Genesis 37

Genesis 37 General Notes

Structure and formatting

This chapter begins to record the account of Jacob's sons. The rest of the book of Genesis focuses on Jacob's sons, especially Joseph. This chapter also references Jacob as "Israel" beginning in this chapter.

Special concepts in this chapter

Favoritism

Jacob's favoritism became a great problem for his sons. They are always jealous of Joseph because he is the favorite son. The beautiful garment Jacob gave to Joseph greatly strained the relationship between Joseph and his brothers. Joseph dreams he will rule all of his brothers, even though he is not the oldest son. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tw?section=kt#favor)

God's power

The account of Joseph focuses on the power of God. God is able to protect his people despite the evil actions of some. He also is able to continue to bless them despite their circumstances. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tw?section=kt#peopleofgod and /WA-Catalog/en_tw?section=kt#bless)

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Genesis 37:1

the land where his father had sojourned, in the land of Canaan

"in the land of Canaan where his father had lived as a foreigner"

Genesis 37:2

seventeen years old

"17 years old" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#translate-numbers)

Bilhah

This is the name of Rachel's female servant. See how you translated this name in Genesis 29:29. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#translate-names)

Zilpah

This is the name of Leah's female servant. See how you translated this name in Genesis 29:24. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#translate-names)

wives

These women were servants of Leah and Rachel whom they had given to Jacob to produce children.

an unfavorable report about them

"a bad report about his brothers"

Genesis 37:3

Now

This word is used here to mark a change from the story to background information about Israel and Joseph. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#writing-background)

loved

This refers to brotherly love or love for a friend or family member. This is natural human love between friends or relatives.

of his old age

This means that Joseph was born when Israel was an old man. Alternate translation: "who was born when Israel was an old man" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-idiom)

He made him

"Israel made Joseph"

a beautifully decorated garment

"a beautiful robe"

Genesis 37:4

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Genesis 37:5

Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told his brothers about it. They hated him even more

This is a summary of the events that will happen in 37:6-11.

They hated him even more

"And Joseph's brothers hated him even more than they hated him before"

Genesis 37:6

Please listen to this dream which I dreamed

"Please listen to this dream that I had"

Genesis 37:7

General Information:

Joseph tells his brothers about his dream.

Behold

The word "behold" here alerts us to pay attention to the surprising information that follows.

we were

The word "we" refers to Joseph and includes all of his brothers. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-exclusive)

tying bundles of grain

When grain is reaped it is tied into bundles and stacked until it is time to separate the grain from the straw.

behold

Here the word "behold" here shows that Joseph was surprised by what he saw.

my bundle rose and stood upright ... your bundles came around and bowed down

Here the bundles of grain are standing and kneeling as if they were people. These bundle represent Joseph and his brothers. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-personification)

Genesis 37:8

Will you really reign over us? Will you actually rule over us?

Both of these phrases mean basically the same thing. Joseph's brothers are using questions to mock Joseph. They can be written as statements. Alternate translation: "You will never be our king, and we will never bow down to you!" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-parallelism and /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-rquestion)

reign over us

The word "us" refers to Joseph's brothers but not Joseph. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-exclusive)

for his dreams and for his words

"because of his dreams and what he said"

Genesis 37:9

He dreamed another dream

"Joseph had another dream"

eleven stars

"11 stars" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#translate-numbers)

Genesis 37:10

his father rebuked him. He said to him

"Israel scolded him, saying"

What is this dream that you have dreamed? Will your mother ... to the ground to you?

Israel uses questions to correct Joseph. This can be written as statements. Alternate translation: "This dream you had is not real. Your mother, brothers, and I will not bow down before you!" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-rquestion)

Genesis 37:11

jealous

This means being angry because someone else is successful or more popular.

kept the matter in mind

The means that he kept thinking about the meaning of Joseph's dream. Alternate translation: "kept thinking about what the dream might mean" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-idiom)

Genesis 37:12

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Genesis 37:13

Are not your brothers tending the flock in Shechem?

Israel uses a question to begin a conversation. This can be written as a statement. Alternate translation: "You brothers are tending the flock in Shechem." (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-rquestion)

Come

Here it is implied that Israel is asking Joseph to prepare himself to leave and go see his brothers. Alternate translation: "Get ready" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-explicit)

I am ready

He is ready to leave. "I am ready to go" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-explicit)

Genesis 37:14

He said to him

"Israel said to Joseph"

bring me word

Israel wants Joseph to come back and tell him about how his brother and flocks are doing. Alternate translation: "come tell me what you find out" or "give me a report" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-idiom)

out of the Valley

"from the Valley"

Genesis 37:15

A certain man found Joseph. Behold, Joseph was wandering in a field

"A certain man found Joseph wandering in a field"

Behold

This marks the beginning of another event in the larger story. It may involve different people than the previous events. Your language may have a way of doing this.

What do you seek?

"What are you looking for?"

Genesis 37:16

Tell me, please, where

"Please tell me where"

tending the flock

"shepherding their flock"

Genesis 37:17

Dothan

This is the name of a place that is about 22 kilometers from Shechem. (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#translate-names)

Genesis 37:18

They saw him from a distance

"Joseph's brothers saw him while he was far away"

they plotted against him to kill him

"they made evil plans to kill him"

Genesis 37:19

this master of dreams is approaching

"here comes the wonderful person who has great dreams." The phrase "this master of dreams" is sarcastic. If your language has a way of showing that the brothers used these words to show that they hated Joseph, you may want to use it here.

