TRV
Translation
King James Version
And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard.
Complete Jewish Bible
In Egypt the Midyanim sold Yosef to Potifar, one of Pharaoh's officials, a captain of the guard.
Berean Standard Bible
Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.
American Standard Version
And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, the captain of the guard.
World English Bible Messianic
The Midianites sold him into Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, the captain of the guard.
Geneva Bible (1599)
And the Midianites solde him into Egypt vnto Potiphar an Eunuche of Pharaohs, and his chiefe stewarde.
Young's Literal Translation
And the Medanites have sold him unto Egypt, to Potiphar, a eunuch of Pharaoh, head of the executioners.
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In the KJVVerse 1,120 of 31,102
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Commentary on Genesis 37 verses 31–36
31 ¶ And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;
32 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.
33 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.
34 And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.
35 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.
36 And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard.
I. Joseph would soon be missed, great enquiry would be made for him, and therefore his brethren have a further design, to make the world believe that Joseph was torn in pieces by a wild beast; and this they did, 1. To clear themselves, that they might not be suspected to have done him any mischief. Note, We have all learned of Adam to cover our transgression, Job 31:33. When the devil has taught men to commit one sin, he then teaches them to conceal it with another, theft and murder with lying and perjury; but he that covers his sin shall not prosper long. Joseph's brethren kept their own and one another's counsel for some time, but their villany came to light at last, and it is here published to the world, and the remembrance of it transmitted to every age. 2. To grieve their good father. It seems designed by them on purpose to be revenged upon him for his distinguishing love of Joseph. It was contrived on purpose to create the utmost vexation to him. They sent him Joseph's coat of many colours, with one colour more than it had had, a bloody colour, Gen 37:32. They pretended they had found it in the fields, and Jacob himself must be scornfully asked, Is this thy son's coat? Now the badge of his honour is the discovery of his fate; and it is rashly inferred from the bloody coat that Joseph, without doubt, is rent in pieces. Love is always apt to fear the worst concerning the person beloved; there is a love that casteth out fear, but that is a perfect love. Now let those that know the heart of a parent suppose the agonies of poor Jacob, and put their souls into his soul's stead. How strongly does he represent to himself the direful idea of Joseph's misery! Sleeping or waking, he imagines he sees the wild beast setting upon Joseph, thinks he hears his piteous shrieks when the lion roared against him, makes himself tremble and grow chill, many a time, when he fancies how the beast sucked his blood, tore him limb from limb, and left no remains of him, but the coat of many colours, to carry the tidings. And no doubt it added no little to the grief that he had exposed him, by sending him, and sending him all alone, on this dangerous journey, which proved so fatal to him. This cuts him to the heart, and he is ready to look upon himself as an accessory to the death of his son. Now, (1.) Endeavours were used to comfort him. His sons basely pretended to do it (Gen 37:35); but miserable hypocritical comforters were they all. Had they really desired to comfort him, they might easily have done it, by telling him the truth, "Joseph is alive, he is indeed sold into Egypt, but it will be an easy thing to send thither and ransom him." This would have loosened his sackcloth, and girded him with gladness presently. I wonder their countenances did not betray their guilt, and with what face they could pretend to condole with Jacob on the death of Joseph, when they knew he was alive. Note, The heart is strangely hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. But, (2.) It was all in vain: Jacob refused to be comforted, Gen 37:35. He was an obstinate mourner, resolved to go down to the grave mourning. It was not a sudden transport of passion, like that of David, Would God I had died for thee, my son, my son! But, like Job, he hardened himself in sorrow. Note, [1.] Great affection to any creature does not prepare for so much the greater affliction, when it is either removed from us or embittered to us. Inordinate love commonly ends in immoderate grief; as much as the sway of the pendulum throws one way, so much it will throw the other way. [2.] Those consult neither the comfort of their souls nor the credit of their religion that are determined in their sorrow upon any occasion whatsoever. We must never say, "We will go to our grave mourning," because we know not what joyful days Providence may yet reserve for us, and it is our wisdom and duty to accommodate ourselves to Providence. [3.] We often perplex ourselves with imaginary troubles. We fancy things worse than they are, and then afflict ourselves more than we need. Sometimes there needs no more to comfort us than to undeceive us: it is good to hope the best.
II. The Ishmaelites and Midianites having bought Joseph only to make their market of him, here we have him sold again (with gain enough to the merchants, no doubt) to Potiphar, Gen 37:36. Jacob was lamenting the loss of his life; had he known all he would have lamented, though not so passionately, the loss of liberty. Shall Jacob's freeborn son exchange the best robe of his family for the livery of an Egyptian lord, and all the marks of servitude? How soon was the land of Egypt made a house of bondage to the seed of Jacob! Note, It is the wisdom of parents not to bring up their children too delicately, because they know not to what hardships and mortifications Providence may reduce them before they die. Jacob little thought that ever his beloved Joseph would be thus bought and sold for a servant.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 31–36. Public domain.
