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Texts -- Genesis 44:4-34 (NET)

Context
44:4 They had not gone very far from the city when Joseph said to the servant who was over his household , “Pursue the men at once ! When you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil ? 44:5 Doesn’t my master drink from this cup and use it for divination ? You have done wrong !’” 44:6 When the man overtook them, he spoke these words to them. 44:7 They answered him, “Why does my lord say such things ? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing ! 44:8 Look , the money that we found in the mouths of our sacks we brought back to you from the land of Canaan . Why then would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house ? 44:9 If one of us has it, he will die , and the rest of us will become my lord’s slaves !” 44:10 He replied , “You have suggested your own punishment ! The one who has it will become my slave , but the rest of you will go free .” 44:11 So each man quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it . 44:12 Then the man searched . He began with the oldest and finished with the youngest . The cup was found in Benjamin’s sack ! 44:13 They all tore their clothes ! Then each man loaded his donkey , and they returned to the city . 44:14 So Judah and his brothers came back to Joseph’s house . He was still there , and they threw themselves to the ground before him. 44:15 Joseph said to them, “What did you think you were doing ? Don’t you know that a man like me can find out things like this by divination ?” 44:16 Judah replied , “What can we say to my lord ? What can we speak ? How can we clear ourselves? God has exposed the sin of your servants ! We are now my lord’s slaves , we and the one in whose possession the cup was found .” 44:17 But Joseph said , “Far be it from me to do this ! The man in whose hand the cup was found will become my slave , but the rest of you may go back to your father in peace .” 44:18 Then Judah approached him and said , “My lord , please allow your servant to speak a word with you . Please do not get angry with your servant , for you are just like Pharaoh . 44:19 My lord asked his servants , ‘Do you have a father or a brother ?’ 44:20 We said to my lord , ‘We have an aged father , and there is a young boy who was born when our father was old . The boy’s brother is dead . He is the only one of his mother’s sons left , and his father loves him.’ 44:21 “Then you told your servants , ‘Bring him down to me so I can see him.’ 44:22 We said to my lord , ‘The boy cannot leave his father . If he leaves his father, his father will die .’ 44:23 But you said to your servants , ‘If your youngest brother does not come down with you, you will not see my face again .’ 44:24 When we returned to your servant my father , we told him the words of my lord . 44:25 “Then our father said , ‘Go back and buy us a little food .’ 44:26 But we replied , ‘We cannot go down there. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go , for we won’t be permitted to see the man’s face if our youngest brother is not with us.’ 44:27 “Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife gave me two sons . 44:28 The first disappeared and I said , “He has surely been torn to pieces .” I have not seen him since . 44:29 If you take this one from me too and an accident happens to him, then you will bring down my gray hair in tragedy to the grave .’ 44:30 “So now , when I return to your servant my father , and the boy is not with us– his very life is bound up in his son’s life . 44:31 When he sees the boy is not with us, he will die , and your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father in sorrow to the grave . 44:32 Indeed , your servant pledged security for the boy with my father , saying , ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I will bear the blame before my father all my life .’ 44:33 “So now , please let your servant remain as my lord’s slave instead of the boy . As for the boy , let him go back with his brothers . 44:34 For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I couldn’t bear to see my father’s pain .”

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • Joseph

    [ebd] remover or increaser. (1.) The elder of the two sons of Jacob by Rachel (Gen. 30:23, 24), who, on the occasion of his birth, said, "God hath taken away [Heb. 'asaph] my reproach." "The Lord shall add [Heb. yoseph] to me anot...
    [nave] JOSEPH 1. Son of Jacob, Gen. 30:24. Personal appearance of, Gen. 39:6. His father's favorite child, Gen. 33:2; 37:3, 4, 35; 48:22; 1 Chr. 5:2; John 4:5. His father's partiality for, excites the jealousy of his brethren, G...

