Joseph In The Pit Series

The willingness of Joseph’s brothers to throw him in the pit rather than to kill him outright suggests that they think the pit to be escape-proof.

With their brother stripped and imprisoned in the cistern, they callously sat down to eat. That would have consumed some more time. “They sat down to eat bread” (v. 25a). This small detail reveals their hate and cold-bloodedness. Most people, having participated in an act that would result in another person’s death, would be sufficiently disturbed that they would have little appetite for food. These men are completely unaffected by the impending death of their brother. And not only did they sit down to eat they did not care about the hunger of their brother in the pit.

We cannot possibly imagine how God could build His chosen people from these brothers, later forgiven by Joseph. They did not understand that God is a God of grace. He forgives the guilty and changes them

Now it happened that Dothan lay close to the main trade route through Palestine.

“and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead” (v. 25b). Gilead is a region to the east of the Jordan River and to the south of what will later be known as the Sea of Galilee. Gilead is known for plants from which valuable incense and medicines are made. The caravan is traveling from Gilead to Egypt. There is a textual problem here. The people of the caravan are called Ishmaelites here and in verse 27. Ishmaelites are also mentioned in verse 28, as are Midianites. They are called Midianites again in verse 36.

Ishmael, of course, was Abraham’s son by Hagar, Sarah’s maid (chapter 16). Midian was Abraham’s son by Keturah (25:1-6).

We find that Judges 8:22-28 also intermixes Ishmaelites and Midianites, so it is possible that these are interchangeable words.

“with their camels bearing spices and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt” (v. 25c). Gum, balm, and resin are materials that would be associated with Gilead. They are products of various plants, and are valuable as incense or medicine.

Reuben was not present with his brothers when Ishmaelites were on the way and “Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?” (v. 26). When Reuben persuaded his brothers to throw Joseph into a pit instead of killing him outright, he had an ulterior motive—to rescue Joseph so that he could return him to Jacob. It is possible that Judah has a different motive—to sell Joseph into captivity so that he won’t die in the pit. The narrative mentions only the prospect of profit as Judah’s motive.

“‘Come, and let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not let our hand be on him; for he is our brother, our flesh and blood.’ His brothers listened to him” (v. 27). The two parts of Judah’s proposal reveal the tension under which the brothers are operating. On the one hand, selling Joseph to the Ishmaelites is engaging in slave trade. On the other hand, selling Joseph into slavery is less terrible than leaving him to die in the pit. The fact that he is “our brother, our flesh” heightens the tension.