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77
۞ قالوا إِن يَسرِق فَقَد سَرَقَ أَخٌ لَهُ مِن قَبلُ ۚ فَأَسَرَّها يوسُفُ في نَفسِهِ وَلَم يُبدِها لَهُم ۚ قالَ أَنتُم شَرٌّ مَكانًا ۖ وَاللَّهُ أَعلَمُ بِما تَصِفونَ

Yusuf Ali

They said: “If he steals, there was a brother of his who did steal before (him).”1 But these things did Joseph keep locked in his heart, revealing not the secrets to them.2 He (simply) said (to himself): “Ye are the worse situated;3 and God knoweth best the truth of what ye assert!”
  • The hatred of the ten for Joseph and Benjamin comes out again. They are not only ready to believe evil of Benjamin, but they carry their thoughts back to Joseph and call him a thief as well. They had injured Joseph; and by a false charge of this kind they salve their conscience. Little did they suspect that Joseph was before them, under another guise, and their falsehood and treachery, would soon be exposed.
  • There were many secrets: (1) that he was Joseph himself; (2) that his brother, Benjamin, knew him; (3) that there was no guilt in Benjamin, but the whole practical joke was in furtherance of a great plan (see n. 1745 above); (4) that they were giving themselves away, and were unconsciously facilitating the plan, though their motives were not aboveboard.
  • “Ah!” thought Joseph, “you think that Benjamin is safely out of the way, and that Joseph was got rid of long since! Would you be surprised to know that you have given yourselves away, that you are now in the power of Joseph, and that Joseph is the very instrument of your exposure and (let us hope) of your repentance?”