441 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. 2 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. 3 At break of day the men were sent off with their donkeys. 4 They were barely out of the city when Joseph said to his house steward, "Run after them. When you catch up with them, say, 'Why did you pay me back evil for good? 5 This is the chalice my master drinks from; he also uses it for divination. This is outrageous!'" 6 He caught up with them and repeated all this word for word. 7 They said, "What is my master talking about? We would never do anything like that! 8 Why, the money we found in our bags earlier, we brought back all the way from Canaan - do you think we'd turn right around and steal it back from your master? 9 If that chalice is found on any of us, he'll die; and the rest of us will be your master's slaves." 10 The steward said, "Very well then, but we won't go that far. Whoever is found with the chalice will be my slave; the rest of you can go free." 11 They outdid each other in putting their bags on the ground and opening them up for inspection. 12 The steward searched their bags, going from oldest to youngest. The chalice showed up in Benjamin's bag. 13 They ripped their clothes in despair, loaded up their donkeys, and went back to the city. 14 Joseph was still at home when Judah and his brothers got back. They threw themselves down on the ground in front of him. 15 Joseph accused them: "How can you have done this? You have to know that a man in my position would have discovered this." 16 Judah as spokesman for the brothers said, "What can we say, master? What is there to say? How can we prove our innocence? God is behind this, exposing how bad we are. We stand guilty before you and ready to be your slaves - we're all in this together, the rest of us as guilty as the one with the chalice." 17 "I'd never do that to you," said Joseph. "Only the one involved with the chalice will be my slave. The rest of you are free to go back to your father."
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Genesis 44:1-17
Commentary on Genesis 44:1-17
(Read Genesis 44:1-17)
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 throw themselves upon Joseph's mercy, and acknowledge the righteousness of God, perhaps thinking of the injury they had formerly done to Joseph, for which they thought God was now reckoning with them. Even in afflictions wherein we believe ourselves wronged by men, we must own that God is righteous, and finds out our sin.