Quotation sur La Genèse 43:27

העוד אבי חי?, “is my father still alive?” Even though he had asked them the same question already in 43,27 and the brothers had answered in the affirmative, his question now concerned the state of his health, not the mere fact that Yaakov was still alive. The word חי therefore has to be equated with בריא, healthy. It is also possible that he did not really ask this question in order to receive additional information, but merely to have an opening to speak to the brothers, instead of as until now, about “your father,” but about “my father,” i.e. their common father. This was a ploy to establish close personal contact with his brothers.