Genesis 44:1-19

The Final Test

44:1 He instructed the servant who was over his household, “Fill the sacks of the men with as much food as they can carry and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack. 44:2 Then put ¹  my cup – the silver cup – in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the money for his grain.” He did as Joseph instructed. ² 

44:3 When morning came, ³  the men and their donkeys were sent off. ⁴  44:4 They had not gone very far from the city ⁵  when Joseph said ⁶  to the servant who was over his household, “Pursue the men at once! ⁷  When you overtake ⁸  them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil? 44:5 Doesn’t my master drink from this cup ⁹  and use it for divination? ¹⁰  You have done wrong!’” ¹¹ 

44:6 When the man ¹²  overtook them, he spoke these words to them. 44:7 They answered him, “Why does my lord say such things? ¹³  Far be it from your servants to do such a thing! ¹⁴  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, ¹⁵  he will die, and the rest of us will become my lord’s slaves!”

44:10 He replied, “You have suggested your own punishment! ¹⁶  The one who has it will become my slave, ¹⁷  but the rest of ¹⁸  you will go free.” ¹⁹  44:11 So each man quickly lowered ²⁰  his sack to the ground and opened it. 44:12 Then the man ²¹  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 ²²  came back to Joseph’s house. He was still there, ²³  and they threw themselves to the ground before him. 44:15 Joseph said to them, “What did you think you were doing? ²⁴  Don’t you know that a man like me can find out things like this by divination?” ²⁵ 

44:16 Judah replied, “What can we say ²⁶  to my lord? What can we speak? How can we clear ourselves? ²⁷  God has exposed the sin of your servants! ²⁸  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 ²⁹  you may go back ³⁰  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. ³¹  Please do not get angry with your servant, ³²  for you are just like Pharaoh. ³³  44:19 My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’

[44:2]  ¹ tn The imperfect verbal form is used here to express Joseph’s instructions.

[44:2]  ² tn Heb “and he did according to the word of Joseph which he spoke.”

[44:3]  ³ tn Heb “the morning was light.”

[44:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “and the men were sent off, they and their donkeys.” This clause, like the preceding one, has the subject before the verb, indicating synchronic action.

[44:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “they left the city, they were not far,” meaning “they had not gone very far.”

[44:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “and Joseph said.” This clause, like the first one in the verse, has the subject before the verb, indicating synchronic action.

[44:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “arise, chase after the men.” The first imperative gives the command a sense of urgency.

[44:4]  ⁸ tn After the imperative this perfect verbal form with vav consecutive has the same nuance of instruction. In the translation it is subordinated to the verbal form that follows (also a perfect with vav consecutive): “and overtake them and say,” becomes “when you overtake them, say.”

[44:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “Is this not what my master drinks from.” The word “cup” is not in the Hebrew text, but is obviously the referent of “this,” and so has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[44:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and he, divining, divines with it.” The infinitive absolute is emphatic, stressing the importance of the cup to Joseph.

[44:5]  ¹¹ tn Heb “you have caused to be evil what you have done.”

[44:6]  ¹² tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the man who was in charge of Joseph’s household) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[44:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “Why does my lord speak according to these words?”

[44:7]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “according to this thing.”

[44:9]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “The one with whom it is found from your servants.” Here “your servants” (a deferential way of referring to the brothers themselves) has been translated by the pronoun “us” to avoid confusion with Joseph’s servants.

[44:10]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “Also now, according to your words, so it is.” As the next statement indicates, this does mean that he will do exactly as they say. He does agree with them the culprit should be punished, but not as harshly as they suggest. Furthermore, the innocent parties will not be punished.

[44:10]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “The one with whom it is found will become my slave.”

[44:10]  ¹⁸ tn The words “the rest of” have been supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

[44:10]  ¹⁹ tn The Hebrew word נָקִי (naqi) means “acquitted,” that is, free of guilt and the responsibility for it.

[44:11]  ²⁰ tn Heb “and they hurried and they lowered.” Their speed in doing this shows their presumption of innocence.

[44:12]  ²¹ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the man who was in charge of Joseph’s household) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[44:14]  ²² sn Judah and his brothers. The narrative is already beginning to bring Judah to the forefront.

[44:14]  ²³ tn The disjunctive clause here provides supplemental information.

[44:15]  ²⁴ tn Heb “What is this deed you have done?” The demonstrative pronoun (“this”) adds emphasis to the question. A literal translation seems to contradict the following statement, in which Joseph affirms that he is able to divine such matters. Thus here the emotive force of the question has been reflected in the translation, “What did you think you were doing?”

[44:15]  ²⁵ tn Heb “[is] fully able to divine,” meaning that he can find things out by divination. The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis, stressing his ability to do this.

[44:16]  ²⁶ tn The imperfect verbal form here indicates the subject’s potential.

[44:16]  ²⁷ tn The Hitpael form of the verb צָדֵק (tsadeq) here means “to prove ourselves just, to declare ourselves righteous, to prove our innocence.”

[44:16]  ²⁸ sn God has exposed the sin of your servants. The first three questions are rhetorical; Judah is stating that there is nothing they can say to clear themselves. He therefore must conclude that they have been found guilty.

[44:17]  ²⁹ tn The words “the rest of” have been supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

[44:17]  ³⁰ tn Heb “up” (reflecting directions from their point of view – “up” to Canaan; “down” to Egypt).

[44:18]  ³¹ tn Heb “Please my lord, let your servant speak a word into the ears of my lord.”

[44:18]  ³² tn Heb “and let not your anger burn against your servant.”

[44:18]  ³³ sn You are just like Pharaoh. Judah’s speech begins with the fear and trembling of one who stands condemned. Joseph has as much power as Pharaoh, either to condemn or to pardon. Judah will make his appeal, wording his speech in such a way as to appeal to Joseph’s compassion for the father, whom he mentions no less than fourteen times in the speech.