Genesis 37: Joseph's dreams, and his brothers sell him
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What happens?
Jacob loves Joseph more than his other sons and gives him a special tunic, and Joseph's dreams of his family bowing down to him make his brothers hate him. When Jacob sends him to find them, they throw him into a pit, and he is sold to traders going to Egypt. The brothers show Jacob the tunic dipped in goat's blood, and Jacob mourns, believing a wild animal has killed Joseph.
Who is speaking?
Joseph, his brothers, Jacob (also called Israel), Reuben, Judah and a man in the fields speak. God does not speak in this chapter. Joseph tells his dreams in his own words. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1Jacob lived in the land of his father’s travels, in the land of Canaan.
In plain English: Jacob lived in the land of Canaan, where his father had lived as a foreigner.
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2This 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.
In plain English: This is the family history of Jacob. Joseph, at seventeen, was looking after the flock with his brothers. He was a boy (or: a helper) with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. Joseph brought a bad report about them to their father.
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3Now 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.
In plain English: 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 (or: a long robe with sleeves).
The Hebrew words: "Tunic of many colors" is ketonet passim. Passim is a rare word: the dictionary gives "a long tunic with sleeves", perhaps simply a wide one.
How it is translated: This Bible says "many colors" or "various colors" in all 5 verses that use it. The only ones outside this chapter are , the robe worn by King David's daughter Tamar.
What changes: Read as "a long robe with sleeves", the tunic is special for its length and shape, not for its colors.
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4His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, and they hated him, and couldn’t speak peaceably to him.
In plain English: His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all of them, and they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.
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5Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him all the more.
In plain English: Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more.
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6He said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed:
In plain English: He said to them, "Please listen to this dream I had:
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7for 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.”
In plain English: We were tying up bundles of grain in the field, and suddenly my bundle rose and stood up straight. Your bundles gathered around it and bowed down to my bundle."
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8His 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.
In plain English: His brothers said to him, "Will you really be king over us? Will you really rule over us?" And they hated him even more because of his dreams and his words.
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9He 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.”
In plain English: Then he had another dream and told it to his brothers. He said, "Listen, I had another dream: the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me."
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10He 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?”
In plain English: He told it to his father and his brothers, and his father scolded him and said, "What is this dream you have had? Will I and your mother and your brothers really come and bow down to the ground in front of you?"
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11His brothers envied him, but his father kept this saying in mind.
In plain English: His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
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12His brothers went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem.
In plain English: His brothers went to look after their father's flock at Shechem.
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13Israel 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.”
In plain English: Israel said to Joseph, "Your brothers are looking after the flock at Shechem, aren't they? Come, I will send you to them." Joseph said, "Here I am."
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14He 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.
In plain English: Israel said to him, "Go and see whether all is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring word back to me." So he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and Joseph came to Shechem.
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15A certain man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field. The man asked him, “What are you looking for?”
In plain English: A man found him wandering in the fields and asked him, "What are you looking for?"
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16He said, “I am looking for my brothers. Tell me, please, where they are feeding the flock.”
In plain English: He said, "I am looking for my brothers. Please tell me where they are looking after the flock."
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17The 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.
In plain English: The man said, "They have left here. I heard them say, 'Let's go to Dothan.'" So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
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18They saw him afar off, and before he came near to them, they conspired against him to kill him.
In plain English: They saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.
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19They said to one another, “Behold, this dreamer comes.
In plain English: They said to one another, "Look, here comes this dreamer.
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20Come 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.”
In plain English: Come on, let's kill him and throw him into one of the pits. We will say, 'A wild animal ate him.' Then we will see what becomes of his dreams."
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21Reuben heard it, and delivered him out of their hand, and said, “Let’s not take his life.”
In plain English: Reuben heard this and rescued him from them. He said, "Let's not take his life."
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22Reuben 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.
In plain English: Reuben said to them, "Do not shed any blood. Throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him." He said this so that he could rescue him from them and bring him back to his father.
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23When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him;
In plain English: When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his tunic, the tunic of many colors he was wearing.
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24and they took him, and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty. There was no water in it.
In plain English: They took him and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.
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25They 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.
In plain English: Then they sat down to eat. They looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh, which they were taking down to Egypt.
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26Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?
In plain English: Judah said to his brothers, "What do we gain if we kill our brother and hide his blood?
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27Come, 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.
In plain English: Come, let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay a hand on him, because he is our brother, our own flesh." His brothers listened to him.
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28Midianites 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.
In plain English: Some Midianite merchants came by, and they pulled Joseph up out of the pit and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they brought Joseph to Egypt.
Good to know: The text names the traders two ways: Ishmaelites (verses 25, 27 and 28) and Midianites (verses 28 and 36). In the Hebrew says "Medanites", a form of the same name. The verse also does not say whether "they" who pulled Joseph out of the pit were the Midianites or his brothers. Readers explain this in different ways.
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29Reuben returned to the pit, and saw that Joseph wasn’t in the pit; and he tore his clothes.
In plain English: When Reuben went back to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in it, he tore his clothes.
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30He returned to his brothers, and said, “The child is no more; and I, where will I go?”
In plain English: He went back to his brothers and said, "The boy is gone! And I, where can I go now?"
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31They took Joseph’s tunic, and killed a male goat, and dipped the tunic in the blood.
In plain English: Then they took Joseph's tunic, killed a male goat, and dipped the tunic in the blood.
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32They 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.”
In plain English: They took the tunic of many colors to their father and said, "We found this. Please look at it and see whether it is your son's tunic or not."
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33He recognized it, and said, “It is my son’s tunic. An evil animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces.”
In plain English: He recognized it and said, "It is my son's tunic. A wild animal has eaten him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces."
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34Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days.
In plain English: Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son for many days.
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35All 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.
In plain English: All his sons and all his daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. He said, "I will go down to Sheol (the place of the dead, or the grave) to my son, still mourning." And his father wept for him.
The Hebrew word: "Sheol" is sheol, the Hebrew name for the place of the dead. This is the first time it appears in the Bible.
How it is translated: This Bible keeps the word "Sheol" in 63 of its 64 verses. Older Bibles like the King James say "the grave", "hell" or "the pit" in different places.
Church tradition: Churches teach different things about what happens after death. Genesis 37 says only that Jacob expected to go down to Sheol, to his son, still mourning.
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36The Midianites sold him into Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, the captain of the guard.
In plain English: The Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officers, the captain of the guard.
The Hebrew word: "Officer" is saris. It can mean a eunuch (a man who had been castrated), or, more broadly, a royal official.
How it is translated: This Bible says "eunuch" in 28 of its 42 verses and "officer" in 15.
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