|
by
Doug Ward |
In a popular online collection of bloopers from church bulletins,
one typical item reads, "For those of you who have children and don't know
it, we have a nursery downstairs." The unintentional humor in this item
stems from the use of the pronoun "it." Does "it" refer to
the existence of the nursery, or to the existence of the children?
As
readers we can usually determine the intended referent of a pronoun from the
context, but sometimes questions arise. I am aware, for example, of several
biblical instances of pronouns with two possible referents. One of my favorites
comes from the story of Joseph in Genesis 37.
Recall
that the precocious Joseph is being groomed for family leadership, as
symbolized by the "coat of many colors" he receives from his father
Jacob. Jacob's favoritism and Joseph's grandiose dreams cause Joseph's brothers
to resent him.
The
brothers' resentment is evident when Jacob sends the 17-year-old Joseph to
report on their work tending the family flocks. As they see Joseph coming, some
of them propose that they kill Joseph. Reuben, the oldest, intervenes and
convinces them to put their brother in an empty cistern. (He plans to come back
and rescue Joseph.)
Later,
as the brothers share a meal, they see a caravan of Ishmaelite traders
approaching from the east. Judah suggests that they sell Joseph to the traders
rather than leave him to die in the pit, and the others agree. We now come to
verse 28: "Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and
lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites ..."
Who
are the "they" who sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites? The usual answer
is that Joseph's brothers sold him, perhaps with the aid of the Midianites.
This is supported by Genesis 45:4, where Joseph tells his brothers, "I am
your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt."
On
the other hand, perhaps it is the Midianites who sell Joseph to the
Ishmaelites. In this scenario the brothers sit down to eat on high ground some
distance from the cistern, so that they do not have to listen to Joseph's cries
of protest. During the meal Reuben sneaks back to the cistern to rescue Joseph
but finds that he is already gone (verses 29-30), having been taken by the
Midianites.
I
favor this second explanation, which better accounts for Reuben's actions and
explains why the Midianites are mentioned. Since the brothers intend to sell
Joseph and ultimately are responsible for the fact that he is sold, I do not
believe this explanation contradicts Genesis 45:4. The second explanation
raises the additional question of whether the brothers would have sold Joseph
if they had returned to the cistern before the Midianites arrived. One can
imagine them thinking better of their impulsive plan when faced with carrying
it out.
Our
study of Genesis 37:28 illustrates the value of considering the possible
referents of biblical pronouns. This practice can suggest new possibilities and
enhance our understanding of Scripture.
File
translated from TEX by TTH,
version 3.66.
On 05 Feb 2026, 14:15.
