S6 214: Character Study — Joseph, Part 1
Who Bought Joseph? [37:06]
Episode Length: 37:06
Published Date: Thu, 08 Apr 2021 01:00:00 -0700
Session 6
About this episode:
Marty Solomon and Brent Billings examine the arguments surrounding who bought Joseph from his brothers.
The Exodus You Almost Passed Over by Rabbi David Fohrman
Genesis: A Parsha Companion by Rabbi David Fohrman
Subscribe to Aleph Beta Academy
BEMA listeners can use code friendsofbema for one month off of a monthly Premium membership.
Notes
*Note: The following notes are handwritten by me, Adam, and I reserve the right to be wrong.
BEMA Episode 214: Character Study - Joseph, Part 1
Title & Source Summary
Episode: 214 - Character Study - Joseph, Part 1 Hosts: Marty Solomon and Brent Billings Focus: Genesis 37 and 42:21 - The story of Joseph being sold and the rabbinical debate surrounding who actually sold him to Egypt
This episode examines one of the most debated questions in rabbinical literature: Who sold Joseph to Egypt? While the surface-level answer seems obvious - his brothers did - a closer examination of the Hebrew text reveals layers of complexity that have sparked centuries of rabbinical commentary. The episode explores how the brothers’ own confession in Genesis 42:21 raises questions about what they actually did, and introduces the ongoing debate between Rashi, Rambam, and Ramban about the identity of Joseph’s sellers. The discussion culminates in a profound insight about the nature of the brothers’ sin: not a physical transaction, but a complete disregard for Joseph’s humanity.
Key Takeaways
- The brothers’ confession in Genesis 42:21 only mentions their failure to hear Joseph’s cry from the pit - they never mention selling him into slavery, suggesting they may not have known he ended up in Egypt
- The Hebrew text of Genesis 37:28 does not specify “his brothers” as the subject who pulled Joseph from the pit - it simply says “they,” which could refer to the Midianites
- Three major rabbis (Rashi, Rambam/Maimonides, and Ramban/Nachmanides) debated this passage over centuries, each offering different explanations for who sold Joseph and how
- The most significant interpretation connects the story to Amos’ condemnation of those who “sell the poor for a pair of sandals” - pointing to the brothers’ complete disregard for Joseph’s humanity
- Joseph never sent word home to his father because he did not know that his brothers had deceived Jacob into thinking he was dead - Joseph would have assumed his father knew he was alive and wondered why Jacob never came to rescue him
- Understanding the rabbinical conversation requires wrestling with all the textual details rather than explaining them away through apologetics
- The NIV and other English translations insert words not present in the Hebrew, which can obscure the ambiguity that rabbis have debated for centuries
Main Concepts & Theories
The Problem of Genesis 42:21
When the brothers are caught with the planted silver cup in Egypt and see it as divine justice, they confess: “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life but we would not listen.”
The problem: They only confess to not hearing his cry. They say nothing about the more egregious crime of selling him into slavery. This suggests they genuinely did not know that Joseph ended up in Egypt as a result of their actions. This textual detail launched the rabbinical debate about what actually happened in Genesis 37.
The Three Plans for Joseph
- Plan A (Original): Kill Joseph and throw him in a cistern, claiming a wild animal devoured him
- Plan B (Reuben’s Modification): Don’t kill him - just throw him in the cistern and leave him in the wilderness. Reuben secretly planned to return and rescue Joseph, but the other brothers thought they were letting him die indirectly
- Plan C (Judah’s Modification): Don’t let him die for nothing - sell him to the Ishmaelites for profit (20 shekels of silver)
The Mystery of the Multiple Sellers
The text mentions three different groups in connection with selling Joseph:
- The Brothers - Judah proposes selling Joseph to the Ishmaelites (v. 27)
- The Ishmaelites - A caravan coming from Gilead on their way to Egypt (v. 25)
- The Midianites - Merchants who either participated in or facilitated the sale (v. 28, 36)
Three Rabbinical Interpretations
Rabbi #1 (Rashi - Shlomo Ben Yitzchaki, 1040-1105 AD): The brothers sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites, who then resold him to the Midianites, who took him to Egypt. The brothers didn’t realize the secondary transaction occurred, so they didn’t know Joseph actually made it to Egypt.
Rabbi #2 (Rambam - Maimonides): The brothers went off to negotiate with the Ishmaelites. While they were away from the cistern, the Midianites happened to pass by, heard someone crying, pulled Joseph out, and sold him to the Ishmaelites. This explains why Reuben returned to find Joseph gone - the brothers themselves never physically removed him from the pit. The Midianites sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites, who sold him to Potiphar.
