Holy Bible Online Joseph was one of the twelve sons of Jacob and, according to the Bible, the favorite of his father. When Joseph was seventeen years old, his father gave him a coat of many colors. His brothers were already resentful of him because Joseph would tell his father the bad things they did. The coat only increased their resentment.
As if that weren't enough, Joseph had a special gift: God revealed to him through dreams things that would happen in the future.
Joseph's Prophetic Dreams
We find the biblical story of Joseph in the book of Genesis (chapter 30:22-24; chapters 37 and 39-50).
In his youth, Joseph had two dreams related to him and his family, and he decided to share them. In the first dream, he saw himself in the field with his brothers binding sheaves (a bundle of stalks). Suddenly, his sheaf stood up very straight while the sheaves of his brothers bent down before his.
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In the second dream, Joseph saw the sun, the moon, and eleven stars—which represented his parents and his brothers—bowing down to him. As expected, neither of the two dreams sat well with his brothers. Anger and envy grew in their hearts, and they began to devise a way to get rid of Joseph. However, his father reflected on these dreams.
The reality is that both dreams came from God and spoke of something that came to pass over the years. After enduring many sorrows and injustices, Joseph became someone very important, and his entire family had to bow down to him.
Joseph the Dreamer, Sold as a Slave
On one occasion, Joseph's brothers were elsewhere tending the sheep. Jacob, the father, sent Joseph to see if his brothers and the flock were well. When the brothers saw Joseph the dreamer— as they called him—from a distance, dressed in his coat of many colors, they began to devise a plan. They wanted to get rid of him (Genesis 37:12-36)!
The original idea was quite macabre, which reveals the condition of the hearts of some of his brothers:
“Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other.“Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.” When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said.
- Genesis 37:19-20
However, Reuben - the older brother - opposed doing harm to Joseph. He proposed that they throw him into a cistern and leave him there. In reality, his plan was to later come and rescue his brother and take him back home, alive.
But the plan took an unexpected turn when the other brothers saw a caravan of Midianite merchants heading to Egypt. Judah, one of the brothers, suggested not to kill Joseph, but to sell him, and so they did. That’s how Joseph found himself sold as a slave and on his way to Egypt.
The brothers took Joseph’s coat of many colors and soaked it in the blood of a young goat. When they got home, they made Jacob, their father, believe that Joseph had been killed and devoured by a wild animal.
Jacob and Joseph's Bloody Coat
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On the other hand, the Midianites, upon arriving in Egypt, sold Joseph for the second time. There, a Pharaoh's officer and captain of the guard named Potiphar bought him.
Joseph began to work for him, and everything he did went well, something that did not go unnoticed. For this reason, Potiphar decided to appoint Joseph as the steward of his house and the manager of his goods.
From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field.
- Genesis 39:5
The house prospered, and everyone was happy. The only thing Potiphar did not share with Joseph was, obviously, his wife. Unfortunately, Potiphar’s wife became intent on seducing Joseph, and that’s where the trouble began. Joseph would not give in to the harassment, and she resented him for it.
One day, when all the servants of the house were elsewhere, the woman took the opportunity to approach Joseph and grab him by his clothes. He ran away because he feared God and did not want to bring harm to Potiphar. In his haste to flee, he left his cloak in her hands.
She, scorned, decided to tell the story her way. She called the servants of the house, shouting, and showed them Joseph’s cloak, claiming that he had tried to take advantage of her. When her husband arrived, she told him the same story, and he, enraged, ordered that Joseph be thrown into the prison where the king’s prisoners were held.
Joseph, the Interpreter of Dreams
The Bible says in Genesis 39:20b-21 that "even in prison, the Lord was with him and did not stop showing him His love." Joseph quickly gained the trust of the prison guard, who put him in charge of all the prisoners and everything that was done there.
The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
- Genesis 39:23
Once again, just as it had happened with Potiphar, Joseph saw how God gave him favor in the eyes of the person in charge.
After a while, Pharaoh became angry with two of his officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker. He sent them to prison, to the same prison where Joseph was. One night, both the cupbearer and the baker had a dream.
In the morning, Joseph noticed they were troubled and asked them what was wrong. They confessed to him that they had had two dreams and could not find anyone who could tell them the meaning of these. Joseph answered them, filled with confidence in God:
Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.
- Genesis 40:8b
The Dream of the Chief Cupbearer
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The first to tell his dream was the chief cupbearer. In his dream, he saw a vine with three branches that began to blossom and produced grapes. He saw himself holding the Pharaoh's cup, squeezing the grapes before handing the cup to his master. Joseph told him that the dream meant that in three days, the cupbearer would be pardoned and would return to his previous job as Pharaoh's cupbearer.
Joseph took the opportunity to ask the chief cupbearer that when he returned to his work, he would remember him. His wish was that the cupbearer would intercede for him before Pharaoh. Perhaps then Pharaoh would show mercy upon realizing that he had been unjust to Joseph and allow him to leave the prison.
The Dream of the Chief Baker
When the chief baker saw that the interpretation for the cupbearer was positive, he became encouraged and told Joseph his dream. In the dream, he saw himself with three baskets of bread on his head. In the top basket, there was a large assortment of pastries, but the birds came and ate what was in the baskets.
Joseph told him that in three days, Pharaoh would order him to be beheaded and hanged on a tree, and the birds would come and eat his body. Three days later, it happened just as Joseph had said: the chief cupbearer returned to his work, but the chief baker was hanged.
