The Alleged Contradiction: Who Sold Joseph?

Critics of Scripture have long argued that Genesis 37:25–36 contains a contradiction regarding who sold Joseph into slavery. The text mentions both “Ishmaelites” and “Midianites,” and skeptics claim this proves the presence of conflicting sources or redactors behind the book of Genesis. Verse 27 records Judah proposing that they sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites, while verse 28 states that “Midianite merchants passed by,” leading some to conclude that two distinct groups were responsible for Joseph’s sale. Others assert that the differing names reflect divergent traditions woven together by later editors.

However, such claims collapse under closer examination of the Hebrew text, the cultural context, and the unity of the Genesis narrative. When read according to the historical-grammatical method, the text reveals no contradiction but instead a coherent and historically accurate description of a single transaction involving both groups in complementary roles.

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Historical and Contextual Background

The events of Genesis 37 take place within the patriarchal period, when Joseph, the favored son of Jacob, was betrayed by his jealous brothers. Genesis 37:23–24 records that they stripped him of his robe and cast him into a pit. While they sat down to eat, a trading caravan approached from Gilead, carrying spices and other goods destined for Egypt (Genesis 37:25). The text first identifies the caravan as Ishmaelites, descendants of Ishmael, Abraham’s son by Hagar.

Then verse 28 reads:

“Then Midianite traders passed by, and they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they brought Joseph into Egypt.” (Genesis 37:28, UASV)

At first glance, one might think that two unrelated groups were involved: the Midianites who found Joseph, and the Ishmaelites who purchased him. However, the larger narrative continues to attribute Joseph’s sale to his brothers themselves. In Genesis 37:36, “the Midianites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar,” yet later, Joseph tells his brothers directly, “I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt” (Genesis 45:4).

This continuity demonstrates that the author viewed these designations as describing the same general group of people or at least cooperative agents in the same chain of transaction—not as contradictory accounts.

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The Relationship Between the Ishmaelites and Midianites

The key to resolving this difficulty lies in understanding who the Ishmaelites and Midianites were. Both descended from Abraham:

• Ishmaelites — from Ishmael, son of Abraham and Hagar (Genesis 16:15).

• Midianites — from Midian, son of Abraham and Keturah, whom he married after Sarah’s death (Genesis 25:1–2).

Thus, both groups shared a common Abrahamic ancestry, making them ethnically and culturally related. In the centuries following Abraham, the descendants of Ishmael and Midian settled throughout the Arabian Peninsula and northwestern Arabia. They often lived as nomadic tribes and were heavily engaged in trade, particularly in caravans transporting goods such as balm, gum, and myrrh between Gilead and Egypt.

Because of their frequent intermarriage and economic cooperation, the names “Ishmaelite” and “Midianite” could be used interchangeably in the ancient Near East to describe overlapping tribal groups. This fluidity in ethnic terminology is well attested throughout the ancient world. Much as “Canaanite” could refer broadly to inhabitants of Canaan, including various subgroups (Amorites, Hittites, Jebusites), the use of “Ishmaelites” and “Midianites” in Genesis 37 reflects a natural ancient idiom, not a textual inconsistency.

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The Linguistic and Textual Harmony of Genesis 37

The Hebrew text of Genesis 37:28 is syntactically consistent with a unified event, not two distinct or contradictory actions. The structure of the verse suggests a sequence of involvement rather than separate reports. The Midianites “passed by,” implying that they were the ones immediately present to draw Joseph from the pit, while the transaction itself—selling Joseph for twenty pieces of silver—was carried out to the Ishmaelites, the larger caravan heading to Egypt.

In this sense, the Midianites acted as brokers or agents within the transaction. This interpretation harmonizes with the cultural context: smaller merchant groups often traveled alongside or attached themselves to larger caravans for safety and commerce. The “Midianite traders” would have been those conducting the exchange on behalf of, or in partnership with, the Ishmaelite caravan.

Therefore, Moses’ wording accurately reflects the multi-tribal composition of desert trade in the second millennium B.C.E. To the ancient reader, there was no contradiction—both designations referred to participants in the same mercantile network.

