Who sold Joseph to the Egyptians???

Question

Gen 37:28 - Says Joseph was sold to the Ishmaelites by the Midinites. And the Ishmaelites sold Joseph to the Egyptians.

Gen 37:36 - Says that the Midinites sold Joseph to Poriphar, an officer of the pharaoh.

Acts 7:9 - says Patriarchs were envious and sold Joseph to Egypt

Gen 45:4 - says Joseph was sold to the Egyptians by his brothers.

Well - which was it???

What make you so cretin it was his brothers when the scriptures make all 4 statements?

Answer 1

There is no conflict in these verses. You are right about the brothers 'not' selling Joseph. Nevertheless Acts 7:9 stands correct as does Gen. 45.4. because their 'intent' was to sell him and where he wound up was their responsibility. The Holy Spirit writes of the intent and there is no doubt his brothers sold him; as did the Midinites as did the Ishmaelites, all sons of Abraham.

Joseph was sold by his brethern and Jesus was sold by his brethern. God goes to motive and never makes a mistake.

Gen. 37: 27 and 29 show clearly that his brothers put him in the pit and had decided, rather than kill him, to sell him to the Ishmaelites.

Gen. 37:28 shows this did not happen for Midinites came by; took him out of the pit and sold him to the Ishmaelites who took him to Egypt and sold him again. Because the Midinites sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites they were in turn responsible for selling Joseph to Egypt. Gen. 39:1 confirms that it was the Ishmaelites who delivered him to Potiphar.

Most who would read Genesis back when, would have expected Joseph, if taken by Midinites, to wind up in Arabia. The verse notes they sold him into Egypt which is what they did by selling him to the Ishaelites. The sale is picked up in Gen. 39:1 and confirms Gen. 37:36.

The story is so tight, from Gen. 37 to 39 to 45 that a modern lawyer couldn't drive a doubt through it. Of greater interest is the fact that Joseph was passed into Egypt by sons of Sarah, Hagar and Keturah, all sons of Abraham. The prime ones at fault however were his near kinsmen.

There is a spiritual reason for keeping close track of how Joseph got to Egypt. His life is prophetic of the life of Christ down to this hour. Prophecy beginning in Chapter 40 and on covers the last 2,000 years until today. There is one in Chapter 45 you will live to see in whole or in part. God grant that you see it all.

Which was it? All of the above if you consider tracking the actors, their motivation, the Spirits, the trade schedules, the camel routes, the families, the political powers, and how they all apply in time.

It is also good to know that a single verse, or a sentence in a single verse, may be telling of or relating to multiple natural, social or political events or intelligence over time. These relations may be both visible and hidden. The Bible contains the very mystery of godliness and the most obvious is often the least understood.

Answer 2

”Genesis 37:27 says that Joseph’s brothers decided to sell him to some Ishmaelites. But the next verse states: “Now men, Midianite merchants, went passing by. Hence they [Joseph’s brothers] drew and lifted up Joseph out of the waterpit and then sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty silver pieces. Eventually these brought Joseph into Egypt.” Was Joseph sold to Ishmaelites or to Midianites? Well, the Midianites may also have been called Ishmaelites, to whom they were related through their forefather Abraham. Or Midianite merchants may have been traveling with an Ishmaelite caravan. At any rate, Joseph’s brothers did the selling, and later he could tell them: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.”—Genesis 45:4.”

Answer 3

1. The Patriarchs ARE Joseph's brothers.
2. His brothers sold him to passing merchants/caravan which in turn sold him to Pharoah's household -- if you worked or lived in the Pharoah's house, then you were in fact owned by Pharoah. so if Potiphar bought him, that is the same as the Pharoah buying him
3. Acts 7:9 and Gen 45:4 are the same which is a short form of the story. Every Israelite knew the entire story so there was no need for the writer to tell it all again - saying his brothers sold him to the Egyptians was the intial act and the result. (Same as saying Kellogg's sold you a box of Corn Flakes -- there were middle men and the result is still the same -- they made the corn flakes and sent them out to distributors, etc. and you ended up buying them. We all know that you didn't buy them direct from Kellogg's and we all know that it doesn't really make any difference -- the result is the same.)

Answer 4

Joseph was sold to the Ishmaelites by his brothers. Which eventually the Ishmaelites sold him to the Egyptians where he ended up in the house of Pharaoh. I hope that answers your question.

Answer 5

Joseph is having dreams and he interprets those dreams. As we learn, he has a special gift for dream interpretation, and his dreams and interpretations are accurate and prophetic. He tells his brothers, for example, that one day they will bow to him (which does indeed happen some years later).

The brothers conclude that Joseph must be the bad apple in their generation and decide to get rid of him.

But to his brothers his dreams appear to verge on megalomania. And since they know that they are the team that's supposed to change the world, they think he is endangering the whole future of humanity. They know the family history -- that in each generation there was one "bad apple" -- first Ishmael, then Esau. So they conclude that Joseph must be the bad one in this generation.

They contemplate killing him, but instead they sell him into slavery. They take his fancy coat, smear it with goat's blood and present it to Jacob as if Joseph had been killed by a wild animal.

Meanwhile, Joseph is taken by a caravan of Ishmaelites to Egypt, where he becomes a slave in the household of a nobleman named Potiphar.

Answer 6

All of the above is true. Your sequence is wrong.
First Joseph was sold by his brothers to the Ishmaelites that was with the Midianite traders which sold Joseph to Poriphar.

Answer 7

His brothers (who were the Patriarchs) sold him, and he ended up bought by Potiphar, an Egyptian official.

The chain of custody is a little murky, but appears to be

Brothers/Patriarchs sold him to

Midianite merchants,
who sold him to

Ishmaelites, another term for Egyptians,
who sold him to

Potiphar, the Egyptian official.

It's not that heard, really. NEXT!

Answer 8

It all means the same. Patriarch = older men in the family (like brothers)

And He was sold twice. Ishmaelites was from the house of Ishmael (His brothers) and he was re-sold to Egyptians (the house of Potipher is in Egypt)

SO its all of the above

Blessings
David

Answer 9

Joseph's brothers sold him to Ishmaelite merchants. They brought Joseph to Egypt, where he was then sold to Potiphar by midianite slave dealers

Answer 10

Joseph's brothers ARE patriarchs, and so is Joseph, and he was sold to the Midianites who in turn sold him to the Egyptians, the bottom line is he ended up in Egypt.This is a pretty weak attempt to cast doubt upon the Word of God.