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Genesis 44

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Joseph Plants the Silver Cup 1–3

1
And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth. ​
2
And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his corn money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. ​
3
As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses.

The Brothers Are Accused 4–17

4
And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good?
5
Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth? ye have done evil in so doing. ​
6
And he overtook them, and he spake unto them these same words.
7
And they said unto him, Wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing:
8
Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks' mouths, we brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan: how then should we steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold?
9
With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die, and we also will be my lord's bondmen. ​
10
And he said, Now also let it be according unto your words: he with whom it is found shall be my servant; and ye shall be blameless.
11
Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack.
12
And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. ​
13
Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city. ​
14
And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house; for he was yet there: and they fell before him on the ground.
15
And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine? ​
16
And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are my lord's servants, both we, and he also with whom the cup is found. ​
17
And he said, God forbid that I should do so: but the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father. ​

Judah Intercedes for Benjamin 18–34

18
Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh. ​
19
My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother?
20
And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him. ​
21
And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him.
22
And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die.
23
And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more.
24
And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.
25
And our father said, Go again, and buy us a little food.
26
And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the man's face, except our youngest brother be with us.
27
And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons:
28
And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not since: ​
29
And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.
30
Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life; ​
31
It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave.
32
For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for ever. ​
33
Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren. ​
34
For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father.

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Genesis 44

Verse 1

put every man's money in his sack's mouth — The silver goes back a second time, as Joseph had ordered at the first purchase (42:25). 'Steward of his house' is literally 'him who was over his house' (43:16, 19). The order is given before they set out, 'as much as they can carry'.

Verse 2

my cup, the silver cup — Gebia, a goblet. It is put in the mouth of the sack of 'the youngest' (qatan), Benjamin, with 'his corn money' (sheber, the price of the grain). The cup is Joseph's own (v.5), and the steward does 'according to the word that Joseph had spoken'.

Verse 5

whereby indeed he divineth — Nachash, to practise divination or read signs; Laban uses the verb in 30:27, 'I have learned by experience'. The law later forbids it to Israel (Deut 18:10). Joseph's own knowledge is given by God: 'It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace' (41:16).

Verse 9

let him die, and we also will be my lord's bondmen — The pledge echoes 31:32, where Jacob said, 'With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live', not knowing that Rachel, Benjamin's mother, had taken them (31:19). Here again the oath lands on a son of Rachel: the cup is found in Benjamin's sack (v.12).

Verse 12

began at the eldest, and left at the youngest — The search follows the order of birth, the order in which they had been seated (43:33), and ends with Benjamin, as Joseph had directed in v.2. The cup 'was found in Benjamin's sack'. Chaphas, to search, is to seek out in hidden places.

Verse 13

they rent their clothes — Qara, to tear. Reuben tore his clothes at the empty pit (37:29) and Jacob his at the coat (37:34); the sons now do it themselves. Each loads his ass (amas, to burden) and they all return to the city together.

Verse 15

such a man as I can certainly divine — Nachash again, the verb of v.5. Joseph speaks as a man who can learn what is hidden. Scripture shows him confessing the true source in 41:16, 'It is not in me', and Pharaoh saw it: 'God hath shewed thee all this' (41:39).

Verse 16

God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants — Matsa, to find, the verb of 'your sin will find you out' (Num 32:23). Avon is iniquity. Judah does not name it here, but the brothers had already said, 'We are verily guilty concerning our brother' (42:21).

Verse 17

God forbid — Chalilah, a cry of abhorrence. It is in Genesis only here, in 44:7 and in Abraham's plea, 'That be far from thee' (18:25). Joseph offers 'peace' (shalom) to the ten and bondage to one, setting a brother's bondage against the others' freedom, as once in 37:27–28.

Verse 18

Judah came near unto him — Nagash, the verb of Abraham's 'drew near' to plead for Sodom (18:23). 'Oh my lord' is a word of entreaty. Judah, who had proposed to sell Joseph (37:26–27), now speaks for Benjamin; his plea runs to v.34. 'Let not thine anger burn' is literally 'let not thy nostril grow hot'.

Verse 20

a child of his old age — Yeled zekunim, 'child of old age', has the same zekunim as 37:3, where Joseph was 'the son of his old age'. Judah repeats what the brothers had said in 42:13, 'one is not'; the brother he calls dead is the man to whom he is speaking (45:4). Benjamin is now the 'little one' and 'alone… of his mother'.

Verse 28

Surely he is torn in pieces — Taraph, the verb of Jacob's cry over the coat: 'Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces' (37:33). Only these two verses and 49:27, 'Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf', use it in Genesis. Jacob had judged by the coat alone and 'saw him not since'.

Verse 30

his life is bound up in the lad's life — 'Life' is nephesh, the soul, and 'bound up' is qashar, to tie. The two words are paired in 1 Sam 18:1: 'the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David'. Judah goes on in v.31: if Benjamin is missing, 'he will die'.

Verse 32

thy servant became surety for the lad — Arab, as in 43:9; it occurs in Genesis only in these two verses. Judah calls in his own pledge to his father. 'Bear the blame… for ever' is literally 'I shall have sinned against my father all the days' (chata).

Verse 33

let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman — Judah offers to be Joseph's bondman in Benjamin's place: the lot he had proposed for Joseph (37:27) and which the cup would assign to Benjamin (v.17). 'Instead of' is the language of substitution; from his tribe 'our Lord sprang out of Juda' (Heb 7:14).