Hebrew Text and Translation of Genesis 44:4

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A Text-Critical Commentary on the Masoretic Text and Its Variants

Hebrew Text and Translation

The Hebrew text of Genesis 44:4, as preserved in the Masoretic Text (MT), reads as follows:

וְהֵם יָֽצְאוּ אֶת־הָעִיר לֹא הִרְחִיקוּ וְיוֹסֵף אָמַר לַאֲשֶׁר עַל־בֵּיתוֹ קוּם רְדֹף אַחֲרֵי הָאֲנָשִׁים וְהִשַּׂגְתָּם וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם לָמָּה שִׁלַּמְתֶּם רָעָה תַּחַת טוֹבָֽה׃

Transliteration: Vəhēm yāṣəʾū ʾet-hāʿîr lōʾ hirḥîqū vəyôsēp ʾāmar laʾăšer ʿal-bêtô qūm rədōp ʾaḥărê hāʾănāšîm vəhiśśagtām vəʾāmartā ʾălêhem lāmmâ šillamtem rāʿâ taḥat ṭôbâ.

Literal Translation: “And they had gone out of the city, they had not gone far, and Joseph said to the one who was over his house, ‘Get up, pursue after the men, and when you overtake them, say to them, “Why have you repaid evil for good?”'”

This verse occurs within the narrative of Joseph’s testing of his brothers, a pivotal moment in Genesis where he orchestrates the recovery of a silver vessel to reveal their character. The Hebrew text, with its precise syntax and vocabulary, reflects the MT’s characteristic clarity. The phrase לַאֲשֶׁר עַל־בֵּיתוֹ (“to the one who was over his house”) denotes Joseph’s steward, a trusted official, while לָמָּה שִׁלַּמְתֶּם רָעָה תַּחַת טוֹבָֽה (“Why have you repaid evil for good?”) introduces a rhetorical question that sets the stage for the dramatic confrontation in the following verses. For readers unfamiliar with Hebrew, the transliteration provided above offers a phonetic guide to the text’s pronunciation, enhancing accessibility without altering its meaning.

Variant Reading in the Septuagint (LXX)

The Greek Septuagint (LXX), the ancient translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek, includes an additional phrase at the end of Genesis 44:4, expanding the steward’s accusation. The Greek text reads:

Greek Text (LXX): τί ὅτι ἀνταπεδώκατε κακὰ ἀντὶ ἀγαθῶν; διὰ τί ἐκλέψατε τὸ ποτήριον τὸ ἀργυροῦν; (Ti hoti antapedōkate kaka anti agathōn? Dia ti eklepsate to potērion to argyroun?)

Translation of the Full LXX Reading: “Why is it that you have repaid evil for good? Why have you stolen my silver cup?”

This addition explicitly mentions the theft of the “silver cup” (τὸ ποτήριον τὸ ἀργυροῦν), a detail not present in the MT until verse 5. The term ποτήριον can mean “cup,” “goblet,” or “chalice,” reflecting a flexible rendering of the Hebrew גָּבִיעַ (gābîaʿ) that appears later. The LXX’s inclusion of this phrase aligns with its broader tendency to anticipate or clarify narrative details, a pattern observed elsewhere in Genesis, such as the expansion in 37:36 regarding the Ishmaelites and Midianites. This practice likely served Greek-speaking readers who might have been less accustomed to the Hebrew narrative’s gradual unfolding of events.

Textual Analysis

The LXX’s additional clause—”Why have you stolen my silver cup?”—appears to be a harmonization with Genesis 44:5, where the steward explicitly references the cup: “Is it not this from which my lord drinks, and by which he indeed divines?” (MT: הֲלוֹא זֶה אֲשֶׁר יִשְׁתֶּה אֲדֹנִי בּוֹ). The Greek translators or a later scribe likely inserted this phrase to make the accusation in verse 4 more explicit, frontloading the context of the silver cup to enhance narrative flow for their audience. This harmonization smooths the transition between verses, reducing ambiguity about why the brothers are being pursued.

In contrast, the MT maintains a concise and suspenseful structure. By delaying the mention of the cup until verse 5, the Hebrew text builds tension: the steward’s initial question in verse 4 (“Why have you repaid evil for good?”) is deliberately vague, prompting curiosity about the nature of the “evil” committed. Only in the next verse does the specific accusation emerge, heightening the dramatic effect. This technique aligns with Hebrew narrative conventions, as noted by scholars like Robert Alter, who highlight the use of delayed revelation to engage readers or listeners in the unfolding story.

Masoretic Text Witnesses

The Masoretic Text, as represented by Codex Leningradensis (B 19A, dated 1008 C.E.), the basis for modern critical editions like the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS), does not include the LXX’s additional phrase. This reading is supported by the Aleppo Codex (circa 925 C.E.), the oldest complete Masoretic manuscript, in the portions where Genesis 44 is preserved—though damage to the Aleppo Codex means some sections of Genesis are missing, and its testimony here relies on surviving folios or scholarly reconstruction. Both codices reflect the standardized MT tradition, which consistently omits the cup reference in verse 4, preserving the narrative’s progressive disclosure. This fidelity to a shorter, less explanatory text underscores the MT’s reputation for textual conservatism, a quality valued by evangelical scholars seeking to trace the Hebrew Bible’s original form.

