According to this exegete, the brothers' statement 'let our father's face be yours' expresses their desire for their father's attention to turn to them without sharing his love with others; the mention of 'face' represents this complete attention because when a person turns to something, they turn with their face. Additionally, he notes that the word 'wajh' can also be used in the sense of 'essence,' so it may have been intended that their father belong exclusively to them. Finally, he explains that the verb 'takûnû' can be read either with jazm attached to 'yahlû lakum' or with nasb by assuming 'an,' in which case the waw would carry the meaning of 'maa' (together).

والمراد : سلامة محبته لهم ممن يشاركهم فيها وينازعهم إياها ، فكان ذكر الوجه لتصوير معنى إقباله عليهم ؛ لأن الرجل إذا أقبل على الشيء أقبل بوجهه . ويجوز أن يراد بالوجه الذات ، كما قال تعالى : تائبين إلى الله مما جنيتم عليه

According to this exegete, the brothers' statement 'then we shall be a righteous people' can be understood in three different ways: first, they meant that they would realize this is among the great sins and would repent; second, that the purpose is not righteousness in matters of religion but rather the improvement of their situation before their father; third, that they would be able to focus on their affairs once the confusion caused by Yusuf is removed. Additionally, Râzî reports a disagreement about who proposed the killing and prefers the view that the brothers had not yet become prophets when they committed this act, or that this event occurred before their prophethood.

بل الجواب الصحيح أن يقال : إنهم ما كانوا أنبياء ، وإن كانوا أنبياء إلا أن هذه الواقعة إنما أقدموا عليها قبل النبوة

According to Kurtubî, there is a deletion (hazif) in the verse; the word 'ard' in the expression 'uba'dûhu ardan' should originally have come with a preposition letter (like fî) but this letter was deleted and the word became in the accusative case. Additionally, the verb 'yakhul' is in the jussive because it is the answer to a command, and it means that your father will turn to you completely, his heart will be devoted to you. This situation will come about either through repentance from sin or from Yusuf, and this is cited as evidence that the murderer's repentance is accepted.

والمعنى أرضا تبعد عن أبيه فلا بد من هذا الإضمار لأنه كان عند أبيه في أرض ( يخل ) جزم لأنه جواب الأمر معناه : يخلص ويصفو فيقبل عليكم بكليته أي من بعد الذنب وقيل : من بعد يوسف أي تائبين أي تحدثوا توبة بعد ذلك فيقبلها الله منكم وفي هذا دليل على أن توبة القاتل مقبولة لأن الله تعالى لم ينكر هذا القول منهم

According to Ibn Kathir, this expression narrates the intention of Yusuf's brothers to remove Yusuf, who was sharing their father's love; they planned to gain their father's love solely for themselves by either killing him or abandoning him somewhere far away. While making this plan, they secretly considered repenting before committing the sin.

فأضمروا التوبة قبل الذنب

According to Baydâwî, the brothers' proposal to 'kill Yusuf' was not an agreement reached by all of them, but one in which one among them dissented; this dissenter is the one who said 'Do not kill him.' The indefiniteness in the expression 'cast him into the earth' indicates that it refers to a place far from inhabited and populated areas. The expression 'let your father's face be yours' means that all of the father's attention will be directed solely to them, and the expression 'you will become a righteous people' can encompass both repenting, reconciling with the father, and the improvement of worldly affairs. It is stated that the one who suggested throwing him into the well was Judah (or Reuben), and the well is called 'ghayâbatu'l-jubb' (hidden from view) because it is concealed from the eyes of observers.

اقتلوا يوسف من جملة المحكي بعد قوله إذ قالوا كأنهم اتفقوا على ذلك الأمر إلا من قال (لا تقتلوا يوسف) . وقيل إنما قاله شمعون أو دان ورضي به الآخرون.

According to Taberî, Yusuf's brothers suggested to one another that they kill Yusuf or cast him to a place so that their father's attention would turn only to them. Additionally, they thought that after doing this they would repent and become righteous people.

يخل لكم وجه أبيكم من شغله بيوسف