Polygamy was a fact of life, since the time of Lamech, the seventh from Adam through Cain (Genesis 4:19). Yet, it seems that monogamy was probably preferred by some, including Abraham, who took Hagar, as his concubine wife only after some discussion with Sarah, over how he could father a nation, when she was barren (Genesis 11:30; 16:1-2; cp. 16:5). Nevertheless, the first wife, not the concubine, was the main wife (cp. Genesis 16:6; 21:8-10), even though the first wife was barren, and her only children were hers by law from her handmaid, her husband’s concubine. Moreover, Abraham didn’t take Keturah for his concubine wife, until after Sarah’s death. So, Isaac was the only heir, but the concubine children were given gifts (Genesis 25:6).
With the above in mind, we can, perhaps, understand the prejudice of Leah’s sons over Rachel’s sons. The sons of Leah’s and Rachel’s concubines probably understood their “second-place” status in the family, but how should Rachel’s own sons be understood, because she was not a concubine? Nevertheless, she was the “second” wife! Does this mean the first wife should be the preferred wife, and did she have the right to dominant the second wife? I believe this is the question behind Joseph’s testing the brothers. How do they see Benjamin, Rachel’s son? Do they accept him as an equal, or are they jealous of the care given him by their father, Jacob, and resent the status he enjoys in their family?
When weird things began to happen to them, while they were in Egypt one year earlier, the brother’s hearts were turned to God, and they began to wonder, if they weren’t being judged for their treatment of Joseph. So, Joseph’s behavior toward his brothers seems to have had a good effect upon the ten men, because, although the text doesn’t present any of them as religious men, they did seem to have their hearts and minds turned toward God now.
Presently, the men had come again to Egypt during the second year of the famine. This time Benjamin, Joseph’s full brother by Rachel, was with them, as Joseph commanded them one year ago. Therefore, Joseph decided he would test his ten brothers to see, if their bigotry toward his mother, Rachel, and her children was still present. He commanded his chief steward to fill the men’s sacks with grain, as much as they could carry, and place the men’s money back in the sacks with the grain. Additionally, he was to place Joseph’s silver divining cup into the mouth of the youngest man’s sack, and the chief steward did as Joseph commanded (Genesis 44:1-2).
The brothers stayed with Joseph that evening, and shorty after sunrise they left for the Land of Canaan (Genesis 44:3). As soon as the men left the city limits, Joseph told his chief steward to take men with him and overtake the eleven brothers, and accuse them of rewarding Joseph with evil for the good manner in which he had treated them. After he accused the men of wrongdoing, he was to conduct a search of the men’s sacks and find his silver divining cup in the mouth of the youngest man’s sack. Afterward, he should tell the men that Joseph had divined that they had stolen it (Genesis 44:4-5). Therefore, Joseph’s chief steward took men with him and did as he was told and overtook the men, not far from the city (Genesis 44:6).
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