Genesis 50:20 (DRB)

Passage

You thought evil against me: but God turned it into good, that he might exalt me, as at present you see, and might save many people.

Nearby Context

Genesis 50:18 And his brethren came to him; and worshipping prostrate on the ground, they said: We are thy servants.

Genesis 50:19 And he answered them: Fear not: can we resist the will of God?

Genesis 50:20 You thought evil against me: but God turned it into good, that he might exalt me, as at present you see, and might save many people.

Genesis 50:21 Fear not: I will feed you and your children. And he comforted them, and spoke gently and mildly.

Genesis 50:22 And he dwelt in Egypt with all his father's house; and lived a hundred and ten years. And he saw the children of Ephraim to the third generation. The children also of Machir, the sons of Manasses, were born on Joseph's knees.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thought", "evil", "against", "turned", "good", "might", "exalt", and "present". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thought" and "evil", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "And he answered them Fear not can..." into verse 21's "Fear not I will feed you and...", so "thought" and "evil" belong inside that flow. In Genesis context, the local focus is creation, human rebellion, covenant promise, and God's providence.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "thought" and "evil" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.