Genesis 44

In this chapter, Joseph puts his brothers to a final test. After their meal, he orders his steward to place his silver cup in Benjamin's sack. When the brothers are accused of stealing the cup, they return to face Joseph. Judah pleads with Joseph to allow him to take Benjamin's place as a slave, demonstrating a change in character and responsibility. This chapter highlights themes of reconciliation, repentance, and brotherly loyalty.

Genesis 44:1-3 (NKJV)
1 And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, “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 Also put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his grain money.” So he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.
3 As soon as the morning dawned, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys.

Joseph, having devised a test for his brothers, instructs his steward to fill their sacks with food and secretly return their money, just as he had done before. However, this time, Joseph adds another element to the test by planting his silver cup in Benjamin's sack. This act sets up the situation where the brothers will be forced to confront their loyalty to Benjamin, testing their commitment to their youngest brother in a way that echoes how they treated Joseph years before.

Genesis 44:4-6 (NKJV)
4 When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, “Get up, follow the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good?
5 Is not this the one from which my lord drinks, and with which he indeed practices divination? You have done evil in so doing.’”
6 So he overtook them, and he spoke to them these same words.

Joseph instructs his steward to accuse his brothers of stealing the silver cup after they have left the city. By accusing them of repaying good with evil, Joseph sets up a moral dilemma that will force the brothers to defend themselves. The mention of divination adds weight to the accusation, implying that the cup holds special significance. This moment escalates the tension, as the brothers must now confront this unexpected crisis.

Genesis 44:7-9 (NKJV)
7 And they said to him, “Why does my lord say these words? Far be it from us that your servants should do such a thing.
8 Look, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money which we found in the mouth of our sacks. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house?
9 With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s slaves.”

The brothers are shocked by the accusation and protest their innocence. They remind the steward that they had previously returned the money found in their sacks, indicating their integrity. In their confidence, they offer a rash pledge: whoever is found with the cup will die, and the rest will become slaves. This shows how certain they are of their innocence, not suspecting that the cup had been planted among them.

Genesis 44:10-13 (NKJV)
10 And he said, “Now also let it be according to your words: he with whom it is found shall be my slave, and you shall be blameless.”
11 Then each man speedily let down his sack to the ground, and each opened his sack.
12 So he searched. He began with the oldest and left off with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.
13 Then they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey and returned to the city.

The steward accepts their offer but modifies it, declaring that only the one found with the cup will become a slave, while the rest can go free. The search begins, building suspense as it moves from the oldest to the youngest. When the cup is discovered in Benjamin’s sack, the brothers are devastated. Tearing their clothes is a sign of deep grief and despair, and their collective return to the city shows their solidarity with Benjamin, unwilling to abandon him in this crisis.

Genesis 44:14-17 (NKJV)
14 So Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, and he was still there; and they fell before him on the ground.
15 And Joseph said to them, “What deed is this you have done? Did you not know that such a man as I can certainly practice divination?”
16 Then Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; here we are, my lord’s slaves, both we and he also with whom the cup was found.”
17 But he said, “Far be it from me that I should do so; the man in whose hand the cup was found, he shall be my slave. And as for you, go up in peace to your father.”

When the brothers return to Joseph, they bow down to him, fulfilling the earlier dreams of Joseph’s dominance over his family. Joseph accuses them of theft, reiterating the gravity of the situation by referencing his ability to divine. Judah, representing his brothers, accepts their fate, acknowledging that God is uncovering their guilt. He offers all of them as slaves, but Joseph refuses, insisting that only Benjamin will remain a slave. This forces the brothers into a moral choice: abandon Benjamin or fight for his freedom.

Genesis 44:18-19 (NKJV)
18 Then Judah came near to him and said: “O my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord’s hearing, and do not let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even like Pharaoh.
19 My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father or a brother?’

Judah steps forward as the spokesperson for his brothers, appealing to Joseph’s mercy. He acknowledges Joseph’s high position, comparing him to Pharaoh, and respectfully begins recounting the previous conversations they had, emphasizing that Joseph had specifically inquired about their father and younger brother. Judah’s plea reveals his desperation and the importance of family ties, setting the stage for a heartfelt request for compassion.

Genesis 44:20-23 (NKJV)
20 And we said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, who is young; 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 And we said to my lord, ‘The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’
23 But you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more.’

Judah continues explaining the story to Joseph, emphasizing the special bond between Benjamin and their father, Jacob. He recounts how they tried to avoid bringing Benjamin to Egypt, fearing the devastating effect it would have on their father if anything happened to him. Joseph had been insistent, however, refusing to see them without Benjamin. This retelling serves to highlight the weight of the situation and the risk they took in bringing Benjamin, revealing their care for their father and the younger brother.

Genesis 44:24-26 (NKJV)
24 “So it was, when we went up to your servant my father, that we told him the words of my lord.
25 And our father said, ‘Go back and buy us a little food.’
26 But we said, ‘We cannot go down; if our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we may not see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’

Judah continues recounting how they relayed Joseph’s demands to their father, Jacob. When Jacob asked them to return to Egypt for more food, they reminded him that they could not go without Benjamin. Judah’s retelling shows the family’s predicament and how Joseph’s demand placed them in a difficult situation, torn between obedience to their father and compliance with Joseph’s orders.

Genesis 44:27-29 (NKJV)
27 Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons;
28 and the one went out from me, and I said, “Surely he is torn to pieces”; and I have not seen him since.
29 But if you take this one also from me, and calamity befalls him, you shall bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.’”

Judah recalls Jacob’s deep grief over losing Joseph, explaining that Jacob believed Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. Now, Jacob’s fear of losing Benjamin, Joseph’s only full brother, is at the forefront. If Benjamin were lost, it would devastate Jacob, possibly leading to his death in sorrow. This emotional appeal reveals how Benjamin represents Jacob’s final connection to his beloved wife Rachel and amplifies the urgency of Judah’s plea.

Genesis 44:30-31 (NKJV)
30 “Now therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the lad’s life,
31 it will happen, when he sees that the lad is not with us, that he will die. So your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father with sorrow to the grave.

Judah stresses the close bond between Jacob and Benjamin, making it clear that Benjamin’s absence would be a death sentence for their father. He explains that returning home without Benjamin would lead to Jacob’s demise, bringing grief and sorrow upon the entire family. Judah’s words underline the gravity of the situation, as he tries to appeal to Joseph’s sense of compassion by focusing on the emotional toll it would take on their father.

Genesis 44:32-34 (NKJV)
32 For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father forever.’
33 Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad as a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers.
34 For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me, lest perhaps I see the evil that would come upon my father?”

In a final act of desperation, Judah offers himself as a substitute for Benjamin, willing to become Joseph’s slave in Benjamin’s place. This offer shows Judah’s growth in character, contrasting with the earlier years when he and his brothers sold Joseph into slavery. Judah is now prepared to sacrifice his own freedom for the sake of his brother and to spare their father from further heartache. His willingness to take responsibility for Benjamin’s welfare is a powerful display of repentance and familial loyalty. This climactic moment paves the way for Joseph’s upcoming revelation and reconciliation with his brothers.