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Ephrem the SyrianAD 373
COMMENTARY ON GENESIS 33:2
Then Jacob sent Joseph to the flock that he might bring back to him a report on his brothers. But the brothers, by means of the cloak that was bespattered with blood, sent Jacob a report on Joseph. With no mercy they cast him into a pit in the desert, but they wept over Joseph with tears in the house. They sold him naked to the Arabs but wept over him and wailed in the presence of the Canaanites. They put irons on his hands and feet and sent him on his way but composed lamentations over him in the village. Joseph went down to Egypt and was sold; within a few days he had changed owners twice.
Ambrose of MilanAD 397
On Joseph the Patriarch
But as for what pertains to the moral interpretation, because our God wishes all people to be saved, through Joseph he also gave consolation to those who are in slavery, and he gave them instruction. Even in the lowliest status, people should learn that their character can be superior and that no state of life is devoid of virtue if the soul of the individual knows itself. The flesh is subject to slavery, not the spirit, and many humble servants are more free than their masters, if in their condition of slavery they consider that they should abstain from the works of a slave. Every sin is slavish, while blamelessness is free. On this account the Lord also says, “Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.” Indeed, how is each greedy person not a slave, seeing that he auctions himself off for a very tiny sum of money? The person who has piled up what he is not going to use is afraid that he may lose all that he has piled up; the more numerous his acquisitions, the greater the risk he will run in keeping them.…Moreover, how is that person who is subject to lust not also a slave? First, he blazes with his own fires, and he is burned up by the torches within his own breast. To such people the prophet rightly says, “Walk in the light of your own fire and in the flame that you have kindled.” Fear takes hold of them all and lies in wait for each one when he is asleep; so that he may gain control over one object of desire, a person becomes the slave of them all. The one who makes his own masters is the slave to a wretched slavery indeed, for he wishes to have masters that he may fear; indeed, nothing is so characteristic of slavery as the constant fear. But that one, whatever his servile status, will always be free who is not seduced by love or held by the chains of greed or bound by fear of reproach, who looks to the present with tranquility and is not afraid of the future. Doesn’t it seem to you that a person of the latter kind is the master even in slavery, while one of the former kind is a slave even in liberty? Joseph was a slave, Pharaoh a ruler; the slavery of the one was happier than the sovereignty of the other. Indeed, all Egypt would have collapsed from famine unless Pharaoh had made his sovereignty subject to the counsel of a mere servant.
John ChrysostomAD 407
HOMILIES ON GENESIS 61.2
I think this was a further blow to those men: they saw that Jacob gave evidence of such ardent love for the one who was not present, nay rather was considered taken by wild beasts, and they were even more racked with envy. But whereas they would merit no excuse for being so cruel to their brother and their father, even the Midianites … serve the divine plan further by handing Joseph over to Potiphar, Pharaoh’s chief steward. Do you see how things proceed gradually and systematically, and how in every circumstance Joseph shows his characteristic virtue and endurance so that, just as an athlete who has nobly contended will be crowned with the kingdom’s garland, likewise the fulfillment of the dreams would … teach those who sold him that no advantage accrued to them from their awful ruse? Virtue, you see, has such power that even when under attack it emerges even more conspicuous. Nothing, after all, is stronger than virtue, nothing more powerful … not because it has such power of itself but because the one who acquires it also enjoys grace from on high. By enjoying grace from on high and being accorded assistance from there, virtue would be more powerful than anything, invincible and proof against not only the wiles of human beings but also the snares of the demons.
JeromeAD 420
Hebrew Questions on Genesis
(Verse 36.) Now the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an eunuch of Pharaoh and the chief of the royal executioners. In many places the Scriptures mention the chief of the executioners as the chief of the cooks, for μαγειρεύειν in Greek means to cook. Therefore, Joseph was sold to the chief of the army and the warriors, not to Potiphar, as it is written in Latin, but to Potiphar the eunuch. The question arises, how he is later said to have a wife. The Hebrews report that Joseph was bought by this person because of his excessive beauty for a disgraceful service, and after the Lord's men were dried up, he was later chosen according to the custom of the Hierophants as the high priest of Heliopolis; and his daughter was Aseneth, whom Joseph later took as his wife.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Genesis 37:36 marks a profound turning point in Joseph's life, detailing his sale by the Midianites into Egypt to Potiphar, a high-ranking officer of Pharaoh and the captain of the guard. This seemingly tragic and unjust act of human trafficking, born of profound familial jealousy, was, in fact, a divinely orchestrated step in God's sovereign plan. It strategically positioned Joseph for future leadership and the eventual preservation of his family and countless others from a devastating famine, initiating a crucial period of testing, preparation, and spiritual growth under divine providence.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Genesis 37:36 succinctly describes the culmination of Joseph's involuntary journey from the pastoral lands of Canaan to the sophisticated civilization of Egypt, a transition fraught with human sin but undeniably guided by divine purpose. The verse states: "And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, [and] captain of the guard."
