1 And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.
2 These 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.
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.
4 And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.
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.
8 And 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.
9 And 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.
10 And 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?
11 And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.
12 And his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem.
13 And 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.
14 And 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.
15 And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?
16 And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks.
17 And 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.
18 And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.
19 And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.
20 Come 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.
21 And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill 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 brethren, 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 spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.
26 And Judah said unto his brethren, 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 brethren were content.
28 Then there passed by Midianites 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.
29 And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.
30 And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?
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 whether it be thy son's coat or no.
33 And he knew it, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.
34 And Jacob rent 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. Thus his father wept for him.
36 And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard.
1 And Jacob H3290 dwelt H3427 in the land H776 wherein his father H1 was a stranger, H4033 in the land H776 of Canaan. H3667
2 These are the generations H8435 of Jacob. H3290 Joseph, H3130 being seventeen H6240 H7651 years H8141 old, H1121 was feeding H7462 the flock H6629 with his brethren; H251 and the lad H5288 was with the sons H1121 of Bilhah, H1090 and with the sons H1121 of Zilpah, H2153 his father's H1 wives: H802 and Joseph H3130 brought H935 unto his father H1 their evil H7451 report. H1681
3 Now Israel H3478 loved H157 Joseph H3130 more than all his children, H1121 because he was the son H1121 of his old age: H2208 and he made H6213 him a coat H3801 of many colours. H6446
4 And when his brethren H251 saw H7200 that their father H1 loved H157 him more than all his brethren, H251 they hated H8130 him, and could H3201 not speak H1696 peaceably H7965 unto him.
5 And Joseph H3130 dreamed H2492 a dream, H2472 and he told H5046 it his brethren: H251 and they hated H8130 him yet the more. H3254
6 And he said H559 unto them, Hear, H8085 I pray you, this dream H2472 which I have dreamed: H2492
7 For, behold, we were binding H481 H8432 sheaves H485 in the field, H7704 and, lo, my sheaf H485 arose, H6965 and also stood upright; H5324 and, behold, your sheaves H485 stood round about, H5437 and made obeisance H7812 to my sheaf. H485
8 And his brethren H251 said H559 to him, Shalt thou indeed H4427 reign H4427 over us? or shalt thou indeed H4910 have dominion H4910 over us? And they hated H8130 him yet the more H3254 for his dreams, H2472 and for his words. H1697
9 And he dreamed H2492 yet another H312 dream, H2472 and told H5608 it his brethren, H251 and said, H559 Behold, I have dreamed H2492 a dream H2472 more; and, behold, the sun H8121 and the moon H3394 and the eleven H6240 H259 stars H3556 made obeisance H7812 to me.
10 And he told H5608 it to his father, H1 and to his brethren: H251 and his father H1 rebuked H1605 him, and said H559 unto him, What is this dream H2472 that thou hast dreamed? H2492 Shall I and thy mother H517 and thy brethren H251 indeed H935 come H935 to bow down H7812 ourselves to thee to the earth? H776
11 And his brethren H251 envied H7065 him; but his father H1 observed H8104 the saying. H1697
12 And his brethren H251 went H3212 to feed H7462 their father's H1 flock H6629 in Shechem. H7927
13 And Israel H3478 said H559 unto Joseph, H3130 Do not thy brethren H251 feed H7462 the flock in Shechem? H7927 come, H3212 and I will send thee H7971 unto them. And he said H559 to him, Here am I.
14 And he said H559 to him, Go, H3212 I pray thee, see H7200 whether it be well H7965 with thy brethren, H251 and well H7965 with the flocks; H6629 and bring H7725 me word H1697 again. H7725 So he sent H7971 him out of the vale H6010 of Hebron, H2275 and he came H935 to Shechem. H7927
15 And a certain man H376 found him, H4672 and, behold, he was wandering H8582 in the field: H7704 and the man H376 asked him, H7592 saying, H559 What seekest H1245 thou?
16 And he said, H559 I seek H1245 my brethren: H251 tell H5046 me, I pray thee, where H375 they feed H7462 their flocks.
17 And the man H376 said, H559 They are departed H5265 hence; H2088 for I heard H8085 them say, H559 Let us go H3212 to Dothan. H1886 And Joseph H3130 went H3212 after H310 his brethren, H251 and found H4672 them in Dothan. H1886
18 And when they saw H7200 him afar off, H7350 even before he came near H7126 unto them, they conspired H5230 against him to slay H4191 him.
19 And they said H559 one H376 to another, H251 Behold, this H1976 dreamer H1167 H2472 cometh. H935
20 Come H3212 now therefore, and let us slay H2026 him, and cast H7993 him into some H259 pit, H953 and we will say, H559 Some evil H7451 beast H2416 hath devoured H398 him: and we shall see H7200 what will become of his dreams. H2472
21 And Reuben H7205 heard H8085 it, and he delivered H5337 him out of their hands; H3027 and said, H559 Let us not kill H5221 H5315 him.
22 And Reuben H7205 said H559 unto them, Shed H8210 no blood, H1818 but cast H7993 him into this pit H953 that is in the wilderness, H4057 and lay H7971 no hand H3027 upon him; that he might rid H5337 him out of their hands, H3027 to deliver H7725 him to his father H1 again. H7725
23 And it came to pass, when Joseph H3130 was come H935 unto his brethren, H251 that they stript H6584 H853 Joseph H3130 out of H854 his coat, H3801 his coat H3801 of many colours H6446 that was on him;
24 And they took H3947 him, and cast H7993 him into a pit: H953 and the pit H953 was empty, H7386 there was no water H4325 in it.