Dead Sea Scrolls

No extant fragments of Genesis 44:4 are preserved among the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS), a collection of biblical manuscripts from Qumran dating between the 3rd century B.C.E. and 1st century C.E. While Genesis is represented in the DSS—e.g., in 1QGen (1Q1), 4QGen^b (4Q2), 4QGen^g (4Q7), and 8QGen (8Q2)—none of these fragments include this specific verse. The absence of DSS evidence for Genesis 44:4 means we lack direct corroboration or contradiction of either the MT or LXX readings from this early Jewish corpus. This gap is not surprising given the fragmentary nature of the scrolls, but it leaves the MT and LXX as the primary witnesses for textual comparison here.

Targums and Other Ancient Versions

Targum Onkelos, the authoritative Aramaic translation of the Pentateuch from the early centuries C.E., aligns closely with the MT for Genesis 44:4. It renders the verse without the LXX’s addition: “Why have you repaid evil for good?” (לְמָא אֲתוּן שַׁלְּמִיתוּן בִּישָׁא חֲלָף טָבָא). Onkelos is known for its fidelity to the Hebrew text, occasionally paraphrasing for clarity or theological emphasis but avoiding expansions like the LXX’s here. This adherence reinforces the MT’s reading as the more ancient tradition.

The Syriac Peshitta, a 2nd–3rd century C.E. translation into Syriac, also follows the MT, omitting any reference to the silver cup in verse 4. Its text reads similarly to the Hebrew: “Why have you repaid evil for good?” While the Peshitta sometimes reflects LXX influence elsewhere, its agreement with the MT here suggests reliance on a Hebrew Vorlage (source text) rather than the Greek.

The Latin Vulgate, translated by Jerome in the late 4th century C.E., further supports the MT. Its rendering is: Quare reddidistis malum pro bono? (“Why have you returned evil for good?”). Jerome primarily worked from the Hebrew text, though he consulted the LXX and other sources for comparison. His decision to exclude the cup reference in verse 4 reflects a deliberate choice to follow the Hebrew’s brevity, underscoring his text-critical awareness and bolstering the MT’s primacy. The consistency across these versions—Targum Onkelos, Peshitta, and Vulgate—strengthens the case against the LXX’s addition.

Text-Critical Evaluation

The LXX’s inclusion of “Why have you stolen my silver cup?” is best understood as a later explanatory gloss, a secondary addition to the original text. Several text-critical principles support this conclusion. First, the principle of lectio brevior potior (the shorter reading is preferred) favors the MT, as shorter texts are less likely to include explanatory expansions. Second, the MT’s reading is lectio difficilior (the more difficult reading), as its vagueness in verse 4 requires the reader to wait for verse 5’s clarification, a subtlety that might prompt a scribe to “improve” the text with an addition. Third, the LXX’s harmonization with verse 5 reflects a common scribal tendency to align related passages, reducing narrative ambiguity—a practice Emanuel Tov has documented extensively in his studies of the Septuagint.

This variant lacks support in the major Hebrew textual traditions (MT, as seen in Leningradensis and Aleppo) and in other ancient translations like Targum Onkelos, the Peshitta, and the Vulgate, which typically hew closer to the Hebrew original. The addition is contextually plausible—it accurately anticipates the cup’s role—but textually secondary, as it disrupts the Hebrew narrative’s suspenseful pacing. The MT’s structure, where the steward’s initial question remains enigmatic until the cup is revealed in verse 5, enhances the story’s dramatic tension, a hallmark of biblical Hebrew storytelling appreciated by scholars like Meir Sternberg.

The gloss may have arisen to clarify the text for Greek-speaking readers unfamiliar with Hebrew narrative conventions or as a scribal effort to streamline the dialogue. Regardless of its origin, its absence from the broader textual tradition suggests it was not part of the earliest Hebrew text.

Conclusion on Textual Authenticity

The Masoretic Text represents the superior and likely original reading of Genesis 44:4, preserving the Hebrew narrative’s integrity without the LXX’s explanatory interpolation. The addition in the Septuagint—”Why have you stolen my silver cup?”—is a secondary gloss, unsupported by compelling textual or translational evidence from the MT, Dead Sea Scrolls (where extant), Targums, Peshitta, or Vulgate. For evangelical readers and scholars committed to the authenticity of the biblical text, the MT’s concise reading offers a reliable witness to the inspired narrative, building suspense that culminates in the revelation of the silver cup in verse 5.

Thus, Genesis 44:4 should be understood as: “And they had gone out of the city, they had not gone far, and Joseph said to the one who was over his house, ‘Get up, pursue after the men, and when you overtake them, say to them, “Why have you repaid evil for good?”'” This text, free of the LXX’s addition, reflects the Hebrew Bible’s literary artistry and historical fidelity, a foundation for faith and study.

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About the Author

EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored over 220+ books. In addition, Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).