Tafsir of Yusuf 12:10

"A speaker among them said..."

{A speaker among them}: He is Judah (Yahudha), and he held the most favorable opinion regarding him. He is the one who said: "I will never leave the land." He said to them: "Killing is a grave matter."

{Cast him into the bottom of the well}: It is its depth, that which is hidden from the eye of the observer, and the darkest part of its bottom. Al-Munkhal said: And if one day my "ghayabati" (hiding place) conceals me, Then follow my path among the kin and family. He meant the depth of his grave in which he is buried. It is recited as ghayabat (plural) and ghayabat (with emphasis). Al-Jahdari recited it as ghaybah.

{The well (al-jubb)}: A well that has not been lined with stones, because the earth is "dug" (tujab)—nothing else.

{Some travelers will pick him up}: Some of the people who travel along the road will take him. It is recited as taltaqituhu (with a ta), based on the meaning, because "some of the travelers" is a collective group, similar to the saying: Just as the shaft of the spear drank of the blood. And from this is the phrase: "Some of his fingers went away."

{If you are to do it}: If you are determined to do what will achieve your objective, then this is the [correct] opinion.

"They said, 'O our father, why do you not trust us with Yusuf, while we are indeed his sincere advisors? Send him with us tomorrow that he may eat well and play, and indeed, we will be his guardians.'"