25 And they sat down H3427 to eat H398 bread: H3899 and they lifted up H5375 their eyes H5869 and looked, H7200 and, behold, a company H736 of Ishmeelites H3459 came H935 from Gilead H1568 with their camels H1581 bearing H5375 spicery H5219 and balm H6875 and myrrh, H3910 going H1980 to carry it down H3381 to Egypt. H4714
26 And Judah H3063 said H559 unto his brethren, H251 What profit H1215 is it if we slay H2026 our brother, H251 and conceal H3680 his blood? H1818
27 Come, H3212 and let us sell H4376 him to the Ishmeelites, H3459 and let not our hand H3027 be upon him; for he is our brother H251 and our flesh. H1320 And his brethren H251 were content. H8085
28 Then there passed H5674 by Midianites H4084 merchantmen; H582 H5503 and they drew H4900 and lifted up H5927 Joseph H3130 out of the pit, H953 and sold H4376 Joseph H3130 to the Ishmeelites H3459 for twenty H6242 pieces of silver: H3701 and they brought H935 Joseph H3130 into Egypt. H4714
29 And Reuben H7205 returned H7725 unto the pit; H953 and, behold, Joseph H3130 was not in the pit; H953 and he rent H7167 his clothes. H899
30 And he returned H7725 unto his brethren, H251 and said, H559 The child H3206 is not; and I, whither H575 shall I go? H935
31 And they took H3947 Joseph's H3130 coat, H3801 and killed H7819 a kid H8163 of the goats, H5795 and dipped H2881 the coat H3801 in the blood; H1818
32 And they sent H7971 the coat H3801 of many colours, H6446 and they brought H935 it to their father; H1 and said, H559 This have we found: H4672 know H5234 now whether it be thy son's H1121 coat H3801 or no.
33 And he knew it, H5234 and said, H559 It is my son's H1121 coat; H3801 an evil H7451 beast H2416 hath devoured H398 him; Joseph H3130 is without doubt H2963 rent in pieces. H2963
34 And Jacob H3290 rent H7167 his clothes, H8071 and put H7760 sackcloth H8242 upon his loins, H4975 and mourned H56 for his son H1121 many H7227 days. H3117
35 And all his sons H1121 and all his daughters H1323 rose up H6965 to comfort H5162 him; but he refused H3985 to be comforted; H5162 and he said, H559 For I will go down H3381 into the grave H7585 unto my son H1121 mourning. H57 Thus his father H1 wept H1058 for him.
36 And the Midianites H4092 sold H4376 him into Egypt H4714 unto Potiphar, H6318 an officer H5631 of Pharaoh's, H6547 and captain H8269 of the guard. H2876
1 And Jacob dwelt in the land of his father's sojournings, in the land of Canaan.
2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and he was a lad with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought the evil report of them unto 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 coat of many colors.
4 And his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren; and they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.
5 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to 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 came round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.
8 And 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.
9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed yet a dream: and, behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars made obeisance to me.
10 And 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?
11 And his brethren envied him; but his father kept the saying in mind.
12 And his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem.
13 And Israel said unto Joseph, Are not thy brethren feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I.
14 And he said to him, Go now, see whether it is well with thy brethren, and well with the flock; 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 seekest thou?
16 And he said, I am seeking my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they are feeding `the flock'.
17 And 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.
18 And they saw him afar off, and before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.
19 And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.
20 Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say, And evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.
21 And Reuben heard it, and delivered him out of their hand, and said, Let us not take his life.
22 And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood; cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but lay no hand upon him: that he might deliver him out of their hand, to restore him to his father.
23 And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph of his coat, the coat of many colors that was on him;
24 and they took him, and cast him into the 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 caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.
26 And Judah said unto his brethren, 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, our flesh. And his brethren hearkened unto him.
28 And there passed by Midianites, 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.
29 And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.
30 And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?
31 And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a he-goat, 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 whether it is thy son's coat or not.
33 And he knew it, and said, It is my son's coat: an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces.
34 And Jacob rent his garments, 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 to Sheol to my son mourning. And his father wept for him.
36 And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, the captain of the guard.
1 And Jacob dwelleth in the land of his father's sojournings -- in the land of Canaan.
2 These `are' births of Jacob: Joseph, a son of seventeen years, hath been enjoying himself with his brethren among the flock, (and he `is' a youth,) with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives, and Joseph bringeth in an account of their evil unto their father.
3 And Israel hath loved Joseph more than any of his sons, for he `is' a son of his old age, and hath made for him a long coat;
4 and his brethren see that their father hath loved him more than any of his brethren, and they hate him, and have not been able to speak `to' him peaceably.
5 And Joseph dreameth a dream, and declareth to his brethren, and they add still more to hate him.
6 And he saith unto them, `Hear ye, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:
7 that, lo, we are binding bundles in the midst of the field, and lo, my bundle hath arisen, and hath also stood up, and lo, your bundles are round about, and bow themselves to my bundle.'
8 And his brethren say to him, `Dost thou certainly reign over us? dost thou certainly rule over us?' and they add still more to hate him, for his dreams, and for his words.
9 And he dreameth yet another dream, and recounteth it to his brethren, and saith, `Lo, I have dreamed a dream again, and lo, the sun and the moon, and eleven stars, are bowing themselves to me.'
