Genesis 37-The Story of Joseph



1 And Jacob lived in the land where his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.

2 These are the generations of Jacob…

If the patriarchs wrote their own stories, this is probably the end of “The Book of Jacob.” From here on out would likely have been written by Joseph.

… Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethres; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.

Tattletale.

3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colors.

Joseph was the oldest son of Jacob’s favorite wife, Rachel. He also appears to be the next to last child born.

A coat woven with many colors would have been a lot more work and thus more expensive than one woven with just a few or one color.

However, many scholars think this should have been translated “coat with long sleeves.” Since sleeves would get in the way of hard work, most clothes would have had short sleeves (that would have made them cheaper to make, too). Someone wearing long sleeves would not have been expected to do physical labor.

4 And when his brethres saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.

Can you say, “Dysfunctional Family?”

5 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.

6 And he said unto them, “Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:

7 “For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.”

It is not always wisdom to tell everything you know. Joseph would have been better off to keep quiet.

8 And his brothres said to him, “Shall thou indeed reign over us? Or shall thou indeed have dominion over us?” And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.

Joseph’s brothers understood his dream. They knew this meant he was thinking of ruling over them. They didn’t realize this dream was from God.

9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brothers, and said, “Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars [bowed down before] me.”

10 And he told it to his father, and to his brothers: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, “What is this dream that thou has dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?”

Again, Jacob understood. The sun and moon represent the nation Israel in other places in scripture also.

“Mother” here was likely Leah, the head wife. Rachael would have already died and Zillah and Bilhah were of the slave class.

11 And his brothers envied him; but his father observed the saying.

12 And his brothers went to feed their father's flock in Shechem.

13 And Israel said unto Joseph, “Do not thy brothers feed the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send thee unto them.” And he said to him, “Here am I.”

Jacob knew he could depend on Joseph to tell him what his brothers were up to. Joseph was seventeen at this time.

14 And he said to him, “Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brothers, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again.” So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

15 And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, “What seek thou?”

16 And he said, “I seek my brothers: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks.”

He knew his brothers should be here, but they weren’t.

17 And the man said, “They left here; for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” And Joseph went after his brothers, and found them in Dothan.

18 And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.

Their hatred for their brother was very real.

19 And they said one to another, “Behold, this dreamer comes.

20 “Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, ‘Some evil beast has devoured him:’ and we shall see what will become of his dreams.”

21 And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, “Let us not kill him.”

Reuben had a soft heart and didn’t really want to hurt Joseph. In fact, he planned to rescue him.

22 And Reuben said unto them, “Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him;” that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.

23 And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brothers, that they stripped Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colors that was on him;

24 And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.

25 And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spices and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.

Ishmaelites were descendants of Abraham’s son Ishmael. They were nomads and traders.

26 And Judah said unto his brothers, “What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?

27 “Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh.” And his brothers were content.

Judah convinces his brothers it would be better for them to make some money while getting rid of Joseph. They fully expected he would die in slavery. This way in their own mind they would not be guilty of murder. We read later that Joseph begged for his life at this time (Genesis 42:21).

28 Then there passed by Midianite merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.

There are a couple of places like this in the Bible where the Ishmaelites and Midianites appear to be the same people (i.e. Judges 8:24,26), and other places where they are treated like two different nations, though both descended from Abraham.

It is a little difficult to tell just who pulled Joseph out of the pit. Did the Midianites pull him up and sell him? Or did his brothers do it? In Genesis 45:4 Joseph says his brother sold him, so we’ll go with that, though scholars have some disagreement.

29 And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.

For some reason Reuben was not with his brothers when they sold Joseph. He evidently now went back to the pit to rescue him.

30 And he returned unto his brethren, and said, “The child isn't there; and I, where shall I go?”

Being the oldest, Reuben will likely be held responsible for Joseph’s disappearance.

31 And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;

32 And they sent the coat of many colors, and they brought it to their father; and said, “This have we found: know now if it is thy son's coat or no.”

They didn’t say “Joseph’s been killed.” They didn’t outright lie. But their actions and words were the same as a verbal lie. They deceived their father.

33 And he knew it, and said, “It is my son's coat; an evil beast has eaten him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.”

Jacob drew his own conclusions; the exact one his sons knew he would.

34 And Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.

35 And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, “For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning.” So his father wept for him.

He intended to mourn for Joseph for the rest of his life. I wonder how much guilt the brothers were feeling at this moment, or if they hated Joseph even more because of this display of favoritism.

36 And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard.