Preface: The brothers the next day leave early to return to their father. Joseph slips his silver chalice into the sack of Benjamin. When they are not too far away, Joseph sends his servants out to fetch the chalice and bring back whomever is responsible for stealing it. Joseph knows who it is and his house servant knows who it is.

All of the brothers return with Benjamin, after he is accused of stealing the chalice. Judah steps up and speaks to Joseph, saying, “Take me as your slave instead of Benjamin.”

There are many chapter commentaries on the book of Genesis. This will be the most extensive examination of Genesis 44, where you will be able to examine in depth every word of the original text. Every attempt has been made to make this both a complete and self-contained study. Therefore, all references, vocabulary, and related concepts should be found within this extensive study. Easy access links to more in-depth studies of some vocabulary words, concepts and doctrines are also provided.

Outline of Chapter 44:

Introduction

         vv.     1–2           Joseph’s Special Instructions to the Palace Manager

         vv.     3–13         The Brothers are Accused of Stealing Joseph’s Silver Challice

         vv.    14–15         Joseph Accuses His Brothers of Treachery

         vv.    16–29         Judah Explains Their Situation with their Father

         vv.    30–34         Judah Offers Himself in Exchange for Benjamin

Addendum

Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines:

         Preface               Preface

         Preface               Quotations

         Introduction         The Prequel of Genesis 44

         Introduction         Reviewing Genesis 39–43

         Introduction         The Principals of Genesis 44

         Introduction         The Places of Genesis 44

         Introduction         The Patriarchal Timeline for Genesis 44

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Genesis 44

         Introduction 

         Introduction         The New American Bible Summarizes Genesis 44

         Introduction         William Ramey’s Chiasmi of Genesis 44:1–34

         Introduction         Dr. Bob Utley’s Translation Table/Subtitles and Paragraphs

         Introduction         Chapter Updates

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

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         v.       2              Why Joseph Places the Silver and the Cup in the Sacks of His Brothers

         v.       2              A Silver Chalice (a photograph)

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         v.      12              The Silver Cup is Discovered in Benjamin’s Sack of Grain (a graphic)

         v.      12              “Joseph’s Brothers Find the Silver Goblet in Benjamin’s Sack” (a painting)

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         v.      14              The Doctrine of Leadership

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         v.      19              Joseph Converses With Judah, His Brother (a graphic)

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         v.      33              Judah pleads with Joseph on behalf of Benjamin (a graphic)

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         Summary            A Set of Summary Doctrines and Commentary

         Summary            An Abbreviated Exegesis of Genesis 44

         Summary            Why Genesis 44 is in the Word of God

         Summary            What We Learn from Genesis 44

         Summary 

         Addendum 

         Addendum          Josephus’ History of this Time Period

         Addendum          Edersheim Summarizes Genesis 44

         Addendum          B. H. Carroll Summarizes Genesis 44

         Addendum          A Complete Translation of Genesis 44

         Addendum          Doctrinal Teachers Who Have Taught Genesis 44

         Addendum          Word Cloud from a Reasonably Literal Paraphrase of Genesis 44

         Addendum          Word Cloud from Exegesis of Genesis 44

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An Introduction to Genesis 44

I ntroduction: There is a portion of Genesis which should not have been separated into chapters—Genesis 42–44. Joseph’s brothers had, several chapters back, sold Joseph into slavery. At this time, they had no idea where Joseph was (they probably suspected that he was in Egypt); and no idea if he was still alive or not.

During the most recent years, Joseph had correctly prophesied, based upon dreams that Pharaoh had, 7 good years followed by 7 years of famine. His outstanding character along with his ability to properly interpret dreams, allowed Joseph to eventually rise to the second highest position in Egypt, and in charge of first gathering grain during the years of plenty; and then distributing the grain during the years of famine. Apparently, people from all over that region knew about Egypt’s granaries. So Jacob recognized that they were going to starve during the first year of the famine, so he sent his sons to Egypt to buy grain. He would not let Benjamin, his youngest son, go with them, because he had lost Joseph (Jacob believed that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal, and his sons, who knew better, allowed him to think that).

It is 20 years later, after Joseph was taken to Egypt, and his brothers are sent to Egypt to buy grain—everyone but Benjamin. When they arrive, Joseph knows who they are, but they do not know him. He was the last person they expected to see—particularly as the prime minister of Egypt. So they arrive, propose to buy grain, and Joseph gives them a little bit of a hard time, questions them carefully, and tells them to return with their youngest brother, Benjamin (who is Joseph’s full brother). By the time they get home, they find out that they have the silver in their bags.

