And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine?
Parallel translations
- WEB Joseph said to them, “What deed is this that you have done? Don’t you know that such a man as I can indeed divine?”
- BSB “What is this deed you have done?” Joseph declared. “Do you not know that a man like me can surely divine the truth?”
- NKJV And Joseph said to them, “What deed is this you have done? Did you not know that such a man as I can certainly practice divination?”
- NASB Joseph said to them, “What is this thing that you have done? Do you not know that a man who is like me can indeed practice divination?”
- NLT “What have you done?” Joseph demanded. “Don’t you know that a man like me can predict the future?”
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
Joseph rebukes them and claims that a man like him can surely divine. He maintains his Egyptian disguise to press the test further.
Overview
Joseph speaks as the powerful Egyptian official he appears to be, referring to divination to sustain the ruse. The statement reflects his assumed persona rather than an endorsement of pagan practice, which Scripture elsewhere condemns. His feigned severity continues to apply pressure that will draw out the brothers' confession and Judah's plea.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Gen 44:4–5And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet 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?
- Gen 3:13And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
- Gen 21:26And Abimelech said, I wot not who hath done this thing: neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but to day.
- Gen 39:8But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand;
- Exod 32:1And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
- Gen 4:10And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 44:15 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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