Genesis 37.25-28-Joseph's Brothers Sell Him Into Slavery
Thursday November 2, 2006
Genesis: Genesis 37:25-28-Joseph’s Brothers Sell Him Into Slavery
Lesson # 232
Please turn in your Bibles to Genesis 37:2.
This evening we will continue with our study of Genesis 37, which presents to us the story of Joseph being sold into slavery by his brothers.
By way of review of Genesis 37, we have noted the following:
Genesis 37:2 presented the account of Jacob’s sons as well as Joseph giving his father Jacob a slanderous report of his brothers.
In Genesis 37:3a, we noted that since the name “Israel” is divine in origin and was used in the context of the unfair treatment that Joseph suffered at the hands of his brothers, that these events were a manifestation of the providence of God, which refers to the fact that Joseph’s life was not ruled by chance or fate but by God.
In Genesis 37:3-4 we saw Israel favoring Joseph over his other sons because he was the son of his old age, which led to Joseph’s brothers resenting him.
Then, in Genesis 37:5-11 we saw Joseph having two prophetic dreams, which he relates to his brothers resulting in Joseph being the object of his brother’s hate and jealousy, which eventually led to their plotting to kill Joseph.
Last evening, we studied Genesis 37:12-24, where we saw Joseph’s brothers attempting to kill him but are restrained by Reuben who suggests an alternative plan to throw Joseph into a cistern and let him die by natural causes.
However, Reuben’s real intent was to buy time so he could deliver Joseph at a more opportune moment when his brothers were not around.
This evening we will study Genesis 37:25-28, where we will see Joseph’s brothers selling him into slavery.
Genesis 37:2, “These are the records of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, when seventeen years of age, was pasturing the flock with his brothers while he was still a youth, along with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father.”
Genesis 37:3, “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a varicolored tunic.”
Genesis 37:4, “His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers; and so they hated him and could not speak to him on friendly terms.”
Genesis 37:5, “Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more.”
Genesis 37:6-7, “He said to them, ‘Please listen to this dream which I have had; for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf rose up and also stood erect; and behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf.”
Genesis 37:8, “Then his brothers said to him, ‘Are you actually going to reign over us? Or are you really going to rule over us?’ So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.”
Genesis 37:9, “Now he had still another dream, and related it to his brothers, and said, ‘Lo, I have had still another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.’”
Genesis 37:10, “He related it to his father and to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, ‘What is this dream that you have had? Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?’”
Genesis 37:11, “His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.”
Genesis 37:12, “Then his brothers went to pasture their father's flock in Shechem.”
Genesis 37:13, “Israel said to Joseph, ‘Are not your brothers pasturing the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.’ And he said to him, ‘I will go.’”
Genesis 37:14, “Then he said to him, ‘Go now and see about the welfare of your brothers and the welfare of the flock, and bring word back to me.’ So he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.’”
Genesis 37:15, “A man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field; and the man asked him, ‘What are you looking for?’”
Genesis 37:16, “He said, ‘I am looking for my brothers; please tell me where they are pasturing the flock.’”
Genesis 37:17, “Then the man said, ‘They have moved from here; for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.”
Genesis 37:18, “When they saw him from a distance and before he came close to them, they plotted against him to put him to death.”
Genesis 37:19, “They said to one another, ‘Here comes this dreamer!’”
Genesis 37:20, “Now then, come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say, ‘A wild beast devoured him.’ Then let us see what will become of his dreams!”
Genesis 37:21, “But Reuben heard this and rescued him out of their hands and said, ‘Let us not take his life.’”
Genesis 37:22, “Reuben further said to them, ‘Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay hands on him’ -- that he might rescue him out of their hands, to restore him to his father.”
Genesis 37:23-24, “So it came about, when Joseph reached his brothers that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the varicolored tunic that was on him; and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, without any water in it.”
Genesis 37:25, “Then they sat down to eat a meal. And as they raised their eyes and looked, behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing aromatic gum and balm and myrrh, on their way to bring them down to Egypt.”