When the brothers propose to Jacob, their father, to return with their brother Benjamin, he tells them, “No way.” So, a year or so passes; their grain begins to run out, and it becomes clear that they must return to Egypt to buy more grain. Even though Jacob strongly objects, he realizes that they will starve by doing nothing, and sending all of his sons, including Benjamin, may result in them being able to buy grain without incident.

In Genesis 43, they travel to Egypt, and, even when there seem to be some moments where things might go wrong, at the end of Genesis 43, all of the brothers are eating together in Joseph’s house, none of them yet realizing who Joseph really is.

At the end of Genesis 43, the brothers are eating a wonderful meal at Joseph’s home (not knowing who he is); and Genesis 44 is the next day, as they get their grain and start to leave.

In Genesis 44, the brothers will leave Egypt, but, there will be some problems which occur—primarily manufactured by Joseph. In Genesis 44, Joseph presents his brothers with the ultimate test. He sends them away, and with their sacks filled to the brim with grain. However, not only does Joseph require their silver be added to their sacks, but that his wonderful drinking cup is placed in Benjamin’s sack. Once they had gotten some distance from Joseph’s compound, Joseph sent troops to stop and inquire of the brothers and to search out their stuff. Finding the silver was one thing; but when Joseph’s favorite cup was discovered in Benjamin’s bag, that was the last straw. Or, at least, this is what it would have seemed like to Joseph’s brothers. They realized that they might return to their father, Jacob, without their youngest brother. At that point, something quite remarkable happens.

The division between Genesis 43 and 44 is possibly a few hours. I am assuming that after this feast, Joseph will see that their mules are loaded up with grain. This seems like a very odd place to divide the narrative into separate chapters (and it is), but there is a chiasmos for Genesis 43, and 2 chiasmi for Genesis 44. So, as literary units, these are reasonably separated here.

The Patriarchal Timeline for Genesis 44

Joseph had a plan, a ruse, and it is unclear whether he fully understood what would happen as a result. Clearly, Joseph has a purpose in mind for what he has done. He placed the silver back in every brother’s bag, but placed his valuable silver chalice in Benjamin’s sack. I do not believe that what Joseph is doing here is arbitrary or just to have a little fun with his brothers.

Remember that God the Holy Spirit has particularly focused our attention upon Joseph, Reuben and Judah throughout these dozen or so chapters (and, to a lesser extent, Levi and Simeon). What is at issue is, which tribe of Israel should be the leading tribe? Abraham was chosen by God; not his brother Nahor. Then Abraham’s son Isaac was the chosen line; not his other son Ishmael. Then Isaac’s son Jacob was chosen rather than his twin brother, Esau. At this point, we have the fathers of the 12 (actually, 13) tribes and they will become Israel; however, there is still the line of Messiah (known to us at this point in time as the Seed of the Woman). Messiah would come from one of these tribes. Which one?

We no doubt wonder about Judah and why Judah continues to be considered, given all the wrongdoing that Judah had participated in. Recall that Judah was ready to see his daughter-in-law executed rather than to provide for her a kinsman-redeemer (Judah brought this gal into his family, and by doing so, he became responsible for her—and then he shirked this responsibility). Instead, Judah held her accountable for the same behavior that he himself had engaged in.

And yet, Reuben, although not the worst of the brothers, never quite behaves as a leader ought. In the previous chapter, when it came to returning to Egypt for grain, it is Judah who takes a leadership role. He negotiates with his father in order to bring Benjamin down to Egypt, as required by the prime minister there.

Reuben clearly distinguished himself as not the leader when, over 20 years ago, his brothers said, “Let’s kill Joseph, this dreamer;” and Reuben said, “No, we will sell him into slavery instead and be remunerated for it.” Reuben had the authority to simply say, “No, we are not going to do any such thing; and anyone who tries to harm Joseph will have to go through me.” But he did not (probably worried that his brothers might take him up on that).

