Who sold Joseph
Whether Joseph was taken up by Midianite traders or sold by his brothers, and who the text holds responsible.
Genesis 37:25-36
25They sat down to eat bread, and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing spices and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.
26Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?
27Come, and let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not let our hand be on him; for he is our brother, our flesh.” His brothers listened to him.
28Midianites who were merchants passed by, and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The merchants brought Joseph into Egypt.
29Reuben returned to the pit, and saw that Joseph wasn’t in the pit; and he tore his clothes.
30He returned to his brothers, and said, “The child is no more; and I, where will I go?”
31They took Joseph’s tunic, and killed a male goat, and dipped the tunic in the blood.
32They took the tunic of many colors, and they brought it to their father, and said, “We have found this. Examine it, now, and see if it is your son’s tunic or not.”
33He recognized it, and said, “It is my son’s tunic. An evil animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces.”
34Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days.
35All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. He said, “For I will go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” His father wept for him.
36The Midianites sold him into Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, the captain of the guard.
Genesis 45:1-8
1Then Joseph couldn’t control himself before all those who stood before him, and he called out, “Cause everyone to go out from me!” No one else stood with him, while Joseph made himself known to his brothers.
2He wept aloud. The Egyptians heard, and the house of Pharaoh heard.
3Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Does my father still live?” His brothers couldn’t answer him; for they were terrified at his presence.
4Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” They came near. He said, “I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.
5Now don’t be grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.
6For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are yet five years, in which there will be no plowing and no harvest.
7God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to save you alive by a great deliverance.
8So now it wasn’t you who sent me here, but God, and he has made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of all his house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
What each tradition says
Rabbinic / Midrashic
The Jewish Encyclopedia states that the Midianites were the middlemen between the brothers and the Ishmaelites, on the one hand, and between the latter and Potiphar, on the other. In this position, the Midianites stand between the brothers and the Ishmaelites, and then between the Ishmaelites and Potiphar.
The Jewish Encyclopedia (1905), art. “Genesis, the Book of”, The Jewish Encyclopedia (1905), art. “Genesis, the Book of” — §13 (analysis of the sale narrative)
Patristic
John Chrysostom says the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt. He sees this as a type of Christ: though they found no fault in Joseph and he came to bring them food, they ill-treated him.
John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 11) — Homily 16, on Acts 7:9
Catholic
In his commentary on Genesis 37:28, George Leo Haydock says that the Madianites and Ismaelites jointly purchased Joseph. His position is that both groups together bought him.
George Leo Haydock, George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary (1859) — On Genesis 37:28
Orthodox
No sourced position found. Checked archive.org for a public-domain English Theophylact or Euthymius Zigabenus commentary (none); Philaret’s Longer Catechism and the Acts of the Synod of Jerusalem (dogmatic); pravoslavieto.com (no English commentary on Genesis 37). No Eastern treatment of the sale found.
Reformed / Protestant
Calvin explains the cause of the envy of Joseph’s brothers: they formed a wicked conspiracy against him and sold him as a slave. The commentary thus presents Joseph’s brothers as those who conspired against him and sold him.
John Calvin, Commentaries on the First Book of Moses called Genesis, Vol. 2 (John King trans., Calvin Translation Society) — On Genesis 37:2 (opening of the chapter)
Evangelical
Wesley states that Joseph was sold by Judah’s contrivance for twenty pieces of silver. He parallels this to Jesus, who was sold for thirty pieces by Judas, one of the same name.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament — Note on Genesis 37:26