How Old Was Joseph When He Was Sold

So, you're curious about Joseph, right? The one from the Bible, not the one from Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. Let's dive in, shall we?

Setting the Scene

Picture this: ancient Israel, around 1700 BCE. It's not exactly the tech hub of the world, but hey, they've got camels, which is pretty high-tech for the time. Now, Joseph, he's the 11th son of Jacob, who's got quite the family tree himself. Joseph's got these fancy, colorful clothes, and his dad's favorite, which, let's face it, is bound to make his brothers a tad jealous.

Enter the Dreamer

Joseph, he's a dreamer. Not in the 'I want to be an astronaut' kind of way, but more like 'I had a dream last night, and in it, you guys were all bowing to me' kind of way. Not the best dinner table conversation, right? His brothers, they're not exactly thrilled. They're like, 'Who does this kid think he is?'

From Bad to Worse

So, one day, Joseph's out in the field with his brothers, and they're like, 'Hey, let's sell this kid to some passing merchants. We'll tell Dad he was eaten by a lion. Win-win, right?' I mean, not really, but they're pretty ticked off. They sell Joseph for 20 pieces of silver, which, by the way, is about 100 grams of silver. Not exactly a king's ransom, but hey, it's something.

Joseph's Brothers Sell Him Into Slavery

How Old Was He?

Now, here's where it gets a bit tricky. The Bible doesn't give us a specific age. It just says Joseph was a 'young man' when he was sold. But if you've been paying attention, you'll remember that Joseph was the 11th son. His dad, Jacob, was pretty old when he was born. So, while we can't pinpoint an exact age, scholars estimate Joseph was probably around 17 or 18 when he was sold.

But hey, who's counting? What's important is that Joseph ends up in Egypt, becomes a big shot, and eventually, his brothers come crawling to him for help. Talk about a plot twist, huh?