Genesis 37:25 records that Joseph’s brothers had a meal together after they threw Joseph into the empty cistern and Genesis 42:21 records that Joseph was filled with fear and pleaded with his brothers while they ate their meal together.
Therefore, we can see from a comparison of Genesis 37:25 with Genesis 42:21 reveal the cold, insensitive and indifferent attitude of Joseph’s brothers towards him, which was a manifestation of the “passive” form of hate.
The “active” form of hate is expressed by unjustifiable hostility and antagonism towards another, which expresses itself in malicious words and actions whereas the “passive” form of hate is manifested by coldness, by isolation, by exclusion, unconcern for your fellow human being.
Joseph’s brothers manifested the “active” form of hate by attempting to murder him until Reuben intervened.
The fact that Joseph’s brothers sat down to eat while Joseph was pleading with them to free him demonstrates a total lack of pity and no sense of guilt or remorse.
Ironically, the next meal that the brothers will have in Joseph’s presence will be with Joseph at the head of the table as prime minister of Egypt (See Genesis 43:32-34).
Undoubtedly, Joseph’s brothers would take the time during the meal to discuss amongst themselves the fate of Joseph.
Evidently, Reuben was not at this meal as indicated in that he was not present when the brothers sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites according to Genesis 37:29-30.
It is not stated why Reuben was not at this meal since if he was, Joseph would never have been sold into slavery.
He might have gone back to take care of the flocks since his brothers were so occupied with Joseph.
The statement “they raised their eyes” refers to the fact that Joseph’s brothers looked up from their meal.
The words “looked, behold” signals that what Joseph’s brothers are about to observe, though unknown to them and Joseph, would be of great significance to their family and consequently, of great significance in the history of the nation of Israel and the salvation of the world.
The significance of Joseph being sold into slavery was that it was the first step in fulfilling the prophecy the Lord gave to Abraham in Genesis 15:13-14 that his descendants, the Israelites would be enslaved for four hundred years (round number, actual number 430) in Egypt but would be delivered by God.
At this point in the narrative, Joseph and his brothers were located in Dothan, which was 15 miles north of Shechem and resided close to the main trade route through Palestine, the Via Maris, which cuts across the plain of Jezreel from the Sea of Galilee to pass along the coastal plain to Egypt (Y. Aharoni, Land of the Bible, pages 41-49).
Therefore, it was a common occurrence for caravans to pass through the area of Dothan since it was close to the main trade route through Palestine to Egypt.
“Ishmaelites” is the proper noun yishme`e’li (yl!au@m+v+y!) (yish-maw-ay-lee) and they were the descendants of Ishmael and his twelve sons whose father was Abraham and his mother was Hagar (See Genesis 16; 21:9-21; 25:12-18).
Not only was Abraham the father of the nation of Israel that originated with Jacob’s twelve sons but also he was the father of the Arabs through his son Ishmael and his twelve sons (Gen. 17:20; 21:13; 25:12-18).
Therefore, Jacob’s sons were related to the Ishmaelites by blood since they both descended from Abraham.
“Gilead” is the proper noun gil`adh (du*l+G!) (ghil-adh), which means, “rocky region” and is a mountain region east of the Jordan River 3,000 feet above sea level, extending about 60 miles from near the south end of the Sea of Galilee to the north end of the Dead Sea.
“Gilead” is about 20 miles wide and is bounded on the west by the Jordan River, on the south by the land of Moab, on the north by the Yarmuk River, and on the east by the desert.
If you recall, Jacob fled to Gilead from Laban his father-in-law (Gen 31:21).
The balm of Gilead, an aromatic resin used for medical purposes, was exported to Tyre and elsewhere (Ezek 27:17) and the Ishmaelites who carried Joseph into Egyptian bondage also traded in Gilead balm (Gen 37:25), which appears in Egyptian records as a healing salve (cf. Jer. 8:22; 46:11).
