Limitless Word

Genesis 44

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Part of Joseph📖 Genesis introduction

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1He commanded the steward of his house, saying, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in his sack’s mouth. ✦ 2Put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack’s mouth of the youngest, with his grain money.” He did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. ✦ 3As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys. 4When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, “Up, follow after the men. When you overtake them, ask them, ‘Why have you rewarded evil for good? ✦ 5Isn’t this that from which my lord drinks, and by which he indeed divines? You have done evil in so doing.’” ✦ 6He overtook them, and he spoke these words to them. 7They said to him, “Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants that they should do such a thing! ✦ 8Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks’ mouths, we brought again to you out of the land of Canaan. How then should we steal silver or gold out of your lord’s house? ✦ 9With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s slaves.” ✦ 10He 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.” ✦ 11Then they hurried, and each man took his sack down to the ground, and each man opened his sack. 12He searched, beginning with the oldest, and ending at the youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. ✦ 13Then they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey, and returned to the city. ✦ 14Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, and he was still there. They fell on the ground before him. ✦ 15Joseph said to them, “What deed is this that you have done? Don’t you know that such a man as I can indeed divine?” ✦ 16Judah said, “What will we tell my lord? What will we speak? Or how will we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants. Behold, we are my lord’s slaves, both we, and he also in whose hand the cup is found.” ✦ 17He said, “Far be it from me that I should do so. The man in whose hand the cup is found, he will be my slave; but as for you, go up in peace to your father.” ✦ 18Then Judah came near to him, and said, “Oh, my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord’s ears, and don’t let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even as Pharaoh. ✦ 19My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father, or a brother?’ ✦ 20We said to 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 loves him.’ ✦ 21You said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.’ ✦ 22We said to my lord, ‘The boy can’t leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’ ✦ 23You said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will see my face no more.’ ✦ 24When we came up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. ✦ 25Our father said, ‘Go again, buy us a little food.’ ✦ 26We said, ‘We can’t go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down: for we may not see the man’s face, unless our youngest brother is with us.’ ✦ 27Your servant, my father, said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons: ✦ 28and the one went out from me, and I said, “Surely he is torn in pieces”; and I haven’t seen him since. ✦ 29If you take this one also from me, and harm happens to him, you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.’ ✦ 30Now therefore when I come to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us; since his life is bound up in the boy’s life; ✦ 31it will happen, when he sees that the boy is no more, that he will die. Your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant, our father, with sorrow to Sheol. ✦ 32For your servant became collateral for the boy to my father, saying, ‘If I don’t bring him to you, then I will bear the blame to my father forever.’ ✦ 33Now therefore, please let your servant stay instead of the boy, my lord’s slave; and let the boy go up with his brothers. ✦ 34For how will I go up to my father, if the boy isn’t with me? — lest I see the evil that will come on my father.” ✦

Tap any verse for its study page. Underlined terms mark a concept, person, or place; ✦ marks verses with cross-references.

Where this chapter connects

Gen 43 ·24Gen 42 ·22Gen 44 ·17Gen 37 ·14Exod 32 ·3Gen 35 ·3Gen 18 ·3Prov 17 ·3

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 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.

Resources, by level

Lay

  • ★ Start hereDocumentaryExpedition BibleJoel Kramer · Free · evangelical

    On-location biblical archaeology from a credentialed archaeologist (M.A., excavated in Israel) — the best free place to start on "did it really happen?"

  • ★ Start hereAudioThrough the WordThrough the Word · ~10 min/chapter · Free · evangelical

    A clear ~10-minute audio teaching for every one of the Bible's 1,189 chapters — the most systematic free way to study chapter by chapter.

  • ★ Start hereVideoOverview: Genesis 1–11BibleProject · 9 min · Free

    The single best free starting point for Genesis 1–11 — clear, visual, and faithful to the literary design.

  • VideoSpoken GospelSpoken Gospel · Free · evangelical

    Short, gospel-centered videos and spoken-word poems showing how each passage points to Jesus — especially strong on the Old Testament.

  • ReferenceBook of Genesis — Visual GuideBibleProject · Free

    A free structured guide to the whole book — outline, themes, and links to each video.

  • DocumentaryIs Genesis History?Del Tackett · Free · evangelical

    A young-earth-creationist case for a literal Genesis, free on YouTube. (YEC is one view held by faithful Christians; others read Genesis differently — see the genre guide on how to read it.)

Pastoral

  • SermonChuck Smith — C2000 SeriesChuck Smith · Free · evangelical

    Free verse-by-verse audio through the entire Bible from the founder of Calvary Chapel.

Seminary

  • ★ Start hereCommentaryGenesis (Word Biblical Commentary)Gordon J. Wenham · Paid · evangelical

    For decades the gold-standard commentary on Genesis — technical but rich. (See the ranked list for alternatives like Hamilton, NICOT.)

  • BookThe Pentateuch as NarrativeJohn H. Sailhamer · ~560 pp · Library · evangelical

    A literary-theological reading that makes Genesis's design visible.

Commentaries & study tools

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