Genesis 44:16

_AND JUDAH SAID, WHAT SHALL WE SAY UNTO MY LORD? WHAT SHALL WE SPEAK? OR HOW SHALL WE CLEAR OURSELVES? GOD HATH FOUND OUT THE INIQUITY OF THY SERVANTS: BEHOLD, WE ARE MY LORD'S SERVANTS, BOTH WE, AND HE ALSO WITH WHOM THE CUP IS FOUND._ Judah ... What shall we say? This address needs no comment. Consisting at first of short, broken sentences, as if, under the overwhelming force of the speaker's emotions, his utterance were choked, it becomes more free and copious by the effort of speaking, as he proceeds. Every word finds its way to the heart; and it may well be imagined that Benjamin, who stood there speechless, like a victim about to be laid on the altar, when he heard the magnanimous offer of Judah to submit to slavery for his ransom, would be bound by a lifelong gratitude to his generous brother-a tie that seems to have become hereditary in his tribe....

16._Behold, we are my lord’s servants_. They had before called themselves servants through modesty; now they consign themselves over to him as slaves. But in the case of Benjamin they plead for a mitigation of the severity of the punishment; and this is a kind of entreaty, that he might not be capitally punished, as they had agreed to, at the first. (173)...

1-17 Joseph tried how his brethren felt towards Benjamin. Had they envied and hated the other son of Rachel as they had hated him, and if they had the same want of feeling towards their father Jacob as heretofore, they would now have shown it. When the cup was found upon Benjamin, they would have a pretext for leaving him to be a slave. But we cannot judge what men are now, by what they have been formerly; nor what they will do, by what they have done. The steward charged them with being ungrateful, rewarding evil for good; with folly, in taking away the cup of daily use, which would soon be missed, and diligent search made for it; for so it may be read, Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, as having a particular fondness for it, and for which he would search thoroughly? Or, By which, leaving it carelessly at your table, he would make trial whether you were honest men or not? They...

Verse Genesis 44:16. _WHAT SHALL WE SAY, C._] No words can more strongly mark _confusion_ and _perturbation_ of mind. They, no doubt, all thought that Benjamin had actually stolen the cup and the probability of this guilt might be heightened by the circumstance of his having that very cup to drink out of at dinner; for as he had the most honourable mess, so it is likely he had the most honourable cup to drink out of at the entertainment....

- The Ten Brothers Were Tested Joseph has had the satisfaction of seeing his brother Benjamin safe and well. He has heard his brothers acknowledging their guilt concerning himself. He resolves to put their attachment to Benjamin, and the genuineness of their change of disposition, to a test that will at the same time expose Benjamin to no hazard. Genesis 44:1 AND MY CUP. - Besides returning each man’s money as before, a silver cup of Joseph’s is put in Benjamin’s bag, after which, when daylight comes, they are dismissed. They are scarcely out of the town when Joseph’s steward is ordered to overtake them, and charge them with stealing the cup. “And whereby indeed he divineth.” Divining by cups, we learn from this, was a common custom in Egypt (Herodotus ii. 83). It is here mentioned

EXPOSITION GENESIS 44:1, GENESIS 44:2 AND HE (_i.e._ Joseph) COMMANDED THE STEWARD OF HIS HOUSE,—literally, _him that was over his hoarse _(Genesis 43:15)—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 (as before, but not this time as a test). AND PUT MY CUP,—גָּבִיעַ, from an unused root, גָּבַע, conveying the sense of elevation or roundness; hence a goblet or bowl, commonly of a large size (Jeremiah 35:5), as distinguishe

AND JUDAH SAID, WHAT SHALL WE SAY UNTO MY LORD? WHAT SHALL WE SPEAK?.... Signifying that they were nonplussed, confounded, knew not what to say; they could not acknowledge guilt, for they were not conscious of any, and yet could not deny the fact, the cup being found on one of them; and though they might have a suspicion of fraud, yet were afraid to speak out what they suspected, and therefore were at the utmost loss to express themselves: OR HOW SHALL WE CLEAR OURSELVES? to assert their innocence signified nothing, here was full proof against them, at least against their brother Benjamin: GOD HATH FOUND THE INIQUITY OF THY SERVANTS; brought it to their remembrance, fastened the guilt of it on their consciences, and in his providence was bringing them to just punishment for it; meaning not the iniquity of taking away the cup, which they were not conscious of, but some other iniquity of...

CHAPTER 44 THE FEIGNED DISMAY AND THE BRINGING BACK _ 1. The cup concealed and the dismay (Genesis 44:1)_ 2. The return to Joseph's house (Genesis 44:14)...

GENESIS 44. BENJAMIN IS ACCUSED OF STEALING JOSEPH'S SILVER CUP, AND JUDAH PLEADS WITH JOSEPH TO PUNISH HIM INSTEAD OF BENJAMIN. The narrative is from J. Joseph arranges this final test that he may be fully assured as to the true disposition of the brothers. At the same time, it is skilfully planned to prolong their suspense, swing them to and fro between hope and despair, and harrow them in their tenderest feelings. They have come safely through a rather perilous situation, Simeon has been restored to them, the trouble about the money cleared away, Benjamin is safely on the road for home, the Viceroy finally, it seems, convinced of their honesty and friendly in his attitude. But they have not left the city far behind when the steward overtakes them, and confronts them with a new and horrible complication: they have stolen Joseph's cup, his drinking cup, but also used for divination. Ind...

The Divining Cup 1. _with food, as much as they can carry_ The "food" means corn; and by special favour the corn is not given them by price, but on a more generous scale; as much as they could carry. _every man's money_ This detail is not again referred to. It is over-shadowed by the incident of the cup....