Genesis 44:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Whichever of your servants is found with it shall die, and we also will be my lord’s servants.”

NIV: If any of your servants is found to have it, he will die; and the rest of us will become my lord's slaves.'

NASB: With whomever of your servants it is found, he shall die, and we also shall be my lord’s slaves.'

CSB: If it is found with one of us, your servants, he must die, and the rest of us will become my lord's slaves."

NLT: If you find his cup with any one of us, let that man die. And all the rest of us, my lord, will be your slaves.'

KJV: With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die, and we also will be my lord's bondmen.

NKJV: With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s slaves.”

Jacob's sons are defending themselves from accusations they have stolen a valuable silver cup (Genesis 44:1–8). They don't realize the accusations are coming from their estranged brother (Genesis 42:7–8), or that they are part of a deliberate test. The men have strongly claimed innocence.

Now, they foolishly go too far. Rashly, without fully understanding what is happening, they vow that if anyone is found with the cup, he can be executed, and the rest of the men made slaves. What the brothers don't know, of course, is that the steward himself has placed the cup in the sack of the youngest brother Benjamin. Joseph's brothers have played right into his scheme. The purpose of that plan will become clearer in the following verses.

Genesis 44:1–13 describes Joseph's final test of his estranged brothers, this time using a silver cup. After a merry feast, Joseph's brothers—who still know nothing of his identity—are sent out with grain and money. Joseph orders his house steward to hide his unique personal cup in Benjamin's sack. Shortly after they leave, he sends the steward to overtake the brothers on their way out of town. Once the cup is found, all the brothers return to Joseph's house in great grief and frustration.

Eleven of Jacob's sons enjoyed a meal as honored guests of an Egyptian governor. They are sent off the next morning with full sacks of grain. All seems well until the governor's house steward overtakes them on the road and accuses them of stealing the ruler's personal and valuable silver cup. The brothers don't know this governor is Joseph, their long-lost brother. Nor do they know he ordered the steward to place the cup in Benjamin's sack. This is part of Joseph's final test of his brothers and their moral growth. Seeking to rescue Benjamin from slavery, Judah makes a powerful speech to Joseph, offering to take Benjamin's place as a slave to save the boy and avoid grieving their father, Jacob.

Joseph maintained his hidden identity when his estranged brothers first arrived in Egypt (Genesis 42). When they returned a second time, he continued to test them and treated them to a fine meal (Genesis 43). Genesis 44 describes Joseph's final scheme to test the character of his brothers. Will they once again abandon a sibling into slavery? After a successful scheme by Joseph, Benjamin seems doomed to become a slave in Egypt. Judah boldly begs Joseph to keep him, instead. He offers himself in Benjamin's place. This finally overwhelms Joseph, who will break down and reveal himself in the next chapter.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.

Accessed 5/8/2024 8:54:13 PM