WEB
He searched, beginning with the oldest, and ending at the youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.
BSB
The steward searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest—and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.
KJV
And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.
Matthew Henry
Hebrew interlinear
H2664
v — seek, conceal oneself, mask
Derivation: a primitive root;
to seek; causatively, to conceal oneself (i.e. let be sought), or mask
KJV: change, (make) diligent (search), disquise self, hide, search (for, out).
vb — search
[חָפַשׂ] vb. search
Qal search, search out
1. search for
2. = think out, devise
3. search = test
Niph. searched out = exposed and plundered
Pi.
1. search through
2. search for
Pu. be searched for = be hidden
Hithp. disguise oneself (lit. let oneself be searched for)
H1419
a n-pr-m — great, older, insolent
Derivation: or גָּדֹל; (shortened) from 1431;
great (in any sense); hence, older; also insolent
KJV: aloud, elder(-est), exceeding(-ly), far, (man of) great (man, matter, thing,-er,-ness), high, long, loud, mighty, more, much, noble, proud thing, × sore, (×) very.
adj — great
גָּדוֹל 622 adj. great
1. in magnitude and extent
2. in number
3. in intensity
4. in sound, loud
5. in age
6. in importance
7. in phrases
8. cstr.
9. as subst. concr. do great things
10. † as subst. neut. greatness of arm
n.pr.m — aloud
הַגְּדוֹלִים n.pr.m. father of Zabdiel Ne 11:14 (RV & so most; but 𝔊 RVm al. the great).
H2490
v — bore, wound, dissolve, profane, break, begin, play
Derivation: a primitive root (compare 2470); also denominative (from 2485)
properly, to bore, i.e. (by implication) to wound, to dissolve; figuratively, to profane (a person, place or thing), to break (one's word), to begin (as if by an 'opening wedge'); to play (the flute)
KJV: begin (× men began), defile, × break, defile, × eat (as common things), × first, × gather the grape thereof, × take inheritance, pipe, player on instruments, pollute, (cast as) profane (self), prostitute, slay (slain), sorrow, stain, wound.
vb — pollute
[חָלַל] vb. pollute, defile, profane
Niph.
1. reflex. pollute, defile oneself
2. Pass., be polluted, defiled
Pi.
1. defile, pollute
2. violate the honour of, dishonour
3. violate a covenant
4. treat a vineyard as common
Pu. my great name which is profaned among the nations
Hiph.
1.
a. I will not let my holy name be profaned any more.
b. he shall not violate his word
2. begin
Hoph. then it was begun (= men began) to call on the name of י׳
vb. denom — play the pipe
[חלל] vb. denom. play the pipe, pipe
Qal as well the singers as the pipe-players
Polel dancers
Pi. and the people piped with pipes
vb — bore
חָלַל vb. bore, pierce
Qal my heart is pierced (wounded) within me
Pi. in the hand of the ones wounding thee
Pu. pierced by the sword
Po‛el his hand pierced the fleeing serpent
Po‛al pierced, wounded because of our transgressions
H6996
a — abbreviated, diminutive
Derivation: or קָטֹן; from 6962;
abbreviated, i.e. diminutive, literally (in quantity, size or number) or figuratively (in age or importance)
KJV: least, less(-er), little (one), small(-est, one, quantity, thing), young(-er, -est).
adj — small
קָטָן adj. small, young, unimportant
adj — small
קָטֹן 64 adj. small, insignificant
H3615
v — end, cease, be finished, perish, complete, prepare, consume
Derivation: a primitive root;
to end, whether intransitive (to cease, be finished, perish) or transitive (to complete, prepare, consume)
KJV: accomplish, cease, consume (away), determine, destroy (utterly), be (when... were) done, (be an) end (of), expire, (cause to) fail, faint, finish, fulfil, × fully, × have, leave (off), long, bring to pass, wholly reap, make clean riddance, spend, quite take away, waste.
vb — be complete
כָּלָה 204 vb. be complete, at an end, finished, accomplished, spent
Qal
1.
a. be complete, at an end, of a period of time
b. be completed, finished, of a work
c. be accomplished, fulfilled
d. be idealy complete, be determined, always in a bad sense, plotted
2.
a. be spent, used up (prop. come to an end), of water
b. waste away, be exhausted, fail
c. come to an end, vanish = perish, be destroyed
Pi.
1.
a. complete, bring to an end, finish, a thing, task, work, etc.
b. complete a period of time
c. finish doing a thing
d. make an end, end
e. accomplish, fulfil, bring to pass
f. accomplish in thought, determine
2.
a. put an end to, cause to cease
b. cause to fail, exhaust, use up, spend
c. destroy, sts. exterminate
H4672
v — come, appear, exist, attain, find, acquire, occur, meet, be present
Derivation: a primitive root;
properly, to come forth to, i.e. appear or exist; transitively, to attain, i.e. find or acquire; figuratively, to occur, meet or be present
KJV: be able, befall, being, catch, × certainly, (cause to) come (on, to, to hand), deliver, be enough (cause to) find(-ing, occasion, out), get (hold upon), × have (here), be here, hit, be left, light (up-) on, meet (with), × occasion serve, (be) present, ready, speed, suffice, take hold on.
vb — attain to
מָצָא 452 vb. attain to, find
Qal
1. find
2. find out
3. = come upon, light upon
4. noteworthy phrases
Niph. pass. of Qal, be found
Hiph.
