And Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain: this must often be rendered, for example, “Joseph ordered his workers to fill the brothers’ bags with grain.”

Replace every man’s money in his sack: that is, “put the money that was to pay for the grain back in the sack….” The reason Revised Standard Version uses bag in the first sentence and sack in the second is because the Hebrew uses two words. However, there is no significant difference in meaning. Money translates the Hebrew “silver.” The reference is to a small packet or bag of silver that is weighed and exchanged for the grain. See the case of Abraham purchasing the cave of Machpelah in chapter 23.

Provisions refers to food carried on a journey. Many languages have special words that designate just this kind of food. If no special word is available, we may say “food” or “things to eat on the journey.”

This was done: that is, “Joseph’s orders were carried out” or “they [the workers] did so.”

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 .