Genesis 44:14-17

44:14 So Judah and his brothers ¹  came back to Joseph’s house. He was still there, ²  and they threw themselves to the ground before him. 44:15 Joseph said to them, “What did you think you were doing? ³  Don’t you know that a man like me can find out things like this by divination?” ⁴ 

44:16 Judah replied, “What can we say ⁵  to my lord? What can we speak? How can we clear ourselves? ⁶  God has exposed the sin of your servants! ⁷  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 ⁸  you may go back ⁹  to your father in peace.”

[44:14]  ¹ sn Judah and his brothers. The narrative is already beginning to bring Judah to the forefront.

[44:14]  ² tn The disjunctive clause here provides supplemental information.

[44:15]  ³ 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]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn The imperfect verbal form here indicates the subject’s potential.

[44:16]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ tn The words “the rest of” have been supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

[44:17]  ⁹ tn Heb “up” (reflecting directions from their point of view – “up” to Canaan; “down” to Egypt).