10 And he recounteth unto his father, and unto his brethren; and his father pusheth against him, and saith to him, `What `is' this dream which thou hast dreamt? do we certainly come -- I, and thy mother, and thy brethren -- to bow ourselves to thee, to the earth?'
11 and his brethren are zealous against him, and his father hath watched the matter.
12 And his brethren go to feed the flock of their father in Shechem,
13 and Israel saith unto Joseph, `Are not thy brethren feeding in Shechem? come, and I send thee unto them;' and he saith to him, `Here `am' I;'
14 and he saith to him, `Go, I pray thee, see the peace of thy brethren, and the peace of the flock, and bring me back word;' and he sendeth him from the valley of Hebron, and he cometh to Shechem.
15 And a man findeth him, and lo, he is wandering in the field, and the man asketh him, saying, `What seekest thou?'
16 and he saith, `My brethren I am seeking, declare to me, I pray thee, where they are feeding?'
17 And the man saith, `They have journeyed from this, for I have heard some saying, Let us go to Dothan,' and Joseph goeth after his brethren, and findeth them in Dothan.
18 And they see him from afar, even before he draweth near unto them, and they conspire against him to put him to death.
19 And they say one unto another, `Lo, this man of the dreams cometh;
20 and now, come, and we slay him, and cast him into one of the pits, and have said, An evil beast hath devoured him; and we see what his dreams are.'
21 And Reuben heareth, and delivereth him out of their hand, and saith, `Let us not smite the life;'
22 and Reuben saith unto them, `Shed no blood; cast him into this pit which `is' in the wilderness, and put not forth a hand upon him,' -- in order to deliver him out of their hand, to bring him back unto his father.
23 And it cometh to pass, when Joseph hath come unto his brethren, that they strip Joseph of his coat, the long coat which `is' upon him,
24 and take him and cast him into the pit, and the pit `is' empty, there is no water in it.
25 And they sit down to eat bread, and they lift up their eyes, and look, and lo, a company of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, and their camels bearing spices, and balm, and myrrh, going to take `them' down to Egypt.
26 And Judah saith unto his brethren, `What gain when we slay our brother, and have concealed his blood?
27 Come, and we sell him to the Ishmaelites, and our hands are not on him, for he `is' our brother -- our flesh;' and his brethren hearken.
28 And Midianite merchantmen pass by and they draw out and bring up Joseph out of the pit, and sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty silverlings, and they bring Joseph into Egypt.
29 And Reuben returneth unto the pit, and lo, Joseph is not in the pit, and he rendeth his garments,
30 and he returneth unto his brethren, and saith, `The lad is not, and I -- whither am I going?'
31 And they take the coat of Joseph, and slaughter a kid of the goats, and dip the coat in the blood,
32 and send the long coat, and they bring `it' in unto their father, and say, `This have we found; discern, we pray thee, whether it `is' thy son's coat or not?'
33 And he discerneth it, and saith, `My son's coat! an evil beast hath devoured him; torn -- torn is Joseph!'
34 And Jacob rendeth his raiment, and putteth sackcloth on his loins, and becometh a mourner for his son many days,
35 and all his sons and all his daughters rise to comfort him, and he refuseth to comfort himself, and saith, `For -- I go down mourning unto my son, to Sheol,' and his father weepeth for him.
36 And the Medanites have sold him unto Egypt, to Potiphar, a eunuch of Pharaoh, head of the executioners.
1 And Jacob dwelt in the land where his father sojourned -- in the land of Canaan.
2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, fed the flock with his brethren; and he was doing service with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph brought to his father an evil report of them.
3 And Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was son of his old age; and he made him a vest of many colours.
4 And his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, and they hated him, and could not greet him with friendliness.
5 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and told [it] to his brethren, and they hated him yet the more.
6 And he said to them, Hear, I pray you, this dream, which I have dreamt:
7 Behold, we were binding sheaves in the fields, and lo, my sheaf rose up, and remained standing; and behold, your sheaves came round about and bowed down to my sheaf.
8 And his brethren said to him, Wilt thou indeed be a king over us? wilt thou indeed rule over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams and for his words.
9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamt another dream, and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to me.
10 And he told [it] to his father and to his brethren. And his father rebuked him, and said to him, What is this dream which thou hast dreamt? Shall we indeed come, I and thy mother and thy brethren, to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?
11 And his brethren envied him; but his father kept the saying.
12 And his brethren went to feed their father's flock at Shechem.
13 And Israel said to Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed [the flock] at Shechem? Come, that I may send thee to them. And he said to him, Here am I.
14 And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see after the welfare of thy brethren, and after the welfare of the flock; and bring me word again. And he sent him out of the vale of Hebron; and he came towards Shechem.
15 And a man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the country; and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?
16 And he said, I am seeking my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed [their flocks].
17 And the man said, They have removed from this; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them at Dothan.
18 And when they saw him from afar, and before he came near to them, they conspired against him to put him to death.
19 And they said one to another, Behold, there comes that dreamer!
20 And now come and let us kill him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say, An evil beast has devoured him; and we will see what becomes of his dreams.
21 And Reuben heard [it], and delivered him out of their hand, and said, Let us not take his life.
22 And Reuben said to them, Shed no blood: cast him into this pit which is in the wilderness; but lay no hand upon him -- in order that he might deliver him out of their hand, to bring him to his father again.
