KING JAMES VERSION (KJV)
TRANSLATION, MEANING, CONTEXT
To get what Genesis 37:28 means based on its source text, scroll down or follow these links for the original scriptural meaning , biblical context and relative popularity.
“Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.”
What does this verse really mean? Use this table to get a word-for-word translation of the original Hebrew Scripture. This shows the English words related to the source biblical texts along with brief definitions. Follow the buttons in the right-hand column for detailed definitions and verses that use the same root words. Use this reference information to gain deeper insight into the Bible and enrich your understanding. Information based on Strong's Exhaustive Concordance[1].
| KJV Verse | Original Hebrew | Meaning/ Definition This is a simplified translation of the original Hebrew word. Follow the buttons on the right to get more detail. | More Use the buttons below to get details on the Hebrew word and view related Bible verses that use the same root word. |
|---|---|---|---|
| “Then there passed by” | וַיַּֽעַבְרוּ֩ | To cross over; used very widely of any transition (literal or figurative; transitive, intransitive, intensive, causative); specifically, to cover (in copulation) | Then passed |
| “Midianites” | מִדְיָנִ֜ים | A Midjanite or descendant (native) of Midjan | Midianites |
| “merchantmen;” | סֹֽחֲרִ֗ים | To travel round (specifically as a pedlar); intensively, to palpitate | merchantmen |
| “and they drew” | וַֽיִּמְשְׁכוּ֙ | To draw, used in a great variety of applications (including to sow, to sound, to prolong, to develop, to march, to remove, to delay, to be tall, etc.) | drew |
| “and lifted up” | וַיַּֽעֲל֤וּ | To ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurative | lifted up |
| “Joseph” | יוֹסֵף֙ | Joseph, the name of seven Israelites | Joseph |
| “out of” | מִן | Properly, a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of in many senses | out |
| “the pit,” | הַבּ֔וֹר | A pit hole (especially one used as a cistern or a prison) | pit |
| “and sold” | וַיִּמְכְּר֧וּ | To sell, literally (as merchandise, a daughter in marriage, into slavery), or figuratively (to surrender) | sold |
| “Joseph” | יוֹסֵ֛ף | Joseph, the name of seven Israelites | Joseph |
| “to the Ishmeelites” | לַיִּשְׁמְעֵאלִ֖ים | A Jishmaelite or descendant of Jishmael | Ishmeelites |
| “for twenty” | בְּעֶשְׂרִ֣ים | Twenty; also (ordinal) twentieth | twenty |
| “pieces” | (No Hebrew definition. English implied.) | ||
| “of silver:” | כָּ֑סֶף | Silver (from its pale color); by implication, money | silver |
| “and they brought” | וַיָּבִ֥יאוּ | To go or come (in a wide variety of applications) | brought |
| “Joseph” | יוֹסֵ֖ף | Joseph, the name of seven Israelites | Joseph |
| “into Egypt.” | מִצְרָֽיְמָה׃ | Mitsrajim, i.e., Upper and Lower Egypt | Egypt |
See Genesis 37:28 with its adjacent verses in bold below. Follow either of the two large buttons below to see these verses in their broader context of the King James Bible or a Bible concordance.
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26 And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?
27 Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.
28 Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.
29 And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.
30 And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?
The King James Bible (1611) and Strong's Concordance (1890) with Hebrew and Greek dictionaries are sourced from the BibleForgeDB database (https://github.com/bibleforge) within the BibleForge project (http://bibleforge.com). Popularity rankings are based on search volume data from the Google AdWords Keyword Planner tool.