Genesis 37:20

Come now, therefore

This wording shows that the brothers acted upon their plans. Alternate translation: "So now" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-idiom)

wild animal

"dangerous animal" or "ferocious animal"

devoured

to eagerly have eaten

We will see what will become of his dreams

His brothers planned to kill him, therefore it is ironic that they would speak of his dream coming true, since he would be dead. Alternate translation: "That way we will make sure his dreams do not come true" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-irony)

Genesis 37:21

heard it

"heard what they were saying"

from their hand

The phrase "their hand" refers to the brothers' plan to kill him. Alternate translation: "from them" or "from their plans" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-metonymy)

Let us not take his life

The phrase "take his life" is a euphemism for killing someone. Alternate translation: "Let us not kill Joseph" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-euphemism)

Genesis 37:22

Shed no blood

The negation can be placed on the verb. Also, "shedding blood" is a euphemism for killing someone. Alternate translation: "Do not spill any blood" or "Do not kill him" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-litotes and /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-euphemism)

that he might rescue him

This can be translated as a new sentence: "Rueben said this so that he might rescue Joseph"

out of their hand

The phrase "their hand" refers to the brothers' plan to kill him. Alternate translation: "from them" or "from their plans" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-metonymy)

to bring him back

"and return him"

Genesis 37:23

It came about that when

This phrase is used here to mark an important event in the story. If your language has a way for doing this, you could consider using it here.

they stripped him of his beautifully decorated garment

"they tore his beautiful garment off of him"

beautifully decorated garment

"beautiful robe." See how you translated this in Genesis 37:3.

Genesis 37:24

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Genesis 37:25

They sat down to eat bread

"Bread" represents food in general. Alternate translation: "They sat down to eat food" or "Joseph's brothers sat down to eat" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-synecdoche)

They lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a caravan

Here looking up is spoken of as if a person literally lifted up his eyes. Also, the word "behold" is used here to draw the reader's attention to what the men saw. Alternate translation: "They looked up and they suddenly saw a caravan" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-metaphor)

bearing

carrying

spices

seasonings

balm

an oily substance with a sweet smell used for healing and protecting skin. "medicine"

traveling to carry them down to Egypt

"bringing them down to Egypt." This can be made more explicit. Alternate translation: "bringing them down to Egypt to sell them" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-explicit)

Genesis 37:26

What profit is it if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?

This can be written as a statement. Alternate translation: "We do not gain a profit by killing our brother and covering up his blood" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-rquestion)

cover up his blood

This is a figure of speech referring to hiding Joseph's death. Alternate translation: "hide his murder" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-metaphor)

Genesis 37:27

to the Ishmaelites

"to these men who are descendants of Ishmael"

not lay our hands upon him

This means not to harm or injure him. Alternate translation: "not hurt him" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-idiom)

he is our brother, our flesh

The word "flesh" is a metonym that stands for a relative. Alternate translation: "he is our blood relative" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-metonymy)

His brothers listened to him

"Judah's brothers listened to him" or "Judah's brothers agreed with him"

Genesis 37:28

Midianite ... Ishmaelites

Both names refer to the same group of traders that Joseph's brothers meet.

for twenty pieces of silver

"for the price of 20 pieces of silver" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#translate-numbers)

carried Joseph into Egypt

"took Joseph to Egypt"

Genesis 37:29

Reuben returned to the pit, and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit

"Reuben returned to the pit, and was surprised to see that Joseph was not there." The word "behold" here shows that Reuben was surprised to find out Joseph was gone.

He tore his clothes

This is an act of deep distress and grief. This can be written more clearly. Alternate translation: "He was so grieved that he tore his clothes" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-explicit)

Genesis 37:30

The boy is not there! And I, where can I go?

Reuben uses questions for emphasis the problem that Joseph was missing. These can be written as statements. Alternate translation: "The boy is gone! I cannot go back home now!" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-rquestion)

Genesis 37:31

Joseph's garment

This refers to the beautiful garment that his father made for him.

the blood

"the goat's blood"

Genesis 37:32

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Genesis 37:33

has devoured him

"has eaten him"

Joseph has certainly been torn to pieces

Jacob thinks that a wild animal has torn Joseph's body apart. Alternate translation: "It has certainly torn Joseph to pieces" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-activepassive)

Genesis 37:34

Jacob tore his garments

This is an act of deep distress and grief. This can be written more clearly. Alternate translation: "Jacob was so grieved that he tore his garments" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-explicit)

put sackcloth upon his loins

Here "loins" refers to the middle part of the body or the waist. Alternate translation: "put on sackcloth" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-explicit)

Genesis 37:35

rose up

Here the childrens' coming to their father is spoke of as "rising up." Alternate translation: "came to him" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-metaphor)

but he refused to be comforted

This can be stated in active form. Alternate translation: "but he would not let them comfort him" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-activepassive)

Indeed I will go down to Sheol mourning

The means that he be mourning from now until when he dies. Alternate translation: "Indeed when I die and go down to Sheol I will still be mourning" (See: /WA-Catalog/en_tm?section=jit#figs-explicit)

Genesis 37:36

The Midianites sold him

"The Midianites sold Joseph"

the captain of the bodyguard

"the leader of the soldiers who guarded the king"