In this chapter, Judah will do something quite noble and remarkable; so remarkable, in fact, as to cause us to take another look at him as the man to watch. Bear in mind, this is the same Judah who left his family for a time, married a Canaanite women, raised up 3 sons, and then fell into somewhat of a mess when he chose a woman to marry his first son. That first son dies the sin unto death; the second then marries the girl, but does not give her his seed, and he dies the sin unto death (you may recall that, if he raised up a child by this wife, his own inheritance would be lessened considerably). Then, instead of giving his third son to this woman, Judah sends her back to her family (which is exactly the wrong thing to do—in marriage, the woman becomes a part of this new family and so the new family assumes responsibility for her). If you understand that a woman in marriage then becomes a part of that new family, then the concept of levirate marriage is easier to understand.

Where we are in this narrative: the sons of Jacob went down to Egypt to buy grain. They meet the Egyptian prime minister who accuses them of being spies, and sells them grain, but keeps one of them in jail, waiting for them all to return with Benjamin, the youngest brother. After returning home, their father, Jacob tells them that they are not going to return to Egypt with Benjamin. That is not going to happen.

However, a year later, they are out of grain and out of options. They must return to Egypt for more grain—and Judah, taking a leadership role, convinces his father to send Benjamin along with them. The logic is inarguable: if they did not take Benjamin, all of them could find themselves thrown into prison, and that means no bread for anyone, including Benjamin. If they did nothing, the family would starve. So Judah is arguing for the only logical course of action—the brothers must return to Egypt with their brother Benjamin.

They have returned to Egypt; the prime minister has graciously called them to eat at his private residence, and they all enjoyed a fabulous meal together. At this point in the narrative, they have given Joseph’s servants the silver and they are being loaded up with a year’s worth of grain to return home with.

And, as I have repeated innumerable times, the Prime Minister who is entertaining them is their lost brother Joseph, who recognizes them, but they do not know him. Joseph has chosen not to reveal himself to his brothers (at least, not yet), while he carefully weighs his options.

For many readers of this narrative, Joseph appears to be doing a series of oddball things—I recall thinking this when I first heard this narrative taught. However, what Joseph does is not odd or random; he acts with a purpose. That purpose is to bring Benjamin to Egypt; and later, to bring his father to Egypt. Joseph has forgiven his brothers long before; but that does not mean that he wants to reveal himself to them and then begin hanging out together. That is a possible option for the future; but not the only option (in Joseph’s mind). By not telling his brothers who he is, Joseph keeps his options open, including the option to never associate with his brothers again.

We have all had friends or relatives who go off the deep end with drugs or alcohol or some other problem, and we have had to make the choice to disassociate from them. We may forgive these people, but, at the same time, we may choose to never see them again. In fact, in the past 10 years or so, the political climate has become so polarized that I have had at least 10 people among family and actual friends who have chosen to have no contact with me because (1) I do not believe in normalizing homosexuality and (2) I am very conservative in my politics. The problem is, when they express their opinions, I often like to express my own. This might not always be the best thing to do.

It is fascinating to me that this narrative, more than any other, really requires motivation to be revealed to the reader—and it would seem like such information ought to be forthcoming, as Joseph appears to be the author of this narrative (many things which occur are known only to Joseph). Yet, we do not find the phrase, and Joseph did this because he thought... I find this to be quite curious. So, on the one hand, I can tell you what Joseph is thinking and why he does this and that (and believe my explanations to be accurate), but at this time, I cannot tell you why Joseph chose to not reveal his specific thinking and motivations in the narrative.

In many ways, there is little reason for the previous chapter to end and another one to start. The chapter divisions occurred long after the original text was laid down—originally, there were no verses, no chapters, no spaces and no vowels in the text of the Old Testament when it was first composed. The text was not all written down at once, but at various points of time in Jewish history. As books were written (and appended), some would be recognized as the Word of God and accepted into the canon. Some literature written by Jews were not accepted as canonical. There were apparently many books written during Israel’s history which were not accepted into the canon; and which books are no longer with us (some of these books were source material for Samuel and Kings cited in the Bible; but these original sources no longer exist).

The scribes carefully preserved the text of the books they believed to be God’s Word; but the other books disappeared from history. In any case, whether Joseph recorded this history all at once or in stages (assuming that it was Joseph who wrote this down); at one time, there was nothing to suggest that a break between these two chapters would be inserted here, apart from the material itself and its overall organization (discussed in the previous lesson).

