CINXE.COM

Genesis 44 Pulpit Commentary

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><title>Genesis 44 Pulpit Commentary</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/5001com.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 4800px), only screen and (max-device-width: 4800px)" href="/4801.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 1550px), only screen and (max-device-width: 1550px)" href="/1551.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 1250px), only screen and (max-device-width: 1250px)" href="/1251.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 1050px), only screen and (max-device-width: 1050px)" href="/1051.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 900px), only screen and (max-device-width: 900px)" href="/901.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 800px), only screen and (max-device-width: 800px)" href="/801.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 575px), only screen and (max-device-width: 575px)" href="/501.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-height: 450px), only screen and (max-device-height: 450px)" href="/h451.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; cts.dataset.appid=i;cts.src='https://app.protectsubrev.com/catch_rp.js?cb='+Math.random(); document.head.appendChild(cts); }) (window,document,'head','script','rc-anksrH');</script></head><!-- Google tag (gtag.js) --> <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-LR4HSKRP2H"></script> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-LR4HSKRP2H'); </script><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/genesis/44.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="//biblehu.com/bmcom/genesis/44-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="//biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">Pulpit Commentary</a> > Genesis 44</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../genesis/43.htm" title="Genesis 43">&#9668;</a> Genesis 44 <a href="../genesis/45.htm" title="Genesis 45">&#9658;</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading">Pulpit Commentary</div><div class="chap"><div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/44-1.htm">Genesis 44:1</a></div><div class="verse">And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks <i>with</i> food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verses 1, 2.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And he</span> (<span class="accented">i.e.</span> Joseph) <span class="cmt_word">commanded the steward of his house,</span> - literally, <span class="accented">him that was over his hoarse</span> (<a href="/genesis/43-15.htm">Genesis 43:15</a>) - <span class="cmt_word">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</span> (as before, but not this time as a test). <span class="cmt_word">And put my cup</span>, - <span class="hebrew">&#x5d2;&#x5bc;&#x5b8;&#x5d1;&#x5b4;&#x5d9;&#x5e2;&#x5b7;</span>, from an unused root, <span class="hebrew">&#x5d2;&#x5bc;&#x5b8;&#x5d1;&#x5b7;&#x5e2;</span>, conveying the sense of elevation or roundness; hence a goblet or bowl, commonly of a large size (<a href="/jeremiah/35-5.htm">Jeremiah 35:5</a>), as distinguished from the <span class="hebrew">&#x5db;&#x5bc;&#x5d5;&#x5e1;</span>, or mailer cup, into which, from the <span class="accented">gabia</span>, wine or other liquid was poured (cf. <a href="/genesis/40-11.htm">Genesis 40:11</a>) - <span class="cmt_word">the silver cup</span>, - <span class="greek">&#x3c4;&#x1f78;&#x20;&#x3ba;&#x1f79;&#x3bd;&#x3b4;&#x3c5;&#x20;&#x3c4;&#x1f78;&#x20;&#x1f00;&#x3c1;&#x3b3;&#x3c5;&#x3c1;&#x3bf;&#x1ff6;&#x3bd;</span> (LXX.). Bohlen mentions that the religious drinking utensil of the Indian priests is called <span class="accented">kundi</span> - <span class="cmt_word">in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his corn money</span> - literally, <span class="accented">the silver of</span> his grain, or of his purchase. <span class="cmt_word">And he</span> (<span class="accented">i.e.</span> the steward) <span class="cmt_word">did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.</span> </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/44-2.htm">Genesis 44:2</a></div><div class="verse">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.</div><div class="comm"></div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/44-3.htm">Genesis 44:3</a></div><div class="verse">As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verses 3-5.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">As soon as the morning was light</span> (literally, <span class="accented">the morning became bright</span>)<span class="accented">, <span class="cmt_word"></span>the men</span> (literally, and the men) <span class="cmt_word">were sent away, they and their asses.</span> That Joseph did not make himself known to his brothers at the repast was not due to unnatural callousness which caused his heart to remain cold and steeled (Kalisch), or to a fear lest he should thereby destroy the character of his mission which made him the medium of retribution for his brothers (Kalisch), but to the fact that in his judgment either his brothers had not been sufficiently tested, or the time did not appear convenient for the disclosure of his secret. <span class="cmt_word">And when they were gone out of the city</span> (literally, <span class="accented">they went forth out of the city</span>)<span class="accented">, <span class="cmt_word"></span>and not yet far off</span> (literally, they <span class="accented">had not gone far</span>)<span class="accented">, <span class="cmt_word"></span>Joseph</span> (literally, and <span class="accented">Joseph</span>) <span class="accented"><span class="cmt_word"></span>said unto his steward</span> (or man over his house), <span class="cmt_word">Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them</span> (literally, <span class="accented">and overtake them, and say</span> to them), <span class="cmt_word">Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good</span>? The interpolation at this point of the words, "Why did you steal my silver goblet?" (LXX., Vulgate, Syriac) is superfluous. <span class="cmt_word">Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth?