And he said, Now also let it be according unto your words: he with whom it is found shall be my servant; and ye shall be blameless.
Parallel translations
- WEB He said, “Now also let it be according to your words: he with whom it is found will be my slave; and you will be blameless.”
- BSB “As you say,” replied the steward. “But only the one who is found with the cup will be my slave, and the rest of you shall be free of blame.”
- NKJV And he said, “Now also let it be according to your words; he with whom it is found shall be my slave, and you shall be blameless.”
- NASB So he said, “Now let it indeed be according to your words; he with whom it is found shall be my slave, but the rest of you shall be considered innocent.”
- NLT “That’s fair,” the man replied. “But only the one who stole the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may go free.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The steward accepts a milder version: only the guilty man becomes a slave, the rest go free. This narrows the test to Benjamin alone.
Overview
Following Joseph's plan, the steward reduces the penalty so that only the one with the cup is enslaved. By isolating the consequence to Benjamin, the test is sharpened: will the brothers abandon Rachel's remaining son to save themselves? The mercy in the lighter sentence is part of Joseph's design to draw out their true character.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Gen 44:17And he said, God forbid that I should do so: 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.
- Matt 18:24–25And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
- Exod 22:3If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him; for he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.
- Gen 44:33Now 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.
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 44:10 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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