According to Taberî, the accusation of 'theft' is a report coming from Allah and it is a proclaimer (münadî) who says this; this statement is not directly Yusuf's own expression. The proclaimer may have made this call either knowing only that the vessel was lost and being unaware of Yusuf's actual plan, or on Yusuf's command and knowing that they had indeed committed theft in the past, making this call with this expression. Some exegetes have said that this was an error committed by Yusuf and that Allah punished him by having the people respond to this claim.

إنما هو خبر من الله عن مؤذن أذن به، لا خبر عن يوسف وجائز أن يكون المؤذن أذن بذلك أن فقد الصواع ولا يعلم بصنيع يوسف، وجائز أن يكون كان أذن المؤذن بذلك عن أمر يوسف، واستجاز الأمر بالنداء بذلك لعلمه بهم أنهم قد كانوا سرقوا سرقة في بعض الأحوال

According to Zemahşerî, the proclamation (nidâ) in the expression 'nâdâ münâd' occurred after Yusuf's brothers set out with the caravan; according to the narration, Yusuf sent them on their way, then ordered them to be brought back, and only at this stage was the proclamation made. Furthermore, he explains that the word 'îr' means beasts of burden (camel caravan), and according to some, it was originally a donkey caravan but subsequently came to be used for every caravan. The text also conveys the qira'at differences in the verse (وجعل السقاية, تفقدون, صواع/صاع/صوع and the like) and their linguistic explanations.

روي : أنهم ارتحلوا وأمهلهم يوسف حتى انطلقوا ، ثم أمر بهم فأدركوا وحبسوا ، ثم قيل لهم ذلك . والعير : الإبل التي عليها الأحمال ، لأنها تعير : أي تذهب وتجيء

In this text, Râzî discusses the question of whether the 'proclamation' (calling out to the turbaned man) was made by Yusuf's command or by the officials' own assumption, and lists several possibilities to remove the appearance of false attribution to a prophet. One of these possibilities is that Yusuf's brother consented to this trick, one is that the words were spoken not in their real meaning but through insinuation (ta'rîd), one is that the proclamation was in the form of a question and does not count as a lie, and the last is that this proclamation was made by the officials based on their own opinion without Yusuf's command. Furthermore, the views of linguists regarding what kind of vessel the 'sikaya' is and the meaning of the word 'ıyr' are transmitted.

فإن قيل : هل كان ذلك النداء بأمر يوسف أو ما كان بأمره ؟ فإن كان بأمره فكيف يليق بالرسول الحق من عند الله أن يتهم أقواما وينسبهم إلى السرقة كذبا وبهتانا

Kurtubî recounts in this section that Yusuf had the drinking vessel (sakiya) secretly placed in his brother Benjamin's baggage to keep him with himself, after which the proclaimer accused the caravan of theft. He lists narrations about the quality of the sakiya/siva', its material (silver or gold) and qira'at differences. He presents various answers against the appearance of Yusuf attributing theft to his brothers: that their action of stealing Yusuf from his father and throwing him into the well deserved this attribution, or that the expression is in the sense of questioning (istifhâm), or that this was a stratagem to keep Benjamin with him.

وأما نسبة يوسف السرقة إلى إخوته فالجواب : أن القوم كانوا قد سرقوه من أبيه فألقوه في الجب ثم باعوه فاستحقوا هذا الاسم بذلك الفعل فصدق إطلاق ذلك عليهم

According to this exegete, the passage is a narration of an event that tells how they turned and directed themselves toward the person calling out (münadî) and answered him. The text focuses on the act of physically turning toward the direction from which the voice came and responding.

فالتفتوا إلى المنادي وقالوا

Beydâvî explains in this verse that the drinking vessel (sikaya) was secretly placed in Benjamin's baggage and then a call was made to the caravan saying 'you are thieves.' Whether this call was made by Yusuf's command or for another reason is discussed, as well as whether the expression 'theft' is in its real sense or in the sense of being stolen from Yusuf's father. Furthermore, explanations are given regarding the linguistic origin of the words 'el-îr' (caravan) and 'tefkidûn' (you lost) and their different qira'ats.

أيتها العير إنكم لسارقون لعله لم يقله بأمر يوسف عليه الصلاة والسلام أو كان تعبية السقاية والنداء عليها برضا بنيامين. وقيل معناه إنكم لسارقون يوسف من أبيه أو أإنكم لسارقون