גם עתה כדבריכם כן הוא וגו'. תימה והלא אין זה כדבריהם כי הם חייבו את מי שימצא הגביע בידו מיתה והם עצמן לעבדים לכן נראה לומר כדבריכם אשר גזרתם על עצמכם כן הוא דינו של אותו שנמצא אתו. ועוד ארויח לכם שאתם תהיו נקיים. ד"א כדבריכם שאמרתם שאתם נאמנים כן הוא שהרי הכסף אשר מצאתם החזרתם אותו אמנם אחיכם הקטן שלא ראיתי באמונתו הוא גנבו שלא מדעתכם ולכן אותו אשר נמצא הגביע בידו יהיה לי עבד ואתם תהיו נקיים: 'גם עתה כדבריכם כן הוא וגו, “also now I accept what you have said;” this appears very difficult, as the brothers had suggested that the thief if found among them should be given the death penalty, whereas they as relatives of the thief would become slaves were prepared to become slaves. Joseph’s messenger had only been concerned with punishing the thief himself, and even at that not to execute him. We must therefore interpret the messenger’s words as meaning that he accepted the brothers’ suggested punishment for themselves, if and when one of them were to be found guilty. Joseph’s messenger said that he would be more generous with them than they would be with themselves if it turned out that they were not guilty. An alternate interpretation of the line quoted: “I accept what you said concerning that you had already proved your innocence, and that you are not thieves. However, this applies only to nine of you. Neither Binyamin nor Shimon had brought back any money.” Binyamin had not been in Egypt, ad Shimon had not returned to the land of Canaan, having been in jail during your absence. He must therefore search the sacks of these two.
הוא יהיה לי עבד. תימה דהיה לו לומר יהיה עבד לאדוני. וי"ל אני צריך לשלם לאדוני משלי שהיה בשמירתי א"כ נמצא שהוחזק אצלי ודין הוא שהגנב יהיה לי עבד: יהיה לי עבד, “shall be a slave for me.” This is very strange, as the man saying these words was only a servant of Joseph himself. He should have said: “will be a servant to my master.” Perhaps we can understand this wording as the servant (messenger) said that seeing he is the messenger, he is responsible to his master for anything that he has not carried out correctly in his mission. Therefore, in the first instance, the brothers are his responsibility to deal with. Legally, therefore, the guilty brother becomes his slave initially.