Genesis 37

Jacob lived in the land of Canaan, where his father had lived as a foreigner.

1And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.

NoteCanaan was the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean, roughly modern Israel, Palestine and Lebanon. Jacob's father Isaac and grandfather Abraham had lived there as resident foreigners, people allowed to live and graze flocks in a country but holding no ancestral land rights in it.

2This is the family history of Jacob. Joseph was seventeen years old, and he was taking care of the flock along with his brothers. The boy was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, who were his father's wives. Joseph brought their father a bad report about them.

2These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; 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.

Note"This is the family history of..." translates a formula that runs through Genesis (the King James has "these are the generations of"). It introduces a section, and here it heads the long account of Jacob's sons rather than a list of names. Bilhah and Zilpah were the servants of Jacob's wives Rachel and Leah, given to Jacob to bear children on their mistresses' behalf; their sons were Dan, Naphtali, Gad and Asher. Calling them "his father's wives" reflects the Hebrew, which uses one word for wife and secondary wife.

3Israel loved Joseph more than all his other children, because Joseph was born to him when he was old. He made Joseph a coat of many colors.

3Now 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 colours.

NoteIsrael is Jacob, he was given the second name in Genesis 32, and the narrative uses the two names interchangeably from here on. The Hebrew phrase behind "coat of many colors" is uncertain: it may mean a garment of colored cloth, or a long robe reaching to the wrists and ankles. Either way it was a luxury item, unsuited to fieldwork, and marked its wearer as favored rather than working.

4When Joseph's brothers saw that their father loved him more than all of them, they hated him. They could not speak in a friendly way to him.

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

5Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers. They hated him even more.

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

6He said to them, "Please listen to this dream I had.

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

7We were tying up bundles of cut grain in the field. Suddenly my bundle stood up straight, and your bundles gathered around and bowed low to my bundle."

7For, 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.

NoteSheaves are bundles of cut stalks of grain, stood on end in the field to dry after harvest. Bowing low to the ground was the gesture owed to a king or a superior, so the picture is one of the brothers submitting to Joseph as a ruler.

8His brothers said to him, "Are you really going to be king over us? Are you really going to rule us?" And they hated him even more for his dreams and for what he said.

8And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.

9He had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. He said, "Listen, I have had another dream. The sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed low to me."

9And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.

NoteEleven stars matches Joseph's eleven brothers (ten older, plus Benjamin) with the sun and moon standing for his father and mother.

10He told it to his father and to his brothers. His father spoke sharply to him and said, "What kind of dream is this that you have had? Are your mother and your brothers and I really going to come and bow down to the ground in front of you?"

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

NoteRachel, Joseph's mother, has already died in Genesis 35, which is part of why Jacob treats the dream as absurd.

11His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

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

12His brothers went to take care of their father's flock near Shechem.

12And his brethren went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem.

NoteShechem was a town in the central hill country, some fifty miles north of where Jacob was living. The brothers had taken the flocks a considerable distance to find pasture.

13Israel said to Joseph, "Your brothers are taking care of the flock near Shechem, aren't they? Come, I will send you to them." Joseph said to him, "Here I am."

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

14His father said to him, "Please go and see whether things are well with your brothers and well with the flocks, and bring word back to me." So he sent him out from the valley of Hebron, and Joseph came to Shechem.

14And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, 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.

NoteHebron lies in the southern hill country of Canaan, about twenty miles south of Jerusalem. Joseph's journey to Shechem was a walk of several days.

15A man found him wandering in the field, and the man asked him, "What are you looking for?"

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

16He said, "I am looking for my brothers. Please tell me where they are taking care of their flocks."

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

17The man said, "They have left this place. I heard them say, 'Let's go to Dothan.'" So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

17And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan.

NoteDothan was about fifteen miles north of Shechem, on the caravan route that ran down toward Egypt.

18They saw him a long way off, and before he reached them they made a plan to kill him.

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

19They said to one another, "Look, here comes that dreamer.

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

NoteThe Hebrew is a mocking title, literally something like "the master of dreams" or "that dream expert."

20So come on, let's kill him and throw him into one of the pits. We will say that a wild animal ate him. Then we will see what becomes of his dreams."

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

NoteA "pit" here is a cistern: a shaft dug or cut into rock to collect rainwater, often narrow at the top and wider below, so that anyone inside cannot climb out unaided.

21Reuben heard this, and he rescued Joseph from their hands. He said, "Let's not kill him."

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

22Reuben said to them, "Do not shed any blood. Throw him into this pit out here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him." He said this so that he could save Joseph from them and take him back to his father.

22And 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.

23So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped off his coat, the coat of many colors he was wearing.

23And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him;

24They took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.

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

25Then they sat down to eat a meal. They looked up and saw a group of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices and balm and myrrh, and they were taking it down to Egypt.

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

NoteIshmaelites were descendants of Ishmael, Abraham's son by Hagar, and the name was used broadly for nomadic traders of the desert margins. Gilead was the hill country east of the Jordan River, known for its aromatic resins. Balm and myrrh are gums bled from small trees and dried; with other spices they were carried to Egypt for use in perfume, medicine and the preparation of bodies for burial.

26Judah said to his brothers, "What do we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?

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

Note"Cover up his blood" is an idiom for concealing a killing. In Hebrew thought spilled blood that was not covered over cried out for justice against the killer.

27Come, let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay a hand on him, because he is our brother, our own flesh." His brothers agreed.

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

28Then some Midianite traders passed by. They pulled Joseph up out of the pit and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver, and they took Joseph to Egypt.

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

NoteThe text names both Midianites and Ishmaelites, and the Hebrew leaves it open whether these are two names for the same caravan or two groups involved in the sale, the ambiguity is in the original and translators have not resolved it. Twenty pieces of silver means twenty shekels weighed out, since coined money did not yet exist; this was the standard price for a male slave of Joseph's age.

29Reuben came back to the pit, and Joseph was not in the pit. He tore his clothes.

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

NoteTearing one's clothes was the recognized public sign of grief, shock or horror, a visible announcement of disaster rather than a loss of self-control.

30He went back to his brothers and said, "The boy is gone! And I, where can I go?"

30And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?

31They took Joseph's coat, killed a young goat, and dipped the coat in the blood.

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

32They sent the coat of many colors and brought it to their father. They said, "We found this. Look at it and see whether it is your son's coat or not."

32And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son’s coat or no.

33He recognized it and said, "It is my son's coat. A wild animal has eaten him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces."

33And he knew it, and said, It is my son’s coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.

34Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son for many days.

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

NoteSackcloth was a coarse, dark cloth woven from goat hair, worn next to the skin around the waist as the standard dress of mourning.

35All his sons and all his daughters got up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. He said, "No, I will go down to my son in the grave, still mourning." So his father wept for him.

35And 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. Thus his father wept for him.

Note"All his daughters" is unexpected, since only one daughter, Dinah, is named in Genesis; the phrase may include daughters-in-law, or simply be a sweeping expression for the whole household. The word behind "the grave" is Sheol, the shadowy underworld where the Hebrews pictured all the dead as going, good and bad alike. Jacob means he will grieve until he dies.

36The Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.

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

NoteEgypt was ruled by the Pharaoh, its king; the title is used here like a name. "Official" translates a word that elsewhere can mean a court eunuch but is also used generally for a royal officer. "Captain of the guard" means the head of Pharaoh's bodyguard, a position that also carried charge of the royal prison and of executions.