Genesis 44:5 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Whereby indeed he divineth— This cup, which the Septuagint call κονδυ, kondu, the AEgyptian name for a cup, was a goblet or bowl, it is thought, with a great belly. It is plain, this was a cup used for common purposes; for the steward says, is not this it in which my lord drinketh? It is evident also, from Genesis 44:15 that to divine signifies to know or foretel things which are beyond the reach of common understandings: it is therefore probable, that there was some sort of divination by cups then in use among the AEgyptians. The Greeks and Romans, who had much of their religion from AEgypt, practised this method of divination, particularly, by observing the sparkling of the wine in their libations. It does not however follow, that Joseph really practised any such art; the steward may be supposed only to ask this question, to make the brethren think that he did so; and perhaps, from his being a known interpreter of dreams, the people might fancy that he was skilled in divination. Some interpreters, of good authority, think, that as the original word sometimes signifies simply to try, or make experiment, ch. Genesis 30:27. 1 Kings 20:33 the passage might be expounded thus, and whereby indeed he would make trial, namely, of your honesty. Others, who refer the word it, not to the cup, but to the theft, would read, will he not, by making trial, search it out? i.e.. do you imagine that your theft can be concealed from one who is so sagacious in discovering secrets? But as Joseph, in the 15th verse, speaks in the character of an AEgyptian, still desirous to conceal himself from them, I should rather think he refers to some custom or method of divination among the AEgyptians. The author of Observations on Passages of sacred Scripture observes, that "when Mr. Norden was at Derri, in the farther part of AEgypt, or rather in Nubia, in a very dangerous situation, from which he and his company endeavoured to extricate themselves by exerting great spirit; a spiteful and powerful Arab told one of his people whom they sent to him in a threatening way, that he knew what sort of people they were; that he had consulted his cup, and had found by it that they were those, of whom one of their prophets said, that Franks would come in disguise, and, passing every where, examine the state of the country, and afterwards bring over a great many other Franks, conquer the country, and exterminate them all." Nord. Voy. vol. 2: p. 150.