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<TITLE>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible [Genesis, Chapter XLIV].</TITLE>
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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1706)
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+3><B>G E N E S I S</B></FONT>
<BR>
<BR><FONT SIZE=+2>CHAP. XLIV.</FONT>
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<FONT SIZE=-1>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
Joseph, having entertained his brethren, dismissed them; but here
we have them brought back in a greater fright than any they
had been in yet. Observe,
I. What method he took both to
humble them further and also to try their affection to his brother
Benjamin, by which he would be able to judge of the sincerity of
their repentance for what they had done against himself, of which
he was desirous to be satisfied before he manifested his reconciliation
to them. This he contrived to do by bringing Benjamin
into distress,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+44:1-17">ver. 1-17</A>.
II. The good success of the experiment;
he found them all heartily concerned, and Judah particularly,
both for the safety of Benjamin and for the comfort of
their aged father,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+44:18-34">ver. 18</A>,
&c.</P>
</FONT>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Joseph's Policy.</I></FONT></TD>
<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 1707.</TD></TR>
<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
</TABLE>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<FONT SIZE=+1>1 And he commanded the steward
of his house, saying, Fill the
men's sacks <I>with</I> food, as much as
they can carry, and put every man's
money in his sack's mouth.
&nbsp; 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.
&nbsp; 3 As soon as the morning was light,
the men were sent away, they and
their asses.
&nbsp; 4 <I>And</I> when they were
gone out of the city, <I>and</I> not <I>yet</I> 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?
&nbsp; 5 <I>Is</I> not this <I>it</I> in which my
lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he
divineth? ye have done evil in so
doing.
&nbsp; 6 And he overtook them, and
he spake unto them these same words.
&nbsp; 7 And they said unto him, Wherefore
saith my lord these words? God
forbid that thy servants should do according
to this thing:
&nbsp; 8 Behold, the
money, which we found in our sacks'
mouths, we brought again unto thee
out of the land of Canaan: how then
should we steal out of thy lord's house
silver or gold?
&nbsp; 9 With whomsoever
of thy servants it be found, both let
him die, and we also will be my lord's
bondmen.
&nbsp; 10 And he said, Now also
<I>let</I> it <I>be</I> according unto your words:
he with whom it is found shall be my
servant; and ye shall be blameless.
&nbsp; 11 Then they speedily took down
every man his sack to the ground, and
opened every man his sack.
&nbsp; 12 And
he searched, <I>and</I> began at the eldest,
and left at the youngest: and the cup
was found in Benjamin's sack.
&nbsp; 13 Then they rent their clothes, and laded
every man his ass, and returned to the
city.
&nbsp; 14 And Judah and his brethren
came to Joseph's house; for he <I>was</I>
yet there: and they fell before him
on the ground.
&nbsp; 15 And Joseph said
unto them, What deed <I>is</I> this that ye have
done? wot ye not that such a
man as I can certainly divine?
&nbsp; 16 And Judah said, What shall we say
unto my lord? what shall we speak?
or how shall we clear ourselves? God
hath found out the iniquity of thy
servants: behold, we <I>are</I> my lord's
servants, both we, and <I>he</I> also with
whom the cup is found.
&nbsp; 17 And he
said, God forbid that I should do so:
<I>but</I> 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.
</FONT></P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
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
<A NAME="Page241"> </A>
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,</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
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: <I>Is not this it in which
my lord drinketh</I> (as having a particular fondness
for it), <I>and for which he would search
thoroughly?</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+44:5"><I>v.</I> 5</A>.
Or, "By which, leaving
it carelessly at your table, he would make
trial whether you were honest men or no."</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
II. How they pleaded for themselves.
They solemnly protested their innocence,
and detestation of so base a thing
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+44:7"><I>v.</I> 7</A>),
urged it as an instance of their honesty that
they had brought their money back
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+44:8"><I>v.</I> 8</A>),
and offered to submit to the severest punishment
if they should be found guilty,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+44:9,10"><I>v.</I> 9, 10</A>.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
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,</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
IV. Here is their humble submission,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+44:16"><I>v.</I> 16</A>.
1. They acknowledge the righteousness of
God: <I>God hath found out the iniquity of thy
servants,</I> 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: <I>We are my
lord's servants.</I> 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, <I>Shalt though have dominion
over us?</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+37:8"><I>ch.</I> xxxvii. 8</A>),
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.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
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 <I>spirit</I> as well as <I>blood;</I>
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 affected 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.</P>
<A NAME="Ge44_18"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Judah's Appeal on Behalf of Benjamin.</I></FONT></TD>
<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 1707.</TD></TR>
<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
</TABLE>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
<FONT SIZE=+1>18 Then Judah came near unto him,
and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant,
I pray thee, speak a word in my
lord's ears, and let not thine anger
burn against thy servant: for thou
<I>art</I> even as Pharaoh.
