What does Genesis 50:20 mean?
“As for you, what you intended against me for evil, God intended for good, in order to accomplish a day like this—to preserve the lives of many people.”
Joseph tells his brothers, ‘You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good’—God can weave even evil acts into his saving purposes.
Joseph’s brothers had sold him into slavery, yet God used the whole ordeal to position Joseph to save many lives during famine.
The verse holds two truths together: human wrongdoing is real and culpable, and God’s sovereign goodness can overrule it for good.
Does Genesis 50:20 mean evil is good?
No. It says the brothers’ intent was genuinely evil, but God sovereignly used it for good—he redeems evil without excusing it.
Original BibleDawn explanation · reviewed 2026-06. Drafted with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.