Bible Strands
Genesis 44:16
“What can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “How can we plead? How can we justify ourselves? God has exposed the iniquity of your servants. We are now my lord’s slaves—both we and the one who was found with the cup.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Judah speaks to Joseph after the brothers are confronted over the stolen silver cup in Egypt.
The words — He employs מַה־ נֹּאמַר (mah- no.mar, “what will we say”) and מַה־ נְּדַבֵּר (mah- ne.daber, “what will we speak”) to declare their inability to mount a defense.
The thread — This admission of exposed guilt aligns with the warning that hidden sin will be brought to light (Num 32:23) and mirrors corporate confession before divine judgment (Dan 9:7).
Why it lands — It requires the reader to abandon self-justification when confronted with revealed iniquity and to recognize divine sovereignty over human accountability.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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 are my lord’s servants, both we, and he also with whom the cup is found.
Cross-references
- Genesis 44:9 If any of your servants is found to have it, he must die, and the rest will become slaves of my lord.”
- Daniel 9:7 To You, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but this day we are covered with shame—the men of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, and all Israel near and far, in all the countries to which You have driven us because of our unfaithfulness to You.
- Numbers 32:23 But if you do not do this, you will certainly sin against the LORD—and be assured that your sin will find you out.
- Luke 12:2 There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known.
- Genesis 37:7 We were binding sheaves of grain in the field, and suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to mine.”
- Genesis 37:9 Then Joseph had another dream and told it to his brothers. “Look,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
- Genesis 37:18 Now Joseph’s brothers saw him in the distance, and before he arrived, they plotted to kill him.
- Genesis 42:21 Then they said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw his anguish when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.”
- Genesis 43:8 And Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me, and we will go at once, so that we may live and not die—neither we, nor you, nor our children.
- Genesis 44:32 Indeed, your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father, saying, ‘If I do not return him to you, I will bear the guilt before you, my father, all my life.’