&nbsp; 19 My lord
asked his servants, saying, Have ye a
father, or a brother?
&nbsp; 20 And we said
unto 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 loveth him.
&nbsp; 21 And thou saidst
unto thy servants, Bring him down
unto me, that I may set mine eyes
upon him.
&nbsp; 22 And we said unto my
lord, The lad cannot leave his father:
for <I>if</I> he should leave his father, <I>his
father</I> would die.
&nbsp; 23 And thou
saidst unto thy servants, Except your
youngest brother come down with you,
ye shall see my face no more.
&nbsp; 24 And
it came to pass when we came up unto
thy servant my father, we told him
the words of my lord.
&nbsp; 25 And our
father said, Go again, <I>and</I> buy us a
little food.
&nbsp; 26 And we said, We cannot
go down: if our youngest brother
be with us, then will we go down: for
we may not see the man's face, except
our youngest brother <I>be</I> with us.
&nbsp; 27 And thy servant my father said
unto us, Ye know that my wife bare
me two <I>sons:</I>
&nbsp; 28 And the one went
<A NAME="Page242"> </A>
out from me, and I said, Surely he is
torn in pieces; and I saw him not
since:
&nbsp; 29 And if ye take this also
from me, and mischief befall him, ye
shall bring down my gray hairs with
sorrow to the grave.
&nbsp; 30 Now therefore
when I come to thy servant my
father, and the lad <I>be</I> not with us;
seeing that his life is bound up in the
lad's life;
&nbsp; 31 It shall come to pass,
when he seeth that the lad <I>is</I> not <I>with
us,</I> that he will die: and thy servants
shall bring down the gray hairs of thy
servant our father with sorrow to the
grave.
&nbsp; 32 For thy servant became
surety for the lad unto my father,
saying, If I bring him not unto thee,
then I shall bear the blame to my father
for ever.
&nbsp; 33 Now 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.
&nbsp; 34 For how shall I go up
to my father, and the lad <I>be</I> not with
me? lest peradventure I see the evil
that shall come on my father.
</FONT></P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
We have here a most ingenious and pathetic
speech which Judah made to Joseph
on Benjamin's behalf, to obtain his discharge
from the sentence passed upon him. Perhaps
Judah was a better friend to Benjamin than
the rest were, and more solicitous to bring
him off; or he thought himself under greater
obligations to attempt it than the rest, because
he had passed his word to his father for his
safe return; or the rest chose him for their
spokesman, because he was a man of better
sense, and better spirit, and had a greater
command of language than any of them.
His address, as it is here recorded, is so very
natural and so expressive of his present feelings
that we cannot but suppose Moses, who
wrote it so long after, to have written it under
the special direction of him that made man's
mouth.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
I. A great deal of unaffected art, and unstudied
unforced rhetoric, there is in this
speech.
1. He addresses himself to Joseph
with a great deal of respect and deference,
calls him his <I>lord,</I> himself and his brethren
his <I>servants,</I> begs his patient hearing, and
ascribes sovereign authority to him: "<I>Thou
art even as Pharaoh,</I> one whose favour we
desire and whose wrath we dread as we do
Pharaoh's." Religion does not destroy good
manners, and it is prudence to speak respectfully
to those at whose mercy we lie: titles
of honour to those that are entitled to them
are not flattering titles.
2. He represented
Benjamin as one well worthy of his compassionate
consideration
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+44:20"><I>v.</I> 20</A>);
he was <I>a little
one,</I> compared with the rest of them; the
youngest, not acquainted with the world, nor
ever inured to hardship, having always been
brought up tenderly with his father. It
made the case the more pitiable that he alone
was left of his mother, and his brother was
dead, namely, <I>Joseph.</I> Little did Judah
think what a tender point he touched upon
now. Judah knew that Joseph was sold,
and therefore had reason enough to think
that he was alive; at least he could not be
sure that he was dead: but they had made
their father believe he was dead; and now
they had told that lie so long that they had
forgotten the truth, and begun to believe
the lie themselves.
