Genesis 37 Study Notes

37:25-28 The fact that Joseph’s brothers sat down to eat a meal soon after they disposed of him reveals how brazenly sinful they were. Later Joseph would be free while the brothers were in prison (42:17). But on this day the brothers saw a caravan of Ishmaelites traveling south on the main road leading from Egypt to Damascus. Judah convinced seven of his brothers that it was more profitable to sell Joseph as a slave than to kill him. According to 42:21, Joseph pleaded with his brothers, but to no avail. They sold him for twenty pieces of silver, the standard price for a teenage male slave (Lv 27:5). Midianite is another designation for Ishmaelites in this narrative. Mention of the descendants of Ishmael (21:9-13) and Midian (25:1-6) call to mind the kind of sibling rivalry that is taking place here again.

37:29-35 As the oldest of the brothers, Reuben felt responsible for Joseph’s safety. He had not been present when his brothers decided to sell Joseph. He was shocked and dismayed when he discovered what had happened. In a traditional ancient Near Eastern show of grief, he tore his clothes (cp. v. 34).

Jacob naturally concluded that a vicious animal had torn Joseph to pieces. Joseph had been Jacob’s favorite son (v. 4), and Joseph’s mother Rachel had recently died tragically. Thus when confronted with this evidence, he refused to be comforted, expressing instead the desire to go down to Sheol—the traditional term for the place of the dead—to be with his son.

37:36 Even as Jacob mourned his son’s death, Joseph—very much alive—was taken to Egypt and sold to Potiphar, a prestigious military officer in the court of Pharaoh.