Genesis 44:9

Then those men said to Joseph’s worker, “Sir, you can look in all our bags. And if you find that silver cup, then you can kill the man that has the cup in his bag. Then the rest of us mob, we will become your work-men, and we will work for you for no pay.”

Plain English Version

In The King James Version

With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die, and we also will be my lord’s bondmen.

In Context

8Those men kept on talking to Joseph’s worker. They said, “Sir, think about that other time when we came to your country to buy food. On the way home to Canaan country, we found money in our food bags, on top of the food. But we didn’t try to keep that money. No, we wanted to give it back to you. So the next time we came to your country, we brought that money with us, to give it to you. That shows that we are good men. So you can be sure that we didn’t steal anything made of silver or gold from your boss’s house.”

10Joseph’s worker said, “All right, I will look in all your bags. And the man that has the cup in his bag, he has to become my work-man. Then I will let the rest of you mob go free.”

Read all of Genesis 44

Cross References

Genesis 43:18Then those men got frightened. They talked to each other, and they said, “You know, the last time we came here to Egypt country, we brought money with us, to buy food. But somebody put that money in our food bags, and then we took those food bags back home with us. We didn’t know that our money was in those bags. Now that man is going to say to us, ‘You mob stole that money.’ That’s the reason why he wants us at his house. Him and his men, they are going to attack us, and we will not be able to fight back, because they will be too strong for us. Then they will make us like prisoners, and we will have to work very hard for them. And they will take our donkeys too.”

Matthew Henry on Genesis 44:2-18

Joseph's Policy. ( b. c. 1707.) 1 And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth. 2 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. 3 As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses. 4 And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up,… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study Genesis 44:9