For today’s post we will tackle the question the Skeptic Annotated Bible asked: Who brought Joseph into Egypt?
Here are the answers which the skeptic believes indicate a Bible contradiction:
The Midianites
“Meanwhile, the Midianites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, Pharaoh’s officer, the captain of the bodyguard.” (Genesis 37:36)
The Ishmaelites
“Then some Midianite traders passed by, so they pulled him out and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. So they brought Joseph into Egypt.” (Genesis 37:28)
“Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard, bought him [a]from the Ishmaelites, who had taken him down there.” (Genesis 39:1)
(All Scriptural quotation comes from the New American Standard Bible)
Here’s a closer look at whether or not there is a contradiction:
- When dealing with skeptics’ claim of Bible contradictions it seems one can never be reminded enough of what exactly is a contradiction. A contradiction occurs when two or more claims conflict with one another so that they cannot simultaneously be true in the same sense and at the same time. To put it another way, a Bible contradiction exists when there are claims within the Bible that are mutually exclusive in the same sense and at the same time.
- One should be skeptical of whether this is a Bible contradiction given the Skeptic Annotated Bible’s track record of inaccurately handling the Bible. See the many examples of their error which we have responded to in this post: Collection of Posts Responding to Bible Contradictions. Of course that does not take away the need to respond to this claim of a contradiction, which is what the remainder of this post will do. But this observation should caution us to slow down and look more closely at the passages cited by the Skeptic Annotated Bible to see if they interpreted the passages properly to support their conclusion that it is a Bible contradiction.
- The skeptic tries to pit Genesis 37:36 as asserting “The Midianites brought Joseph into Egypt” against Genesis 37:28 and Genesis 39:1 as “The Ishmaelites brought Joseph into Egypt.”
- One should ask if the skeptic correctly interpreted the passages. Genesis 37:36 was correctly interpreted as indicating “The Midianites brought Joseph into Egypt.” Both Genesis 37:28 and Genesis 39:1 were properly interpreted as teaching “The Ishmaelites brought Joseph into Egypt.”
- Yet I don’t think there’s a contradiction here. I think the traveling convoy that Joseph was sold to consisted of both Midianites and Ishamelites. Look at Genesis 37:28 and how it mentioned both Midianites and Ishamelites. That verse mentioned the caravan were Midianites traders and Joseph was sold to Ishamelites.
- Genesis 37:28 mentioned both Midianites and Ishamelites. Genesis 37:36 specifically mentioned the Midianites while Genesis 39:1 mentioned the Ishmaelites yet both these two verses aren’t contradictory. In order for Genesis 37:3 to contradict with Genesis 39:1 the verse Genesis 37:3 has to say “Midianites only sold Joseph” but that’s not what Genesis 37:3 says. Similarly in order for Genesis 39:1 to contradict with Genesis 37:3 the verse Genesis 39:1 has to say “Ishamelites only sold Joseph” but that’s not what Genesis 39:1 says.
- Furthermore understanding understanding the background geographical and cultural context reinforce the truth that there’s not a contradiction when both Midianites and Ishamelites were mentioned since we know people from various ethnicities intermarry or are friends or do commerce together.
- Don’t forget this was a time period in the MIddle East in which people group at times live next to each other. Think of Abraham and his descendants living among Gentiles and at times that could be in Egypt, Canaan, etc. There would be different ethnic groups. So we shouldn’t be surprised that its possible both Midianites and Ishamelites are mentioned together.
- Also ethnic groups can inter-marry too. The skeptics cited Genesis 37:36, Genesis 37:28 and Genesis 39:1 and in the chapters next to these verses we see intermarriage of various people group. For instance in Genesis 36:2 we learn of who Esau was married to: “Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, the [a]granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite.” Note the reference of Hittite, Hivite and these wives were then collectively called “daughters of Canaan.”
- In Genesis 38:2 we learn about Judah intermingling with an Adullamite, in verse 3 it mentioned Judah married a Canaanite and verse 6 mentioned Esau’s firstborn son marrying a local woman that wasn’t Jewish.
- There is no contradiction here. Seems the skeptic needs to learn of How to Handle Bible Contradictions.
