Genesis Chapter 37 verse 36 Holy Bible

Pulpit Commentary

Pulpit CommentaryVerse 36. - 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 (ver. 27), Midianites (ver. 28), and Medanites (ver. 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, 4), such as Oriental monarchs were accustomed to set over their harems (Esther 2:3, 14, 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).

Ellicott's Commentary

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(36) Midianites.--Heb., Medanites. (See Note on Genesis 37:25.)Potiphar.--Three chief interpretations are given of this name The first explains it by two Coptic words, according to which it would signify "father of the king." This would make it an official name equivalent to prime minister or vizier. Gesenius considers it to be the same name as Potipherah (Genesis 41:50), and explains it as meaning "consecrated to Ra," that is, the sun-god. Thirdly, Canon Cook, in the "Excursus on Egyptian Words," at the end of Vol. I. of The Speaker's Commentary, argues with much cogency, that it means "father of the palace." This again would be an official name.An officer.--Though this word literally in Hebrew signifies an eunuch, yet either, as seems probable from other places, it had come to mean any officer of the palace, or Potiphar was chief of the eunuchs, and therefore is himself numbered among them.Captain of the guard.--Heb., chief of the slaughterers, by which the LXX. understand the slaughterers of animals for food, and translate "chief cook." The other versions understand by it the commander of the king's body-guard, whose business it would be to execute condemned criminals. A comparison with 2Kings 25:8, where the same title is given to Nebuzar-adan, proves that this interpretation is correct.