Bible Strands
Genesis 44:8
We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found in the mouths of our sacks. Why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house?
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The brothers address Joseph, who is disguised as Egypt's governor, during a confrontation over a missing silver cup. They respond to his accusation by citing a previous journey to demonstrate their honesty.
The words — The Hebrew כֶּסֶף (kesef) means silver, and מָצָאנוּ (matza'nu) means "we found." These terms ground the brothers' defense in their past discovery of the money in their sacks.
The thread — The reference to returning found silver points to Genesis 42:27 and Genesis 42:35, where each brother's silver was revealed when they emptied their sacks. The past event now functions as their primary evidence against the current theft charge.
Why it lands — The text records the brothers' logical appeal before revealing their later betrayal of Joseph. It requires readers to observe how past innocence does not guarantee present integrity.
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
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?
Cross-references
- 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 42:27 At the place where they lodged for the night, one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of the sack.
- Genesis 42:35 As they began emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his bag of silver! And when they and their father saw the bags of silver, they were dismayed.
- Genesis 43:12 Take double the silver with you so that you may return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake.
- Genesis 43:21 But when we came to the place we lodged for the night, we opened our sacks and, behold, each of us found his silver in the mouth of his sack! It was the full amount of our silver, and we have brought it back with us.
- Genesis 44:7 “Why does my lord say these things?” they asked. “Your servants could not possibly do such a thing.
- Exodus 20:15 You shall not steal.
- Deuteronomy 5:19 You shall not steal.
- Matthew 19:18 “Which ones?” the man asked. Jesus answered, “‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness,
- Romans 13:9 The commandments “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and any other commandments, are summed up in this one decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”