Genesis 44:12
in Genesis 44The steward searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest—and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left off at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.
KJV
And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.
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This verse in Genesis 44
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThe sacks of the brothers are first examined according to the order of age of each brother. God's Scripture is teaching you a moral lesson. Previously they sat at the banquet in Joseph's presence in order of age from the firstborn. You see that the place of honor is to be given to the eldest. On the other hand, the sacks of each are searched in order of age so that you may know that Paul has been chosen by the judgment of heaven. The rest were examined, but this man was given the preference.
This site's exposition
beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest
on Genesis 44:12-13
The search runs from the oldest down to the youngest, so the cup comes out of Benjamin's sack last. They tore their clothes, as Reuben did at the empty pit and their father did over the bloodied coat. Every man loads his donkey and returns to the city.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
Christ finds this money in us which he has himself given us. We possess the money of nature; we also possess the money of grace. Nature is the work of the Creator, grace the gift of the Redeemer. Even though we are unable to see Christ's gifts, nevertheless he is giving them. He is working in a hidden way and is giving them to all people, but there are few who are able to keep them and not lose them. Yet he does not give all things to all people. Wheat is given to many, but the cup to one, who is presented with the prophetic and priestly function. For it is not everyone but only the prophet who says, "The cup of salvation I will take up, and I will call upon the name of the Lord." Therefore the word of heavenly teaching already shone in Paul's body, since he was instructed in the law. But because he was still not subject to the justice of God, the cup was within the sack, the teaching within the law, the lamp within the bushel. Nevertheless Ananias was sent to give a blessing and to lay on his hand and open the sack. When the sack was opened, the money shone forth, and when the scales fell, in a way like fastenings on the sack, Paul saw straightway. His fetter was unbelief; the loosening of it became faith. And for that reason, when the veil that is set over the heart of the Jews was set aside—like the opening of the sack—he turned to the Lord. Free of the bond, he obtained the grace of liberty and said, "But we all, beholding the glory of God with faces unveiled, are transformed into the same image."
The brothers did not know what to say; they found it impossible not to put the blame on Benjamin because the cup had come out from his sack, but the money that had twice come out from their own sacks did not permit them to …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And he searched,....
The words behind it
9 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיְחַפֵּ֕שׂ | vaychapes | and he searched | H2664 → | |
| בַּגָּד֣וֹל | bagadol | with the old [brother] | H1419 → | 526 times |
| הֵחֵ֔ל | hechel | he began | H2490 → | 143 times |
| וּבַקָּטֹ֖ן | uvakaton | and with the young [brother] | H6996 → | 101 times |
| כִּלָּ֑ה | kilah | he finished | H3615 → | 208 times |
| וַיִּמָּצֵא֙ | vaiyimatze' | and it was found | H4672 → | 455 times |
| הַגָּבִ֔יעַ | hagavia' | the cup | H1375 → | 14 times |
| בְּאַמְתַּ֖חַת | beamtachat | in [the] sack of | H572 → | 15 times |
| בִּנְיָמִֽן׃ | binyamin | Benjamin | H1144 → | 166 times |
וַיְחַפֵּ֕שׂand he searched
vaychapesH2664 →
בַּגָּד֣וֹלwith the old [brother]
bagadolH1419 →526 times
הֵחֵ֔לhe began
hechelH2490 →143 times
וּבַקָּטֹ֖ןand with the young [brother]
uvakatonH6996 →101 times
כִּלָּ֑הhe finished
kilahH3615 →208 times
וַיִּמָּצֵא֙and it was found
vaiyimatze'H4672 →455 times
הַגָּבִ֔יעַthe cup
hagavia'H1375 →14 times
בְּאַמְתַּ֖חַתin [the] sack of
beamtachatH572 →15 times
בִּנְיָמִֽן׃Benjamin
binyaminH1144 →166 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Genesis 43:14May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother along with Benjamin. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”
it leads to
- Esther 4:16
“Go and assemble all the Jews who can be found in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day, and I and my maidens will fast…
- Genesis 17:1
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty. Walk before Me and be blameless.
- Acts 21:14
When he would not be dissuaded, we fell silent and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”
- Nehemiah 1:11
O Lord, may Your ear be attentive to my prayer and to the prayers of Your servants who delight to revere Your name. Give Your servant success this day, I pray, and grant him…
- Genesis 22:14
And Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. So to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”
- Esther 4:16
Through
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.
it leads to
- 2 Corinthians 8:8
I am not making a demand, but I am testing the sincerity of your love in comparison to the earnestness of others.
- Deuteronomy 8:16
He fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers had not known, in order to humble you and test you, so that in the end He might cause you to prosper.
- Deuteronomy 13:3
you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. For the LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love Him with all your heart and with all…
- 2 Corinthians 8:8
About Genesis
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Ambrose of Milan, On Joseph the Patriarch; Ephrem the Syrian, COMMENTARY ON GENESIS 38:3; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.