What is the story of Joseph and his brothers?

Understanding Genesis 50:20, Genesis 37:3-4, Genesis 45:5-8

The story of Joseph is the longest continuous narrative in the Book of Genesis, spanning fourteen chapters (37-50). It is one of the greatest stories ever told — a tale of betrayal, slavery, false accusation, imprisonment, dramatic reversal, forgiveness, and the mysterious providence of God working through the worst of human actions.

Joseph's early life (Genesis 37)

Jacob (also called Israel) had twelve sons by four women. Joseph was the eleventh son, but the firstborn of Rachel — Jacob's favored wife. Jacob 'loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him' (37:3). The famous 'coat of many colors' (or 'richly ornamented robe') was a visible symbol of favoritism that poisoned the family.

Joseph made things worse by reporting his brothers' misdeeds (37:2) and sharing two dreams: in the first, his brothers' sheaves of grain bowed down to his; in the second, the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed to him (37:5-11). Even Jacob rebuked him: 'Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?' (37:10). The brothers 'hated him all the more because of his dream' (37:8).

When Jacob sent Joseph to check on his brothers tending flocks near Shechem, they saw their opportunity. 'Here comes that dreamer! Come now, let's kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns' (37:19-20). Reuben, the eldest, persuaded them to throw Joseph into a dry cistern instead, planning to rescue him later. But while Reuben was away, Judah suggested selling Joseph to Ishmaelite traders heading to Egypt. They sold their brother for twenty shekels of silver (37:28).

The brothers dipped Joseph's robe in goat's blood and presented it to their father. Jacob concluded Joseph had been torn apart by a wild animal and mourned inconsolably (37:31-35). Meanwhile, in Egypt, 'the Midianites sold Joseph to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard' (37:36).

In Potiphar's house and prison (Genesis 39-40)

'The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered' (39:2). Joseph's competence and integrity earned him complete authority over Potiphar's household. Then Potiphar's wife repeatedly attempted to seduce him. Joseph refused: 'How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?' (39:9). When she grabbed his cloak and he fled, she accused him of attempted assault. Potiphar threw Joseph into prison.

'But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him' (39:20-21). Even in prison, Joseph rose to a position of trust. The warden 'paid no attention to anything under Joseph's care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did' (39:23).

Two of Pharaoh's officials — his cupbearer and baker — were imprisoned and each had a dream. Joseph interpreted them correctly: the cupbearer would be restored to his position in three days; the baker would be executed. Both came true exactly as Joseph said. Joseph asked the cupbearer to mention him to Pharaoh — 'but the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph; he forgot him' (40:23). Joseph remained in prison for two more years.

From prison to palace (Genesis 41)

Pharaoh had two disturbing dreams: seven fat cows devoured by seven thin cows, and seven full heads of grain swallowed by seven thin heads. When none of Egypt's magicians could interpret them, the cupbearer finally remembered Joseph.

Brought from the dungeon, cleaned up, and standing before the most powerful ruler on earth, Joseph said: 'I cannot do it, but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires' (41:16). He interpreted the dreams: seven years of abundance followed by seven years of severe famine. Then he proposed a plan: appoint a wise administrator to store grain during the good years to survive the famine.

Pharaoh said: 'Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?' (41:38). He appointed Joseph governor of all Egypt — second only to Pharaoh himself. Joseph was thirty years old. He had been a slave and prisoner for thirteen years.

During the seven years of abundance, Joseph implemented a systematic grain storage program across Egypt. When the famine came, 'all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe everywhere' (41:57).

The brothers come to Egypt (Genesis 42-44)

Jacob sent ten of his sons to Egypt to buy grain, keeping Benjamin — Rachel's other son, Joseph's full brother — home for safety. The brothers arrived and bowed before the governor — fulfilling the dream from twenty years earlier. Joseph recognized them, but they did not recognize him.