23 And it came to pass when Joseph came to his brethren, that they stripped Joseph of his vest, the vest of many colours, which he had on;
24 and they took him and cast him into the pit; now 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 caravan of Ishmaelites came from Gilead; and their camels bore tragacanth, and balsam, and ladanum -- going to carry [it] down to Egypt.
26 And Judah said to his brethren, What profit is it that we kill our brother and secrete his blood?
27 Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites; but let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother, our flesh. And his brethren hearkened [to him].
28 And Midianitish men, merchants, passed by; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty silver-pieces; and they brought Joseph to Egypt.
29 And Reuben returned to the pit, and behold, Joseph [was] not in the pit; and he rent his garments,
30 and returned to his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, where shall I go?
31 And they took Joseph's vest, and slaughtered a buck of the goats, and dipped the vest in the blood;
32 and they sent the vest of many colours and had it carried to their father, and said, This have we found: discern now whether it is thy son's vest or not.
33 And he discerned it, and said, [It is] my son's vest! an evil beast has devoured him: Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces!
34 And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth on 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 said, For I will go down to my son into Sheol mourning. Thus his father wept for him.
36 And the Midianites sold him into Egypt, to Potiphar, a chamberlain of Pharaoh, the captain of the life-guard.
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 coat 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 said to him, "Will you indeed reign over us? Or 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 you to the earth?"
11 His brothers envied him; but his father kept this saying in mind.
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: and the man asked him, saying, "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 us 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 one to 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 It happened, when Joseph came to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his coat, the coat 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.
25 They sat down to eat bread, and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites was 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. They 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 coat, and killed a male goat, and dipped the coat in the blood.
32 They took the coat of many colors, and they brought it to their father, and said, "We have found this. Examine it, now, whether it is your son's coat or not."
33 He recognized it, and said, "It is my son's coat. An evil animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces."
34 Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his loins, 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{Sheol is the place of the dead or the grave.} 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.
1 Now Jacob was living in the land where his father had made a place for himself, in the land of Canaan.
2 These are the generations of Jacob: Joseph, a boy seventeen years old, was looking after the flock, together with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph gave their father a bad account of them.
3 Now the love which Israel had for Joseph was greater than his love for all his other children, because he got him when he was an old man: and he had a long coat made for him.
4 And because his brothers saw that Joseph was dearer to his father than all the others, they were full of hate for him, and would not say a kind word to him.
5 Now Joseph had a dream, and he gave his brothers an account of it, which made their hate greater than ever.
6 And he said to them, Let me give you the story of my dream.
7 We were in the field, getting the grain stems together, and my grain kept upright, and yours came round and went down on the earth before mine.
8 And his brothers said to him, Are you to be our king? will you have authority over us? And because of his dream and his words, their hate for him became greater than ever.
9 Then he had another dream, and gave his brothers an account of it, saying, I have had another dream: the sun and the moon and eleven stars gave honour to me.
10 And he gave word of it to his father and his brothers; but his father protesting said, What sort of a dream is this? am I and your mother and your brothers to go down on our faces to the earth before you?
11 And his brothers were full of envy; but his father kept his words in mind.
12 Now his brothers went to keep watch over their father's flock in Shechem.
13 And Israel said to Joseph, Are not your brothers with the flock in Shechem? come, I will send you to them. And he said to him, Here am I.
14 And he said to him, Go now, and see if your brothers are well and how the flock is; then come back and give me word. So he sent him out of the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.
15 And a man saw him wandering in the country, and said to him, What are you looking for?
16 And he said, I am looking for my brothers; please give me word of where they are keeping their flock.
17 And the man said, They have gone away from here, for they said in my hearing, Let us go to Dothan. So Joseph went after them and came up with them at Dothan.
18 But they saw him when he was a long way off, and before he came near them they made a secret design against him to put him to death;
19 Saying to one another, See, here comes this dreamer.
20 Let us now put him to death and put his body into one of these holes, and we will say, An evil beast has put him to death: then we will see what becomes of his dreams.
21 But Reuben, hearing these words, got him out of their hands, saying, Let us not take his life.
22 Do not put him to a violent death, but let him be placed in one of the holes; this he said to keep him safe from their hands, with the purpose of taking him back to his father again.
23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they took off his long coat which he had on;
24 And they took him and put him in the hole: now the hole had no water in it.
25 Then seating themselves, they took their meal: and looking up, they saw a travelling band of Ishmaelites, coming from Gilead on their way to Egypt, with spices and perfumes on their camels.
26 And Judah said to his brothers, What profit is there in putting our brother to death and covering up his blood?
27 Let us give him to these Ishmaelites for a price, and let us not put violent hands on him, for he is our brother, our flesh. And his brothers gave ear to him.
28 And some traders from Midian went by; so pulling Joseph up out of the hole, they gave him to the Ishmaelites for twenty bits of silver, and they took him to Egypt.
29 Now when Reuben came back to the hole, Joseph was not there; and giving signs of grief,
30 He went back to his brothers, and said, The child is gone; what am I to do?
31 Then they took Joseph's coat, and put on it some of the blood from a young goat which they had put to death,
32 And they took the coat to their father, and said, We came across this; is it your son's coat or not?
33 And he saw that it was, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast has put him to death; without doubt Joseph has come to a cruel end.
34 Then Jacob, giving signs of grief, put on haircloth, and went on weeping for his son day after day.
35 And all his sons and all his daughters came to give him comfort, but he would not be comforted, saying with weeping, I will go down to the underworld to my son. So great was his father's sorrow for him.