We ended the previous chapter with the brothers having a meal with Joseph in his personal home (at this time, they still do not know that this Egyptian prime minister is their brother whom they sold into slavery). At the beginning of this chapter, the meal is over and Joseph is providing them with the grain that they came to purchase. So, there is no change of location, of people, or of time, which has taken place. At most, a few hours have passed between the end of Genesis 43 and Genesis 44.

What is noteworthy about this final narrative section of Genesis is, it is pretty much a continuous narrative in Genesis 39–47. This is quite remarkable. Most of the chapter divisions do not involve a passage of time or a change of place. Prior to this, much of Genesis has been episodic, where an event or series of events was recorded; followed by a new chapter recording another event or series of events. These events might be separated by a few months; or they might be separated by a few decades. Even though Genesis is the History between God and Man, and it is everything that God wants us to know about early man, this history is primarily episodic. An event or series of events is recorded; and then, suddenly, in the next chapter, we are on to something else.

But nearly the entire sequence of events at the end of Genesis is a single narrative, and I would wager this is the first instance of such a thing occurring in literature. This is also most likely the first occurrence of a continuous narrative where different groups of people and different places are a part of the narrative (I could be wrong; but I am not aware of any similar narratives in ancient literature like this—these incidents occurred approximately 4000 years ago).

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Joseph's Special Instructions to the Palace Manager

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:                       Note: I compare the Hebrew text to English translations of the Latin, Syriac (= Aramaic) and Greek texts, using the Douay-Rheims translation; George Lamsa’s translation, and Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton’s translation as revised and edited by Paul W. Esposito, respectively. I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.). I often use the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible instead of Brenton’s translation, because it updates the English text.

The Septuagint was the earliest known translation of a book (circa 200 b.c.). Since this translation was made before the textual criticism had been developed into a science and because different books appear to be translated by different men, the Greek translation can sometimes be very uneven.

When there are serious disparities between my translation and Brenton’s (or the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible), I look at the Greek text of the Septuagint (the LXX) to see if a substantive difference actually exists (and I reflect these changes in the English rendering of the Greek text). I use the Greek LXX with Strong’s numbers and morphology available for e-sword. The only problem with this resource (which is a problem for similar resources) is, there is no way to further explore Greek verbs which are not found in the New Testament. Although I usually quote the Complete Apostles’ Bible here, I have begun to make changes in the translation when their translation conflicts with the Greek and note what those changes are.

The Masoretic text is the Hebrew text with all of the vowels (vowel points) inserted (the original Hebrew text lacked vowels). We take the Masoretic text to be the text closest to the original. However, differences between the Masoretic text and the Greek, Latin and Syriac are worth noting and, once in a great while, represent a more accurate text possessed by those other ancient translators.

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Bracketed portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls are words, letters and phrases lost in the scroll due to various types of damage. Underlined words or phrases are those in the Dead Sea Scrolls but not in the Masoretic text.

I will only list the translation from the Dead Sea Scrolls if it exists and if it is different from the Masoretic text.

The Targum of Onkelos is actually the Pentateuchal Targumim, which are The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan Ben Uzziel. On the Pentateuch With The Fragments of the Jerusalem Targum From the Chaldee by J. W. Etheridge, M.A. From http://www.becomingjewish.org/texts/targum/onkelos_genesis.html and first published in 1862.

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so he commands whom [is] over his house, to say, “Fill sacks of the men with food as which he is able [to] carry and place silver of a man in a mouth of his sack. And my cup, a cup of silver, you will place in a mouth of a sack of the youngest, and silver of his grain.” And so he does, as a word of Joseph which he spoke.

Dead Sea Scrolls                   It does not appear that anything of Genesis 44 is found in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Targum (Onkelos)                  And Joseph commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men's bags with corn as much as they can carry, and put each man's money in the mouth of his baggage. And put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the youngest one's baggage, and his purchase money. And he did according to Joseph's word which he spake. Translation for Onkelos and Pseudo-Jonathan by J. W. Etheridge, M.A. (1862).

Targum (Pseudo-Jonathan)   And he commanded Menasheh whom he bad appointed intendant of his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks with corn, as much as they can carry, and put each man's money in the mouth of his bag. And put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his purchase money. And he did according to the word which Joseph had spoken.

Targum Pseudo Jonathan      .

