Misinterpretations often portray Joseph as endorsing arbitrary slavery or cruel punishment without mercy, overlooking that this is a staged test with the cup planted by his steward to probe the brothers' integrity and unity; it is neither a literal legal precedent nor evidence of Joseph's vengefulness, but a narrative device in the Joseph story emphasizing themes of repentance, forgiveness, and God's sovereignty rather than promoting harsh servitude as normative.
Genesis 44:10
King James Version (1769)
10 And he said, Now also let it be according unto your words: he with whom it is found shall be my servant; and ye shall be blameless.
Joseph agrees to the brothers' own proposal in testing whose sack contains the stolen silver cup, stipulating that the guilty one will serve him while the rest are cleared, highlighting a moment of apparent justice that actually serves as a divine orchestration to test the brothers' character, reveal their growth in loyalty toward Benjamin compared to their past treatment of Joseph, and advance the path to family reconciliation under God's providential plan.