Point of View

Consider the sequence of events: Joseph has been sent by his father to check on the welfare of his brothers. Oblivious to the brothers' ill will, he sets out to meet them. They espy him approaching, and make plans to do in the dreamer once and for all. Whereas the initial call among the brothers is for manslaughter, their nefarious designs are tempered by their older brother Reuben, who suggests that they simply cast him into a pit and let death come naturally. Actually, as the Bible later reveals, Reuben has every intention of rescuing Joseph when the opportunity allows. Scripture gives expression to the brother's gleeful disdain for Joseph's plight in the pit by describing them sitting down to eat, undisturbed by his distress. Noticing a caravan of nomadic merchants approaching, brother Judah comes up with the practical suggestion of profiting from the situation by selling Joseph to the merchants. The plan is agreed upon. But in describing what happens next, the text is ambiguous.