Genesis 37:25 tells us that the Ishmaelites were heading to Egypt and that their camels were carrying “aromatic gum and balm and myrrh.”
“Aromatic gum” is the noun nekho’th (tak)n+) (nek-ohth), which refers to a rare spice, believed to be labdanum resin from the Cistus.
The Cistus according to Encyclopaedia Britannica (1997) was “any of a genus of seventeen species of low to medium sized shrubs in the rock rose family.”
This rare spice was used for perfumes, incense and as an expectorant meaning it promoted the secretion of fluid from the respiratory tract.
“Balm” is the proper noun tsori (yr!x() (tsor-ee), which is derived from an unused root tsarah, “to crack,” hence, “to leak,” “distillation.”
It is applied to the opobalsamum, the balsam distilling from an unknown tree or fruit growing in Gilead of the Transjordan (cf. Ezekiel 27:17).
This resin seems to have been widely associated with healing properties and soothed wounds and provided a pleasant aroma to counteract the smell of rotting flesh caused by such wounds.
“Myrrh” is the proper noun lot (fO) (lote), which is a perfumed gum produced by the Cistus incanus and is called ladanum and was used for incense, perfume and as a stimulant and expectorant.
The most common word for “myrrh” is mor (rm)) (more), which refers to the gum resin extracted from a number of species and was used as a perfume for embalming.
Nahum Sarna, “Gums and resins played an important role in the economy of Egypt as they constituted the ingredients of perfumes, cosmetics and medicines, all of which were put to a wide variety of uses in the cult of the gods, in embalming the dead, as sanitizing and deodorizing agents, as insect repellants and above all, for cleansing and conditioning the body in the absence of soap” (Nahum Sarna, JPS Torah Commentary, page 260, The Jewish Publication Society).
Genesis 37:26, “Judah said to his brothers, ‘What profit is it for us to kill our brother and cover up his blood?’”
Genesis 37:27, “Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh. And his brothers listened to him.”
Now, we see that Judah takes the lead in comes up with an idea.
“Judah” (hd*Why+) (yehudhah) (yeh-hoo-daw) was the fourth child that Leah bored to Jacob and his name means, “I will praise the Lord” according to Genesis 29:35.
Reuben’s idea of dumping Joseph in the pit (empty cistern) left the problem of Joseph unresolved.
The fact that Judah intervenes and actually acknowledges that Joseph is their brother is a sign that like Reuben, Judah had a conscience in that his idea to sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites prevented Joseph’s murder.
Judah’s proposal appears cruel on the surface but it appears that he recognized during the meal that Simeon and Levi were determined to treat Joseph harshly so in a desperate attempt to save Joseph’s life he presents this proposal.
Further indicating that Judah, like Reuben was attempting to prevent the murder of Joseph is that later on after Joseph has been sold to the Ishmaelites, Genesis 38:1 records that Judah separated from his brothers when no apparent reason is given, thus implying that Judah did “not” agree with his brothers’ plans to murder Joseph.
Even though Judah’s proposal only substituted one evil for another since like murder, kidnapping was a capital offense (See Exodus 21:16; Deuteronomy 24:7), his rationale was that Joseph was better off alive than dead, even if it meant he would spend the rest of his life a slave.
Evidently, while Reuben was away with the flocks, the conversation during the meal returned to murdering Joseph and so Judah intervenes to save Joseph.
Maybe the sight of the Ishmaelites reminded Judah and his brothers of their privileged status as God’s covenant people since the Ishmaelites were not.
By selling Joseph into slavery, Judah reminds his brothers that they would then not be guilty of murder, which indicates that Judah had a conscience before God in that he knew that murder was a capital offense that demanded capital punishment.
The Word of God prohibits murder according to Exodus 20:13 and is one of the sins that God hates according to Proverbs 6:16-19 and according to Genesis 9:6 is to be punished through capital punishment.
Joseph could be killed either by violence or by leaving him in the empty cistern to die of exposure and/or starvation.