- We shouldn’t miss that worldviews are at play even with the skeptic’s objection to Christianity. The worldview of the author of the Skeptic Annotated Bible actually doesn’t even allow for such a thing as the law of non-contradiction to be meaningful and intelligible. In other words for him to try to disprove the Bible by pointing out that there’s a Bible contradiction doesn’t even make sense within his own worldview. Check out our post “Skeptic Annotated Bible Author’s Self-Defeating Worldview.”
[…] Who brought Joseph into Egypt? […]
Excellent analysis. Thanks for continuing this series.
I imagine that Moses could have seen these two names as more or less synonymous for those traders as you claim. That would make these statements not contradictory because there is a way to see them as both true..
Passages like this, however, raise other concerns such as whether they might have come from two separate authors that were later merged together into Genesis. This is what is claimed by the documentary hypothesis (with JEDP authors). If that happened it would imply that Moses was not the primary author (except for minor edits or additions). That would challenge the inerrancy of the Bible.
The JEDP hypothesis should be rejected as well. Douglas Petrovich provides evidence that Moses was indeed the author and the narrative was historically accurate in his study of Hebrew as the first alphabet.
Thanks for the name of Doug Petrovich in rejecting JEDP. I often appreciate your comment for your insight, encouragement and in today’s case, further trails of future references in my studies! Have a blessed day this Friday Frank
Satan invent all kinds of slander to attack God’s Word from alleged Bible contradictions and documentary hypothesis.
Thanks for this thorough refutation! Once again Steve/Stephen Wells tries to employ an either/or false dichotomy. Cherry-picking Wells might be surprised to learn there’s over 1000 varieties of cherries grown in the U.S. I don’t know if there’s any room in Wells’ two-dimensional thinking for different looking cherries (both/and) still being cherries! 🍒
Wow I learned something about Cherry Picking today! Specifically how there’s many kinds of Cherry, that is such a good analogy of even how there’s such a thing as similarities and differences within a single term. It’s like there’s no unity and diversity categorical concepts in his mind when it comes to the Bible but he has that for everything else. Double standards very much don’t you think, all to attack the Bible? How is your shift at working going so far brother Tom?
Thanks for the good observations re: cherry-picking Wells!
RE: shift
Thanks! I think it was my hardest day at Harris to date. Many orders leftover from the weekdays crew. Poor work ethic. I’m exhausted. Good to be home.
How did your Friday go?
Seems this guy has an obsession with cherry picking the Bible
Excellent work .
Thanks! How was your Friday? I don’t imagine there’s evangelism at this time 😢
You are right brother Jim, we can’t do evangelism 😢, no Church, we can’t leave the house, we can’t talk to anyone, and much more…..
Praying for you.
Mandy thank you. Thank you so much .
I imagine Mandy you are back in PA?
Yes, I got back yesterday. Nathan and I went fishing earlier and now getting ready to have my aunt and cousin over for dinner and fire!!!
This was a question I had before whenever I read through Genesis but now I know the answer
Lovely refutation.
Thanks for reading this Maw Maw!! God bless you for your support as always! I’m praying this post encourage someone’s faith and also allow skeptics to see they are wrong to attack the Bible here. Praying for you to be blessed this weekend as well!!!
Very good week end.:)
That’s good to pray
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[…] 9.) Bible Contradiction? Who brought Joseph into Egypt? […]
You gave a well researched response. Thanks for putting this together. Here the skeptic fails to check the context and background.
I am finally getting caught up with your posts from being in FL. It astounds me how little attention believers and unbelievers give to ancestry and genealogies in the Bible. Every people group on earth cares to some extent who their ancestors were, where they came from etc. It is no different with the Bible, hence why Paul tells the Colossians and Timothy to not get caught up in genealogies, ancestry etc. I am thankful for the effort you are putting into refuting these.
Good point about how people all over the world and in many era was interested about ancestry and where they came from. A good observation, that lend itself to why we should see genealogies in the Bible not as boring but even more interesting as the Old Testament saints was anticipating the Messiah! Are you jet lagged from the trip down to Florida??
Not jet lagged thank God!
The author of the skeptic annotated Bible should consider a new job
Here my spin as to why it is not a contradiction: The Midianites and Ishmaelites worked together
Twisting the Scripture haphazardly is no virtue. Thank you brother Jim for explaining this so meticulously.
[…] Who brought Joseph into Egypt? […]