Chapter Forty-Four
Joseph's Final Test of His Brothers
44:1 Then he commanded the steward of his house, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack, 2 and put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, with his money for the grain.” And he did as Joseph told him.
Joseph’s brothers at this point must have felt relieved if not euphoric; their fears and concerns regarding this harsh leader of Egypt were now behind them. But there was one more thing Joseph wanted to know and that was, how would they react if forced to choose between their own welfare and that of Benjamin and their father. So, Joseph plans one last test before he reveals his identity.
That evening Joseph had his steward load their sacks with grain and to put their money in the mouth of each sack. Then he had him put his silver cup in the mouth of Benjamin’s sack along with the money. The word translated here as “cup” (Hebrew ‘geḇ)[1] is not the usual Hebrew word for a drinking cup (‘kôs’).[2] It is only used two other times in the Old Testament; once referring to the cups on the golden lampstand (see Exodus 25:31-40) and once for the pitchers and cups used to tempt the Rechabites (see Jeremiah 35:5), possibly implying a larger or more ornate cup.
The money in the mouths of the sacks may cause his brothers to feel guilty and perhaps be intrigued (about the steward’s response regarding the found money during the first trip, that their God must have rewarded them), but having the personal silver cup of Joseph’s would, if caught, definitely be considered theft.
44:3 As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away with their donkeys. 4 They had gone only a short distance from the city. Now Joseph said to his steward, “Up, follow after the men, and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good? 5 Is it not from this that my lord drinks, and by this that he practices divination? You have done evil in doing this.’ ” 6 When he overtook them, he spoke to them these words.
In the morning, the brothers were probably very pleased to see their donkeys loaded up and ready to go. At first light they were on their way home with everything and everyone they had hoped for. Shortly after leaving the city, Joseph had his steward pursue and stop them to accuse them of theft.
Upon stopping them, the steward accuses them just as Joseph had instructed, but then he adds that Joseph doesn’t drink from the cup that was stolen but uses it for divination. The phrase he uses could be literally translated, “divining he divines.” While practicing divination was common in Egypt, the important question would be, if Joseph was a follower of God, why did he practice divination? He didn’t, not only would that be out of character, but the practice also seeks answers from entities that oppose God. Divination will later be formally forbidden by God in His law (see Deuteronomy 18:10). Note that earlier in the text this cup was simply described as a “silver cup,” (see verse two) and not a cup used for divination. Joseph wanted his brothers to think that he had some ability to see and know things that were otherwise unknowable. In this situation, the information that he knew about them was not through divination, it was from knowing about them from his childhood. By instilling in them the idea that he could know things, Joseph created a clever scenario that would force his brothers to make a life-or-death decision regarding Benjamin. Would they accept the accusations or will they stand up and risk their lives to save him?
44:7 They said to him, “Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing! 8 Behold, the money that we found in the mouths of our sacks we brought back to you from the land of Canaan. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house? 9 Whichever of your servants is found with it shall die, and we also will be my lord’s servants.” 10 He said, “Let it be as you say: he who is found with it shall be my servant, and the rest of you shall be innocent.”
Upon hearing the accusations, they were fairly confident that the accusations were false. They remind the steward that they had plenty of opportunities to steal but were always honest in their transactions. They ask why they would steal silver or gold from Joseph’s house and then, to emphasize their innocence, they boldly add that whoever is found with the cup in their possession will be put to death and that the others will remain as servants. The steward acknowledges but says this won’t be necessary, only the one who has possession of the cup will become a servant, the rest will be free to leave.
44:11 Then each man quickly lowered his sack to the ground, and each man opened his sack. 12 And he searched, beginning with the eldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. 13 Then they tore their clothes, and every man loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city.
Each of the brothers lowered their sack off their donkeys and opened their sacks, beginning with Rueben and ending with Benjamin. The money that was returned must have been discovered (see verse one), but there is no mention of any money discovered in the text. Possibly ready to say something like, “told you so!” the last bag is opened and there it was, Joseph’s cup, just as Joseph “predicted.” Upon seeing the cup they immediately tore their clothes to express their grief and remorse.[3] There is no record of the conversation from that moment on until they arrived back at Joseph’s house.
44:14 When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, he was still there. They fell before him to the ground. 15 Joseph said to them, “What deed is this that you have done? Do you not know that a man like me can indeed practice divination?”
Joseph was waiting at his house. When they arrived, they once again fell at his feet. Seeing how he always somehow knew things about them, they probably were fully convinced at this time that Joseph had the ability of divination. Here he is essentially saying that he doesn’t need his cup for divination, that he had the ability without assistance from any physical apparatus or tool, and he could see who had the stolen cup without the use of the cup.
44:16 And Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how can we clear ourselves? God has found out the guilt of your servants; behold, we are my lord’s servants, both we and he also in whose hand the cup has been found.”
Judah had become the family spokesman, since Rueben foolishly offered Jacob the lives of his sons in exchange if anything happened to Benjamin (see Genesis 42:37), while Simeon was in prison. Even though they were all present now, Judah continued to be the speaker for the brothers. However, seeing the evidence of Benjamin’s guilt, he didn’t know what to say. But he did state that if Benjamin was guilty, they were all guilty and equally involved. Again, connecting the events regarding what they did to Joseph in the past, Judah acknowledges that God has found them guilty.
44:17 But he said, “Far be it from me that I should do so! Only the man in whose hand the cup was found shall be my servant. But as for you, go up in peace to your father.”
Now, for the final component of the test, Joseph again offers to release them all except for the one guilty of stealing the cup. Joseph wanted to see if they would abandon Benjamin like they did to him 20 years ago or defend him.
44:18 Then Judah went up to him and said, “Oh, my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord’s ears, and let not your anger burn against your servant, for you are like Pharaoh himself. 19 My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father, or a brother?’ 20 And we said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a young brother, the child of his old age. His brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother’s children, and his father loves him.’ 21 Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.’ 22 We said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’ 23 Then you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall not see my face again.’ 24 “When we went back to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. 25 And when our father said, ‘Go again, buy us a little food,’ 26 we said, ‘We cannot go down. If our youngest brother goes with us, then we will go down. For we cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’ 27 Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons. 28 One left me, and I said, “Surely he has been torn to pieces,” and I have never seen him since. 29 If you take this one also from me, and harm happens to him, you will bring down my gray hairs in evil to Sheol.’ 30 “Now therefore, as soon as I come to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us, then, as his life is bound up in the boy’s life, 31 as soon as he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die, and your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol.
Judah respectfully spoke to Joseph, as he recounted the events that led up to this moment. Pointing out that due to Joseph’s interest in their family life, they brought Benjamin to him, even though their father would die if anything were to happen to him.
44:32 For your servant became a pledge of safety for the boy to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father all my life.’ 33 Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a servant to my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers. 34 For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I fear to see the evil that would find my father.”
Judah tells Joseph that he made a promise to his father that he would bear the blame if something were to happen to Benjamin. He then passionately pleas with Joseph to accept him as his servant and to release Benjamin, as he did not want to bring further grief to his father.
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[1] Strong’s Hebrew 1375
[2] Strong’s Hebrew 3563.
[3] See Considerations at the end of Genesis chapter 37 regarding the tearing of clothes.