Genesis 37:28

26 So Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and ^aconceal his blood?

27 Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and ^alet not our hand be upon him, for he is ^bour brother and ^cour flesh.” And his brothers listened.

28 Then ^aMidianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, ^band sold him to the Ishmaelites for ^ctwenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.

29 Then Reuben returned to the pit, and indeed Joseph was not in the pit; and he ^atore his clothes.

30 And he returned to his brothers and said, “The lad ^ais no more; and I, where shall I go?”

31 So they took ^aJoseph’s tunic, killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the tunic in the blood.

32 Then they sent the tunic of many colors, and they brought it to their father and said, “We have found this. Do you know whether it is your son’s tunic or not?”

33 And he recognized it and said, “It is my son’s tunic. A ^awild beast has devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to pieces.”

34 Then Jacob ^atore his clothes, put sackcloth on his waist, and ^bmourned for his son many days.

35 And all his sons and all his daughters ^aarose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, “For ^bI shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning.” Thus his father wept for him.

36 Now ^athe Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.

Commentaries:

Adam Clarke

<< Genesis 37:27

Genesis 37:29 >>

Genesis 37:28

For twenty pieces of silver - In the Anglo-Saxon it is thirty pence. This, I think, is the first instance on record of selling a man for a slave; but the practice certainly did not commence now, it had doubtless been in use long before. Instead of pieces, which our translators supply, the Persian has miskal , which was probably intended to signify a shekel; and if shekels be intended, taking them at three shillings each, Joseph was sold for about three pounds sterling. I have known a whole cargo of slaves, amounting to eight hundred and thirteen, bought by a slave captain in Bonny river, in Africa, on an average, for six pounds each; and this payment was made in guns, gunpowder, and trinkets! As there were only nine of the brethren present, and they sold Joseph for twenty shekels, each had more than two shekels as his share in this most infamous transaction.

<< Genesis 37:27

Genesis 37:29 >>

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