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The narrative of Genesis 37:36 employs several significant literary devices. Irony is powerfully present, as the human act of selling Joseph into slavery, intended by his brothers for evil and by the traders for profit, is paradoxically the very means by which God begins to fulfill His redemptive purposes. This serves as a profound theological statement on divine sovereignty. Furthermore, the verse functions as a crucial point of Foreshadowing. Joseph's individual descent into Egypt as a slave directly anticipates the later, larger national descent of the entire family of Jacob into Egypt, which would also lead to their eventual enslavement and subsequent miraculous deliverance, a foundational narrative for the nation of Israel. The detailed description of Potiphar's high office also serves as Setup, preparing the reader for Joseph's eventual rise to power by establishing his initial placement within an influential and critical part of the Egyptian administration.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Genesis 37:36 is a pivotal verse that profoundly illustrates the overarching theme of divine sovereignty working through human sin and suffering. Despite the grave injustice of Joseph's sale into slavery, an act born of his brothers' jealousy and the Midianites' commercial exploitation, the biblical narrative consistently presents this event as a crucial, divinely orchestrated step in God's larger redemptive plan. This verse demonstrates that God is not limited by human wickedness but can meticulously weave even the darkest threads of human depravity into the tapestry of His glorious purposes, transforming what was intended for evil into good for the salvation of many. Joseph's journey from favored son to enslaved servant initiates a period of profound testing and character development, preparing him for the immense responsibilities he would later bear.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Genesis 37:36 offers a profound and enduring lesson for believers today: the reality of God's sovereign hand at work, even amidst the most painful and unjust circumstances of life. Joseph's experience of betrayal, abandonment, and forced enslavement represents a complete loss of control and dignity, yet this very event became the necessary pathway to his elevation and the eventual salvation of his family and countless others. For us, this verse serves as a powerful reminder that our current difficulties, betrayals, or setbacks are not necessarily endpoints but can be integral, divinely appointed steps in God's larger, redemptive plan for our lives. It encourages us to cultivate resilience, maintain faithfulness, and adopt a long-term, eternal perspective, trusting that God can transform the worst human intentions and the deepest personal suffering into opportunities for His glory and our ultimate good, working all things together for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why are both "Ishmaelites" and "Midianites" mentioned in relation to Joseph's sale?
Answer: The biblical text uses both "Ishmaelites" in Genesis 37:27-28 and "Midianites" in Genesis 37:36 to describe the traders who bought Joseph from his brothers. This is generally understood in a few ways: they may have been a mixed caravan composed of members from both groups, or the terms might have been used somewhat interchangeably in that period to refer to nomadic, trading peoples from the Arabian desert region. Both groups were descendants of Abraham through different lines (Ishmael from Hagar, Midian from Keturah), and their close association in trade routes could lead to such a fluid use of names, indicating a common identity as desert merchants.
What was the exact role of "Potiphar, captain of the guard"?
Answer: Potiphar held a very significant and powerful position within Pharaoh's court. The Hebrew phrase sar haṭṭabbâḥîm literally translates to "chief of the slaughterers" or "chief of the executioners." This indicates he was not merely a military officer but the head of Pharaoh's personal security detail. His responsibilities would have included commanding the royal bodyguard, overseeing executions, and managing the state prison. This role implies immense trust from Pharaoh and considerable authority, placing Joseph in a highly influential household where he would gain exposure to the inner workings of the Egyptian government, a crucial step in his preparation for future leadership as detailed in Genesis 39:1-6.
Was Joseph's sale into slavery part of God's plan, or just a tragic accident?
Answer: While the human actions involved in Joseph's sale were undoubtedly sinful and motivated by evil (his brothers' jealousy and the traders' exploitation), the biblical narrative consistently presents this event as an integral part of God's overarching, sovereign plan. Joseph himself articulates this profound theological truth later in his life, stating to his brothers in Genesis 50:20, "But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive." This demonstrates that God can use even wicked human intentions and the suffering they inflict to accomplish His righteous and redemptive purposes, ultimately working all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Joseph's unjust sale into slavery in Genesis 37:36 serves as a profound and compelling prefigurement of the person and work of Jesus Christ. Like Joseph, who was betrayed by his own brothers and sold for a price, Jesus was betrayed by one of His closest disciples, Judas, for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14-16). Both endured immense suffering, humiliation, and unjust condemnation, being delivered into the hands of foreign powers – Joseph to Egypt, and Jesus to the Roman authorities (John 18:28-32). Yet, through their respective sufferings, both became instruments of salvation for many. Joseph, through his period of enslavement and imprisonment, was ultimately elevated to a position of power, saving his family and entire nations from physical famine (Genesis 41:56-57). Similarly, Christ, through His ultimate sacrifice on the cross, was exalted by God (Philippians 2:8-11), reigning as Lord and Savior, thereby accomplishing the spiritual salvation of humanity from sin and eternal death (Romans 5:8-10). Thus, Joseph's journey from the pit to the palace, initiated by his sale, powerfully illustrates God's redemptive plan unfolding through suffering, betrayal, and ultimate triumph in Christ.