26-28. Judah said, . . . What profit is it if we slay our
brother?--The sight of these travelling merchants gave a sudden
turn to the views of the conspirators; for having no wish to commit a
greater degree of crime than was necessary for the accomplishment of
their end, they readily approved of Judah's suggestion to dispose of
their obnoxious brother as a slave. The proposal, of course, was
founded on their knowledge that the Arabian merchants trafficked in
slaves; and there is the clearest evidence furnished by the monuments
of Egypt that the traders who were in the habit of bringing slaves from
the countries through which they passed, found a ready market in the
cities of the Nile.
they . . . lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold
him--Acting impulsively on Judah's advice, they had their poor
victim ready by the time the merchants reached them; and money being no
part of their object, they sold him for
twenty pieces of silver--The money was probably in rings or
pieces (shekels), and silver is always mentioned in the records of that
early age before gold, on account of its rarity. The whole sum, if in
shekel weight, did not exceed £3.
they brought Joseph into Egypt--There were two routes to Egypt:
the one was overland by Hebron, where Jacob dwelt, and by taking which,
the fate of his hapless son would likely have reached the paternal
ears; the other was directly westward across the country from Dothan to
the maritime coast, and in this, the safest and most expeditious way,
the merchants carried Joseph to Egypt. Thus did an overruling
Providence lead this murderous conclave of brothers, as well as the
slave merchants both following their own free courses--to be parties in
an act by which He was to work out, in a marvellous manner, the great
purposes of His wisdom and goodness towards His ancient Church and
people.
JFB.
Outline
1 Joseph is hated of his brethren
5 Joseph has two dreams
13 Jacob sends him to visit his brethren
18 Joseph's brethren conspire to slay him
21 Reuben saves him
26 They sell him to the Ishmaelites
31 His father, deceived by the bloody coat, mourns for him
36 Joseph is sold to Potiphar in Egypt
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