“And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn, he espied his money; for, behold, it was in his sack’s mouth.”
This verse is part of the narrative in the book of Genesis that recounts the story of Joseph and his brothers.
After Joseph’s brothers had come to Egypt seeking food during a severe famine, Joseph, who was now a high‑ranking official in Egypt, recognized his brothers but concealed his true identity from them.
He decided to test their integrity and see if they had changed since the time they had sold him into slavery.
In this specific verse, Joseph’s brothers had returned to the inn where they were lodging, and one of them opened his sack to retrieve food for his donkey.
As he did so, he discovered that his money, which they had used to purchase the grain, was still in his sack.
This unexpected discovery caused anxiety and confusion among the brothers.
This incident was part of Joseph’s plan to put his brothers to the test.
He had commanded his servants to secretly return the money each brother had paid for the grain into their sacks.
By doing so, Joseph wanted to gauge their reaction to finding their money unexpectedly returned to them.
It was a test of their honesty, integrity, and whether they would respond with guilt or repentance for their past actions.
This verse highlights the brothers’ initial surprise and fear upon discovering the money in their sacks.
It sets the stage for their subsequent conversation with Joseph and their ultimate reconciliation.