36 And in Egypt the men of Midian gave him for a price to Potiphar, a captain of high position in Pharaoh's house.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Genesis 37
Commentary on Genesis 37 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
X. History of Jacob - Genesis 37-50 Its Substance and Character
The history ( tholedoth ) of Isaac commenced with the founding of his house by the birth of his sons (p. 171); but Jacob was abroad when his sons were born, and had not yet entered into undisputed possession of his inheritance. Hence his tholedoth only commence with his return to his father's tent and his entrance upon the family possessions, and merely embrace the history of his life as patriarch of the house which he founded. In this period of his life, indeed, his sons, especially Joseph and Judah, stand in the foreground, so that “Joseph might be described as the moving principle of the following history.” But for all that, Jacob remains the head of the house, and the centre around whom the whole revolves. This section is divided by the removal of Jacob to Egypt, into the period of his residence in Canaan (Gen 37-45), and the close of his life in Goshen (Gen 46-50). The first period is occupied with the events which prepared the way for, and eventually occasioned, his migration into Egypt. The way was prepared, directly by the sale of Joseph (Gen 37), indirectly by the alliance of Judah with the Canaanites (Gen 38), which endangered the divine call of Israel, inasmuch as this showed the necessity for a temporary removal of the sons of Israel from Canaan. The way was opened by the wonderful career of Joseph in Egypt, his elevation from slavery and imprisonment to be the ruler over the whole of Egypt (Gen 39-41). And lastly, the migration was occasioned by the famine in Canaan, which rendered it necessary for Jacob's sons to travel into Egypt to buy corn, and, whilst it led to Jacob's recovery of the son he had mourned for as dead, furnished an opportunity for Joseph to welcome his family into Egypt (Gen 42-45). The second period commences with the migration of Jacob into Egypt, and his settlement in the land of Goshen (Gen 46-47:27). It embraces the patriarch's closing years, his last instructions respecting his burial in Canaan (Genesis 47:28-31), his adoption of Joseph's sons, and the blessing given to his twelve sons (Gen 49), and extends to his burial and Joseph's death (Gen 50).
Now if we compare this period of the patriarchal history with the previous ones, viz., those of Isaac and Abraham, it differs from them most in the absence of divine revelations-in the fact, that from the time of the patriarch's entrance upon the family inheritance to the day of his death, there was only one other occasion on which God appeared to him in a dream, viz., in Beersheba, on the border of the promised land, when he had prepared to go with his whole house into Egypt: the God of his father then promised him the increase of his seed in Egypt into a great nation, and their return to Canaan (Genesis 46:2-4). This fact may be easily explained on the ground, that the end of the divine manifestations had been already attained; that in Jacob's house with his twelve sons the foundation was laid for the development of the promised nation; and that the time had come, in which the chosen family was to grow into a nation-a process for which they needed, indeed, the blessing and protection of God, but no special revelations, so long at least as this growth into a nation took its natural course. That course was not interrupted, but rather facilitated by the removal into Egypt. But as Canaan had been assigned to the patriarchs as the land of their pilgrimage, and promised to their seed for a possession after it had become a nation; when Jacob was compelled to leave this land, his faith in the promise of God might have been shaken, if God had not appeared to him as he departed, to promise him His protection in the foreign land, and assure him of the fulfilment of His promises. More than this the house of Israel did not need to know, as to the way by which God would lead them, especially as Abraham had already received a revelation from the Lord (Genesis 15:13-16).
In perfect harmony with the character of the time thus commencing for Jacob-Israel, is the use of the names of God in this last section of Genesis: viz., the fact, that whilst in Gen 37 (the sale of Joseph) the name of God is not met with at all, in Gen 38 and 39 we find the name of Jehovah nine times and Elohim only once (Genesis 39:9), and that in circumstances in which Jehovah would have been inadmissible; and after Genesis 40:1, the name Jehovah almost entirely disappears, occurring only once in Gen 40-50 (Genesis 49:18, where Jacob uses it), whereas Elohim is used eighteen times and Ha-Elohim seven, not to mention such expressions as “your God” (Genesis 43:23), or “the God of his, or your father” (Genesis 46:1, Genesis 46:3). So long as the attention is confined to this numerical proportion of Jehovah , and Elohim or Ha- Elohim , it must remain “a difficult enigma.” But when we look at the way in which these names are employed, we find the actual fact to be, that in Gen 38 and 39 the writer mentions God nine times, and calls Him Jehovah , and that in Gen 40-50 he only mentions God twice, and then calls Him Elohim (Genesis 46:1-2), although the God of salvation, i.e., Jehovah , is intended. In every other instance in which God is referred to in Gen 40-50, it is always by the persons concerned: either Pharaoh (Genesis 