Rabbi #3 (Ramban - Nachmanides, 1194-1270 AD): The real question is not who sold Joseph, but what the brothers bought with the 20 shekels of silver: sandals. This is a remez (hint/allusion) to Amos 2:6 - “They sell the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of sandals.” The point is not the mechanics of the transaction but the brothers’ complete disregard for Joseph’s humanity - they valued their own comfort (sandals) more than their brother’s life.
The Textual Ambiguity in Hebrew
Genesis 37:28 in Hebrew does not specify the subject “his brothers.” The NIV inserts this for clarity, but the Hebrew simply says “they”:
- NIV: “When the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern…”
- Hebrew (literal): “When the Midianite merchants came by, they pulled Joseph up out of the cistern…”
The ambiguous “they” could refer to the Midianites rather than the brothers, supporting Rabbi #2’s interpretation.
The Selling of the Poor for Sandals
Amos 2:6 condemns Israel: “They sell the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of sandals.” The Hebrew word for selling in the Joseph narrative appears in only a few places: the Joseph story, the book of Esther, and Amos.
Ramban’s interpretation connects these passages: The brothers’ real sin was not a specific commercial transaction, but their complete and utter disregard for Joseph’s humanity. They saw him as a variable to be manipulated rather than a person to be valued. They would sell the poor (Joseph, the marginalized, crying from the pit) for their own comfort (symbolized by sandals).
Why Joseph Never Sent Word Home
As readers, we know something Joseph does not know: his brothers deceived Jacob into believing Joseph was dead (by showing him the bloodied robe). Joseph does not know this happened.
From Joseph’s perspective:
- He was sold into slavery in Egypt
- His father would know he was missing
- His father loved him and would come rescue him
- But his father never came
This creates a profound psychological wound for Joseph. He would have assumed his father knew he was alive and chose not to rescue him. This explains why Joseph never sent word home - he believed his father already knew and had abandoned him.
The Jewish Approach to Text vs. Western Apologetics
Jewish interpretation (Midrash) requires making all textual details fit together without explaining them away. Western apologetics often tries to harmonize difficulties by dismissing details or claiming textual errors. The rabbinical conversation embraces the textual tensions and wrestles with them, allowing multiple interpretations to coexist and inform one another.
Manuscript Considerations
The Masoretic Text (Hebrew-Aramaic text of the Tanakh, dated 600-900 AD) has a variant reading in verse 36, reading “Medanites” instead of “Midianites” (which appears in the Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint, Vulgate, and Syriac). This textual variant may have influenced the rabbinical conversation, potentially adding another group to the discussion, though it likely refers to the same group by a different name.
Examples & Applications
Real-World Parallels
Human Trafficking and Dehumanization: The brothers’ sin mirrors modern human trafficking - seeing people as commodities rather than as bearers of the image of God. The connection to Amos’ condemnation challenges us to examine how we might “sell the poor for sandals” by prioritizing our comfort over others’ dignity.
Family Dysfunction and Favoritism: Jacob’s favoritism toward Joseph (the ornate robe) created the conditions for the brothers’ jealousy and violence. This demonstrates how parental favoritism can create toxic family dynamics with devastating consequences.
The Silence of Victims: Joseph’s assumption that his father knew about his situation but chose not to help reflects the experience of many abuse victims who believe those in authority know about their suffering but choose inaction.
Historical Context
Reuben as Firstborn (Bechor): As the firstborn, Reuben bore special responsibility for his brothers. His attempt to save Joseph reflects his role, but his indirect approach (secretly planning to rescue Joseph later) fails because he doesn’t confront the other brothers directly.
Commercial Transactions in the Ancient Near East: The sale of Joseph for 20 shekels of silver reflects the slave trade networks that connected Canaan with Egypt. The Ishmaelites and Midianites were known as traveling merchants who facilitated such transactions.
Rabbinical Debate Over Centuries: The conversation between Rashi (11th century), Maimonides (12th century), and Nachmanides (13th century) demonstrates the living tradition of Jewish biblical interpretation, where each generation builds upon previous insights.
Theological Implications
Measure-for-Measure Justice: The brothers see their predicament in Egypt as God’s measure-for-measure punishment: they ignored Joseph’s cries, and now the Egyptian official ignores theirs. This reflects the Jewish concept of middah keneged middah (measure for measure) in divine justice.
The Cry of the Oppressed: The brothers’ failure to hear Joseph’s cry connects to the broader biblical theme of God hearing the cry of the oppressed (as in Exodus when God hears Israel’s cry in Egypt). Their sin was not just the transaction but their deaf ears to suffering.
