This is because verse 5 in the Hebrew text, in which the king speaks to Joseph, does not seem to be an appropriate response to the speech of Jacob’s sons in Gen 47.4. In the Septuagint the order of the clauses is different in these verses, and there is one additional clause; and Hebrew Old Testament Text Project favors the Septuagint text with a rating of {B}.

Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, Revised English Bible and a number of other English versions follow the Hebrew text. They deal with the difficulty by trying to translate verse 5 in such a way that it does follow on reasonably well from the end of verse 4, even though it is not an immediate or direct response to the request made by Joseph’s brothers. However, others such as New American Bible and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translate these verses from the Septuagint. Moreover Bible de Jérusalem and New Jerusalem Bible (and Anchor Bible in his notes) treat verses 1-11 as two parallel versions of the same event and conversation. New Jerusalem Bible makes this very obvious by placing a heading in the middle of verses 5-6 as they are in the Septuagint; the heading labels what follows as “Another version.” The Handbook recommends that translators follow the Hebrew text as seen in Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, and other major English versions.

Your father and your brothers have come to you: the king, who is now speaking to Joseph, is not telling Joseph something he does not know. The function of this statement seems rather to be an introduction to verse 6 in the form of a reason or concession. We may state it in such words as “Well, now that your … have come to you” or “Since your … have come to you.” Good News Translation and Revised English Bible also provide good models for this clause. Have come to you may be rendered, for example, “have come to be with you” or, as Bible en français courant translates, “have come to join you.”

The land of Egypt is before you: this expression has the sense of “the country of Egypt is under your control” or “… is available to you.” In some translations this is rendered “… is open to you” or “… is free for you.”

Settle your … in the best of the land: that is, “put your … on the best land in the country.” For best of the land see 45.18.

Let them dwell in the land of Goshen: this repeats in a more concrete form what the king has just said.

We may restructure verses 5-6a to say as follows: “Then the king said to Joseph, ‘The land of this country is yours. Now that your father and brothers have come to be with you, settle them in Goshen, which is the best of our lands.’ ”

If you know any able men among them: able translates a term meaning “strong” and “worthy.” Good News Translation renders it “capable,” Bible en français courant “competent,” and Revised English Bible “with the skill.”

Put them in charge of my cattle is literally “Put them as princes [rulers] over livestock that belongs to me.” The same expression is used in Exo 18.21, where Moses instructs the people to choose capable men as rulers over sections of the people.

According to Driver, Egyptian inscriptions tell of the Pharaohs owning large herds watched over by a superintendent of the royal herd.

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 .