Why did Joseph's brothers want to kill him and call him "this dreamer"?

Joseph’s brothers already hated him because their father loved him in a special way and because of the dreams Joseph had shared, where he seemed to be raised above them. When they saw him coming in his colorful coat, their jealousy boiled over. Calling him “this dreamer” was a way to mock both him and the dreams God had given. They thought that by getting rid of Joseph, they could also get rid of what those dreams pointed to. Their anger shows how envy can grow into a desire to harm, even inside a family.

What is the meaning of Joseph being thrown into a pit with no water in it?

The empty pit shows how far his brothers’ hearts had hardened. They stripped Joseph of his coat and threw him into a place where he could not escape and where there was no water, leaving him helpless. It was their way of avoiding blood on their hands while still planning his ruin. The dryness of the pit pictures his loneliness and distress. At the same time, this low point becomes the start of the path God uses to bring Joseph to Egypt, where he will later be raised up and used to save many lives.

Why did Reuben and Judah try to change the plan against Joseph?

Reuben and Judah did not suddenly become good, but they both pulled back from the idea of outright murder. Reuben urged the others not to shed blood and suggested putting Joseph in the pit, hoping to come back later and bring him safely home to their father. Judah, seeing the traders coming, argued they could gain money by selling Joseph instead of killing him. Both men were caught between fear, family ties, selfish motives, and some remaining sense that killing their brother was too far. Their actions show the mixed and divided state of the human heart.

Why was Joseph sold for twenty pieces of silver and taken to Egypt?

Joseph’s brothers sold him to passing merchants for twenty pieces of silver, treating their own brother like a piece of property. The traders were traveling to Egypt, a powerful nation and trade center at that time. From the brothers’ side, this was pure betrayal and greed. But from God’s side, this sale was the way Joseph would arrive in Egypt, where he would later rise to a high position and provide food when famine came. So the silver shows human sin and cheapness, while the journey to Egypt shows how God can use even evil choices to move His plan forward.

What does this story teach about jealousy and hidden sin in families?

This story lays bare what jealousy can do when it is not faced and confessed. The brothers cannot stand Joseph’s favor and dreams, so their envy grows into plotting, violence, and finally selling him. Then, instead of turning back, they cover their guilt with lies, using a goat’s blood on the coat to fool their father. Their secret sin brings deep pain into the family, especially to Jacob, who mourns for many days. The passage warns that hidden sin does not stay small. It spreads, hurts others, and brings sorrow, even when people think they have covered their tracks.

Why is Jacob's grief over Joseph described in such strong language?

Jacob had loved Joseph very deeply, so when he saw the blood-stained coat, he was sure a wild animal had killed his son. He tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and refused to be comforted. He even said he would go down to the grave mourning for Joseph. This strong grief shows how severe the cost of the brothers’ sin really was. They thought they had neatly solved their problem, but they broke their father’s heart. It also reminds us that sin does not only affect the sinner. It reaches parents, children, and many others around them.

What does this passage show about God's providence in the middle of evil actions?

At first, it looks like Joseph is only a victim of his brothers’ hatred and the greed of strangers. Yet, through this very chain of wrong choices, Joseph is moved step by step toward Egypt. There he will one day be raised up and used to keep many from starving, including the same family that betrayed him. The passage shows that people are fully responsible for their evil acts, and their motives are wrong, but God is still in control over the outcome. He can weave painful, unfair events into a larger good purpose that no one sees at the time.

How does Joseph's betrayal point forward to the suffering of Christ?

Joseph is loved by his father, hated by his own brothers, stripped of his special coat, and handed over for silver into the hands of strangers. He suffers even though he has done no wrong in this story. In a similar way, Christ was loved by the Father, rejected by His own people, stripped and humiliated, and handed over for money. Joseph’s story is not the same as Christ’s, but it gives a picture ahead of time of an innocent sufferer who is brought low and later raised up for the good of many. It helps us see that God often works through suffering to bring rescue.

How can believers today apply the lessons from Joseph's brothers and their deception?

Believers can take this passage as a serious warning and a quiet comfort. It warns against letting jealousy, hurt pride, or family favoritism grow into bitterness. When wrong desires are hidden instead of faced, they can lead to harsh words, coldness, or even betrayal, as with Joseph’s brothers. It also warns against covering sin with lies, because that only deepens the damage. At the same time, it encourages believers who suffer unfairly. God sees what others do not, and He can bring good, in His time, out of situations that feel like a dry pit with no way out.

Why do some verses mention both Ishmaelites and Midianites in this story?

In this passage, the traders involved are called both Ishmaelites and Midianites. This has been understood in more than one way. Some readers think the two names point to the same trading group, since these peoples were related and often mixed in travel and business. Others think there may have been more than one group of merchants on the scene, with the brothers first dealing with one and then the other. In either case, the main point of the story is clear: Joseph was taken by foreign traders to Egypt, and that is how God moved him to the place he needed to be.

Gen.37.18

Genesis 37:18

KJV

And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.

Joseph Sold into Egypt

¶ And his brethren went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem.

And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I.

And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

¶ And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?

And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks.

And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan.

And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.

And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.

Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.

And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him.

And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.

¶ And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him;

And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.

And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.

And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?

Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.

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.

¶ And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.

And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?

And they took Joseph’s coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;

And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son’s coat or no.

And he knew it, and said, It is my son’s coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.

And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.

And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.

And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, and captain of the guard.

Cross References

No cross references available for this verse.