</span> - literally, <span class="accented">and divining he divineth</span>, or maketh trial, <span class="accented">in it</span>, the verb <span class="hebrew">&#x5e0;&#x5b8;&#x5d7;&#x5b7;&#x5e9;&#x5c1;</span> (from which is derived <span class="accented">nachash</span>, a serpent: <span class="accented">vide <a href="/genesis/3-1.htm">Genesis 3:1</a>) originally signifying to hiss or whisper, and hence to mutter incantations, to practice ophiomancy, and generally to divine. The special form of divination here referred to (<span class="greek">&#x3ba;&#x3c5;&#x3bb;&#x3b9;&#x3ba;&#x3bf;&#x3bc;&#x3b1;&#x3bd;&#x3c4;&#x3b5;&#x1f77;&#x3b1;</span>, or divining out of cups) was practiced by the ancient Egyptians (Hengstenberg's 'Egypt and the Books of Moses,' p. 39). "Small pieces of gold or silver, together with precious stones, marked with strange figures and signs, were thrown into the vessel; after which certain incantations were pronounced, and the evil demon was invoked; the latter was then supposed to give the answer either by intelligible words, or by pointing to some of the characters on the precious stones, or in some other more mysterious manner. Sometimes the goblet was filled with pure water, upon which the sun was allowed to play; and the figures which were thus formed, or which a lively imagination fancied it saw, were interpreted as the desired omen" (Kalisch). Traces of this ancient practice of soothsaying have been detected by some writers in the magnificent vase of turquoise belonging to Jam-shoed, the Solomon of Persia. Like Merlin's cup, described by Spenser ('Faery Queens,' 3:2, 19) - <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="accented">"It vertue had to show in perfect sight<br />Whatever thing was in the world contained<br />Betwixt the lowest earth and heven's hight,<br />So that it to the looker appertaynd."</span> A similar account is given by Homer of the cup of Nestor; and Alexander the Great is reported to have possessed a mystic goblet of a like kind. It is said that in the storming of Seringapatam the unfortunate Tippeo Saib retired to gaze on his divining cup, and that after standing awhile absorbed in it he returned to the fight and fell (vide Kitto's 'Cyclopedia,' art. Divination). <span class="cmt_word">Ye have done evil in so doing.</span> </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/44-4.htm">Genesis 44:4</a></div><div class="verse"><i>And</i> when they were gone out of the city, <i>and</i> not <i>yet</i> far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good?</div><div class="comm"></div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/44-5.htm">Genesis 44:5</a></div><div class="verse"><i>Is</i> not this <i>it</i> in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth? ye have done evil in so doing.</div><div class="comm"></div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/44-6.htm">Genesis 44:6</a></div><div class="verse">And he overtook them, and he spake unto them these same words.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 6.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And he</span> (<span class="accented">i.e.</span> the steward) <span class="cmt_word">overtook them, and he spake unto them these same words.</span> </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/44-7.htm">Genesis 44:7</a></div><div class="verse">And they said unto him, Wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing:</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verses 7-10.</span> - A<span class="cmt_word">nd they said unto him, Wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should do</span> (literally, <span class="accented">for be thy seesaws from doing</span>) <span class="accented"><span class="cmt_word"></span>according to s thing: behold, the money</span> (literally, the <span class="accented">silver</span>)<span class="accented">, <span class="cmt_word"></span>which we found in our sacks' mouths, we brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan</span> (this was an irrefragable proof of their honesty): <span class="cmt_word">how then should we steal out of my lord's house silver or gold?</span> They were even so confident of their innocence that they ventured on a rash proposition. <span class="cmt_word">With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die, and we also will be my lord's bondmen</span> - literally, <span class="accented">for servants to my lord</span>. <span class="cmt_word">And he</span> (the steward) <span class="cmt_word">said, Now also let it be according to your words.</span> So LXX., Vulgate, and commentators generally; but Kalisch reads it as an interrogation, "<span class="accented">Is</span> it right according to your words?" meaning that strict justice demanded only the punishment of the thief, as he explained. <span class="cmt_word">He with whom it is found shall be my servant; and ye</span> (<span class="accented">i.e.</span> the others of you) <span class="cmt_word">shall be blameless.</span> </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/44-8.htm">Genesis 44:8</a></div><div class="verse">Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks' mouths, we brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan: how then should we steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold?</div><div class="comm"></div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/44-9.htm">Genesis 44:9</a></div><div class="verse">With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die, and we also will be my lord's bondmen.</div><div class="comm"></div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/44-10.htm">Genesis 44:10</a></div><div class="verse">And he said, Now also <i>let</i> it <i>be</i> according unto your words: he with whom it is found shall be my servant; and ye shall be blameless.