Genesis 37:36 - Exposition

And the Midianites —or Medanites, descendants of Medan, a brother of Midian, both of whom were sons of Abraham by Keturah ( Genesis 25:2 ). That the Arabian merchants are called Ishmaelites ( Genesis 37:27 ), Midianites ( Genesis 37:28 ), and Medanites ( Genesis 37:36 ), is explained as an evidence of varying legends (Tuch, Bleek, Davidson, Colenso), but is better accounted for as indicating that the traders were composed of men of various nations (Clericus); that the Midianites, Ishmaelites, and Medanites were often confounded from their common parentage and closely similar habits (Keil); that the narrator did not intend to lay stress upon the nationality, but upon the occupation, of the travelers (Havernick); that the proprietors of the caravan were Ishmaelites, and the company attending it Midianites or Medanites (Lange); that the Ishmaelites were the genus, and the Midianites and Medanites the species, of the same nation (Rosenmüller, Quarry); that the Midianites or Medanites were the actual purchasers of Joseph, while the caravan took its name from the Ishmaelites, who formed the larger portion of it (Murphy)— sold him into Egypt ( i.e. having brought him into Egypt, perhaps, as Luther conjectures, passing through Hebron on the way, sold him) unto Potiphar ,—the name is abbreviated from Poti-Phera ( Genesis 41:50 ), i.e. he who belongs to the sun (Gesenius, sub voce ). The LXX . render Πετεφρής or Πετεφρῆ— an officer — סָרִיס , from סָרַס , an unused root signifying to pull up by the roots, originally means a eunuch ( Isaiah 56:3 , Isaiah 56:4 ), such as Oriental monarchs were accustomed to set over their harems ( Esther 2:3 , Esther 2:14 , Esther 2:15 ; Esther 4:5 ), but is here employed to denote an officer or courtier generally, without any reference to the primary signification, since Potiphar was married— of Pharaoh's ( vide Genesis 12:15 ), and captain of the guard —literally, captain of the slaughterers, i.e. chief officer of the executioners, the nature of whoso duties may be understood from the fact that he was keeper of the State prison, "where the king's prisoners were bound" ( Genesis 39:20 ).