  • Judah

    [ebd] praise, the fourth son of Jacob by Leah. The name originated in Leah's words of praise to the Lord on account of his birth: "Now will I praise [Heb. odeh] Jehovah, and she called his name Yehudah" (Gen. 29:35). It was Judah ...
    [nave] JUDAH 1. Son of Jacob, Gen. 35:23. Intercedes for Joseph's life when his brethren were about to slay him, and proposes that they sell him to the Ishmaelites, Gen. 37:26, 27. Takes two wives, Gen. 38:1-6. Dwells at Chezib,...

  • Benjamin

    [isbe] BENJAMIN - ben'-ja-min (binyamin, or binyamin; Beniaein, Beniamin): 1. The Patriarch: The youngest of Jacob's sons. His mother Rachel died in giving him birth. As she felt death approaching she called him Benoni, "son of my ...
    [nave] BENJAMIN 1. Son of Jacob by Rachel, Gen. 35:18, 24; 46:19. Taken into Egypt, Gen. 42-45. Prophecy concerning, Gen. 49:27. Descendants of, Gen. 46:21; Num. 26:38-41. Tribe of Census of, at Sinai, Num. 1:37; in the plain ...

  • GENESIS, 1-2

    [isbe] GENESIS, 1-2 - jen'-e-sis: I. GENERAL DATA 1. The Name 2. Survey of Contents 3. Connection with Succeeding Books II. COMPOSITION OF GENESIS IN GENERAL 1. Unity of the Biblical Text (1) The Toledhoth (2) Further Indication of...

  • Deception

    [nave] DECEPTION. Instances of By Satan, Gen. 3:4. Abraham, in stating that Sarah was his sister, Gen. 12:13; 20:2. Isaac, in stating that his wife was his sister, Gen. 26:7. Jacob and Rebekah, in imposing Jacob on his father,...

  • Hypocrisy

    [nave] HYPOCRISY. Job 8:13-15; Job 13:16; Job 15:31, 33, 34; Job 17:8; Job 20:4, 5 vs. 6-18.; Job 27:8-10 vs. 13-18.; Job 31:33, 34; Job 34:30; Job 36:13, 14; Psa. 5:9; Psa. 50:16, 17; Psa. 52:4; Psa. 55:12-14, 20, 21, 23; Psa. 78...

  • Lies and Deceits

    [nave] LIES AND DECEITS Ex. 23:1; Lev. 6:2-7; Lev. 19:11, 12, 16 Ex. 20:16. Job 13:4; Job 21:34; Job 27:4; Job 31:5, 6, 33; Job 36:4; Psa. 5:6, 9; Psa. 10:7; Psa. 12:2, 3; Psa. 28:3; Psa. 31:18; Psa. 34:13 1 Pet. 3:10. Psa. 36:3; P...

  • SHALEM

    [isbe] SHALEM - sha'-lem (shalem; eis Salem): The word as a place-name occurs only in Gen 33:18. With Luther, following Septuagint, Peshitta and Vulgate, the King James Version reads "And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem." t...

  • Famine

    [ebd] The first mentioned in Scripture was so grievous as to compel Abraham to go down to the land of Egypt (Gen. 26:1). Another is mentioned as having occurred in the days of Isaac, causing him to go to Gerar (Gen. 26:1, 17). But...

  • SLAVE; SLAVERY

    [isbe] SLAVE; SLAVERY - slav, slav'-er-i: 1. Acquiring of Slaves 2. Hebrews as War Captives 3. Freedom of Slaves 4. Rights of Slaves 5. Rights of Slave Masters 6. The New Testament Conception LITERATURE The origin of the term "slav...

  • JOSEPH (2)

    [isbe] JOSEPH (2) - jo'-zef (yoceph, "He will add"; Septuagint Ioseph). The narrative (Gen 30:23,14) indicates not so much a double etymology as the course of Rachel's thoughts. The use of 'acaph, "He takes away," suggested to her ...