3. He urged it very
closely that Joseph had himself constrained
them to bring Benjamin with them, had expressed
a desire to see him
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+44:21"><I>v.</I> 21</A>),
and had
forbidden them his presence unless they
brought Benjamin with them
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+44:23,26"><I>v.</I> 23, 26</A>),
all which intimated that he designed him some
kindness; and must he be brought with so
much difficulty to the preferment of a perpetual
slavery? Was he not brought to Egypt, in
obedience, purely in obedience, to the command
of Joseph? and would he not show
him some mercy? Some observe that Jacob's
sons, in reasoning with their father, had
said, <I>We will not go down unless Benjamin go
with us</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+43:5"><I>ch.</I> xliii. 5</A>);
but that when Judah
comes to relate the story he expresses it more
decently: "<I>We cannot go down</I> with any expectation
to speed well." Indecent words
spoken in haste to our superiors should be
recalled and amended.
4. The great argument
he insisted upon was the insupportable
grief it would be to his aged father if Benjamin
should be left behind in servitude:
<I>His father loveth him,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+44:20"><I>v.</I> 20</A>.
This they had
pleaded against Joseph's insisting on his
coming down
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+44:22"><I>v.</I> 22</A>):
"<I>If he should leave his
father, his father would die;</I> much more if
now he be left behind, never more to return
to him." This the old man, of whom they
spoke, had pleaded against his going down:
<I>If mischief befal him, you shall bring down
my gray hairs,</I> that crown of glory, <I>with sorrow
to the grave,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+44:29"><I>v.</I> 29</A>.
This therefore Judah
presses with a great deal of earnestness:
"<I>His life is bound up in the lad's life</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+44:30"><I>v.</I> 30</A>);
when he sees that the lad is not
with us, he will faint away, and die immediately
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+44:31"><I>v.</I> 31</A>),
or will abandon himself to
such a degree of sorrow as will, in a few
days, make an end of him." And, <I>lastly,</I>
Judah pleads that, for his part, he could
not bear to see this: <I>Let me not see the evil
that shall come on my father,</I>
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+44:34"><I>v.</I> 34</A>.
Note, It
is the duty of children to be very tender of
their parents' comfort, and to be afraid of
every thing that may be an occasion of grief
to them. Thus the love that descended
first must again ascend, and something must
be done towards a recompense for their care.
5. Judah, in honour to the justice of Joseph's
sentence, and to show his sincerity in this
<A NAME="Page243"> </A>
plea, offers himself to become a bondsman
instead of Benjamin,
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+44:33"><I>v.</I> 33</A>.
Thus the law
would be satisfied; Joseph would be no
loser (for we may suppose Judah a more
able-bodied man than Benjamin, and fitter
for service); and Jacob would better bear
the loss of him than of Benjamin. Now, so
far was he from grieving at his father's particular
fondness for Benjamin, that he was
himself willing to be a bondman to indulge it.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
Now, had Joseph been, as Judah supposed
him, an utter stranger to the family, yet
even common humanity could not but be
wrought upon by such powerful reasonings
as these; for nothing could be said more
moving, more tender; it was enough to melt
a heart of stone. But to Joseph, who was
nearer akin to Benjamin than Judah himself
was, and who, at this time, felt a greater
affection both for him and his aged father
than Judah did, nothing could be more
pleasingly nor more happily said. Neither
Jacob nor Benjamin needed an intercessor
with Joseph; for he himself loved them.</P>
<P> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;
II. Upon the whole matter let us take
notice,
1. How prudently Judah suppressed
all mention of the crime that was charged
upon Benjamin. Had he said any thing by
way of acknowledgment of it, he would have
reflected on Benjamin's honesty, and seemed
too forward to suspect that; had he said
any thing by way of denial of it, he would
have reflected on Joseph's justice, and the
sentence he had passed: therefore he wholly
waives that head, and appeals to Joseph's
pity. Compare with this that of Job, in
humbling himself before God
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Job+9:15">Job ix. 15</A>),
<I>Though I were righteous, yet would I not answer;</I>
I would not argue, but petition; <I>I
would make supplication to my Judge.</I>
2. What good reason dying Jacob had to say,
<I>Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall
praise</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+49:8"><I>ch.</I> xlix. 8</A>),
for he excelled them all
in boldness, wisdom, eloquence, and especially
tenderness for their father and family.
3. Judah's faithful adherence to Benjamin,
now in his distress, was recompensed long
after by the constant adherence of the tribe
of Benjamin to the tribe of Judah, when all
the other ten tribes deserted it.
4. How
fitly does the apostle, when he is discoursing
of the mediation of Christ, observe, that <I>our
Lord sprang out of Judah</I>
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Heb+7:14">Heb. vii. 14</A>);
for, like his father Judah, he not only <I>made intercession
for the transgressors,</I> but he became
a surety for them, as it follows there
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+44:22"><I>v.</I> 22</A>),
testifying therein a very tender concern both
for his father and for his brethren.</P>
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