And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good?
When they had left the city but hadn't gone very far, Joseph said to his household manager, 'Go quickly and chase after those men. When you catch up to them, ask them, "Why have you repaid good with evil?"'
Joseph is setting up a test by having his steward chase after his brothers and accuse them of stealing, even though Joseph secretly planted evidence to frame them.
📚 Historical Context
This occurs during Joseph's elaborate test of his brothers who had come to Egypt to buy grain during a famine. Joseph, now a powerful Egyptian official, had hidden his silver cup in Benjamin's sack to see how his brothers would react when accused of theft. This was part of Joseph's plan to determine if his brothers had changed since they sold him into slavery years earlier.
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