Genesis 37:28
Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The narrative mentions both "Midianite merchantmen" and "Ishmaelites" in quick succession, but they likely refer to the same caravan or a closely associated group. This linguistic overlap highlights the interconnectedness of these nomadic trading peoples and perhaps suggests a unified economic force moving goods across the region. The fact that Joseph was sold for "twenty pieces of silver" is significant; this was a specific sum often associated with the value of a young male slave, indicating this was a standard, if brutal, transaction.
Joseph's brothers, fueled by jealousy over their father's favoritism and Joseph's prophetic dreams, finally get their chance to get rid of him when he comes to check on them in Dothan. They strip him of his special coat and throw him into an empty cistern, intending to let him die and then lie to their father. However, Judah convinces them to sell Joseph to passing traders instead of letting him perish in the pit, and so he is sold into slavery to Ishmaelite merchants who take him to Egypt.
Twenty shekels of silver. That's the price tag put on Joseph's freedom, his family, his future. What does this number truly represent?
This verse pinpoints the exact moment Joseph transitions from a favored son to a slave. The 'twenty shekels of silver' wasn't just a transaction; it was the cold, hard currency of his brothers' envy and malice.
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Midianites? Ishmaelites? Who exactly bought Joseph? The text seems a little… complicated. Let's untangle this caravan.
The specific mention of both 'Midianite' and 'Ishmaelite' traders might seem confusing, but it paints a picture of the ancient trade routes and the peoples who plied them.
Thrown into a pit, sold like property, taken to a foreign land… it looks like a complete disaster. But what was God doing?
While Joseph's brothers acted out of malice and envy, their actions, and the actions of the traders, were unknowingly part of God's sovereign plan.
Understand the original words
bor · Hebrew Noun
A hole or deep excavation in the ground. Symbolically, it often represents a place of danger, death, exile, or the state of Sheol (the grave) from which one needs deliverance.
sheqel · Hebrew Noun
A specific weight of silver used as a standard for commercial exchange and value in the ancient Near East; it was the standard price for the purchase of slaves in various periods.
Mitsrayim · Hebrew Noun
A powerful, ancient nation often serving as a place of refuge, but frequently portrayed as a place of temptation, oppression, or bondage for the people of God.
The sale of Joseph was not a random event but occurred within the context of established trade routes connecting Canaan and Egypt, highlighting the ancient world's interconnectedness and the complex dynamics of early Semitic commerce.
c. 1750 BC
Jacob settles in Canaan
Jacob, father of Joseph, settles with his family in the land of Canaan, where his grandfather Abraham had also lived as a sojourner.
c. 1739 BC
Joseph's dreams and brethren's hatred
Joseph, Jacob's favorite son, has dreams that point to his future authority over his brothers, leading to their intense envy and hatred.
c. 1739 BC
Brothers conspire against Joseph
While Joseph is sent to check on his brothers and their flocks in Shechem, they plot to kill him, eventually throwing him into an empty cistern.
c. 1739 BC— this verse
Midianite and Ishmaelite traders pass by
A caravan of Midianite and Ishmaelite traders, likely traveling between Gilead and Egypt, happens upon the pit where Joseph is held.
c. 1739 BC
Joseph sold into slavery
Joseph is pulled from the pit and sold for twenty pieces of silver to Ishmaelite merchants, who then take him to Egypt.
c. 1739 BC
Joseph arrives in Egypt
The Ishmaelite traders sell Joseph to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard, initiating his life as a slave in Egypt.
This passage deals with restitution for theft, and the price of a stolen person, which directly echoes the 'twenty pieces of silver' paid for Joseph, highlighting the transactional dehumanization inherent in his sale.
Job 1:15The Sabeans and Chaldeans plundered Job's livestock and servants, showing a historical parallel of people being violently taken and sold, underscoring the harsh realities of the ancient world that Joseph was thrust into.
Amos 8:6This verse mentions selling 'the needy for silver' and 'the needy for a pair of sandals,' directly referencing the exploitation of the poor and vulnerable for meager profit, mirroring the brothers' low valuation of Joseph for a mere twenty shekels.
Matthew 26:15Judas Iscariot's betrayal of Jesus for thirty pieces of silver provides a stark New Testament parallel to the selling of a beloved son for silver, demonstrating a recurring theme of betrayal and commodification of human life within biblical narratives.
Colossians 3:10Paul's exhortation to put on the 'new self' which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator, contrasts sharply with the brothers' act of stripping Joseph of his distinctive coat and selling him, illustrating the spiritual transformation needed to overcome such greed and cruelty.
calvinGenesis 37:1-36: "And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan."
These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.
Istae sunt generationes Iahacob. Joseph filius septendecim annorum pascebat cum fratribus suis pecudes, et erat puer cum filiis Bil…
pooleGenesis 37:28: "Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt."
This story seems a little involved, and the persons to whom he was sold doubtful. Here seem to be two, if not three, sorts of merchants mentioned, Ishmeelites and Midianites here, and Medanites, as it is in the Hebrew, Genesis 37:36 , which were a distinct people from the Midianites, a…
The narrative mentions both "Midianite merchantmen" and "Ishmaelites" in quick succession, but they likely refer to the same caravan or a closely associated group. This linguistic overlap highlights the interconnectedness of these nomadic trading peoples and perhaps suggests a unified economic force moving goods across the region. The fact that Joseph was sold for "twenty pieces of silver" is significant; this was a specific sum often associated with the value of a young male slave, indicating this was a standard, if brutal, transaction.
Joseph's brothers, fueled by jealousy over their father's favoritism and Joseph's prophetic dreams, finally get their chance to get rid of him when he comes to check on them in Dothan. They strip him of his special coat and throw him into an empty cistern, intending to let him die and then lie to their father. However, Judah convinces them to sell Joseph to passing traders instead of letting him perish in the pit, and so he is sold into slavery to Ishmaelite merchants who take him to Egypt.
Joseph's brothers, fueled by jealousy over their father's favoritism and Joseph's prophetic dreams, finally get their chance to get rid of him when he comes to check on them in Dothan. They strip him of his special coat and throw him into an empty cistern, intending to let him die and then lie to their father. However, Judah convinces them to sell Joseph to passing traders instead of letting him perish in the pit, and so he is sold into slavery to Ishmaelite merchants who take him to Egypt.
"Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt." — The narrative mentions both "Midianite merchantmen" and "Ishmaelites" in quick succession, but they likely refer to the same caravan or a closely associated group. This linguistic overlap highlights…
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