  • Children

    [nave] CHILDREN In answer to prayer: To Abraham, Gen. 15:2-5, with Gen. 21:1, 2; Isaac, Gen. 25:21; Leah, Gen. 30:17-22; Rachel, Gen. 30:22-24; Haah, 1 Sam. 1:9-20; Zacharias, Luke 1:13. Treatment of, at birth, Ezek. 16:4-6; Luke ...

  • Readings, Select

    [nave] READINGS, SELECT. Judah's Defense Gen. 44:18-34 Joseph Revealing His Identity Gen. 45:1-15 The Deliverance of the Israelites from Pharaoh Ex. 14:5-30 Song of Moses When Pharaoh and His Army Were Overthrown Ex. 15:1-1...

  • CUP

    [ebd] a wine-cup (Gen. 40:11, 21), various forms of which are found on Assyrian and Egyptian monuments. All Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold (1 Kings 10: 21). The cups mentioned in the New Testament were made after Roman an...
    [isbe] CUP - (Most frequently, koc; four other words in one passage each; poterion): A vessel for drinking from, of a variety of material (gold, silver, earthenware), patterns (Est 1:7) and elaboration. Figurative: By ordinary figu...

  • Integrity

    [nave] INTEGRITY. Gen. 18:19; Ex. 18:21; Deut. 16:19, 20; Job 10:7; Job 13:15, 18; Job 16:17; Job 27:4-6; Job 29:14; Job 31:1-40; Psa. 7:3-5, 8; Psa. 15:1-5; Psa. 17:3; Psa. 18:20 2 Sam. 22:21. Psa. 24:3-5; Psa. 26:1-3; Psa. 69:4;...

  • Money

    [nave] MONEY Silver used as, Gen. 17:12, 13, 23, 27; 20:16; 23:9, 13; 31:15; 37:28; 42:25-35; 43:12-23; 44:1-8; 47:14-18; Ex. 12:44; 21:11, 21, 34, 35; 22:7, 17, 25; 30:16; Lev. 22:11; 25:37, 51; 27:15, 18; Num. 3:48-51; 18:16; Deu...

  • Hell

    [ebd] derived from the Saxon helan, to cover; hence the covered or the invisible place. In Scripture there are three words so rendered: (1.) Sheol, occurring in the Old Testament sixty-five times. This word sheol is derived from a...
    [nave] HELL The word used in the King James Version of the O.T. to translate the Hebrew word sheol, signifying the unseen state, in Deut. 32:22; 2 Sam. 22:6; Job 11:8; 26:6; Psa. 9:17; 16:10; 18:5; 55:15; 86:13; 116:3; 139:8; Prov....

  • Bowl

    [ebd] The sockets of the lamps of the golden candlestick of the tabernacle are called bowls (Ex. 25:31, 33, 34; 37:17, 19, 20); the same word so rendered being elsewhere rendered "cup" (Gen. 44:2, 12, 16), and wine "pot" (Jer. 35:...

  • AUGURY

    [isbe] AUGURY - o'-gu-ri o'-gur-i: This word occurs in the Revised Version (British and American) in Lev 19:26; Dt 18:10,14; 2 Ki 21:6, and the parallel in 2 Ch 33:6. In all these cases the verb "practice augury" is in the King Jam...

  • Unselfishness

    [nave] UNSELFISHNESS. Rom. 12:10; Rom. 5:1-3; 1 Cor. 9:19-23; 1 Cor. 10:24, 33; 1 Cor. 13:4, 5; 2 Cor. 5:14, 15; 2 Cor. 8:9; Phil. 2:3, 4; Jas. 2:8 Instances of Abraham, Gen. 13:9; 14:23, 24. King of Sodom, Gen. 14:21. Childre...
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Arts

Questions

  • I've heard and read the same statement a number of times, but have never troubled myself to look up each passage. I'm not surprised that looking up "heaven" and "hell" in a concordance would give you contradictory results. T...

