28 And some traders from Midian went by; so pulling Joseph up out of the hole, they gave him to the Ishmaelites for twenty bits of silver, and they took him to Egypt.
And the brothers, moved with envy against Joseph, gave him to the Egyptians for money: but God was with him,
He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was given as a servant for a price:
And the children of Israel did evil in the eyes of the Lord; and the Lord gave them up into the hand of Midian for seven years. And Midian was stronger than Israel; and because of the Midianites, the children of Israel made holes for themselves in the mountains, and hollows in the rocks, and strong places. And whenever Israel's grain was planted, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the east came up against them;
Then Joseph said to his brothers, Come near to me. And they came near, And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom you sent into Egypt. Now do not be troubled or angry with yourselves for sending me away, because God sent me before you to be the saviour of your lives.
Then seating themselves, they took their meal: and looking up, they saw a travelling band of Ishmaelites, coming from Gilead on their way to Egypt, with spices and perfumes on their camels.
You will be full of camel-trains, even the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all from Sheba will come, with gold and spices, giving word of the great acts of the Lord.
Then came true that which was said by Jeremiah the prophet, And they took the thirty bits of silver, the price of him who was valued by the children of Israel;
And I said to them, If it seems good to you, give me my payment; and if not, do not give it. So they gave me my payment by weight, thirty shekels of silver. And the Lord said to me, Put it into the store-house, the price at which I was valued by them. And I took the thirty shekels of silver and put them into the store-house in the house of the Lord.
And in Egypt the men of Midian gave him for a price to Potiphar, a captain of high position in Pharaoh's house.
Then Gideon said to them, I have a request to make to you; let every man give me the ear-rings he has taken. (For they had gold ear-rings, because they were Ishmaelites.)
Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, Be our ruler, you and your son and your son's son after him; for you have been our saviour from the hands of Midian.
They put the kings of Midian to death with the rest, Evi and Reken and Zur and Hur and Reba, the five kings of Midian: and Balaam, the son of Beor, they put to death with the sword. The women of Midian with their little ones the children of Israel took prisoner; and all their cattle and flocks and all their goods they took for themselves;
Give the Midianites punishment for the wrong they did to the children of Israel: and after that you will go to rest with your people. So Moses said to the people, Let men from among you be armed for war to put into effect against Midian the Lord's punishment on them.
Take up arms against the Midianites and overcome them;
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Genesis 37
Commentary on Genesis 37 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 37
At this chapter begins the story of Joseph, who, in every subsequent chapter but one to the end of this book, makes the greatest figure. He was Jacob's eldest son by his beloved wife Rachel, born, as many eminent men were, of a mother that had been long barren. His story is so remarkably divided between his humiliation and his exaltation that we cannot avoid seeing something of Christ in it, who was first humbled and then exalted, and, in many instances, so as to answer the type of Joseph. It also shows the lot of Christians, who must through many tribulations enter into the kingdom. In this chapter we have,
Gen 37:1-4
Moses has no more to say of the Edomites, unless as they happen to fall in Israel's way; but now applies himself closely to the story of Jacob's family: These are the generations of Jacob. His is not a bare barren genealogy as that of Esau (ch. 36:1), but a memorable useful history. Here is,
Gen 37:5-11
Here,
Gen 37:12-22
Here is,
Gen 37:23-30
We have here the execution of their plot against Joseph.
Gen 37:31-36