</div><div class="comm"></div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/44-11.htm">Genesis 44:11</a></div><div class="verse">Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verses 11-13.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">Then they speedily took down</span> (literally, <span class="accented">and they hasted and took</span> down) <span class="cmt_word">every man his sack</span> (from off his ass) <span class="cmt_word">to the ground, and opened every man his sack</span>. <span class="cmt_word">Thus as it were delivering them up for examination. And he</span> (the steward) <span class="cmt_word">searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest</span> (in order thereby to mask the deception): <span class="cmt_word">and the cup was found</span> (where the steward himself had put it) <span class="cmt_word">in Benjamin's sack. Then</span> (literally, <span class="accented">and</span>) <span class="cmt_word">they rent their clothes</span> (on the <span class="accented">simlah</span> vide <a href="/genesis/9-23.htm">Genesis 9:23</a>), <span class="cmt_word">and laded every man his ass</span> (by putting on the sack which had been taken down), <span class="cmt_word">and returned to the city</span>. </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/44-12.htm">Genesis 44:12</a></div><div class="verse">And he searched, <i>and</i> began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.</div><div class="comm"></div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/44-13.htm">Genesis 44:13</a></div><div class="verse">Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city.</div><div class="comm"></div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/44-14.htm">Genesis 44:14</a></div><div class="verse">And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house; for he <i>was</i> yet there: and they fell before him on the ground.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verses 14-17.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And Judah</span> - who is recognized as the leader in this second embassy to Egypt (<a href="/genesis/43-8.htm">Genesis 43:8</a>) - <span class="cmt_word">and his brethren came to Joseph's house; for he was yet there</span>: - "awaiting, no doubt, the result which he anticipated" (Murphy) - <span class="cmt_word">and they fell before him on the ground.</span> The expression indicates a complete prostration of the body. It was a token of their penitence, and a sign that they craved his forgiveness. <span class="cmt_word">And Joseph said unto them</span>, - in a speech not of "cruel and haughty irony" (Kalisch), but simply of assumed resentment - <span class="cmt_word">What deed is this that we have done! were ye not</span> (or, did you not know?) <span class="cmt_word">that such a man as I can certainly divine?</span> - literally, <span class="accented">divining can divine</span> (vide on ver. 5). Though Joseph uses this language, and is represented by his steward as possessing a divining cup, there is no reason to suppose that he was in the habit of practicing this heathen superstition. <span class="cmt_word">And Judah said</span> (acting throughout this scene as the spokesman of his brethren), <span class="cmt_word">What shall we say unto my lord? What shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves?</span> (<span class="accented">i.e.</span> justify ourselves, or purge ourselves from suspicion). <span class="cmt_word">God</span> (literally, <span class="accented">the Elohim</span>) <span class="accented"><span class="cmt_word"></span>hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are my lord's servants</span> (literally, <span class="accented">servants to my lord</span>), <span class="cmt_word">both we, and he also with whom the cup is found. And he</span> (<span class="accented">i.e.</span> Joseph) <span class="cmt_word">said, God forbid that I should do so</span> (<span class="accented">vide</span> ver. 9): <span class="cmt_word">but the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father.</span> Thus they were once more tested as to whether they could, as before, callously deliver up their father's favorite, and so bring down the gray hairs of their father to the grave, or would heroically and self-sacrificingly offer their own lives and liberties for his protection (Rosenm&uuml;ller, Keil, Lange, Murphy, and others). How nobly they stood the test Judah's pathetic supplication reveals. </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/44-15.htm">Genesis 44:15</a></div><div class="verse">And Joseph said unto them, What deed <i>is</i> this that ye have done? wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine?</div><div class="comm"></div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/44-16.htm">Genesis 44:16</a></div><div class="verse">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 <i>are</i> my lord's servants, both we, and <i>he</i> also with whom the cup is found.</div><div class="comm"></div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/44-17.htm">Genesis 44:17</a></div><div class="verse">And he said, God forbid that I should do so: <i>but</i> the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father.</div><div class="comm"></div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/44-18.htm">Genesis 44:18</a></div><div class="verse">Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou <i>art</i> even as Pharaoh.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verses 18-34.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">Then Judah came near to him, and said,</span> - the speech of Judah in behalf of his young brother Benjamin has been fittingly characterized as "one of the master. pieces of Hebrew composition" (Kalisch), "one of the grandest and fairest to be found in the Old Testament" (Lange), "a more moving oration than ever orator pronounced" (Lawson), "one of the finest specimens of natural eloquence in the world" (Inglis). Without being distinguished by either brilliant imagination or highly poetic diction, "its inimitable charm and excellence consist in the power of psychological truth, easy simplicity, and affecting pathos" (Kalisch) - <span class="cmt_word">Oh my lord</span> (the interjection <span class="accented">Oh is</span> the same as that used by Judah in <a href="/genesis/43-20.htm">Genesis 43:20</a>; q.v.), <span class="cmt_word">let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears</span> (probably pressing towards him in his eagerness), <span class="cmt_word">and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh</span> (<span class="accented">i.e.