The Quran

Preface

وَجاءَت سَيّارَةٌ فَأَرسَلوا وارِدَهُم فَأَدلىٰ دَلوَهُ ۖ قالَ يا بُشرىٰ هٰذا غُلامٌ ۚ وَأَسَرّوهُ بِضاعَةً ۚ وَاللَّهُ عَليمٌ بِما يَعمَلونَ

Yusuf Ali

Then there came a caravan¹ of travellers: they sent their water-carrier (for water), and he let down his bucket (into the well)...He said: “Ah there! Good news!² Here is a (fine) young man!” So they concealed him³ as a treasure! But God knoweth well all that they do!⁴

Then comes the caravan of unknown travellers-Midianite or Arab merchants travelling to Egypt with merchandise, such as the balm of Gilead in Transjordania. In accordance with custom the caravan was preceded by advance parties to search out water and pitch a camp near. They naturally went to the well and let down their bucket.
The water carrier is surprised and taken aback, when he finds a youth of comely appearance, innocent like an angel, with a face as bright as the sun! What is he to make of it? Anyhow, to see him is a delight! And he shouts it out as a piece of good news. Some Commentators think that “Bushra”, the Arabic word for “Good news”, is a proper noun, the name of the companion to whom he shouted.
It was a caravan of merchants, and they think of everything in terms of the money to be made out of it! Here was an unknown, unclaimed youth, of surpassing beauty, with apparently a mind as refined as was his external beauty. If he could be sold in the opulent slave markets of Memphis or whatever was the capital of the Hyksos Dynasty then ruling in Egypt (see Appendix 4 following S. 7), What a price he would fetch! They had indeed lighted upon a treasure! And they wanted to conceal him lest he was another’s slave and had run away from his master who might come and claim him! The circumstances were peculiar and the merchants were cautious. Bida'ah - stock in trade: capital; money; wealth; treasure (Cf. 12:62).
To different minds the situation appeared different. Joseph must have felt keenly the edge of his brethren’s treason. His father Jacob was lost in the sorrow of the loss of his best-beloved son. The brethren were exulting in their plan of getting rid of one whom they hated. The merchants were gloating over their gains. But the horizon of all was limited. God knew their deeds and their feelings and motives, and He was working out His own Plan. Neither the best of us nor the worst of us know whether our Destiny is leading us-how evil plots are defeated and goodness comes to its own in marvelous ways!