41:38-39), or Joseph and his brethren (Genesis 40:8; Genesis 41:16, Genesis 41:51-52, etc., Elohim ; and Genesis 41:25, Genesis 41:28, Genesis 41:32, etc., Ha-Elohim ), or by Jacob (Genesis 48:11, Genesis 48:20-21, Elohim ). Now the circumstance that the historian speaks of God nine times in Gen 38-39 and only twice in Gen 40-50 is explained by the substance of the history, which furnished no particular occasion for this in the last eleven chapters. But the reason why he does not name Jehovah in Gen 40-50 as in Gen 38-39, but speaks of the “God of his (Jacob's) father Isaac,” in Genesis 41:1, and directly afterwards of Elohim (Genesis 41:2), could hardly be that the periphrasis “the God of his father” seemed more appropriate than the simple name Jehovah , since Jacob offered sacrifice at Beersheba to the God who appeared to his father, and to whom Isaac built an altar there, and this God ( Elohim ) then appeared to him in a dream and renewed the promise of his fathers. As the historian uses a periphrasis of the name Jehovah , to point out the internal connection between what Jacob did and experienced at Beersheba and what his father experienced there; so Jacob also, both in the blessing with which he sends his sons the second time to Egypt (Genesis 43:14) and at the adoption of Joseph's sons (Genesis 48:3), uses the name El Shaddai , and in his blessings on Joseph's sons (Genesis 43:15) and on Joseph himself (Genesis 49:24-25) employs rhetorical periphrases for the name Jehovah , because Jehovah had manifested Himself not only to him (Genesis 35:11-12), but also to his fathers Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 17:1 and Genesis 28:3) as El Shaddai , and had proved Himself to be the Almighty, “the God who fed him,” “the Mighty One of Jacob,” “the Shepherd and Rock of Israel.” In these set discourses the titles of God here mentioned were unquestionably more significant and impressive than the simple name Jehovah . and when Jacob speaks of Elohim only, not of Jehovah , in Genesis 48:11, Genesis 48:20-21, the Elohim in Genesis 48:11 and Genesis 48:21 may be easily explained from the antithesis of Jacob to both man and God, and in Genesis 48:20 from the words themselves, which contain a common and, so to speak, a stereotyped saying. Wherever the thought required the name Jehovah as the only appropriate one, there Jacob used this name, as Genesis 49:18 will prove. But that name would have been quit unsuitable in the mouth of Pharaoh in Genesis 41:38-39, in the address of Joseph to the prisoners (Genesis 40:8) and to Pharaoh (Genesis 41:16, Genesis 41:25, Genesis 41:28, Genesis 41:32), and in his conversation with his brethren before he made himself known (Genesis 42:18; Genesis 43:29), and also in the appeal of Judah to Joseph as an unknown Egyptian officer of state (Genesis 44:16). In the meantime the brethren of Joseph also speak to one another of Elohim (Genesis 43:28); and Joseph not only sees in the birth of his sons merely a gift of Elohim (Genesis 41:51-52; Genesis 48:9), but in the solemn moment in which he makes himself known to his brethren (Genesis 45:5-9) he speaks of Elohim alone: “ Elohim did send me before you to preserve life” (Genesis 41:5); and even upon his death-bed he says, “I die, and Elohim will surely visit you and bring you out of this land” (Genesis 50:24-25). But the reason of this is not difficult to discover, and is no other than the following: Joseph, like his brethren, did not clearly discern the ways of the Lord in the wonderful changes of his life; and his brethren, though they felt that the trouble into which they were brought before the unknown ruler of Egypt was a just punishment from God for their crime against Joseph, did not perceive that by the sale of their brother they had sinned not only against Elohim (God the Creator and Judge of men), but against Jehovah the covenant God of their father. They had not only sold their brother, but in their brother they had cast out a member of the seed promised and given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, from the fellowship of the chosen family, and sinned against the God of salvation and His promises. But this aspect of their crime was still hidden from them, so that they could not speak of Jehovah . In the same way, Joseph regarded the wonderful course of his life as a divine arrangement for the preservation or rescue of his family, and he was so far acquainted with the promises of God, that he regarded it as a certainty, that Israel would be led out of Egypt, especially after the last wish expressed by Jacob. But this did not involve so full and clear an insight into the ways of Jehovah , as to lead Joseph to recognise in his own career a special appointment of the covenant God, and to describe it as a gracious work of Jehovah .
(Note: The very fact that the author of Genesis, who wrote in the light of the further development and fuller revelation of the ways of the Lord with Joseph and the whole house of Jacob, represents the career of Joseph as a gracious interposition of Jehovah (Gen 39), and yet makes Joseph himself speak of Elohim as arranging the whole, is by no means an unimportant testimony to the historical fidelity and truth of the narrative; of which further proofs are to be found in the faithful and exact representation of the circumstances, manners, and customs of Egypt, as Hengstenberg has proved in his Egypt and the Books of Moses , from a comparison of these accounts of Joseph's life with ancient document and monuments connected with this land.)
