And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.
And he searched through their sacks, starting with the oldest brother and ending with the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.
The writer is describing how Joseph's steward searched all the brothers' grain sacks in order from oldest to youngest, and found the planted silver cup in Benjamin's bag.
📚 Historical Context
This occurs during Joseph's elaborate test of his brothers who had once sold him into slavery. Joseph, now a powerful Egyptian official, had secretly placed his silver cup in Benjamin's sack to see if his brothers would abandon Benjamin as they once abandoned him. The systematic search from oldest to youngest built dramatic tension and would have followed Egyptian customs of showing respect to age.
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