Latin Vulgate                          And Joseph gave orders to his steward; Fill their sacks with corn, as full as they can hold, and enclose in each man's sack the money he has paid. And when it comes to the youngest, enclose in his sack not only the money he paid for his corn, but my silver cup as well. His command was obeyed; and now morning came, and they were given leave to depart, with their asses. A portion of v. 3 is included for context.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    AND he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the mens sacks with wheat, as much as they can carry, and put every mans money in his sacks mouth. And take my cup, the silver cup, and put it in the sacks mouth of the youngest, with his money for the wheat. And the servant did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.

Septuagint (Greek)                The missing cup. Gn.44.1-17

And Joseph charged the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put the money of each in the mouth of his sack. And put my silver cup into the sack of the youngest, and the price of his corn. And it was done according to the word of Joseph, as he said. This is the New Brenton translation from http://www.katapi.org.uk/

NETS (Greek)                        .

Brenton’s Septuagint             .

Significant differences: 

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             Then he gave orders to the servant who was over his house, saying, Put as much food into the men's bags as will go into them, and put every man's money in the mouth of his bag; And put my cup, my silver cup, in the youngest one's bag, with his money. So he did as Joseph said.

Easy English                          Joseph tests his brothers

Then Joseph gave orders to the *steward of his house. Joseph told him, ‘Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry. And put each man’s money back at the top of his sack.’ Joseph had a special cup that someone had made from silver. Joseph then told the *steward, ‘Put the cup at the top of the youngest brother’s sack. And put his money there too.’ The *steward did as Joseph ordered.

Easy-to-Read Version–2006  Joseph Sets a Trap

Then Joseph gave a command to his servant. He said, “Fill the men’s sacks with as much grain as they can carry. Then put each man’s money into his sack with the grain. Put the youngest brother’s money in his sack too. But also put my special silver cup in his sack.” So the servant obeyed Joseph.

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  .

International Children’s B.     Joseph Sets a Trap

Then Joseph gave a command to the servant in charge of his house. Joseph said, “Fill the men’s sacks with as much grain as they can carry. And put each man’s money into his sack with the grain. Put my silver cup in the sack of the youngest brother. Also put his money for the grain in that sack.” The servant did what Joseph told him.

God’s Word™                         .

Good News Bible (TEV)         The Missing Cup

Joseph commanded the servant in charge of his house, “Fill the men's sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man's money in the top of his sack. Put my silver cup in the top of the youngest brother's sack, together with the money for his grain.” He did as he was told.

The Message                         Joseph ordered his house steward: “Fill the men’s bags with food—all they can carry—and replace each one’s money at the top of the bag. Then put my chalice, my silver chalice, in the top of the bag of the youngest, along with the money for his food.” He did as Joseph ordered.

Names of God Bible               Joseph’s Plan to Trap His Brothers

Joseph commanded the man in charge of his house, “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry. Put each man’s money in his sack. Then put my silver cup in the youngest brother’s sack along with the money for his grain.” He did what Joseph told him.

NIRV                                      A Silver Cup in a Sack

Joseph told the manager of his house what to do. “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry,” he said. “Put each man’s money in his sack. Then put my silver cup in the youngest one’s sack. Put it there along with the money he paid for his grain.” So the manager did what Joseph told him to do.

New Simplified Bible              Later, Joseph told the servant in charge of his house: »Fill the men’s grain sacks with as much as they can hold and put their money in the sacks.

»Also put my silver cup in the sack of the youngest brother.« The servant did as he was told.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           Joseph tests his brothers

Joseph gave commands to his household manager: “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they’ll hold, and put each man’s silver at the top of his sack. Put my cup, the silver cup, on top of the youngest brother’s sack, together with the silver for his grain.” So he did just as Joseph told him to do.

Contemporary English V.       Later, Joseph told the servant in charge of his house, "Fill the men's grain sacks with as much as they can hold and put their money in the sacks. Also put my silver cup in the sack of the youngest brother." The servant did as he was told.

The Living Bible                     When his brothers were ready to leave, Joseph ordered his household manager to fill each of their sacks with as much grain as they could carry—and to put into the mouth of each man’s sack the money he had paid! He was also told to put Joseph’s own silver cup at the top of Benjamin’s sack, along with the grain money. So the household manager did as he was told.

New Berkeley Version           .

New Century Version             Joseph Sets a Trap

Then Joseph gave a command to the servant in charge of his house. He said, “Fill the men’s sacks with as much grain as they can carry, and put each man’s money into his sack with the grain. Put my silver cup in the sack of the youngest brother, along with his money for the grain.” The servant did what Joseph told him.