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The Unity of the Narrative and the Brothers’ Responsibility

A crucial detail is that the text repeatedly affirms the brothers’ culpability in the sale of Joseph. Although intermediaries facilitated the transaction, the divine record attributes the moral responsibility to Joseph’s brothers. In Genesis 45:4, Joseph declares:

“I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.”

Here, the inspired interpretation of the event identifies the brothers as the agents of betrayal. Likewise, in Genesis 37:27, Judah explicitly proposes, “Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites.” Whether the brothers physically handed Joseph over to the Midianite traders or directly to the Ishmaelite caravan is immaterial—the sale itself was their doing.

Later, Genesis 39:1 states, “Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there.” This confirms that the Ishmaelites were the caravan responsible for transporting Joseph to Egypt. The Midianite merchants, therefore, were the ones who conducted the immediate sale or transfer, while the Ishmaelites carried out the journey to Egypt.

The account, then, presents a perfectly coherent sequence:

1. Joseph’s brothers conspire to sell him.

2. Midianite traders pass by and facilitate the exchange.

3. The Ishmaelite caravan transports Joseph to Egypt.

4. The Midianites (as part of the same group or as brokers) later sell him to Potiphar.

This step-by-step description is internally consistent and historically realistic.

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The Broader Ancient Near Eastern Context

In the patriarchal era, trade caravans were often composed of multiple ethnic groups who pooled resources for protection and profit. Excavations and ancient Near Eastern records from the second millennium B.C.E. confirm that nomadic traders from northwestern Arabia—precisely the regions associated with Ishmaelites and Midianites—frequently collaborated in trans-desert commerce.

In such mixed caravans, participants might be referred to by more than one ethnonym, depending on the perspective of the narrator or the aspect of the activity being described. A Hebrew observer, for instance, might identify the traders by their more prominent ancestral name (“Ishmaelites”), while a participant might refer to them according to their regional or occupational group (“Midianite merchants”). This flexible naming convention is common in biblical and extra-biblical texts alike.

Thus, the inspired author Moses—writing in the fifteenth century B.C.E.—faithfully captured the language and realities of his time, describing a shared commercial endeavor between related tribal groups. The differing names do not represent contradiction but complementarity.

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Divine Sovereignty and Human Agency in the Narrative

Far more significant than the ethnic designation of Joseph’s purchasers is the theological truth revealed through the event. What appeared to be a cruel act of betrayal was ultimately used by Jehovah to accomplish His redemptive purposes. As Joseph later declared to his brothers:

“You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” (Genesis 50:20)

The unity of the account underscores divine providence. Whether through Ishmaelites, Midianites, or the jealous brothers themselves, Jehovah’s plan to send Joseph ahead to Egypt unfolded exactly as intended. The linguistic and cultural harmony of the text only strengthens its historical credibility and theological depth.

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Summary of the Harmonization

1. Common Ancestry: Both Ishmaelites and Midianites descended from Abraham; their tribes intermingled and often acted as one in commerce.

2. Interchangeable Terms: Ancient Hebrew narrative frequently used ethnonyms interchangeably for related groups, especially in economic or geographical contexts.

3. Sequential Roles: Midianite traders likely served as brokers in the transaction, while Ishmaelites comprised the main caravan to Egypt.

4. Moral Responsibility: The inspired record consistently attributes Joseph’s sale to his brothers, not to confusion over the traders’ identity.

5. Theological Coherence: The event fulfills God’s sovereign purpose to place Joseph in Egypt as the instrument of His people’s preservation.

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The Reliability of Moses’ Account

Modern critics who claim contradiction in Genesis 37 do so by imposing modern literary expectations on an ancient text, misunderstanding the flexible nature of ethnic terminology in the patriarchal period. The historical-grammatical reading reveals that Moses accurately reported the facts according to the idiom and perspective of his age.

There is no evidence that multiple authors or contradictory traditions were merged here. Instead, the passage’s consistent narrative thread, the theological unity across chapters 37–50, and Joseph’s later affirmations all testify to a single inspired account. The inspired text, therefore, stands unbroken and harmonious.

In short, the “Midianites” and “Ishmaelites” represent not conflicting reports but complementary descriptions of a single commercial network used by Jehovah to fulfill His covenant promises. The Bible once again demonstrates its historical reliability, internal coherence, and divine authorship.

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