Potential Areas for Further Exploration
Textual Studies
- Comprehensive comparison of the Masoretic Text, Septuagint, and other ancient manuscripts regarding the Midianite/Medanite/Ishmaelite references
- Analysis of the Hebrew word for “selling” (used in Joseph, Esther, and Amos) and its semantic range
- Study of remez (allusion/hint) as a rabbinical interpretive technique
Character Studies
- The psychology of Joseph during his years in Egypt, believing his father had abandoned him
- Reuben’s role as firstborn and his failure to directly confront his brothers
- Judah’s character development from proposing to sell Joseph to later offering himself as a substitute for Benjamin
- Jacob’s favoritism and its impact on family dynamics
Thematic Connections
- The “Goats and Coats” teaching by Rabbi Fohrman connecting the goat blood on Joseph’s robe to other biblical narratives
- Connections between Joseph and other biblical figures: David and Jonathan, Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau
- The Joseph narrative as foreshadowing the Exodus (explored in Rabbi Fohrman’s “The Exodus You Almost Passed Over”)
Broader Biblical Context
- Amos 2:6 and other prophetic condemnations of selling the poor
- The theme of brothers betraying brothers throughout Genesis
- The pattern of younger sons being chosen over older sons in the patriarchal narratives
- How the Joseph story sets up the descent into Egypt and the eventual Exodus
Contemporary Applications
- Modern forms of “selling the poor for sandals” - prioritizing comfort over justice
- The impact of childhood trauma (Joseph’s experience) on adult relationships and behavior
- Family systems and the long-term effects of favoritism
- Hermeneutical approaches: Western apologetics vs. Jewish Midrash
Recommended Resources
- “The Exodus You Almost Passed Over” by Rabbi David Fohrman (especially Part 4 on Joseph)
- “Genesis: The Parsha Companion” by Rabbi David Fohrman
- AlephBeta.org - Rabbi Fohrman’s video lectures, including “Goats and Coats” and “Why Didn’t Joseph Write Home?”
- Commentaries by Rashi, Maimonides (Rambam), and Nachmanides (Ramban) on Genesis 37
Comprehension Questions
-
What detail in Genesis 42:21 sparked the rabbinical debate about who sold Joseph to Egypt? Explain why the brothers’ confession seems incomplete given the full story in Genesis 37.
-
Compare and contrast the three rabbinical interpretations (Rashi’s, Rambam’s, and Ramban’s) of who sold Joseph and how the transaction occurred. What textual details does each interpretation attempt to explain?
-
What is the significance of Ramban’s focus on the “pair of sandals” purchased with the 20 shekels of silver? How does this connect to the book of Amos, and what does it reveal about the nature of the brothers’ sin?
-
Why didn’t Joseph send word home to his father Jacob? What did Joseph know, what did he not know, and how would this have affected his understanding of his situation and his father’s lack of response?
-
How does the Hebrew text of Genesis 37:28 differ from English translations like the NIV, and why does this matter for interpretation? What possibilities does the ambiguous Hebrew pronoun “they” allow?
Summary
This episode challenges our surface-level reading of one of the Bible’s most familiar stories by revealing the depth of rabbinical debate about a seemingly simple question: Who sold Joseph to Egypt? While most readers assume the brothers did, a careful reading of Genesis 37 alongside the brothers’ confession in Genesis 42:21 raises significant questions. The brothers only confess to not hearing Joseph’s cry - they never mention selling him, suggesting they may not have known he ended up in Egypt.
Three major rabbis offered competing explanations over the centuries. Rashi proposed the brothers sold Joseph to Ishmaelites who resold him to Midianites. Maimonides argued that Midianites found Joseph in the pit while the brothers were away negotiating. Nachmanides shifted the conversation entirely, arguing the real question is what they bought with the silver: sandals - a remez to Amos’ condemnation of those who “sell the poor for a pair of sandals.”
This last interpretation proves most profound: the brothers’ sin was not primarily a commercial transaction but a complete disregard for Joseph’s humanity. They saw him as a variable to manipulate rather than a person to value. This connects to the broader biblical theme of hearing the cry of the oppressed, which the brothers utterly failed to do.
The episode concludes with a cliffhanger: Joseph never sent word home because he did not know his brothers had deceived Jacob into thinking he was dead. Joseph would have assumed his father knew about his enslavement and wondered why Jacob never came to rescue him - a psychological wound that will become significant in Part 2.
Throughout, the episode models the Jewish approach to Scripture: wrestling with textual details rather than explaining them away, allowing multiple interpretations to coexist, and seeking the deeper moral and theological truths embedded in seemingly minor textual ambiguities. This approach invites curiosity over certainty and reminds us there is always more to learn from texts we think we already understand.
Edit | Previous | Next