New Life Version                    Then Joseph told the man who took care of his house, "Fill the men's bags with as much food as they can carry. And put each man's money in his bag. Put my silver cup in the bag of the youngest, with his money for the grain." And he did what Joseph had told him to do.

New Living Translation           Joseph’s Silver Cup

When his brothers were ready to leave, Joseph gave these instructions to his palace manager: “Fill each of their sacks with as much grain as they can carry, and put each man’s money back into his sack. Then put my personal silver cup at the top of the youngest brother’s sack, along with the money for his grain.” So the manager did as Joseph instructed him.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          Thereafter, JoSeph gave instructions to his house manager, saying, 'Fill the men's sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put the money of each one in the top of his sack. Also, put my silver cup in the sack that belongs to the youngest, along with the price of his grain.' And he did exactly as JoSeph said.

Beck’s American Translation .

International Standard V        The Brothers Leave for Canaan

Later, Joseph [Lit. he] commanded his palace manager, “Fill the men’s sacks to full capacity with food and replace each man’s money at the top of the sack. Then place my cup—the silver one—in the top of the sack belonging to the youngest one, along with the money he brought to buy [The Heb. lacks he brought to buy] grain.” So the manager [Lit. So he] did precisely what Joseph told him to do.

New Advent (Knox) Bible       And Joseph gave orders to his steward; Fill their sacks with corn, as full as they can hold, and enclose in each man’s sack the money he has paid. And when it comes to the youngest, enclose in his sack not only the money he paid for his corn, but my silver cup as well. His command was obeyed;...

Today’s NIV                          A Silver Cup in a Sack

Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house: “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man’s silver in the mouth of his sack. Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the silver for his grain.” And he did as Joseph said.

Translation for Translators      Joseph tricked his brothers by having his cup put in Benjamin's sack

When his brothers were ready to return home, Joseph said to the man who was in charge of things in his house, “Fill the sacks of those men with as much grain as they can carry on their donkeys. And put in the top of each man's sack the silver that he paid for the grain. Then put my silver cup in the top of the youngest brother's sack, along with the silver that he paid for the grain.” So the servant did what Joseph told him to do.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Awful Scroll Bible                   He laid charge to he of his house, to the intent: Be filling the men's sacks with food, that which they were able to carry, and be placing each one's silver in the mouth of their sacks. Be putting my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his silver for that broken apart. He was to effect to the concerns Joseph is to have declared.

Conservapedia                       He (Joseph) gave these instructions to his household steward: "Fill the men's bags with as much food as they can carry, and place each man's silver into the mouth of his sack. And put my beaker, my silver beaker, into the mouth of the sack belonging to the youngest one, together with the silver he brought to buy food with." And the steward followed Joseph's instructions to the letter.

Ferrar-Fenton Bible                Joseph Discovers Himself to His Brothers

Afterwards he commanded his steward, saying; "Fill the loads of these men with food as much as they are able to carry, and put the money of each on the top of the carts ; and my cup, the cup of silver, place at the top of the load of the youngest, with the money for his corn." So they did as Joseph ordered.

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           And he commanded the ruler of his house saying: fill the mens sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every mans money in his bag mouth, and put my silver cup in the sacks mouth of the youngest and his corn money also. And he did as Joseph had said.

HCSB                                     Joseph’s Final Test

Then Joseph commanded his steward: “Fill the men’s bags with as much food as they can carry, and put each one’s money at the top of his bag. Put my cup, the silver one, at the top of the youngest one’s bag, along with his grain money.” So he did as Joseph told him.

Jubilee Bible 2000                  .

H. C. Leupold                         And he gave commandment to the man who was over his household, saying: Fill the sacks of the men with as much food as they will be able to carry away, and place each man’s money in the mouth of his sack. And place my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest as well as the money for his grain. And he did according to the orders that Joseph gave.

Lexham English Bible            Joseph Tests His Brothers

Then he commanded [the one] who [was] over his household, saying, "Fill the sacks of the men [with] food as much as they are able to carry, and put each one's money in the mouth of his sack. And my cup--the cup of silver--you shall put into the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and the money for his grain. And he did according to the word of Joseph that he had commanded.

NIV, ©2011                             A Silver Cup in a Sack

Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house: “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man’s silver in the mouth of his sack. Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the silver for his grain.” And he did as Joseph said.

