The story of Joseph begins with him being born to Rachel, Jacob’s second wife but first-promised. Although quite a bit younger than all his brothers except Benjamin, when Reuben lost the privilege of the birthright by transgression (1 Chronicles 5:1-2), by his worthiness and as firstborn to the second wife, Joseph was the rightful heir. The account in Genesis chapter 37 and in the Quran sura 12 begins with Joseph at 17 years old.
Genesis
Chapter 37
4. And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.
The Holy Quran
12 Yusuf
I took verse 8 from the Quran a bit out of order and context, so already off to a rocky start! But it shows Joseph was favored by his father Jacob and his brothers resented him for it. The coat of many colors is interesting in and of itself. The Septuagint word indicates many colors, but the Hebrew term may indicate simply a long coat with sleeves. Hugh Nibley believes the proper translation of the term should be “of certain markings.” (Hugh Nibley, Teachings of the Book of Mormon, vol. 3, 51-52) With all this in mind, the significance of the coat is probably more than just a gift to a favorite son. It may represent Joseph being set apart for the birthright, or perhaps a token of the priesthood, or that the Lord had made the same covenants with Joseph that he had with Abraham and Jacob.
Genesis, Chapter 37
6. And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:
7. For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.
8. And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.
The Quran, 12 Yusuf
The Quran doesn’t relate the vision of the sheaves. It really has the same point of the next vision, so is perhaps a bit redundant. Genesis does say Joseph tells his brothers, where the Quran indicates he only confided in his father.
Genesis, Chapter 37
10. And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?
11. And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.
The Quran, 12 Yusuf
5. He (the father) said: “O my son! Relate not your vision to your brothers, lest they arrange a plot against you. Verily! Shaitan (Satan) is to man an open enemy!
6. “Thus will your Lord choose you and teach you the interpretation of dreams (and other things) and perfect His Favour on you and on the offspring of Ya’qub (Jacob), as He perfected it on your fathers, Ibrahim (Abraham) and Ishaque (Isaac) aforetime! Verily, your Lord is All-Knowing, All-Wise.”
The same dream, but different audience and different reactions. Perhaps a stretch, but if you really want them to agree I think verse 11 in Genesis gives some hope. Perhaps the rebuke by Jacob in verse 10 was more about Joseph keeping his mouth shut. Although verse 10 does indicate Jacob took some personal offense, he appears at peace with it by verse 11. Either way, Jacob is much more encouraging and shows a greater understanding in the Quran and there is no indication Joseph’s brothers heard it. Although the warning Jacob gives in the Quran proves prescient later in the Genesis account and does serve as motive in both, so perhaps the brothers heard regardless.
Genesis, Chapter 37
13. And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I.
14. And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.
15. And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?
16. And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks.
17. And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan.
18. And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.
19. And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.
The Quran, 12 Yusuf
12. “Send him with us tomorrow to enjoy himself and play, and verily, we will take care of him.”
13. He [Ya’qub (Jacob)] said: “Truly, it saddens me that you should take him away. I fear lest a wolf should devour him, while you are careless of him.”
14. They said: “If a wolf devours him, while we are ‘Usbah (a strong group) (to guard him), then surely, we are the losers.”
A few differences to note. In Genesis Jacob sends Joseph to his brothers who are feeding the flocks to check up on them. In the Quran the brothers convince Jacob to let Joseph go with them. This suggests more planning involved by the brothers in the Quran, where Genesis is more a crime of opportunity. In both though, the warning Jacob gives to Joseph in Quran 12:5, that the brothers will plot against Joseph, comes true.
I am not sure why Genesis relates Joseph’s trip first to Shechem and then to Dothan. Dothan is about 12 to 15 miles (19 to 24 kilometers) north of Shechem. I suppose it shows Joseph’s diligence in obeying his father.
Genesis, Chapter 37
21. And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him.
22. And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.
23. And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him;
24. And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.
The Quran, 12 Yusuf
10. One from among them said: “Kill not Yusuf (Joseph), but if you must do something, throw him down to the bottom of a well, he will be picked up by some caravan of travellers.”
