Psalms 105:17 Meaning: He Sent a Man Before Them
He sent a man before them. Joseph was sold for a slave.
He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant:
He sent a man before them; Joseph was sold for a servant:
He hath sent before them a man, For a servant hath Joseph been sold.
He sent a man before them: Joseph was sold for a bondman.
Meaning in one sentence
How can God 'send' someone into slavery? Psalm 105:17 shows God's providence overruling human evil for His purposes.
Context
Psalm 105 is a song that walks through the history of Israel, from God's covenant with Abraham to the exodus. The poet is showing how God kept His promises even when things looked dark. By verse 17, a famine has struck the land. Into that crisis, God had already sent someone ahead, Joseph. The psalmist doesn't pretend the sale into slavery was good. He simply names the deeper truth that Joseph himself later saw: God was at work behind the scenes, sending a man to preserve life.
Key Words
The Hebrew verb shalach (sent) carries the force of purposeful dispatch. It is the same word used when God sent Moses to Pharaoh. Here it reframes the brothers' betrayal: what they did out of envy, God repurposed as a mission. The word makar (sold) is a commercial term, used in Genesis 37 for the actual transaction. And ebed (slave) describes Joseph's lowly status. But the psalmist wraps these hard words in the language of sending. He invites us to see that no human evil can derail God's plan, He writes straight with crooked lines.
How Christians Read This Verse
Barnes' Notes highlights the series of wicked acts that led to Joseph's slavery, yet God overruled them for His purposes. Cambridge Bible notes that Joseph himself said the same thing:
God sent me before you to preserve life.
— Genesis 45:5 (WEB)
Calvin sees this as part of God's faithful care for His covenant people across generations. Gill draws a type of Christ, noting that Joseph was sold for silver, as Christ was. Across Protestant traditions, the consensus is clear: God does not cause sin, but He can weave even the worst human choices into His redemptive story.
A common misunderstanding
Some readers think this verse means God wanted Joseph's brothers to sin, that He caused their cruelty so He could get Joseph to Egypt. In fact, the psalmist is describing God's sovereignty, not His causation. The brothers acted freely and sinfully. God then took that evil and turned it toward a good He had planned all along. The verse is about God's ability to redeem, not His desire for harm.
Living This Out
Think of a time when someone else's bad decision left you stuck or far from where you wanted to be. A job that fell through, a friend's betrayal, a door that closed hard, this verse doesn't tell you to pretend it didn't hurt. It asks you to look for the hand that sends, even through the sale. God may be positioning you, like Joseph, to be someone's provision down the road. You don't have to see the whole staircase. You only need to trust the One who sent you ahead.
Main takeaway: What human hands did for harm, God used for good, He is always sending ahead of our need.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Joseph's brothers were very mean to him. They sold him as a slave. But God had a plan. He sent Joseph to Egypt to save his whole family from hunger. Even when people are unkind, God is still in charge.
For ages 9, 12
This verse says God sent Joseph into Egypt, even though his brothers sold him there. It doesn't mean God made them sin. It means God's plan was bigger than their bad choice. Joseph spent years as a slave and in prison. It must have felt very unfair. But when the famine came, Joseph was exactly where God needed him. He saved thousands of lives. When something bad happens to you, you can ask God to show you how He might be using it for good later on.
Questions People Ask
If God sent Joseph, does that mean He caused the brothers to sell him?
No. The Bible never says God caused the brothers' sin. They acted out of their own jealousy and cruelty. But God, in His sovereignty, took their evil act and used it to accomplish His good purpose. Joseph himself recognized this when he told his brothers, 'God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to save you alive by a great deliverance' (Genesis 45:7).
What does 'sent a man before them' mean in Psalm 105:17?
It means God, in His providence, arranged for Joseph to arrive in Egypt ahead of Jacob's family. The famine would have wiped them out, but Joseph was already there to store grain. The word 'sent' highlights God's purposeful timing and care.
Is Joseph a 'type of Christ' as some commentators say?
Many Christians, especially in Reformed and Evangelical traditions, see parallels between Joseph and Jesus. Both were beloved sons, rejected by their own people, sold for silver, and later became the source of salvation for many. The psalm does not explicitly call Joseph a type, but the pattern is striking.
Why does the psalm skip over Joseph's suffering in slavery and prison?
Psalm 105 is a hymn of praise focused on God's faithful acts. It mentions Joseph's chains later in verse 18, but the emphasis is on God's overarching plan rather than the details of suffering. Other parts of Scripture, like Genesis, give the full painful story.
How can this verse help me when I face injustice?
It reminds you that God sees the bigger picture. Your present hardship may be part of His plan to position you for something good. You don't have to excuse the wrong done to you, but you can trust that God can overrule it for His purposes and your ultimate good.
For pastors & researchers
Hebrew interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study