Genesis 44:5
in Genesis 44Is this not the cup my master drinks from and uses for divination? What you have done is wicked!’”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Is not this that in which my lord drinketh, and whereby he indeed divineth? ye have done evil in so doing.
KJV
Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth? ye have done evil in so doing.
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This verse in Genesis 44
Commentary
4 notes on this verseWhereby - he divineth? - Divination by cups has been from time immemorial prevalent among the Asiatics; and for want of knowing this, commentators have spent a profusion of learned labor upon these words, in order to reduce them to that kind of meaning which would at once be consistent with the scope and design of the history, and save Joseph from the impeachment of sorcery and divination. I take the word נחש nachash here in its general acceptation of to view attentively, to inquire.
This site's exposition
the cup my master drinks from and uses for divination
on Genesis 44:5-6
The steward's words name the silver cup as the one his master drinks from and uses for divination. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown take it as ordinary Egyptian cup divination. Adam Clarke reads the Hebrew verb in its wider sense of looking closely, and holds no sorcery is claimed of Joseph.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Is not this it, in which my lord drinketh,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Is not this it in which my lord drinketh--not only kept for the governor's personal use, but whereby he divines. Divination by cups, to ascertain the course of futurity, was one of the prevalent superstitions of ancient Egypt, as it is of Eastern countries still.
The words behind it
13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| הֲל֣וֹא | halo' | ¿ not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| זֶ֗ה | zeh | [is] this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֨ר | ʾasher | [that] which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| יִשְׁתֶּ֤ה | yishteh | he drinks | H8354 → | 217 times |
| אֲדֹנִי֙ | ʾadoni | master my | H113 → | 333 times |
| בּ֔וֹ | bo | in it | ||
| וְה֕וּא | vehu' | and he | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| נַחֵ֥שׁ | nachesh | indeed <divine> | H5172 → | 11 times |
| יְנַחֵ֖שׁ | yenachesh | he practices divination | H5172 → | 11 times |
| בּ֑וֹ | bo | by it | ||
| הֲרֵעֹתֶ֖ם | hareotem | you have done evil | H7489 → | 107 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֥ר | ʾasher | [that] which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| עֲשִׂיתֶֽם׃ | ʾasitem | you have done | H6213 → | 2628 times |
הֲל֣וֹא¿ not
halo'H3808 →5168 times
זֶ֗ה[is] this
zehH2088 →1180 times
אֲשֶׁ֨ר[that] which
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
יִשְׁתֶּ֤הhe drinks
yishtehH8354 →217 times
אֲדֹנִי֙master my
ʾadoniH113 →333 times
בּ֔וֹin it
bo
וְה֕וּאand he
vehu'H1931 →1879 times
נַחֵ֥שׁindeed <divine>
nacheshH5172 →11 times
יְנַחֵ֖שׁhe practices divination
yenacheshH5172 →11 times
בּ֑וֹby it
bo
הֲרֵעֹתֶ֖םyou have done evil
hareotemH7489 →107 times
אֲשֶׁ֥ר[that] which
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
עֲשִׂיתֶֽם׃you have done
ʾasitemH6213 →2628 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
Leviticus 19:26You must not eat anything with blood still in it. You must not practice divination or sorcery.
it leads to
- 2 Kings 17:17
They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire and practiced divination and soothsaying. They devoted themselves to doing evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Deuteronomy 18:10–14
Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, practices divination or conjury, interprets omens, practices sorcery,
- 2 Chronicles 33:6
He sacrificed his sons in the fire in the Valley of Hinnom. He practiced sorcery, divination, and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did great evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking…
- 2 Kings 17:17
Through
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.”
it leads to
- Acts 7:10
and rescued him from all his troubles. He granted Joseph favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and all his household.
- Ruth 2:13
“My lord,” she said, “may I continue to find favor in your eyes, for you have comforted and spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your servant girls.”
- Genesis 26:24
and that night the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your…
- Isaiah 61:9
Their descendants will be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the LORD has blessed.
- Genesis 39:2–5
And the LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, serving in the household of his Egyptian master.
- Acts 7:10
Where this verse is studied
About Genesis
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).