Psalm 105:17-18
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The verse highlights a subtle, yet profound, aspect of divine planning: God "sent" Joseph, not merely that Joseph "was sold." This framing emphasizes God's sovereign purpose behind Joseph's suffering, turning a human act of betrayal into part of a divine rescue mission. It reveals God's ability to weave even wicked deeds into the fabric of His redemptive work.
he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron;
English Standard Version (ESV)
This psalm is recounting God's faithfulness to His covenant people, highlighting the story of Joseph. Before a famine strikes the land, God providentially sends Joseph ahead into Egypt, even though he was sold into slavery by his own brothers, ultimately preserving his family.
How can we see God at work when life feels unfair and we're suffering through no fault of our own? The story of Joseph offers a powerful perspective.
This verse highlights a profound truth: God's plans often unfold through human wickedness and suffering. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers out of jealousy, a terrible act. Yet, the psalmist declares, 'he had sent a man before them, Joseph...'. This wasn't a passive observation; it was an active declaration of divine purpose. God wasn't caught off guard by the brothers' evil deeds. Instead, He sovereignly orchestrated events, using even the sin of selling Joseph to fulfill a greater plan of preservation and redemption. This teaches us that while human actions have real consequences and carry moral weight, God is ultimately in control, able to weave even the darkest threads into the tapestry of His redemptive purposes. He doesn't cause the evil, but He can and does use it for good.
Was Joseph's painful journey into slavery just a random misfortune, or was it a deliberate step in God's grand design?
The phrase 'he had sent a man before them' implies that Joseph's presence in Egypt was not accidental but purposeful. His sale into slavery, though a deeply unjust and traumatic event, served as the necessary precursor for his later rise to power. This suffering prepared him for the role God had for him: to manage Egypt's resources and ultimately save his own family from famine. It was a painful, circuitous route, but each step, including the selling and enslavement, was part of God's plan to position Joseph to be a deliverer. This reveals that God's 'sending' isn't always a direct appointment; sometimes, it involves allowing His chosen people to walk through difficult, even degrading, experiences that ultimately equip them for their divine calling.
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Understand the original words
'ish · Hebrew Noun
In the biblical context, an individual is often chosen by God to fulfill a specific role in His redemptive history, functioning as a bridge between God's promise and its fulfillment.
'ebed · Hebrew Noun
A condition of being owned by another, used in Scripture to describe social bondage, but also metaphorically to describe the state of being owned by God (servitude) or by sin.
kebhel · Hebrew Noun
Instruments of binding, representing physical confinement, restriction, and the state of being restrained from one's own will or calling.
This psalm highlights God's sovereign hand, even in the midst of human betrayal and suffering. Joseph's enslavement, a brutal act by his brothers, is shown not as a random tragedy, but as a divinely orchestrated event to preserve Israel through a coming famine and ultimately lead to the Exodus.
c. 1750 BC— this verse
Joseph sold into slavery
Jacob's son Joseph is betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery, eventually ending up in Egypt. This event is a pivotal moment in the early history of Israel.
c. 1750-1720 BC
Joseph's trials in Egypt
Joseph endures hardship and injustice in Egypt, including imprisonment, but remains faithful. His faithfulness and God's providence see him rise to a position of power.
c. 1720 BC
Famine strikes the region
A severe famine grips Canaan and Egypt, fulfilling Joseph's prophetic interpretation of Pharaoh's dreams. This sets the stage for his family's migration.
c. 1720 BC
Jacob's family moves to Egypt
Joseph, now a powerful figure in Egypt, arranges for his father Jacob and their entire family to settle in the land of Goshen to survive the famine.
c. 1446 BC
The Exodus from Egypt
Centuries later, the descendants of Jacob, now a great nation enslaved in Egypt, are miraculously led out of bondage by Moses.
This passage is Joseph himself explaining that God sent him to Egypt through his trials, echoing the Psalmist's perspective on divine providence.
Genesis 50:20Here, Joseph reassures his brothers that while they intended evil by selling him, God intended it for good, perfectly aligning with the Psalm's theme of God's sovereign purpose overriding human wickedness.
Romans 8:28This New Testament passage speaks to the overarching truth that God works all things for good for those who love Him, mirroring the Psalm's message about God orchestrating even difficult circumstances for His people's ultimate benefit.
1 Peter 1:6-7The Apostle Peter describes believers' trials as a refining process, much like Joseph's suffering tested him until God's word came to fruition, showing that hardship can be part of a divine plan.
pulpitPsalms 105:17: "He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant:"
Verse 17. - He sent a man before them, even Joseph. This is the real sense, though it is not fully expressed in the Hebrew. On the providential sending of Joseph into Egypt, see his own words, "God did send me before you, to preserve life" (Genesis 45:5). Who was sold for a servant (comp. Genesis 33:28, 36; Genesis 39:1).
ellicottPsalms 105:17: "He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant:"
(17) Repeats Joseph’s own explanation, twice given, of the ways of Providence in his life ( Genesis 45:5 ; Genesis 1:20 ).
The verse highlights a subtle, yet profound, aspect of divine planning: God "sent" Joseph, not merely that Joseph "was sold." This framing emphasizes God's sovereign purpose behind Joseph's suffering, turning a human act of betrayal into part of a divine rescue mission. It reveals God's ability to weave even wicked deeds into the fabric of His redemptive work.
This psalm is recounting God's faithfulness to His covenant people, highlighting the story of Joseph. Before a famine strikes the land, God providentially sends Joseph ahead into Egypt, even though he was sold into slavery by his own brothers, ultimately preserving his family.
This psalm is recounting God's faithfulness to His covenant people, highlighting the story of Joseph. Before a famine strikes the land, God providentially sends Joseph ahead into Egypt, even though he was sold into slavery by his own brothers, ultimately preserving his family.
"he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron;" — The verse highlights a subtle, yet profound, aspect of divine planning: God "sent" Joseph, not merely that Joseph "was sold." This framing emphasizes God's sovereign purpose behind Joseph's suffering…
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Last reviewed October 2026
