Genesis 35:2

35:2 So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have among you. 1  Purify yourselves and change your clothes. 2 

Genesis 45:5

45:5 Now, do not be upset and do not be angry with yourselves because you sold me here, 3  for God sent me 4  ahead of you to preserve life!

1 tn Heb “which are in your midst.”

2 sn The actions of removing false gods, becoming ritually clean, and changing garments would become necessary steps in Israel when approaching the Lord in worship.

3 tn Heb “let there not be anger in your eyes.”

4 sn You sold me here, for God sent me. The tension remains as to how the brothers’ wickedness and God’s intentions work together. Clearly God is able to transform the actions of wickedness to bring about some gracious end. But this is saying more than that; it is saying that from the beginning it was God who sent Joseph here. Although harmonization of these ideas remains humanly impossible, the divine intention is what should be the focus. Only that will enable reconciliation.