What followed was an elaborate, emotionally complex test. Joseph accused them of being spies, imprisoned Simeon as a hostage, and demanded they bring Benjamin to Egypt to prove their story. He secretly returned their payment to their sacks (42:25). The brothers were terrified: 'What is this that God has done to us?' (42:28).

Eventually hunger forced them to return with Benjamin. Joseph hosted a feast, seating them in birth order (which amazed them), and gave Benjamin five times more food than the others (43:33-34). Then he planted his silver cup in Benjamin's sack and had them arrested as thieves.

This was the decisive test. Twenty years ago, these brothers had sold Rachel's son into slavery without remorse. Now Rachel's other son, Benjamin, was about to be enslaved. Would they do it again?

Judah — the very brother who had proposed selling Joseph — stepped forward with one of the most moving speeches in the Bible (44:18-34). He offered himself as a slave in Benjamin's place: 'Let your servant remain here as my lord's slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come on my father' (44:33-34).

The brothers had changed.

The revelation (Genesis 45)

Joseph could no longer contain himself. He sent all his Egyptian attendants out of the room and wept so loudly 'that the Egyptians heard him' (45:2). Then:

'I am Joseph! Is my father still living?' (45:3).

His brothers were terrified. They had sold this man into slavery. He was now the second most powerful person in the world. Joseph said: 'Come close to me... I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you... So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God' (45:4-8).

This is one of the most profound theological statements in the Old Testament. Joseph did not deny his brothers' guilt. They did sell him. But he saw a larger reality: God was working through their evil to accomplish something they could never have planned — the preservation of Jacob's family and the future nation of Israel.

The reconciliation and move to Egypt (Genesis 45-47)

Joseph sent for his father Jacob, providing wagons, provisions, and the best land in Egypt — the region of Goshen. Jacob, who had mourned Joseph for twenty years, could hardly believe the news: 'Joseph is still alive! He is ruler of all Egypt!' (45:26). When he saw the wagons Joseph had sent, 'the spirit of their father Jacob revived' (45:27).

Jacob's family — seventy people in all — migrated to Egypt, where they were settled in Goshen. Joseph provided for them throughout the remaining famine years. Jacob lived seventeen more years in Egypt before dying at 147 years old.

The final word (Genesis 50)

After Jacob's death, the brothers feared Joseph would finally take revenge. They sent a message claiming Jacob had asked Joseph to forgive them. Joseph wept when he heard their plea. They came and fell before him: 'We are your slaves' (50:18).

Joseph's response is the theological climax of the entire Genesis narrative:

'Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children' (50:19-21).

'You intended... but God intended.' Human evil and divine purpose operating simultaneously. The brothers were fully responsible for their sin. God was fully sovereign in His plan. Both are true. Joseph held both truths without diminishing either.

Joseph as a type of Christ

Christian tradition has long seen Joseph as one of the clearest foreshadowings of Jesus in the Old Testament:

• Beloved by his father → Jesus, 'my Son, whom I love' (Matthew 3:17)
• Rejected and sold by his brothers → Jesus betrayed by His own people
• Falsely accused and imprisoned → Jesus falsely accused and condemned
• Raised from humiliation to the highest position → Jesus raised from death to God's right hand
• Saved those who rejected him → Jesus saves those who crucified Him
• Forgave freely → Jesus: 'Father, forgive them' (Luke 23:34)
• Provided bread for the world → Jesus: 'I am the bread of life' (John 6:35)

Why Joseph's story matters

Joseph's story teaches that God's providence is real but rarely visible in the moment. For thirteen years, Joseph saw no evidence that his suffering had any purpose. The key phrase repeated throughout his story — 'the Lord was with Joseph' — did not mean life was easy. It meant God was present in the pit, in the prison, and in the palace. The same God who permitted the suffering was working through it.

Genesis 50:20 is the Bible's answer to the problem of suffering — not a philosophical argument but a lived experience: evil is real, human responsibility is real, and God's redemptive purpose is also real. The three coexist. Joseph did not understand the plan while he was in the cistern. He understood it twenty years later. Sometimes that is the best we get.