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Genesis 44 Bible study: Instead of the boy

Joseph hid his silver cup in Benjamin's sack and offered to let the others go home. Instead they tore their clothes and returned, and Judah said, "God has found out the iniquity of your servants." Judah, who once said "let’s sell him", asked to stay as a slave "instead of the boy", the word used of the ram offered instead of Isaac.

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“Now therefore, please let your servant stay instead of the boy, my lord’s slave; and let the boy go up with his brothers.”
Genesis 44:33 · World English Bible

Try it · Did you catch it?

“Joseph told the brothers to go home in peace, and Judah offered to stay for Benjamin.”

Is that in Genesis 44, or not? Make your call.

What's really going on

The silver cup

In the text

Joseph has the brothers' sacks filled, their money put back, and "my cup, the silver cup" put in the sack of the youngest (44:1-2). Once they are on the road, his steward overtakes them: "Why have you rewarded evil for good?" (44:3-5). The brothers answer, "With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s slaves" (44:9). The steward searches "beginning with the oldest, and ending at the youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin’s sack" (44:12).

Where it leads to Jesus

Instead of the boy

Interpretation

Genesis 44:33leads toMark 10:44-45

This link is an interpretation. Judah asks, "please let your servant stay instead of the boy, my lord’s slave; and let the boy go up with his brothers" (44:33). Jesus taught, "Whoever of you wants to become first among you shall be bondservant of all. For the Son of Man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:44-45). Jesus doesn't mention Judah; some see in Judah's offer a picture of one person taking another's place, and others read it simply as Judah's change of heart toward his father and brother.

Honest questions

Questions people ask about Genesis 44

That was a taste

The rest of Genesis 44 is waiting in Favor

  • They all went back
  • "God has found out the iniquity of your servants"
  • "Let your servant stay instead of the boy"
  • "Instead of"
  • "His life is bound up in the boy's life"
  • 13 questions as you read
  • 4 more Hebrew words
  • A short check at the end
  • Your notes, saved as you go
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The Hebrew word behind it

תַּחַתtachatsay TA-khat

"The under part", and as a preposition "underneath, below, instead of" (Brown-Driver-Briggs). In Judah's plea, "please let your servant stay instead of the boy" (44:33), it means in place of. It is also the "for" in the steward's "Why have you rewarded evil for good?" (44:4). Genesis used it this way before: Eve named Seth "another child instead of Abel" (4:25), and Abraham offered the ram "instead of his son" (22:13).

For your group

Genesis 44 Bible study questions

  1. 1Judah once proposed selling his brother; now he offers himself for his brother. What do you think changed him?
  2. 2Judah said, "God has found out the iniquity of your servants," though they hadn't taken the cup. Why might he have said that?
  3. 3Judah's offer put his own freedom in place of his brother's. What does that kind of love look like in your family or church?

Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Genesis 44 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.

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Questions

What is Favor?

Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.

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