Matthew Poole and continuators on Genesis 44:5

5 Is not this it in which my lord drinketh? and whereby indeed he divineth ? ye have done evil in so doing.

Amongst the several kinds of divination in use among the Egyptians and other Heathens, this was one to do it by a cup or bason, which they filled with water and put in them plates of silver or precious stones in which certain characters were ingraven, by which and some words they used they called upon the Devil, who gave them answer. Ioseph did not use this course nor was a diviner, but the people thought him such an one, and the Steward might represent him as such for the better covering or carrying on his design. But this sence agrees not with the 15th. verse of this chapter, Wot you not, &c. Which words shew that he speaks of something which they all might easily know▪ but they did not know that Ioseph was a Diviner, much less that he divined by that cup, whereas that kind of divination was generally performed by a glass, not by a cup. Others observe, that the Hebrew word ofttimes signifies not to divine, but onely to observe and discover a thing, as Gen. 30. 27. 1 Kings 20. 33. and render the place thus, whereby he will certainly observe or discover, to wit, what you are and do. But this also seems not to consist with ver. 15. and the supplement is too large and remote. The true sense then is this, the Hebrew, bo, is not to be rendered, by which, but, concerning which, as the particle b[illegible: 1+ letters]th is oft used, and it notes not the instrument whereby, but the object about which, he did divine, and the words must be rendred, concerning which he can or would certainly divine. And this agrees well with ver. 15. q. d. did you think you could deceive my Master! did not you and all others know that he could divine and discover secret things, whence he had both his name and preferment! And this cup being much prized and used by him, you might easily judge that he would use his art to recover it.

(i. e.) Very evil, unjustly, unthankfully and foolishly.

Marginal references: Or, maketh trial.