Judah’s question, “What profit is it for us to kill our brother?” is design to conceal his true intention to prevent Joseph’s murder by appealing to his brothers’ lust of money.
The phrase “cover up his blood” is a biblical idiom in that since the time of Cain, the blood of a murder victim was said to “cry out” for justice, thus uncovered blood served as a constant reminder of a crime and as an incitement to revenge.
Therefore, this phrase reveals Judah’s respect for the laws of God, which prohibit murder.
It appears that both Judah and Reuben feared for their own lives after seeing what Simeon and Levi did to the Shechemites and so they don’t reveal their intentions to save Joseph.
Genesis 37:28, ‘Then some Midianite traders passed by, so they (Joseph’s brothers) pulled him up and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. Thus they brought Joseph into Egypt.”
The “Midianites” (midhyani, “strife”) (yn!y*d+m!) (mid-yaw-nee) were the descendants of “Midian” the fourth son of Abraham and Keturah according to Genesis 25:1-2 and were a well-known Arabian tribe east of the Gulf of Aqabah and the Red Sea.
They traded in gold and incense according to Isaiah 60:6, Genesis 37:25, 28, and did this from Moab to Sinai and Ephah according to Numbers 22:4, 7, Judges 6-8.
“Keturah” (qoturah, “incense, perfume) (hr*Wfq() (ket-oo-raw) became Abraham’s concubine after Sarah’s death (See 1 Chronicles 1:32; Genesis 25:1) and she bore Abraham six sons (Genesis 25:2).
Abraham was the father of one branch of the Arabs by Hagar through Ishmael and his twelve sons as well as the father of another branch of Arabs by Keturah and their six sons (Gen. 17:20; 21:13; 25:12-18).
Keturah’s name, which means, “perfume, fragrance” signifies the trade of her sons.
The names “Ishmaelites” and “Midianites” in Genesis 37:25, 27, 28, 36 and Genesis 39:1 are synonymous terms, which is confirmed by Judges 8:24, which says of the Midianites “they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.”
Evidently, the descendants of Ishmael and Midian intermarried (See Genesis 25:2, 17-18; 29:9) since both were descended from Abraham, Ishmael’s mother was Hagar and Midian’s was Keturah.
Therefore, the word “they” refers to Joseph’s brothers since the names “Ishmaelites” and “Midianites” are referring to the same group of individuals.
The use of these two terms in Genesis 37 indicates that the term “Ishmaelite” was a generic term or general designation for “nomadic traders” or “desert tribes” whereas “Midianite” indicates a specific ethnic affiliation.
Or in other words, the term “Midianites” in Genesis 37 refers to a specific ethnic affiliation among the league of desert tribes or nomadic traders known by the generic use of the term “Ishmaelites.”
Genesis 37:28, ‘Then some Midianite traders passed by, so they (Joseph’s brothers) pulled him up and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels (word “shekels” not found in original Hebrew text) of silver. Thus they brought Joseph into Egypt.”
The Hebrew text of Genesis 37:28 literally reads, “They dragged and lifted Joseph out from the cistern and they sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver and they brought Joseph to Egypt.”
The three-fold repetition of Joseph’s name in the original Hebrew text emphasizes that Joseph being sold into slavery and brought to Egypt was an extremely important and providential event in the family of Jacob and in the history of the nation of Israel in its infancy.
Joseph’s brothers sold him for “twenty shekels of silver” which was the value of a boy between the ages of five and twenty years of age according to Leviticus 27:5, thus Joseph was sold for this amount.
The average price of a slave of full physical maturity was thirty shekels according to Exodus 21:32, which was the price for which our Lord was betrayed by Judas.
At the time, Joseph’s brothers thought that they had finally rid themselves of Joseph but unwittingly they have contributed to fulfilling Joseph’s dreams and God’s purpose, which was to rule over them as the prime minister of Egypt.
The selling of Joseph into slavery in Egypt was decreed by God to take place from eternity past.