Final answer:
Joseph was 17 years old when he tended sheep with his brothers. His family's subsequent time in Egypt is marked by slavery and oppression, culminating in the birth and rescue of Moses, who was raised as an Egyptian prince.
Step-by-step explanation:
The biblical figure Joseph is said to be 17 years old when he was working as a shepherd with his brothers, as per Genesis 37:2. This event took place around 1800 BCE based on the biblical chronology. Following this period, Joseph's story leads to him being sold into slavery in Egypt, where his family eventually joined him. The descendants of Joseph lived in Egypt for several generations and faced hardships, including enslavement and mistreatment by an unnamed Pharaoh. This Pharaoh also ordered the killing of Hebrew male children, but Moses was saved and raised as Egyptian royalty.
Within the context of the poem in the question, the man's plight and society's indifference highlight spiritual poverty and societal challenges, which can parallel the hardships faced by Joseph's descendants in Egypt. The lines from the poem express the rejection of assistance based on material status, a situation distinctive from the biblical tale of Joseph.