Joseph Sold by His Brothers

Joseph is seized and handed over while silver changes hands beside a passing caravan of camels. His brothers stand around him with hard faces and restrained force, turning family jealousy into betrayal as traders prepare to take him toward Egypt. The scene portrays the moment in Genesis 37 when Joseph is lifted from the pit and sold for twenty pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites or Midianite traders. The image emphasizes the bitter fruit of envy, yet the biblical story also points forward to God’s providence: what begins as rejection and slavery becomes the path through which Joseph will preserve many lives. This artwork serves teaching on Joseph, sibling rivalry, betrayal, forgiveness, divine sovereignty, and God’s redemptive work through human wrongdoing. by Jeff Preston