Tuesday 17 November 2026

Psalm 78:17-31

Background
Yesterday’s reading picked out one of the stages in the long and complicated story of Joseph: the predicted famine has arrived and he’s in charge of distributing the food reserves built up over the preceding years of plenty. All of Joseph’s brothers except Benjamin, the youngest, travel down to Egypt to buy food. However, today’s reading does not immediately follow; a large slice of the saga is missed out during which the brothers come before Joseph but do not recognise him. He, on the other hand, knows who they are, and he gives them a hard time. He accuses them of being spies.

Joseph effectively takes one of the brothers, Simeon, hostage, sending the others home with some food but insisting that they come back with Benjamin. Their Father Jacob/Israel takes a bit of persuading but finally agrees that Benjamin may go with them back to Egypt. They are generously received and just before today’s passage starts they have a good dinner and are 'merry with wine'.

Benjamin has a special place in the story, having stayed at home during the other brothers’ first expedition to Egypt. He is, in fact, Joseph’s only full brother (their mother being Rachel); the other ten are half-brothers with different mothers, but all are sons of Jacob. Jacob worries that, like Joseph, Benjamin will not return safely. But when the brothers meet Joseph he insists that Benjamin is brought to Egypt too.

So to today’s reading, the whole of chapter 44. It’s all about Joseph’s silver cup being placed in Benjamin’s pack so it would look like he’d stolen it. It's a nasty trick. The silver cup is linked to 'divination' (supernatural insight into the future), a word consistently used across most English translations (although the Jerusalem Bible has 'reading omens'). The brothers, who were not above deceiving their own father, telling him that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal, were now themselves the victims of a cruel deception.

They react as any innocent people would and face the consequences of their apparent guilt. Joseph then adds an even crueller twist, he’ll let them go home but without Benjamin, the 'guilty' one. Judah, who seems to be the most capable and confident of Joseph’s ten half-brothers, then pleads at length in a one-to-one with Joseph that their returning home without Benjamin will kill their father. He offers to remain in Egypt, taking Benjamin’s punishment in his place. As we will see in tomorrow’s reading, this triggers the emotional climax of the story as Joseph reveals his true identity to his brothers.

Sheol is the place of the dead, below the Earth, shadowy and silent, joyless. All the dead go there although in later Jewish literature Sheol has different departments for the wicked and the righteous as reflected in Jesus’s parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31).

To Ponder:

• Why do you think Joseph insisted on Benjamin coming to Egypt and then picked on him with the alleged theft of the silver cup?
• How do you feel about divination being part of the story?

Prayer
Merciful God, strengthen and embrace divided families so that they may be healed. Amen.

Bible notes author: The Revd Alan Bolton
Alan Bolton is a supernumerary presbyter in the High Wycombe Circuit, having sat down in 2018. He preaches regularly round the Circuit. His other occupations are family, music, model railways, walking, and reading – with a close interest in politics.