15. So, when they took him away, they all agreed to throw him down to the bottom of the well, and We inspired in him:”Indeed, you shall (one day) inform them of this their affair, when they know (you) not.”
The difference here is that the brothers plotted before the trip to the fields in the Quran while in Genesis the same plot is concocted when Joseph arrives in the field.
The un-named brother suggesting not to kill Joseph in the Quran is identified as Reuben, the eldest brother and original holder of the birthright, in Genesis. In Genesis, Reuben’s intent is to return Joseph to Jacob and the idea of a caravan hasn’t entered into any of their minds yet. I think it is certain, that for other than Reuben, the intent of the brothers was still to kill Joseph.
I find it interesting that Genesis calls it a “pit” and adds the fact that “there was no water in it.” The Quran says it was a “well”, and says a passing caravan will look to draw water from it. The name Dothan means “two wells”, and many ancient wells still exist in the area, several of which dry up in the summer months. Three of them today claim title as the “Pit of Joseph”, although none as far as I can tell, provide any definitive evidence other than local folklore.
Verse 15 in the Quran is very interesting to me. And note, this paragraph is now purely my own thoughts. But verse 15 from the Quran shows that Joseph was given comfort to know that one day there would be justice. The next several years of his life are certainly a test of his faith. He has dreams indicating his greatness. He is favored of his father and given a token of that love, and perhaps a token of the birthright and perhaps a token the priesthood, with his “coat of many colors”. In that moment at the bottom of a pit, it would be easy to doubt his own dreams and visions. Later, when tested by Potiphar’s wife, it would be easy to forget the promises God has made to him and to give in to baser desires. Joseph must have kept the promises of God in his mind at all times. And as verse 15 in the Quran suggests, I imagine there were other times he was “inspired” and comforted from heaven during the trials of his life.
Genesis, Chapter 37
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 Quran, 12 Yusuf
Here we see in Genesis that the idea of selling him to a passing caravan doesn’t occur to the brothers until they actually see a passing caravan. Also, another brother is named, Judah. Judah’s suggestion to sell Joseph instead of killing him was no merciful act, but purely selfish. First, the selling of Joseph yielded 20 pieces of silver. Second, Judah rationalized he would be somehow be less guilty.
We see some redeeming qualities of Reuben again in Genesis. We see he clearly did not intend to harm Joseph, and placing him in a pit was probably intended to save him. The “wither shall I go?” he asks his brothers shows he probably had some accountability to his father for Joseph’s safety, and he was not looking forward to returning to Jacob without Joseph in hand and safe.
Genesis, Chapter 37
32. And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son’s coat or no.
33. And he knew it, and said, It is my son’s coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.
34. And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.
35. And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.
The Quran, 12 Yusuf
17. They said:”O our father! We went racing with one another, and left Yusuf (Joseph) by our belongings and a wolf devoured him; but you will never believe us even when we speak the truth.”
18. And they brought his shirt stained with false blood. He said: “Nay, but your ownselves have made up a tale. So (for me) patience is most fitting. And it is Allah (Alone) Whose help can be sought against that which you assert.”
In both accounts the brothers stain Joseph’s garment with false blood and show it as evidence to Jacob that Joseph was killed by a wild animal. In Genesis, it appears Jacob believes the lie and is sent into deep mourning for his beloved son. In the Quran Jacob immediately sees the lie and expresses it openly. I assume he still thought Joseph was dead though. Also, in the Quran he turns to God in patience for peace and reconciliation.
So there are a few differences in the details, but overall we have the same story. Joseph is a visionary and righteous young man. For that his treacherous brothers resent him and plot against him. He ends up in a pit and eventually finds himself in Egypt as a slave. And the brothers lie to their father all about it, leading Jacob to believe his son is dead.
- Introduction to the Harmony of Joseph in Genesis and the Holy Quran
- Part 1 – The Pit of Joseph
- Part 2 – The Slavery of Joseph
- Part 3 – The Imprisonment of Joseph
- Part 4 – Prince Joseph
- Part 5 – The Reunion of Joseph