Joseph
Sold by his brothers, raised up in Egypt — and he forgave them.
Old Testament · Patriarchal era · Genesis · Also known as Son of Jacob, Zaphnath-paaneah
About Joseph
Joseph was Jacob’s favourite son, and his brothers hated him for it, especially after he told them his dreams. They sold him as a slave into Egypt. Falsely accused and thrown into prison, he interpreted dreams, and was raised up to govern Egypt through seven years of plenty and seven of famine. When his brothers came begging for food, he tested them, wept, and forgave them: "Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good."
Joseph’s story (Genesis 37–50) explains how Jacob’s family came to live in Egypt, which sets the scene for the Exodus. Egypt’s grain made it a lifeline in times of famine across the region.
The story
The coat and the dreams
"Israel loved Joseph more than all his children… and he made him a coat of many colours." Then Joseph dreamed that his brothers’ sheaves bowed down to his, and told them so. "They hated him yet the more."
Genesis 37:3-11
Sold for twenty pieces of silver
His brothers threw him into a pit, then sold him to traders for twenty pieces of silver. They dipped his coat in goat’s blood and let their father believe he was dead.
Genesis 37:18-35
The LORD was with Joseph
In Potiphar’s house, Joseph refused his master’s wife: "How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" She accused him falsely, and he was thrown into prison. "But the LORD was with Joseph."
Genesis 39:1-23
Seven fat years, seven lean
Joseph explained the dreams of Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker. Two years later, Pharaoh dreamed of seven fat cows eaten by seven thin ones. "It is not in me," Joseph said: "God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace." At thirty, he was set over all Egypt.
Genesis 41:14-46
I am Joseph
When his brothers came to buy grain, Joseph tested them, then could hold back no longer. "I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt… God did send me before you to preserve life." Years later he told them, "Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good."
Genesis 45:1-15; 50:15-21
Key moments
- The coat of many colours: His father’s favourite. (Genesis 37:3)
- Sold into Egypt: For twenty pieces of silver. (Genesis 37:28)
- Thrown into prison: Falsely accused; God was with him. (Genesis 39:20-21)
- Set over Egypt: At thirty years old. (Genesis 41:41-46)
- Forgives his brothers: "God meant it unto good." (Genesis 50:20)
Questions about Joseph
In meetBible these answers are given in Joseph’s voice. They are written by hand and checked against Scripture.
How could you forgive your brothers?
Scripture records what I told them. "Be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life." And after our father died: "Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass… to save much people alive." I wept more than once before I could say it.
Was it really a coat of many colours?
The King James Version says "a coat of many colours." The Hebrew phrase is rare, and translators differ: some render it a long robe with sleeves, or an ornate robe. Either way, it marked me out as my father’s favourite, and my brothers saw it that way too.
What did Pharaoh dream?
Pharaoh dreamed of seven fat cows eaten up by seven thin cows, then seven full ears of grain swallowed by seven thin ones. I told him, "It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace." The dreams meant seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine, so grain should be stored in the good years.
Connected people
- Isaac: Grandfather
- Abraham: Great-grandfather
- Moses: Carried his bones
- Jacob: Father
- Benjamin: Youngest brother
- Judah: Brother
Read it yourself
Start with Genesis 37; 39–45.