כֻּלָּ֕נוּ בְּנֵ֥י אִישׁ־אֶחָ֖ד נָ֑חְנוּ כֵּנִ֣ים אֲנַ֔חְנוּ לֹא־הָי֥וּ עֲבָדֶ֖יךָ מְרַגְּלִֽים׃
We are all of us sons of the same man; we are being honest; your servants have never been spies!”
(The above rendering comes from the RJPS translation, an adaptation of the NJPS translation. Before accounting for this rendering, I will analyze the plain sense of the Hebrew term in question, kenim ’anaḥnu.)
The brothers utter this phrase in the context of a dialogue with the vizier. They have been accused of being spies (מְרַגְּלִים אַתֶּם, v. 9); i.e., their motive for coming to Egypt has been called into question.
They respond in part with the verbless clause כֵּנִים אֲנַחְנוּ. It is an adjectival predication. It underscores the reliability of their stated claim as to their motive.
In contrast, if the brothers had been accused of being liars, they arguably would have responded in a different manner, by instead defending their character: אֲנָשִׁים כֵּנִים אֲנָחְנוּ*. Such a use of אֲנָשִׁים would have indicated that the uprightness of their character is essential for properly grasping the situation at issue (cf. Gen 13:8, אֲנָשִׁים אַחִים אֲנָחְנוּ, and my comment there).
As for the translation, the NJPS “we are honest men” misrepresents the speakers’ point. Use of the situating noun men indicates that the speakers are defending their integrity (as if they had been accused of being liars). In its place, the revised rendering “we are being honest” properly reflects the focus of the speakers’ utterance on the reliability of their claim—not on the reliability of their character.
Similarly in 1 Sam 29:6 with the verbless clause יָשָׁר אַתָּה, where NJPS renders “you are an honest man,” whereas KJV and NRSV (and RJPS) render appropriately as “you have been honest.”
The distinction that I have drawn here may seem trivial, but it gets to the heart of the meaning contribution of a situating noun such as man in English (or אִישׁ in Hebrew). Therefore this is a telling case for translators to ponder.
(For the converse case, in which NJPS appears to ignore the situating noun אִישׁ and its discourse functions, see my comment at Gen 27:11.)