Genesischapter 44
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A.The Silver Cup in Benjamin's Sackvv. 1-13
1 Then Joseph instructed his steward: “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each one’s silver in the mouth of his sack. 2 Put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the silver for his grain.” So the steward did as Joseph had instructed. 3 At daybreak, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. 4 They had not gone far from the city when Joseph told his steward, “Pursue the men at once, and when you overtake them, ask, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil? 5 Is this not the cup my master drinks from and uses for divination? What you have done is wicked!’” 6 When the steward overtook them, he relayed these words to them. 7 “Why does my lord say these things?” they asked. “Your servants could not possibly do such a thing. 8 We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found in the mouths of our sacks. Why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house? 9 If any of your servants is found to have it, he must die, and the rest will become slaves of my lord.” 10 “As you say,” replied the steward. “But only the one who is found with the cup will be my slave, and the rest of you shall be free of blame.” 11 So each one quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. 12 The steward searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest—and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. 13 Then they all tore their clothes, loaded their donkeys, and returned to the city.
B.Hauled Back Before Josephvv. 14-17
14 When Judah and his brothers arrived at Joseph’s house, he was still there, and they fell to the ground before him. 15 “What is this deed you have done?” Joseph declared. “Do you not know that a man like me can surely divine the truth?” 16 “What can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “How can we plead? How can we justify ourselves? God has exposed the iniquity of your servants. We are now my lord’s slaves—both we and the one who was found with the cup.” 17 But Joseph replied, “Far be it from me to do this. The man who was found with the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may return to your father in peace.”
C.Judah Offers Himself as Slavevv. 18-34
18 Then Judah approached Joseph and said, “Sir, please let your servant speak personally to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, for you are equal to Pharaoh himself. 19 My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ 20 And we answered, ‘We have an elderly father and a younger brother, the child of his old age. The boy’s brother is dead. He is the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’ 21 Then you told your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so that I can see him for myself.’ 22 So we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father. If he were to leave, his father would die.’ 23 But you said to your servants, ‘Unless your younger brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’ 24 Now when we returned to your servant my father, we relayed your words to him. 25 Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy us some food.’ 26 But we answered, ‘We cannot go down there unless our younger brother goes with us. So if our younger brother is not with us, we cannot see the man.’ 27 And your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons. 28 When one of them was gone, I said: “Surely he has been torn to pieces.” And I have not seen him since. 29 Now if you also take this one from me and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.’ 30 So if the boy is not with us when I return to your servant, and if my father, whose life is wrapped up in the boy’s life, 31 sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. Then your servants will have brought the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow. 32 Indeed, your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father, saying, ‘If I do not return him to you, I will bear the guilt before you, my father, all my life.’ 33 Now please let your servant stay here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy. Let him return with his brothers. 34 For how can I go back to my father without the boy? I could not bear to see the misery that would overwhelm him.”
Chapter summary
The cup in Benjamin's sack.
Read the rest, the context and the outline ▾Show less ▴
Chapter summary
The cup in Benjamin's sack.
Read the rest, the context and the outline ▾Show less ▴
The cup in Benjamin's sack. Joseph's steward overtakes them on the road; the search begins at the eldest; the cup is found where Joseph told him to plant it. The brothers rend their clothes and return. Joseph proposes to keep Benjamin as a slave and let the others go free. Then Judah steps forward and speaks. A long, unbroken plea: ‘how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me?’ The man who once proposed selling Joseph now offers himself for Benjamin. This is the hinge of the cycle: repentance proved in willingness to stand in the brother's place. Henry calls it one of the most affecting speeches in all Scripture.
Drawn from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory, Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary, John Wesley, Notes on the Old Testament and John Calvin, Commentaries.
Context
Law · Moses — Genesis overview
- A. 1–13 The Silver Cup in Benjamin's Sack
- B. 14–17 Hauled Back Before Joseph
- C. 18–34 Judah Offers Himself as Slave
Top cross-references8 chapters ▾
Genesis 4315 verses
- Genesis 43:2So when Jacob’s sons had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a little more food.”
- Genesis 43:3But Judah replied, “The man solemnly warned us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’
- Genesis 43:4If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy food for you.
- Genesis 43:5But if you will not send him, we will not go; for the man told us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’”
- Genesis 43:7They replied, “The man questioned us in detail about ourselves and our family: ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ And we answered him accordingly. How could we possibly know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother here’?”
- Genesis 43:8And Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me, and we will go at once, so that we may live and not die—neither we, nor you, nor our children.
- Read Genesis 43: 9 more there →
Genesis 449 verses
- Genesis 44:2Put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the silver for his grain.” So the steward did as Joseph had instructed.
- Genesis 44:4They had not gone far from the city when Joseph told his steward, “Pursue the men at once, and when you overtake them, ask, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil?
- Genesis 44:7“Why does my lord say these things?” they asked. “Your servants could not possibly do such a thing.
- Genesis 44:9If any of your servants is found to have it, he must die, and the rest will become slaves of my lord.”
- Genesis 44:17But Joseph replied, “Far be it from me to do this. The man who was found with the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may return to your father in peace.”
- Genesis 44:29Now if you also take this one from me and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.’
- Read Genesis 44: 3 more there →
Genesis 428 verses
- Genesis 42:7And when Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them as strangers and spoke harshly to them. “Where have you come from?” he asked. “From the land of Canaan,” they replied. “We are here to buy food.”
- Genesis 42:15And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.
- Genesis 42:20Then bring your youngest brother to me so that your words can be verified, that you may not die.” And to this they consented.
- Genesis 42:25Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to return each man’s silver to his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. This order was carried out,
- Genesis 42:29When they reached their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they described to him all that had happened to them:
- Genesis 42:35As they began emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his bag of silver! And when they and their father saw the bags of silver, they were dismayed.
- Read Genesis 42: 2 more there →
Genesis 375 verses
- Genesis 37:3Now Israel loved Joseph more than his other sons, because Joseph had been born to him in his old age; so he made him a robe of many colors.
- Genesis 37:13Israel said to him, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flocks at Shechem? Get ready; I am sending you to them.” “I am ready,” Joseph replied.
- Genesis 37:18Now Joseph’s brothers saw him in the distance, and before he arrived, they plotted to kill him.
- Genesis 37:33His father recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! A vicious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!”
- Genesis 37:35All his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said. “I will go down to Sheol mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him.
- Read Genesis 37 →
4 more chapters this one speaks with
Genesis 302 verses
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- Genesis 30:27But Laban replied, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you.”
- Read Genesis 30 →
2 Samuel 12 verses
- 2 Samuel 1:2On the third day a man with torn clothes and dust on his head arrived from Saul’s camp. When he came to David, he fell to the ground to pay him homage.
- 2 Samuel 1:11Then David took hold of his own clothes and tore them, and all the men who were with him did the same.
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Exodus 322 verses
- Exodus 32:22“Do not be enraged, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know that the people are intent on evil.
- Exodus 32:32Yet now, if You would only forgive their sin.... But if not, please blot me out of the book that You have written.”
- Read Exodus 32 →
2 Corinthians 81 verse
- 2 Corinthians 8:8I am not making a demand, but I am testing the sincerity of your love in comparison to the earnestness of others.
- Read 2 Corinthians 8 →
Cross-references from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and OpenBible.info.