The disappearance of the name Jehovah , therefore, is to be explained, partly from the fact that previous revelations and acts of grace had given rise to other phrases expressive of the idea of Jehovah , which not only served as substitutes for this name of the covenant God, but in certain circumstances were much more appropriate; and partly from the fact that the sons of Jacob, including Joseph, did not so distinctly recognise in their course the saving guidance of the covenant God, as to be able to describe it as the work of Jehovah . This imperfect insight, however, is intimately connected with the fact that the direct revelations of God had ceased; and that Joseph, although chosen by God to be the preserver of the house of Israel and the instrument in accomplishing His plans of salvation, was separated at a very early period from the fellowship of his father's house, and formally naturalized in Egypt, and though endowed with the supernatural power to interpret dreams, was not favoured, as Daniel afterwards was in the Chaldaean court, with visions or revelations of God. Consequently we cannot place Joseph on a level with the three patriarchs, nor assent to the statement, that “as the noblest blossom of the patriarchal life is seen in Joseph, as in him the whole meaning of the patriarchal life is summed up and fulfilled, so in Christ we see the perfect blossom and sole fulfilment of the whole of the Old Testament dispensation” (Kurtz, Old Covenant ii. 95), as being either correct or scriptural, so far as the first portion is concerned. For Joseph was not a medium of salvation in the same way as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He was indeed a benefactor, not only to his brethren and the whole house of Israel, but also to the Egyptians; but salvation, i.e., spiritual help and culture, he neither brought to the Gentiles nor to the house of Israel. In Jacob's blessing he is endowed with the richest inheritance of the first-born in earthly things; but salvation is to reach the nations through Judah. We may therefore without hesitation look upon the history of Joseph as a “type of the pathway of the Church, not of Jehovah only, but also of Christ, from lowliness to exaltation, from slavery to liberty, from suffering to glory” ( Delitzsch ); we may also, so far as the history of Israel is a type of the history of Christ and His Church, regard the life of Joseph, as believing commentators of all centuries have done, as a type of the life of Christ, and use these typical traits as aids to progress in the knowledge of salvation; but that we may not be seduced into typological trifling, we must not overlook the fact, that neither Joseph nor his career is represented, either by the prophets or by Christ and His apostles, as typical of Christ, - in anything like the same way, for example, as the guidance of Israel into and out of Egypt (Hosea 11:1 cf. Matthew 2:15), and other events and persons in the history of Israel.
Genesis 37:1-2
The statement in Genesis 37:1, which introduces the tholedoth of Jacob, “ And Jacob dwelt in the land of his father's pilgrimage, in the land of Canaan, ” implies that Jacob had now entered upon his father's inheritance, and carries on the patriarchal pilgrim-life in Canaan, the further development of which was determined by the wonderful career of Joseph. This strange and eventful career of Joseph commenced when he was 17 years old. The notice of his age at the commencement of the narrative which follows, is introduced with reference to the principal topic in it, viz., the sale of Joseph, which was to prepare the way, according to the wonderful counsel of God, for the fulfilment of the divine revelation to Abraham respecting the future history of his seed (Genesis 15:13.). While feeding the flock with his brethren, and, as he was young, with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, who were nearer his age than the sons of Leah, he brought an evil report of them to his father ( רעה intentionally indefinite, connected with דּבּתם without an article). The words נער והוּא , “ and he a lad, ” are subordinate to the main clause: they are not to be rendered, however, “he was a lad with the sons,” but, “as he was young, he fed the flock with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah.”
Genesis 37:3-4
“ Israel (Jacob) loved Joseph more than all his (other) sons, because he was born in his old age, ” as the first-fruits of the beloved Rachel (Benjamin was hardly a year old at this time). And he made him פּסּים כּתנת : a long coat with sleeves ( χιτὼν ἀστραγάλειος , Aqu ., or ἀστραγαλωτός , lxx at 2 Samuel 13:18, tunica talaris , Vulg . ad Sam.), i.e., an upper coat reaching to the wrists and ankles, such as noblemen and kings' daughters wore, not “a coat of many colours” (“ bunter Rock, ” as Luther renders it, from the χιτῶνα ποικίλον , tunicam polymitam , of the lxx and Vulgate). This partiality made Joseph hated by his brethren; so that they could not “ speak peaceably unto him, ” i.e., ask him how he was, offer him the usual salutation, “Peace be with thee.”
This hatred was increased when Joseph told them of two dreams that he had had: viz., that as they were binding sheaves in the field, his sheaf “stood and remained standing,” but their sheaves placed themselves round it and bowed down to it; and that the sun (his father), and the moon (his mother, “not Leah, but Rachel, who was neither forgotten nor lost”), and eleven stars (his eleven brethren) bowed down before him. These dreams pointed in an unmistakeable way to the supremacy of Joseph; the first to supremacy over his brethren, the second over the whole house of Israel. The repetition seemed to establish the thing as certain (cf. Genesis 41:32); so that not only did his brethren hate him still more “ on account of his dreams and words ” (Genesis 37:8), i.e., the substance of the dreams and the open interpretation of them, and become jealous and envious, but his father gave him a sharp reproof for the second, though he preserved the matter, i.e., retained it in his memory ( שׁמר lxx διετήρησε , cf. συνετήρει , Luke 2:19). The brothers with their ill-will could not see anything in the creams but the suggestions of his own ambition and pride of heart; and even the father, notwithstanding his partiality, was grieved by the second dream. The dreams are not represented as divine revelations; yet they are not to be regarded as pure flights of fancy from an ambitious heart, but as the presentiments of deep inward feelings, which were not produced without some divine influence being exerted upon Joseph's mind, and therefore were of prophetic significance, though they were not inspired directly by God, inasmuch as the purposes of God were still to remain hidden from the eyes of men for the saving good of all concerned.
In a short time the hatred of Joseph's brethren grew into a crime. On one occasion, when they were feeding their flock at a distance from Hebron, in the neighbourhood of Shechem (Nablus, in the plain of Mukhnah), and Joseph who was sent thither by Jacob to inquire as to the welfare ( shalom , valetudo ) of the brethren and their flocks, followed them to Dothain or Dothan , a place 12 Roman miles to the north of Samaria ( Sebaste ), towards the plain of Jezreel, they formed the malicious resolution to put him, “this dreamer,” to death, and throw him into one of the pits, i.e., cisterns, and then to tell (his father) that a wild beast had slain him, and so to bring his dreams to nought.