NIV – UK                                .

Tree of Life Version                Joseph Tests His Brothers

Then he commanded the one over his household saying, “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they are able to carry and put money in the opening of each man’s sack. Put my cup, the silver cup, in the opening of the sack of the youngest along with his grain money.” So he did as Joseph told him.

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)  Joseph’s cup in Benjamin’s sack

Now Joseph gave this order to his steward, “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry and put back each man’s silver in the mouth of his sack, and put my cup, the silver cup with the money for the grain in the sack of the youngest.” The steward did as Joseph had directed.

The Heritage Bible                 And he commanded the one over his house, saying, Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they are able to carry, and put every man’s silver in his sack’s mouth. And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack’s mouth of the youngest, and his silver for grain. And he did according to the word which Joseph spoke.

New American Bible (2002)   Then Joseph gave his head steward these instructions: "Fill the men's bags with as much food as they can carry, and put each man's money in the mouth of his bag. In the mouth of the youngest one's bag put also my silver goblet, together with the money for his rations." The steward carried out Joseph's instructions. [1-2] Replacement of the money in the men's bags is probably a redactional addition here, taken from the Yahwist account of the first visit. It is only the goblet in Benjamin's bag, not any replaced money, that plays a part in the rest of the chapter.

New American Bible (2011)   Final Test.

Then Joseph commanded his steward: “Fill the men’s bags with as much food as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the mouth of his bag. In the mouth of the youngest one’s bag put also my silver goblet, together with the money for his grain.” The steward did as Joseph said.

New Jerusalem Bible             Then Joseph instructed his chamberlain as follows: 'Fill these men's sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man's money in the mouth of his sack. And put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one's sack as well as the money for his rations.' He did as Joseph had instructed.

New RSV                               .

Revised English Bible            Joseph gave the steward these instructions: “Fill the men's packs with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man's silver at the top of his pack. And put my goblet, the silver one, at the top of the youngest brother's pack along with the silver for the grain.” He did as Joseph had told him.

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           Then he ordered the manager of his household, “Fill the men’s packs with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money just inside his pack. And put my goblet, the silver one, just inside the pack of the youngest, along with his grain money.” He did what Yosef told him to do.

exeGeses companion Bible   THE BROTHERS OF YOSEPH DEPART

And he misvahs the steward of his house, saying,

Fill the sacks of the men with food

- as much as they can bear;

and put the silver of every man

in the mouth of his sack.

And put my bowl - the silver bowl,

in the mouth of the sack of the youngest

with his kernel silver.

And he works according to the word Yoseph words:

Hebraic Roots Bible               And he commanded the one over his house, saying, Fill the sacks of the men with food, as much as they are able to carry; and put the silver of each one in the mouth of his sack. And put my cup, the cup of silver, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and the silver for his grain. And he did according to Joseph's word, that which he spoke.

Israeli Authorized Version      .

JPS (Tanakh—1985)               Then he instructed his house steward as follows, “Fill the men’s bags with food, as much as they can carry, and put each one’s money in the mouth of his bag. 2Put my silver goblet in the mouth of the bag of the youngest one, together with his money for the rations.” And he did as Joseph told him.

Kaplan Translation                 Joseph's Vindication

Joseph gave his overseer special instructions. 'Fill the men's packs with as much food as they can carry,' he said. 'Place each man's money at the top of his pack.

And my chalice - the silver chalice - place it on top of the youngest one's pack - along with the money for his food.' [The overseer] did exactly as Joseph instructed him. The Kaplan Translation, particularly in Exodus through Deuteronomy, takes note of historic rabbinic opinions.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And he commanded the ish over Bais Yosef, saying, Fill the sacks of the anashim with ochel, as much as they can carry, and put kesef ish in the mouth of his sack.

And put my cup, gevi’a hakesef (cup of silver), in the mouth of the sack of the katon, and his kesef for shever (grain). And he did according to the davar Yosef had spoken.

The Scriptures 1998              And he commanded the one over his house, saying, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as they are able to bear, and put each man’s silver in the mouth of his sack.

“And put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and the silver for his grain.” And he did according to the word of Yosĕph which he spoke.

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                The Brothers Are Brought Back

And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man’s [grain] money in the mouth of the sack. Put my [personal] cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, with his grain money.” And the steward did as Joseph had told him.

