Genesis 37
Big idea: The last and longest movement of the book begins with a family destroying itself. Jacob loves Joseph more than the rest and dresses him in a coat that says so; Joseph brings back a bad report about his brothers and then tells them two dreams in which they bow to him. They cannot speak peaceably to him. Sent out to check on them, he is seen coming a long way off and the plan is made before he arrives — kill the dreamer and see what becomes of his dreams. Reuben stalls, Judah proposes a profit, and Joseph is sold for twenty shekels of silver to traders heading for Egypt. The coat comes back dipped in goat's blood, and Jacob, who once deceived his father with a goat, refuses to be comforted.
Chapter 37 ends with Joseph sold to Potiphar in Egypt and his father mourning a son who is alive. Chapter 38 breaks away to Judah — the brother who proposed the sale — before chapter 39 picks Joseph up in Potiphar's house.
37:1–11 — The coat and the dreams
The generations of Jacob begin with Joseph at seventeen, shepherding with his brothers and bringing his father a bad report of them. Israel loves him more than all his sons, being the child of his old age, and makes him a coat of many colours; his brothers see it and cannot speak peaceably to him. Then Joseph dreams of sheaves in a field bowing to his sheaf, and tells them; then of the sun, moon and eleven stars bowing to him, and tells them and his father too. His father rebukes him — will your mother and I bow to you? — but keeps the saying in mind.
1 Jacob lived in the land of his father’s travels, in the land of Canaan. 2 This is the history of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. Joseph brought an evil report of them to their father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age, and he made him a tunic of many colors. 4 His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, and they hated him, and couldn’t speak peaceably to him. 5 Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: 7 for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and behold, your sheaves came around, and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 His brothers asked him, “Will you indeed reign over us? Will you indeed have dominion over us?” They hated him all the more for his dreams and for his words. 9 He dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brothers, and said, “Behold, I have dreamed yet another dream: and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to me.” 10 He told it to his father and to his brothers. His father rebuked him, and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Will I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves down to the earth before you?” 11 His brothers envied him, but his father kept this saying in mind.
37:12–24 — Here comes the dreamer
The brothers are pasturing at Shechem, and Israel sends Joseph to see whether it is well with them. He gets lost, and a man in the field redirects him to Dothan. They see him far off, and before he arrives they conspire: here comes this dreamer — let's kill him, throw him into a pit, and say an evil animal ate him, and we'll see what becomes of his dreams. Reuben intervenes to save him, urging them to shed no blood but throw him into a pit, intending to rescue him later. So they strip off his coat and throw him into an empty, waterless pit.
12 His brothers went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem. 13 Israel said to Joseph, “Aren’t your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.” He said to him, “Here I am.” 14 He said to him, “Go now, see whether it is well with your brothers, and well with the flock; and bring me word again.” So he sent him out of the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. 15 A certain man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field. The man asked him, “What are you looking for?” 16 He said, “I am looking for my brothers. Tell me, please, where they are feeding the flock.” 17 The man said, “They have left here, for I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’” Joseph went after his brothers, and found them in Dothan. 18 They saw him afar off, and before he came near to them, they conspired against him to kill him. 19 They said to one another, “Behold, this dreamer comes. 20 Come now therefore, and let’s kill him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say, ‘An evil animal has devoured him.’ We will see what will become of his dreams.” 21 Reuben heard it, and delivered him out of their hand, and said, “Let’s not take his life.” 22 Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him”—that he might deliver him out of their hand, to restore him to his father. 23 When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him; 24 and they took him, and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty. There was no water in it.
37:25–36 — Twenty shekels of silver
They sit down to eat, and a caravan of Ishmaelites appears carrying spices to Egypt. Judah asks what profit there is in killing their brother and covering his blood — let's sell him, and not lay our hand on him; he is our brother, our flesh. Joseph is sold for twenty pieces of silver. Reuben, returning to the pit, finds it empty and tears his clothes — the child is gone, and where will I go? They dip the coat in goat's blood and send it to their father, who identifies it, tears his clothes, and mourns for many days, refusing all comfort. And the traders sell Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar.
25 They sat down to eat bread, and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing spices and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt. 26 Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 Come, and let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not let our hand be on him; for he is our brother, our flesh.” His brothers listened to him. 28 Midianites who were merchants passed by, and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The merchants brought Joseph into Egypt. 29 Reuben returned to the pit, and saw that Joseph wasn’t in the pit; and he tore his clothes. 30 He returned to his brothers, and said, “The child is no more; and I, where will I go?” 31 They took Joseph’s tunic, and killed a male goat, and dipped the tunic in the blood. 32 They took the tunic of many colors, and they brought it to their father, and said, “We have found this. Examine it, now, and see if it is your son’s tunic or not.” 33 He recognized it, and said, “It is my son’s tunic. An evil animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces.” 34 Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. He said, “For I will go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” His father wept for him. 36 The Midianites sold him into Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, the captain of the guard.
Scripture text: World English Bible (public domain).