Why Did Joseph’s Brothers Sell Him?
Answer: Joseph had ten older brothers (and one younger brother, Benjamin). Joseph’s older brothers didn’t like him because Joseph was their father’s favorite son. (Joseph was Jacob’s favorite because Joseph was born when Jacob was an old man.)
They were jealous of him. Joseph’s father even gave him a special gift – a beautiful coat. Joseph also made his brothers angry because he would tell his father about some of the bad things they would do, and he would tell his older brothers about his dreams in which the brothers bowed down before him.
Eventually, the brothers became so upset with Joseph that they decided to kill him. But one brother, Reuben, talked the others into putting Joseph into a well instead of killing him.
He planned to set Joseph free later. But while Reuben was gone, the other brothers sold him to some foreign traders as a slave.
Key Verses: “Here comes that master dreamer,” they said. “Come on. Let’s kill him and toss him into a well. We can tell Father that a wild animal has eaten him. Then we’ll see what will become of all his dreams!” (Genesis 37:19-20)
Related verses: Genesis 37: 12-36
Related questions: Why did Joseph’s dad give him a new coat? Why did Jacob love Joseph the best?
Why Didn’t Joseph Go Back Home?
Answer: Joseph may have wanted to go back home (certainly he missed his father, mother, and little brother), but he couldn’t- first because he was a slave, then because he was in prison, and finally because he was in government service.
He also was a long way from home, and transportation was different from today; Joseph couldn’t just hop on a bus or train and go home. Also, Joseph may have been afraid of facing his brothers again; remember, they had wanted to kill him and then had sold him into slavery.
It’s good that Joseph stayed in Egypt because God used him in his powerful position in the government to save his family (and thousands of others) from starvation.
And eventually, God brought the whole family back together again in Egypt with Joseph – all part of God’s plan to bring Jesus to earth.
Key verse: “Yes, it was God who sent me here, not you! And he has made me a counselor to Pharaoh. I am the manager of this entire nation, ruler of all the land of Egypt.” (Genesis 45:8)
Related verses: Genesis 41:41-57; 45:4-9
Related question: When Joseph’s brothers came back to Egypt to live with him, why did they think he was still mad at them?