1. cause to find, attain
2. cause to light upon, come upon, come
3. cause to encounter
4. present unto
H1375
n-m — goblet, calyx
Derivation: from an unused root (meaning to be convex);
a goblet; by analogy, the calyx of a flower
KJV: house, cup, pot.
n.m — cup
גָּבִיעַ n.m. cup, bowl
H572
n-f — expansive, bag
Derivation: from 4969;
properly, something expansive, i.e. a bag
KJV: sack.
n.f — sack
אַמְתַּ֫חַת n.f. sack, only Gn 42-44
H1144
n-pr-m — Binjamin
Derivation: from 1121 and 3225; son of (the) right hand;
Binjamin, youngest son of Jacob; also the tribe descended from him, and its territory
KJV: Benjamin.
n.pr.m — Benjamin
בִּנְיָמִין n.pr.m. 166 (son of (the) right hand)—
1. youngest son of Jacob, so called by him, but Rachel, the mother, who died at Benjamin's birth, called בֶּן־אוֹנִ֑י (q.v.)
2. son of Bilhan and great-grandson of Benjamin
3. a Jew of Ezra's time
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Verses 1–17
Genesis 44:1–17
Joseph heaps further kindnesses upon his brethren, fills their sacks, returns their money, and sends them away full of gladness; but he also exercises them with further trials. Our God thus humbles those whom he loves and loads with benefits. Joseph ordered his steward to put a fine silver cup which he had (and which, it is likely, was used at his table when they dined with him) into Benjamin's sack's mouth, that it might seem as if he had stolen it from the table, and put it here himself, after his corn was delivered to him. If Benjamin had stolen it, it had been the basest piece of dishonesty and ingratitude that could be and if Joseph, by ordering it to be there, had designed really to take advantage against him, it had been in him most horrid cruelty and oppression; but it proved, in the issue, that there was no harm done, nor any designed, on either side. Observe,
I. How the pretended criminals were pursued and arrested, on suspicion of having stolen a silver cup. The steward charged them with ingratitude - rewarding evil for good; and with folly, in taking away a cup of daily use, and which therefore 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? Gen 44:5. Or, "By which, leaving it carelessly at your table, he would make trial whether you were honest men or no."
II. How they pleaded for themselves. They solemnly protested their innocence, and detestation of so base a thing (Gen 44:7), urged it as an instance of their honesty that they had brought their money back (Gen 44:8), and offered to submit to the severest punishment if they should be found guilty, Gen 44:9, Gen 44:10.
III. How the theft was fastened upon Benjamin. In his sack the cup was found to whom Joseph had been particularly kind. Benjamin, no doubt, was ready to deny, upon oath, the taking of the cup, and we may suppose him as little liable to suspicion as any of them; but it is in vain to confront such notorious evidence: the cup is found in his custody; they dare not arraign Joseph's justice, nor so much as suggest that perhaps he that had put their money in their sacks' mouths had put the cup there; but they throw themselves upon Joseph's mercy. And,
IV. Here is their humble submission, Gen 44:16. 1. They acknowledge the righteousness of God: God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants, perhaps referring to the injury they had formerly done to Joseph, for which they thought God was now reckoning with them. Note, Even in those afflictions wherein we apprehend ourselves wronged by men yet we must own that God is righteous, and finds out our iniquity. 2. They surrender themselves prisoners to Joseph: We are my lord's servants. Now Joseph's dreams were accomplished to the utmost. Their bowing so often, and doing homage, might be looked upon but as a compliment, and no more than what other strangers did; but the construction they themselves, in their pride, had put upon his dreams was, Shalt though have dominion over us? (Gen 37:8), and in this sense it is now at length fulfilled,; they own themselves his vassals. Since they did invidiously so understand it, so it shall be fulfilled in them.
V. Joseph, with an air of justice, gives sentence that Benjamin only should be kept in bondage, and the rest should be dismissed; for why should any suffer but the guilty? Perhaps Joseph intended hereby to try Benjamin's temper, whether he could bear such a hardship as this with the calmness and composure of mind that became a wise and good man: in short, whether he was indeed his own brother, in spirit as well as blood; for Joseph himself had been falsely accused, and had suffered hard things in consequence, and yet kept possession of his own soul. However, it is plain he intended hereby to try the affection of his brethren to Benjamin and to their father. If they had gone away contentedly, and left Benjamin in bonds, no doubt Joseph would soon have released and promoted him, and sent notice to Jacob, and would have left the rest of his brethren justly to suffer for their hard-heartedness; but they proved to be better to Benjamin than he feared. Note, We cannot judge what men are by what they have been formerly, nor what they will do by what they have done: age and experience may make men wiser and better. Those that had sold Joseph would not now abandon Benjamin. The worst may mend in time.
Cross-references: Gen 44:5 · Gen 44:7 · Gen 44:8 · Gen 44:9 · Gen 44:10 · Gen 44:16 · Gen 37:8