Genesis 37:36

Bible students do not agree about why this verse says ‘Midianites’ and not ‘Ishmaelites’. (See comment on verse 28.) Some students say that this verse speaks briefly. It probably means, ‘Meanwhile the Midianites sold Joseph as a slave. People took him to Potiphar in Egypt.’ The Midianites did not sell Joseph to Potiphar. They sold him to the Ishmaelites. The Ishmaelites took Joseph to Egypt and they sold him to Potiphar. (For a similar verse that speaks briefly, see Genesis 45:4 and the comment.)

Other students say that ‘Ishmaelites’ and ‘Midianites’ are two names for the same people. Perhaps they were *descendants of Ishmael who lived in Midian.

Canaan ~ the country where the Canaanites lived. (See Canaanites.) It is approximately the same land as the modern country Israel together with the land of the Palestinians.

Canaanites ~ Canaan’s descendants. Canaan was a grandson of Noah. (see Genesis 9:18.) The word Canaanites included Amorites and Hivites and other nations. (see Genesis 10:16-17.) It sometimes also included other people who lived in the country Canaan. These people were not descendants of Canaan.

descendants ~ children and grandchildren and later members of the family.
Hebrew ~ the Hebrew people were Abraham and his descendants. The ancient Hebrew language is the original language of Genesis. It is also the original language of most of the Old Testament (the first part of the Bible). This language is like the modern Hebrew language, which people speak in the country Israel today.

descendants ~ children and grandchildren and later members of the family.
descendants ~ children and grandchildren and later members of the family.
Pharaoh ~ every king of Egypt was called ‘Pharaoh’. It was not one king’s name.