Joseph says nothing about the gifts but rather inquires about their own and their father’s health.

Inquired about their welfare: that is, “asked if they were well [in good health—shalom].” For further comments on shalom see 15.15. In some translations this inquiry is expressed in direct speech: “asked them, ‘Are you well?’ ” This leads on to the other questions that are already in direct speech in the Hebrew. Another approach to this clause is to take it as a greeting, as New Jerusalem Bible does; for example, “said good day to them.”

Is your father well…? is literally “Is there shalom to your father…?”

Good News Translation has restructured the direct speech parts of verse 27 so that the two questions are kept together. Translators may find Good News Translation a good model here.

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 .