</span> one invested with the authority of Pharaoh, and therefore able, like Pharaoh, either to pardon or condemn). <span class="cmt_word">My lord asked his servants, saying, Have yea father, or a brother! And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age</span> (<span class="accented">vide Genesis</span> 37:3), <span class="cmt_word">a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him</span>. Substantially this is the account which the brethren gave of themselves from the first (<a href="/genesis/42-13.htm">Genesis 42:13</a>); only Judah now with exquisite tact as well as resistless pathos dwells on the threefold circumstance that the little one whose life was at stake was inexpressibly dear to his father for his dead brother's sake as well as for his departed mother's and his own. <span class="cmt_word">And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him</span>. This last clause is also a rhetorical enlargement of Joseph's words, <span class="greek">&#x1f10;&#x3c0;&#x3b9;&#x3bc;&#x3b5;&#x3bb;&#x3bf;&#x1fe6;&#x3bc;&#x3b1;&#x3b9;&#x20;&#x3b1;&#x1f50;&#x3c4;&#x3bf;&#x1fe6;</span> (LXX.); the phrase, to set one's eyes on any one, being commonly used in a good sense, signifying to regard any one with kindness, to look to his good (cf. <a href="/ezra/5-5.htm">Ezra 5:5</a>; <a href="/job/24-23.htm">Job 24:23</a>; <a href="/jeremiah/39-12.htm">Jeremiah 39:12</a>; <a href="/jeremiah/40-4.htm">Jeremiah 40:4</a>). <span class="cmt_word">And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die.</span> Judah in this no doubt correctly reports the original conversation, although the remark is not recorded in the first account. <span class="cmt_word">And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more</span> (cf. <a href="/genesis/43-3.htm">Genesis 43:3-5</a>). <span class="cmt_word">And it came to pass</span> (literally, it was) <span class="cmt_word">when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.</span> The effect upon Jacob of their sad communication Judah does not recite (<a href="/genesis/42-36.htm">Genesis 42:36</a>), but passes on to the period of the commencement of the second journey. And our father laid (<span class="accented">i.e.</span> after the consumption of the corn supply), Go again, and buy us a little food (<span class="accented">vide</span> <a href="/genesis/43-2.htm">Genesis 43:2</a>). <span class="cmt_word">And we laid, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the man's face, except our youngest brother be with us. And thy servant my father said unto us</span> (at this point Judah with increased tenderness alludes to the touching lamentation of the stricken patriarch as he first listens to the unwelcome proposition to take Benjamin from his side), <span class="cmt_word">Ye know that my wife</span> - Rachel was all through her life the wife of his affections (cf. <a href="/genesis/46-19.htm">Genesis 46:19</a>) - <span class="cmt_word">bare me two sons:</span> - Joseph and Benjamin (<a href="/genesis/30-22.htm">Genesis 30:22, 24</a>; <a href="/genesis/35-18.htm">Genesis 35:18</a>) - <span class="cmt_word">and the one</span> (Joseph) <span class="cmt_word">went out from me</span> (and returned not, thus indirectly alluding to his death), <span class="cmt_word">and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not since.</span> Jacob means that had Joseph been alive, he would certainly have returned; but that as since that fatal day of his departure from Hebron he had never beheld him, he could only conclude that his inference was correct, and that Joseph was devoured by some beast of prey. <span class="cmt_word">And if ye take this also from me</span> (in the sense which the next clause explains), <span class="cmt_word">and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my grey hairs with sorrow to the grave</span> <span class="accented">- Sheol</span> (vide <a href="/genesis/37-35.htm">Genesis 37:35</a>). <span class="cmt_word">Now therefore</span> (literally, <span class="accented">and now</span>) <span class="accented"><span class="cmt_word"></span>when I come</span> (or go) <span class="cmt_word">to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that his life</span> (or soul) <span class="cmt_word">is bound up in the lad's life</span> (or soul); <span class="cmt_word">it shall come to pass, when he sooth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the grey hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave. For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for ever</span> (vide <a href="/genesis/43-9.htm">Genesis 43:9</a>). <span class="cmt_word">Now therefore</span> (literally, and now), <span class="cmt_word">I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman</span> (or servant) <span class="cmt_word">to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren.</span> "There was no duty that imperiously prohibited Judah from taking the place of his unfortunate brother. His children, and even his wife, if he had been in the married state, might have been sent to Egypt. He was so far master of his own liberty that he could warrantably put himself in Benjamin's room, if the governor gave his consent" (Lawson). <span class="cmt_word">For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on</span> (literally, <span class="accented">shall find</span>) <span class="accented"><span class="cmt_word"></span>my father</span>. The sublime heroism of this noble act of self-sacrifice on the part of Judah it is impossible to over-estimate. In behalf of one whom he knew was preferred to a higher place in his father's affection than himself, he was willing to renounce his liberty rather than see his aged parent die of a broken heart. The self-forgetful magnanimity of such an action has never been eclipsed, and seldom rivaled. After words so exquisitely beautiful and profoundly pathetic it was impossible for Joseph to doubt that a complete change had passed upon his brethren, and in particular upon Judah, since the day when he had eloquently urged, and they had wickedly consented, to sell their brother Joseph into Egypt. Everything was now ready for the denouement in this domestic drama. The story of Joseph's discovery of himself to his astonished brethren is related in the ensuing chapter. