Genesis 44

The Brothers Are Brought Back

1 ¹Then he commanded his house steward *, saying, "Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man's money in the mouth of his sack.

2 "Put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his money for the grain." And he did as Joseph had told him.

3 As soon as it was light, the men were sent away, they with their donkeys.

4 They had just gone out of ²the city, and were not far off, when Joseph said to his house steward *, "Up, follow * the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, 'Why have you repaid evil for good?

5 'Is not this the one from which my lord drinks and which he indeed uses for ³divination? You have done wrong in doing this.' "

6 So he overtook them and spoke these words to them.

7 They said to him, "Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing.

8 "Behold, ⁴the money which we found in the mouth of our sacks we have brought back to you from the land of Canaan. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord's house?

9 "⁵With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord's ⁶slaves."

10 So he said, "Now let it also be according to your words; he with whom it is found shall be my slave, and the rest of you shall be innocent."

11 Then they hurried, each man lowered his sack to the ground, and each man opened his sack.

12 He searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest, and ⁷the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

13 Then they ⁸tore their clothes, and when each man loaded his donkey, they returned to ⁹the city.

14 When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, he was still there, and ¹⁰they fell to the ground before him.

15 Joseph said to them, "What is this deed that you have done? Do you not know that such a man as I can indeed practice ¹¹divination?"

16 So Judah said, "What can we say to my lord? What can we speak? And how can we justify ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; behold, we are my lord's ¹²slaves, both we and the one in whose possession the cup has been found."

17 But he said, "Far be it from me to do this. The man in whose possession the cup has been found, he shall be my slave; but as for you, go up in peace to your father."

18 Then Judah approached him, and said, "Oh my lord, may your servant please speak a word in my lord's ears, and ¹³do not be angry * with your servant; for ¹⁴you are equal to Pharaoh.

19 "¹⁵My lord asked his servants, saying, 'Have you a father or a brother?'

20 "We said to my lord, 'We have an old father and ¹⁶a little child of his old age. Now ¹⁷his brother is dead, so he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him.'

21 "Then you said to your servants, '¹⁸Bring him down to me that I may set my eyes on him.'

22 "But we said to my lord, 'The lad cannot * leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.'

23 "You said to your servants, however, '¹⁹Unless * your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.'

24 "Thus it came about when we went up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.

25 "²⁰Our father said, 'Go back, buy us a little food.'

26 "But we said, 'We cannot * go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we cannot * see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.'

27 "Your servant my father said to us, 'You know that ²¹my wife bore me two sons;

28 and the one went out from me, and ²²I said, "Surely he is torn in pieces," and I have not seen him since *.

29 'If you take this one also from me, and harm befalls him, you will ²³bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.'

30 "Now, therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, since ²⁴his life is bound up in the lad's life,

31 when he sees that the lad is not with us, he will die. Thus your servants will ²⁵bring the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow.

32 "For your servant ²⁶became surety for the lad to my father, saying, 'If I do not bring him back to you, then let me bear the blame before my father forever *.'

33 "Now, therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers.

34 "For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me-for fear that I see the evil that would overtake my father?"

Genesis 44 Commentary

Chapter 44

Joseph's policy to stay his brethren, and try their affection for Benjamin. (1-17) Judah's supplication to Joseph. (18-34)

Verses 1-17 Joseph tried how his brethren felt towards Benjamin. Had they envied and hated the other son of Rachel as they had hated him, and if they had the same want of feeling towards their father Jacob as heretofore, they would now have shown it. When the cup was found upon Benjamin, they would have a pretext for leaving him to be a slave. But we cannot judge what men are now, by what they have been formerly; nor what they will do, by what they have done. The steward charged them with being ungrateful, rewarding evil for good; with folly, in taking away the cup of daily use, which would soon be missed, and diligent search made for it; for so it may be read, Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, as having a particular fondness for it, and for which he would search thoroughly? Or, By which, leaving it carelessly at your table, he would make trial whether you were honest men or not? They throw themselves upon Joseph's mercy, and acknowledge the righteousness of God, perhaps thinking of the injury they had formerly done to Joseph, for which they thought God was now reckoning with them. Even in afflictions wherein we believe ourselves wronged by men, we must own that God is righteous, and finds out our sin.

Verses 18-34 Had Joseph been, as Judah supposed him, an utter stranger to the family, he could not but be wrought upon by his powerful reasonings. But neither Jacob nor Benjamin need an intercessor with Joseph; for he himself loved them. Judah's faithful cleaving to Benjamin, now, in his distress, was recompensed long afterwards by the tribe of Benjamin keeping with the tribe of Judah, when the other tribes deserted it. The apostle, when discoursing of the mediation of Christ, observes, that our Lord sprang out of Judah, ( Hebrews 7:14 ) ; and he not only made intercession for the transgressors, but he became a Surety for them, testifying therein tender concern, both for his Father and for his brethren. Jesus, the great antitype of Joseph, humbles and proves his people, even after they have had some tastes of his loving-kindness. He brings their sins to their remembrance, that they may exercise and show repentance, and feel how much they owe to his mercy.

Cross References

• 1. Genesis 42:25
• 2. Genesis 44:13
• 3. Genesis 30:27; Genesis 44:15; Leviticus 19:26; Deuteronomy 18:10-14
• 4. Genesis 43:21
• 5. Genesis 31:32
• 6. Genesis 44:16
• 7. Genesis 44:2
• 8. Genesis 37:29, 34; Numbers 14:6; 2 Samuel 1:11
• 9. Genesis 44:4
• 10. Genesis 37:7, 10
• 11. Genesis 44:5
• 12. Genesis 44:9
• 13. Genesis 18:30, 32; Exodus 32:22
• 14. Genesis 37:7, 8; Genesis 41:40-44
• 15. Genesis 43:7
• 16. Genesis 37:3; Genesis 43:8; Genesis 44:30
• 17. Genesis 37:33; Genesis 42:13, 38
• 18. Genesis 42:15, 20
• 19. Genesis 43:3, 5
• 20. Genesis 43:2
• 21. Genesis 46:19
• 22. Genesis 37:31-35
• 23. Genesis 42:38; Genesis 44:31
• 24. 1 Samuel 18:1
• 25. Genesis 44:29
• 26. Genesis 43:9

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "according to the word"
• [b]. Lit "The morning was light"
• [c]. Lit "hand"
• [d]. Lit "hand"
• [e]. Lit "let not your anger burn against"
• [f]. Lit "he would"
• [g]. Lit "my face"
• [h]. Lit "evil"
• [i]. Lit "his soul is bound with his soul"
• [j]. Lit "and I shall have sinned for all the days before my father"
• [k]. Lit "find"

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 44

This chapter relates the policy of Joseph in making an experiment of his brethren's regard and affection for Benjamin; he ordered his steward to put every man's money into his sack, and his silver cup in Benjamin's, and when they were got out of the city, to follow after them, and charge them with the theft, as he did; and having searched their sacks, as they desired he would, found the cup with Benjamin, which threw them into the utmost distress, and obliged them to return to Joseph, Ge 44:1-14; who charged them with their ill behaviour towards him; they acknowledge it, and propose to be his servants; but he orders them to depart to their father, retaining Benjamin in servitude, Ge 44:15-17; upon which Judah addressed him in a very polite and affectionate manner, and relates the whole story, both of what passed between Joseph and them, concerning Benjamin, the first time they were in Egypt, and between their father and them upon the same subject, when he directed them to go a second time thither to buy corn, and how he became a surety to his father for him, and therefore proposed to be his bondman now, not being able to see his father's face without Benjamin, Ge 44:18-34.