Reuben , who was the eldest son, and therefore specially responsible for his younger brother, opposed this murderous proposal. He dissuaded his brethren from killing Joseph ( נפשׁ פ הכּה ), and advised them to throw him “ into this pit in the desert, ” i.e., into a dry pit that was near. As Joseph would inevitably perish even in that pit, their malice was satisfied; but Reuben intended to take Joseph out again, and restore him to his father. As soon, therefore, as Joseph arrived, they took off his coat with sleeves and threw him into the pit, which happened to be dry.
Reuben had saved Joseph's life indeed by his proposal; but his intention to send him back to his father was frustrated. For as soon as the brethren sat down to eat, after the deed was performed, they saw a company of Ishmaelites from Gilead coming along the road which leads from Beisan past Jenin (Rob. Pal. iii. 155) and through the plain of Dothan to the great caravan road that runs from Damascus by Lejun ( Legio, Megiddo ), Ramleh, and Gaza to Egypt (Rob. iii. 27, 178). The caravan drew near, laden with spices: viz., נכאת , gum-tragacanth; צרי , balsam, for which Gilead was celebrated (Genesis 43:11; Jeremiah 8:22; Jeremiah 46:11); and לט , ladanum , the fragrant resin of the cistus-rose. Judah seized the opportunity to propose to his brethren to sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites. “ What profit have we,” he said, “that we slay our brother and conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites; and our hand, let it not lay hold of him (sc., to slay him), for he is our brother, our flesh .” Reuben wished to deliver Joseph entirely from his brothers' malice. Judah also wished to save his life, though not from brotherly love so much as from the feeling of horror, which was not quite extinct within him, at incurring the guilt of fratricide; but he would still like to get rid of him, that his dreams might not come true. Judah, like his brethren, was probably afraid that their father might confer upon Joseph the rights of the first-born, and so make him lord over them. His proposal was a welcome one. When the Arabs passed by, the brethren fetched Joseph out of the pit and sold him to the Ishmaelites, who took him into Egypt. The different names given to the traders - viz., Ishmaelites (Genesis 37:25, Genesis 37:27, and Genesis 37:28 ), Midianites ( Genesis 37:28 ), and Medanites (Genesis 37:36) - do not show that the account has been drawn from different legends, but that these tribes were often confounded, from the fact that they resembled one another so closely, not only in their common descent from Abraham (Genesis 16:15 and Genesis 25:2), but also in the similarity of their mode of life and their constant change of abode, that strangers could hardly distinguish them, especially when they appeared not as tribes but as Arabian merchants, such as they are here described as being: “ Midianitish men, merchants .” That descendants of Abraham should already be met with in this capacity is by no means strange, if we consider that 150 years had passed by since Ishmael's dismissal from his father's house, - a period amply sufficient for his descendants to have grown through marriage into a respectable tribe. The price, “ twenty (sc., shekels) of silver, ” was the price which Moses afterwards fixed as the value of a boy between 5 and 20 (Leviticus 27:5), the average price of a slave being 30 shekels (Exodus 21:32). But the Ishmaelites naturally wanted to make money by the transaction.
The business was settled in Reuben's absence; probably because his brethren suspected that he intended to rescue Joseph. When he came to the pit and found Joseph gone, he rent his clothes (a sign of intense grief on the part of the natural man) and exclaimed: “ The boy is no more, and I, whither shall I go! ” - how shall I account to his father for his disappearance! But the brothers were at no loss; they dipped Joseph's coat in the blood of a goat and sent it to his father, with the message, “ We have found this; see whether it is thy son's coat or not .” Jacob recognised the coat at once, and mourned bitterly in mourning clothes ( שׂק ) for his son, whom he supposed to have been devoured and destroyed by a wild beast ( טרף טרף inf. abs. of Kal before Pual , as an indication of undoubted certainty), and refused all comfort from his children, saying, “ No ( כּי immo , elliptical: Do not attempt to comfort me, for) I will go down mourning into Sheol to my son .” Sheol denotes the place where departed souls are gathered after death; it is an infinitive form from שׁאל to demand, the demanding, applied to the place which inexorably summons all men into its shade (cf. Proverbs 30:15-16; Isaiah 5:14; Habakkuk 2:5). How should his sons comfort him, when they were obliged to cover their wickedness with the sin of lying and hypocrisy, and when even Reuben, although at first beside himself at the failure of his plan, had not courage enough to disclose his brothers' crime?
But Joseph, while his father was mourning, was sold by the Midianites to Potiphar, the chief of Pharaoh's trabantes , to be first of all brought low, according to the wonderful counsel of God, and then to be exalted as ruler in Egypt, before whom his brethren would bow down, and as the saviour of the house of Israel. The name Potiphar is a contraction of Poti Pherah (Genesis 41:50); the lxx render both Πετεφρής or Πετεφρῆ (vid., Genesis 41:50). סריס (eunuch) is used here, as in 1 Samuel 8:15 and in most of the passages of the Old Testament, for courtier or chamberlain, without regard to the primary meaning, as Potiphar was married. “ Captain of the guard ” (lit., captain of the slaughterers, i.e., the executioners), commanding officer of the royal body-guard, who executed the capital sentences ordered by the king, as was also the case with the Chaldeans (2 Kings 25:8; Jeremiah 39:9; Jeremiah 52:12. See my Commentary on the Books of Kings, vol. i. pp. 35, 36, Eng. Tr.).