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span> <span class="p"><br /><br /></span> </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/44-19.htm">Genesis 44:19</a></div><div class="verse">My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother?</div><div class="comm"></div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/44-20.htm">Genesis 44:20</a></div><div class="verse">And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him.</div><div class="comm"></div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/44-21.htm">Genesis 44:21</a></div><div class="verse">And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him.</div><div class="comm"></div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/44-22.htm">Genesis 44:22</a></div><div class="verse">And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for <i>if</i> he should leave his father, <i>his father</i> would die.</div><div class="comm"></div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/44-23.htm">Genesis 44:23</a></div><div class="verse">And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more.</div><div class="comm"></div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/44-24.htm">Genesis 44:24</a></div><div class="verse">And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.</div><div class="comm"></div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/44-25.htm">Genesis 44:25</a></div><div class="verse">And our father said, Go again, <i>and</i> buy us a little food.</div><div class="comm"></div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/44-26.htm">Genesis 44:26</a></div><div class="verse">And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the man's face, except our youngest brother <i>be</i> with us.</div><div class="comm"></div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/44-27.htm">Genesis 44:27</a></div><div class="verse">And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two <i>sons</i>:</div><div class="comm"></div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/44-28.htm">Genesis 44:28</a></div><div class="verse">And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not since:</div><div class="comm"></div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/44-29.htm">Genesis 44:29</a></div><div class="verse">And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.</div><div class="comm"></div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/44-30.htm">Genesis 44:30</a></div><div class="verse">Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad <i>be</i> not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life;</div><div class="comm"></div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/44-31.htm">Genesis 44:31</a></div><div class="verse">It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad <i>is</i> not <i>with us</i>, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave.</div><div class="comm"></div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/44-32.htm">Genesis 44:32</a></div><div class="verse">For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for ever.</div><div class="comm"></div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/44-33.htm">Genesis 44:33</a></div><div class="verse">Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren.</div><div class="comm"></div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/44-34.htm">Genesis 44:34</a></div><div class="verse">For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad <i>be</i> not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father.</div><div class="comm"></div></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">The Pulpit Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright &copy; 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2010 by <a href="//biblesoft.com">BibleSoft, inc.</a>, Used by permission<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/">Bible Hub</a></div></div></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="../genesis/43.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Genesis 43"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Genesis 43" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="../genesis/45.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Genesis 45"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Genesis 45" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="rightbox"><div class="padright"><div id="pic"><iframe width="100%" height="860" scrolling="no" src="//biblescan.com/mpc/genesis/44-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></div></div><div id="rightbox4"><div class="padright2"><div id="spons1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td class="sp1"><br /><br /></td></tr></table></div></div></div> <div id="bot"><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br /> <!-- /1078254/BH-728x90-ATF --> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br /> <!-- /1078254/BH-300x250-ATF --> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br /> <!-- /1078254/BH-728x90-BTF --> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br /> <!-- /1078254/BH-300x250-BTF --> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br /> <!-- /1078254/BH-728x90-BTF2 --> <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhpar.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></body></html>

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10