The Dreams of Pharaoh
Two years passed. Joseph was now thirty years old and remained imprisoned. One night, Pharaoh had two dreams. In the first one, he was standing by the Nile River. Suddenly, he saw seven fat and beautiful cows come out of the river and begin to graze. Behind them, another seven cows came out, but they were very thin and ugly, and they ate the first seven cows. However, despite eating them, the thin cows neither grew fat nor appeared any stronger.
In the second dream, Pharaoh saw seven large and beautiful ears of grain growing from one stalk. After them, seven very thin and scorched ears of grain sprouted. Just as with the cows, the seven thin ears of grain devoured the larger ones, but they remained just as thin and scorched.
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Pharaoh woke up troubled and sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt, but none of them could interpret his dreams. It was at that moment that the king's cupbearer remembered Joseph. He told Pharaoh how Joseph had correctly interpreted his dream and the baker's dream two years earlier. Pharaoh then ordered that Joseph be called, and they went to fetch him from the prison.
Joseph Interprets Pharaoh's Dreams
Joseph shaved, dressed well, and presented himself before Pharaoh. Pharaoh told him that he had heard that Joseph could interpret dreams. Once again, just as he had done with the cupbearer and the baker, Joseph gave the glory to God.
“I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”
- Genesis 41:16
Pharaoh told Joseph his dreams, and Joseph interpreted them. He said that both dreams meant the same thing and that the fact Pharaoh had dreamed twice showed that God was determined to bring about what was being foretold.
Seven years of great abundance would come to Egypt, but they would be followed by seven years of scarcity and hunger. They would be so severe that the people would forget the abundance they had enjoyed in previous years.
Joseph had the courage to advise Pharaoh. He told him that he should find a wise and competent person to manage Egypt. The purpose would be to wisely use the resources available and store enough for the coming years of scarcity. Joseph gave Pharaoh very wise counsel, and Pharaoh responded:
“Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.”
- Genesis 41:39-40
Joseph, Governor of Egypt
Thus, Joseph went from being unjustly imprisoned to becoming the governor of Egypt. Pharaoh gave Joseph a new name, Zaphenath-Paneah, and gave him a wife, Asenath, the daughter of a priest.
Joseph began to work diligently for Pharaoh. During the seven years of abundance, he gathered more than enough food for everyone. The famine began, and it not only affected Egypt but spread to all nations, but the people of Egypt were prepared.
Little by little, people from all over the world began arriving in Egypt to buy food. Ten of Joseph’s brothers were among those who came from other countries and regions of the world seeking food. In the end, they did bow before Joseph, asking for his favor and food, just as Joseph had dreamed when he was only seventeen.
Joseph’s Brothers in Egypt
Joseph recognized his brothers, but he did not say anything, and they did not realize that it was Joseph. He asked them a few questions to learn more about their father and about Benjamin, the younger brother. Joseph was also trying to understand the state of his brothers' hearts.
First, he accused them of being spies. They defended themselves, but he said he didn’t believe them and threw them into prison for three days.
On the third day, Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God: If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households. But you must bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may be verified and that you may not die.” This they proceeded to do.
They said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress has come on us.”
- Genesis 42:18-21
Joseph ordered that their money be returned to them without their knowledge, and on the way back home, they realized that they still had the money. They were frightened and thought it was a trap to arrest them again. However, it was not a trap, and they managed to get home, all except Simeon, who had stayed in Egypt under custody.
Jacob, their father, didn’t want his sons to return to Egypt, let alone take Benjamin with them. Time passed, but the moment came when they needed more food. They had to go back! Judah took responsibility for Benjamin’s safety, and they set out on the journey. They carried gifts and goods from the region. They also took double the money, as their father insisted on protecting his sons from further mishaps.
Family Reunion
When Joseph saw them, he asked that they be taken to his house and that a great dinner be prepared. They were frightened, but Joseph’s steward told them that everything was fine. Simeon, the brother who had stayed in Egypt, joined them. At noon, Joseph sat down with them to eat. He asked how their father was, and when he saw Benjamin, he was moved. He hid to cry, and then he gathered himself and ate and drank with his brothers.
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Then, Joseph ordered his steward to put his silver cup among Benjamin’s belongings when they filled their sacks with food. The steward did so, and shortly after they left for their journey back to Canaan, the steward pursued them and asked, “Why have you repaid good with evil? Why have you stolen my master’s silver cup, which he uses for drinking and divination?”
(Genesis 44:4-5).
They denied it, but of course, he found the cup in Benjamin’s bag. They were terrified because they could not let Benjamin be captured. It would be too great a blow for Jacob, their father. Joseph, seeing them so distressed, could not take it anymore and revealed to them that he was Joseph, the brother they had sold to the Midianites.
“I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you."
- (Genesis 45:4b-5
He communicated his plan: they would find their father and bring him to live in the land of Goshen in Egypt. There were still several years of famine ahead, but in Egypt, they would lack nothing. They did as he said. They found Jacob, and he saw his son Joseph again after so many years.
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However, Jacob asked that when he died, he not be buried in Egypt but with his ancestors in Canaan. When the time came, Joseph and his brothers honored his request and took his body to Canaan, to the place he had specified (Genesis 50:12-13).
In this biblical story, we see that God gave Joseph special gifts, and over the years, he learned to use them wisely and efficiently. Do you know the gifts God has given you? Are you using them for God's glory?
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