Genesis 37:26
ESV
Then Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?
NIV
Judah said to his brothers, "What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?
NASB
And Judah said to his brothers, 'What profit is it for us to kill our brother and cover up his blood?
CSB
Judah said to his brothers, "What do we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?
NLT
Judah said to his brothers, 'What will we gain by killing our brother? We’d have to cover up the crime.
KJV
And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?
NKJV
So Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?
What does Genesis 37:26 mean?
Joseph (Genesis 37:3–4) is trapped in a pit nearby (Genesis 37:24), having escaped being murdered only by the intervention of his oldest brother Reuben (Genesis 37:18–22). Reuben planned to come back and rescue Joseph later. Now another of Joseph's brothers sees an opportunity to not only get rid of Joseph, but to make money doing so.Nomadic traders are passing along on their way to Egypt (Genesis 37:25). Judah starts out by asking what gain is had from killing Joseph and covering it up. Revenge was their first impulse, but Judah notices an opportunity for both vengeance and profit. In the following verse, he will suggest an alternative to murder (Genesis 37:27). Reuben's plan to rescue Joseph will fail—and it would seem he is not aware of the new plot proposed by Judah (Genesis 37:29).