The Expanded Bible              Joseph Sets a Trap

Then Joseph gave a command to the ·servant in charge of [^Lone over] his house. He said, “Fill the men’s sacks with as much ·grain [^Lfood] as they can carry, and put each man’s ·money [silver] into his sack with the grain. Put my silver ·cup [goblet] in the sack of the ·youngest [smallest] brother, along with his ·money [silver] for the grain.” ·The servant [^LHe] did what Joseph told him.

Kretzmann’s Commentary    The Test

And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth. The feast which Joseph had arranged may have lasted a large part of the afternoon. At its conclusion the chief steward received orders to have the sacks of the strangers filled, but with very good measure. The return of the money in this case did not belong to the test but inasmuch as it was intended to strengthen the general impression.

And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his corn money. The placing of this cup in Benjamin's sack had the object to concentrate the test upon his person, to bring his person into the foreground. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. Everything having been prepared according to Joseph's plans, the brothers spent the night in the Egyptian city.

NET Bible®                             The Final Test

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. Then put [The imperfect verbal form is used here to express Joseph’s instructions.] 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 [Heb “and he did according to the word of Joseph which he spoke.”]. When it comes to making an actual material change to the text, the NET Bible® is pretty good about indicating this. Since most of these corrections will be clear in the more literal translations below and within the Hebrew exegesis itself, I will not continue to list every NET Bible® footnote. Language footnotes will be placed in the Hebrew exegesis. Some footnotes will quoted elsewhere in this document.

Syndein/Thieme                     .

The Voice                               After the meal was over, Joseph commanded the steward of his house.

Joseph: Fill the men’s sacks with food—as much as they can carry. Put each man’s money back into the top of his sack. One more thing: I want you to put my personal cup, my silver cup, into the top of the sack of the youngest, along with his money for the grain.

The steward did everything Joseph told him to do.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Benner’s Mechanical Trans.  .

Concordant Literal Version    And instructing is Joseph him who is over his household, saying, "Fill the bags of the mortals with food, as much as they can lift, and place the money of each man in the mouth of his bag.

And my beaker, the silver beaker shall you place in the mouth of the bag of the small one with his victual money.And doing is he according to the word which Joseph speaks.

Context Group Version          .

Darby Translation                  .

Emphasized Bible                  .

English Standard Version      .

English Standard V. – UK       Joseph Tests His Brothers

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, 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.

Evidence Bible                       .

Green’s Literal Translation    .

Jack Ballinger’s translation    .

Modern English Version         Joseph Detains Benjamin

Then he commanded the steward of his house, saying, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man’s money in the mouth of his sack. Put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, along with his grain money.” And he did according to what Joseph had spoken.

NASB                                     The Brothers Are Brought Back

Then he commanded his house steward, 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. Put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his money for the grain.” And he did as Joseph had told him.

New European Version          Joseph Tries to Convict His Brothers of Their Sin

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 his sack’s mouth. Put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack’s mouth of the youngest, with his grain money. He did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.

New King James Version       Joseph’s Cup

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. 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.

Owen's Translation                .

Benner’s Mechanical Trans.  ...and he directed the one who is upon his house saying, fill the bags of the men with foodstuff, just as they are able to lift up and set in place the silver of each in the mouth of his bag, and my cup, the silver cup, you will set in place in the mouth of the bag of the small one and the silver of his barley, and he did according to the word of Yoseph ^[Adding] which he said,...

Ron Snider’s Translation       .

Stuart Wolf’s Translation       .

Third Millennium Bible            A Silver Cup in a Sack

Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house: “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man’s silver in the mouth of his sack. Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the silver for his grain.” And he did as Joseph said.

Updated Bible Version 2.11   .

A Voice in the Wilderness      .

Webster’s Bible Translation  And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth. And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his corn money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.

World English Bible                .

Young's Literal Translation     .

Young's Updated LT              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, 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.

The gist of this passage:     Joseph gives orders to put each man’s money back into his sack and to place his personal cup into Benjamin’s sack.

Translation: Joseph [lit., he] commanded the one over his house,...

This is an unusual combination of words which we saw before in the previous chapter. The relative pronoun is used more like a simple pronoun referring to someone very specific (in both cases, to the servant who was over Joseph’s house).

Joseph issues a series of commands to this man, who would either see to these tasks himself or make certain that they are taken care of.