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • The events recorded in Genesis stretch historically from Creation to Joseph's death, a period of at least 2500 years. The first part of the book (ch. 1-11) is not as easy to date precisely as the second part (ch. 12-50). The ...
  • Genesis provides the historical basis for the rest of the Bible and the Pentateuch, particularly the Abrahamic Covenant. Chapters 1-11 give historical background essential to understanding that covenant, and chapters 12-50 re...
  • The structure of Genesis is very clear. The phrase "the generations of"(toledotin Hebrew, from yaladmeaning "to bear, to generate") occurs ten times (really eleven times since 36:9 repeats 36:1), and in each case it introduce...
  • The Lord destroyed the corrupt, violent human race and deluged its world, but He used righteous Noah to preserve life and establish a new world after the Flood."Noah's experience presents decisively the author's assertion tha...
  • "The Babel account (11:1-9) is not the end of early Genesis. If it were, the story would conclude on the sad note of human failure. But as with earlier events in Genesis 1-11, God's grace once again supersedes human sin, insu...
  • One of the significant changes in the emphasis that occurs at this point in Genesis is from cursing in the primeval record to blessing in the patriarchal narratives. The Abrahamic Covenant is most important in this respect. H...
  • A major theme of the Pentateuch is the partial fulfillment of the promises to the patriarchs. The promises in Genesis 12:1-3 and 7 are the fountainhead from which the rest of the Pentateuch flows.397Walter Kaiser labeled the ...
  • "These verses are of fundamental importance for the theology of Genesis, for they serve to bind together the primeval history and the later patriarchal history and look beyond it to the subsequent history of the nation."414"W...
  • The second crisis Abram faced arose because of a famine in Canaan. Abram chose to sojourn in the Nile Valley until it was past. In this incident Abram tried to pass Sarai off as his sister because he feared for his life. By d...
  • Abram asked God to strengthen his faith. In response Yahweh promised to give the patriarch innumerable descendants. This led Abram to request some further assurance that God would indeed do what He promised. God graciously ob...
  • Abraham's purchase of a burial site in the Promised Land demonstrated his intention to remain in Canaan rather than going back to his native homeland. Since he was a sojourner in Canaan his friends probably expected him to bu...
  • A new toledotbegins with 25:19. Its theme is "the acquisition of the blessing and its development and protection by the Lord."625Moses set up the whole Jacob narrative in a chiastic structure that emphasizes the fulfillment o...
  • Chapters 43-45 are a unit describing what happened when Joseph's brothers returned to Egypt. Like chapter 42, which it echoes, it consists of seven scenes arranged palistrophically with the central scene being the arrest of J...
  • Joseph next tested his brother's loyalty to Benjamin by framing Benjamin and charging him with stealing Joseph's cup. These events prompted the brothers to acknowledge that God was punishing them for their treatment of Joseph...
  • The events recorded in the last three chapters of Genesis deal with the last days of Jacob and Joseph. In these last chapters there are many other references to earlier episodes in the book."This constant harking back to earl...
  • Jacob blessed all 12 of his sons and foretold what would become of each of them and their descendants. He disqualified Reuben, Simeon, and Levi from leadership and gave that blessing to Judah. He granted the double portion to...
  • Aalders, Gerhard Charles. Genesis. The Bible Student's Commentary series. 2 vols. Translated by William Heynen. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981.Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonah. The Macmillan Bible Atlas...
  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • 105:7-11 God remembered His people (v. 7, cf. v. 42) so His people should remember Him (v. 5). God had been faithful to the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 12:1-3, 7; 15:18-21; 22:15-18; 28:13-15). He made this covenant with Abraham...
  • 9:18 Wickedness is not a little misguided playfulness but rebellion against God's order for life.126It proceeds from a little fire to a raging inferno because, like fire, wickedness has an insatiable appetite.9:19 The Lord of...
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