7. Surely, in [the story of] Joseph with his brothers are ‘signs and lessons’ a to those inquiring [about them.]
8. When they said [to each other]: "Surely Joseph and his brother [Benjamin] are dearer to our father than we are b, though we are a [strong] band c. Our father is indeed in manifest error [with his opinion about his sons.]"
9. "Kill Joseph or cast him into a [remote] land d; [so that] your father's face may be exclusively free for you e, and after [killing him] you may become a good people [with your father. f ]"
10. One of them g said: "Do not kill Joseph, but if you [insist on] doing [that], then throw him down to the bottom of the well, that some of those passing by [in this road] may pick him out." h
[Then God – be glorified – started to explain the story in details, so He said:]
11. The [brothers of Joseph] said [to their father Jacob]: "Father, what ails you that you do not trust us about Joseph, while we – certainly – are sincere to him!?"
12. "Send him forth with us tomorrow, to ‘eat and drink’ [in that fertile and good land] and to play there; we shall surely protect him [from any predator.]"
13. [Jacob] said: "It grieves me indeed that you should take him with you [to the pasture], and I fear the wolf may devour him while you may be unaware of him i."
14. They said: "If the wolf devours him, while we being [so strong] a band, then we shall indeed be losers [of our brother.]"
15. So when they took [Joseph] with them [to the pasture], and they agreed unanimously to put him in the bottom of the well j, and We inspired [Joseph]: "You will surely inform them of this affair of theirs. k " And they perceived not [about the consequences of such act of theirs.]
16. And in the evening, they came to their father, weeping [after they had cast him in the well].
17. They said: "Our father, we went to race with each other [in running on feet], and left Joseph by our luggage [lest anyone might steal it], and the wolf devoured him – but you will not believe us, though we are telling the truth."
18. And they placed false blood on his shirt l; [Jacob] said: "[Not so], but your souls have induced m you to do a matter [about Joseph], then [I should have] ‘good patience’ n, and I seek God's help against your claims o."
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7 a i.e. lessons and admonition to those who ask about them.
8 b For Jacob loved Joseph and Benjamin more than He loved his other sons; and he made for Joseph a garment colored and ornamented with gold, and he dressed Joseph that garment.
8 c Therefore, we are more beneficial to our father than Joseph is; then why does he love him more than he loves us?
9 d So that he cannot know the road to return to his father.
9 e i.e. the site of Joseph to his father will be vacant, and you will replace him.
9 f i.e. you will live in a good Wolrdly life condition with your father.
10 g Whose name was Reuben.
10 h Reuben wanted by this suggestion to save Joseph from the killing, and he did not intend evil to him.
So this is the summary of their dispute about the matter of Joseph.
13 i But busy with tending the sheep.
He in fact said: “I fear the wolf may devour him” because he saw in a dream that ten wolves gathered around Joseph and ate him.
15 j They were dwelling in Jordan.
15 k The meaning: We shall give you power over them in the future, and you will punish them for such act of theirs.
This Arabic word in the aya, which means: (you will surely inform them) is in fact a word of threatening and vowing of taking revenge. There are many words in the Quran similar to it:
God – be glorified – said in the Quran 64: 6, which means:
(Say: "Yes, by my Lord! You shall be sent forth [to the Afterlife following your death, then to the 'gathering together' on Doomsday], then you shall be informed [by the angels] about what you did.)
It means: you will be punished according to your deeds.
And God – be glorified – said in the Quran 41: 50, which means:
(So We will inform those who disbelieve with what [evil] they did.)
It means: We will remind them about their evil deeds and punish them according to that.
However, Joseph punished them somewhat when they went to him to bring food from Egypt for their families, then he rebuked them for such act of theirs, and said to them: ("Do you remember then what you did to Joseph and his brother the while you were ignorant?")
And that was after they had submitted themselves to him and begged him and said: ("O ruler, we and our family have been afflicted with distress. Now we have brought you a receivable merchandise, so measure [food] for us in full, and do us [favor in a way of] charity; [for surely] God will recompense those who do charity.")
18 l i.e. they slaughtered a male goat and patched his shirt with the blood of the male goat.
18 m i.e. your souls made fair to you to do something to Joseph, then induced you to carry it out. And it is not as do you claim that the wolf devoured him; because he saw his shirt not torn, so he said: if according to your claim the wolf had eaten him, then the shirt would have been torn up.
18 n The ‘good patience’ is that man should not complain his suffering but only to God alone, and for this reason, he said later on in this soora 12: 86, which means:
("I only complain my [heart] sadness and [my proclaimed] anguish to God [alone.])
18 o It means: I seek God's help to discover the truth and save Joseph from your hands.
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19. Then came travelers in a caravan a, and the [merchants of the caravan] sent one of them: a water-drawer [to the well], who let down his bucket [into the well b].
"Good news!" the [water-drawer] said, "Here is a young man c."
And they concealed [the truth about him, treating] him as a merchandise d.
But God knew well about what the [brothers of Joseph] were doing.
20. And they sold him for a mean price e: several silver coins; and they attached no value to him f.
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19 a Coming from Gilead, their camels laden with gum, balm and resin to be taken down to Ishmaelia in Egypt.
And Judah said to his brothers: "What is to be gained by killing our brother and concealing his blood? Rather, let us sell him to these Ishmaelites." His brothers agreed.
19 b And Joseph held it and came up with the bucket.
19 c Who had fallen in the well, and I have pulled him up.
19 d It means: the brothers of Joseph hid the truth about him, so they did not say: he is our brother. But they said: “He is our servant who ran away and hid himself in this well.”
Then they sold him to those merchants as would the merchandise be sold.
20 e Which was twenty shekels of silver [In Arabic twenty drachmas: the drachma was a silver coin, while the dinar was a gold coin.]
20 f It means: their purpose was not his price, but to deport him away from them; and therefore they sold him for twenty silver drachmas.
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21. The man a out of [the people of] Egypt, who bought him, said to his woman:
"Make his stay among us honorable b; that he may benefit us [in our affairs of the World], or we may take him for our son c."
d Thus did We establish Joseph in the land [of Egypt], and that We might teach him about the interpretation of [their] telling [of dreams].
God was Predominant over the chiefs of [Joseph] e,
but most of people know not [the outcome.]
22. Then when he reached his maturity [and was twenty one years old], We offered to him a sovereignty [in Egypt] and knowledge [about the interpretation of dreams and others]; thus do We reward the kind f.
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21 a Whose name was Potiphar, and was the captain of the guard.
21 b i.e. prepare for him a proper lodging, and be kind to him.
21 c Because he was a castrate or eunuch who had no children.
21 d i.e. as had We saved Joseph from the killing and from the [bottom of the] well, thus did We establish him …
21 e i.e. God was the Predominant over the chiefs of Joseph, who were: the captain of the guards who bought him, the keeper of the prison where Joseph was imprisoned, and the king who told him about his dream: for God let them honor, respect and give him whatever he wanted, until he became the prime minister.
22 f Those who devote their work and conscience to God, and are kind to people.