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

2These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.

3Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he wasthe son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.

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

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

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

7For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.

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

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

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

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

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

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

14And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

22And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

35And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.

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

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

2These are the generations of Iacob: Ioseph being seuenteene yeeres old, was feeding the flocke with his brethren, and the lad was with the sonnes of Bilhah, and with the sonnes of Zilpah, his fathers wiues: and Ioseph brought vnto his father their euill report.

3Now Israel loued Ioseph more then all his children, because he was the sonne of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.

4And when his brethren saw that their father loued him more then all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speake peaceably vnto him.

5 And Ioseph dreamed a dreame, and he told it his brethren, and they hated him yet the more.

6And he said vnto them, Heare, I pray you, this dreame which I haue dreamed.

7For beholde, wee were binding sheaues in the field, and loe, my sheafe arose, and also stood vpright; and behold, your sheaues stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheafe.

8And his brethren saide to him, Shalt thou indeed reigne ouer vs? or shalt thou indeed haue dominion ouer vs? and they hated him yet the more, for his dreames, and for his words.

9 And hee dreamed yet another dreame, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I haue dreamed a dreame more: and behold, the sunne and the moone, and the eleuen starres made obeisance to me.

10And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said vnto him, What is this dreame that thou hast dreamed? shal I, and thy mother, and thy brethren indeed come to bow downe our selues to thee, to the earth?

11And his brethren enuied him: but his father obserued the saying.

12 And his brethren went to feed their fathers flocke in Shechem.

13And Israel saide vnto Ioseph, Doe not thy brethren feed the flocke in Shechem? Come, and I will send thee vnto them: & he said to him, Here am I.

14And he said to him, Goe, I pray thee, see whether it bee well with thy brethren, and well with the flockes, and bring me word againe: so hee sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

15 And a certaine man found him, and behold, hee was wandring in the field, and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?

16And he said, I seeke my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feede their flockes.

17And the man said, They are departed hence: for I heard them say, Let vs goe to Dothan. And Ioseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan.

18And when they saw him a farre off, euen before he came neere vnto them, they conspired against him, to slay him.

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

20Come now therefore, and let vs slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some euill beast hath deuoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreames.

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

22And Reuben saide vnto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wildernesse, and lay no hand vpon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliuer him to his father againe.

23 And it came to passe when Ioseph was come vnto his brethren, that they stript Ioseph out of his coate, his coat of many colours that was on him.

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

25And they sate downe to eat bread: and they lift vp their eyes and looked, and behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead, with their camels, bearing spicery, & baulme, and myrrhe, going to cary it downe to Egypt.

26And Iudah saide vnto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceale his blood?

27Come, and let vs sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand bee vpon him: for he is our brother, and our flesh; and his brethren were content.

28Then there passed by Midianites merchant men, and they drew and lift vp Ioseph out of the pit, and sold Ioseph to the Ishmeelites for twentie pieces of siluer: and they brought Ioseph into Egypt.

29 And Reuben returned vnto the pit, and behold, Ioseph was not in the pit: and he rent his clothes.

30And hee returned vnto his brethren and said, The childe is not, and I, whither shall I goe?

31And they tooke Iosephs coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood.

32And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father, and said, This haue we found: know now whether it bee thy sonnes coat or no.

33And he knew it, and said, It is my sonnes coat: an euil beast hath deuoured him; Ioseph is without doubt rent in pieces.

34And Iacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth vpon his loines, & mourned for his sonne many dayes.

35And all his sonnes, and all his daughters rose vp to comfort him: but he refused to be comforted: and he said, For I will goe downe into the graue vnto my sonne, mourning; thus his father wept for him.

36And the Medanites sold him into Egypt vnto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaohs, and captaine of the guard.

I == Gen 17:8 ; 23:4 ; 28:4 ; 36:7 ; Heb 11:9

II == 1st Sam 2:22-24

 

 

 

 

III == Gen 44:20 ; Judg 5:30 ; 2nd Sam 13:18

 

 

IV == Gen 27:41 ; 49:23

 

 

 

 

 

 

VII == Gen 42:6 , 9 ; 43:26 ; 44:14

 

 

 

 

 

IX == Gen 45:9

 

 

 

 

 

X == Gen 27:29 ; 45:9

 

 

 

XI == Dan 7:28 ; Luke 2:19 , 51 ; Acts 7:9

 

 

 

 

 

 

XIV == Gen 29:6 ; 35:27

 

 

 

 

 

 

XVI == Song 1-7

 

XVII == 2nd Kings 6:13

 

 

XVIII == 1st Sam 19:1 ; Ps 31:13 ; 37:12 , 32 ; 94:21 Matt 27:1 ; Mark 14:1 ; John 11:53 ; Acts 23:12

 

XX == Prov 1:11 , 16 ; 6:17 ; 27:4

 

 

 

XXI == Gen 42:22

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XXV == Gen 37:28 , 36 ; Prov 30:20 ; Jer 8:22 ; Amos 6:6

 

 

XXVI == Gen 4:10 ; 37:20 ; Job 16:18

 

XXVII == Gen 29:14 ; 42:21 ; 1st Sam 18:17

 

XXVIII == Gen 45:4-5 ; Judg 6:3 ; Ps 105:17 ; Matt 27:9 ; Acts 7:9

 

 

XXIX == Job 1:20

 

XXX == Gen 42:13 , 36 ; Jer 31:15

 

XXXI == Gen 37:23

 

 

 

 

 

XXXIII == Gen 37:20 ; 44:28

 

XXXIV == Gen 37:29 ; 2nd Sam 3:31

 

XXXV == Gen 42:38 ; 44:29 , 31 ; 2nd Sam 12:17

XXXVI == Gen 39:1 ; Esth 1:10

 

 

1 Jacob settled in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.

2 This is his family history. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he was tending the flocks with his brothers; he was an assistant to the sons of his father's wives Bilhah and Zilpah, and he brought his father bad reports about them.

3 Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons, for he was the child of his old age; and he had made him a long tunic.

4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him best of all his sons, they hated him so much that they would not even greet him.

5 Once Joseph had a dream, which he told to his brothers:

6 "Listen to this dream I had.

7 There we were, binding sheaves in the field, when suddenly my sheaf rose to an upright position, and your sheaves formed a ring around my sheaf and bowed down to it."

8 "Are you really going to make yourself king over us?" his brothers asked him. "Or impose your rule on us?" So they hated him all the more because of his talk about his dreams.

9 Then he had another dream, and this one, too, he told to his brothers. "I had another dream," he said; "this time, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me."

10 When he also told it to his father, his father reproved him. "What is the meaning of this dream of yours?" he asked. "Can it be that I and your mother and your brothers are to come and bow to the ground before you?"

11 So his brothers were wrought up against him but his father pondered the matter.

12 One day, when his brothers had gone to pasture their father's flocks at Shechem,

13 Israel said to Joseph, "Your brothers, you know, are tending our flocks at Shechem. Get ready; I will send you to them." "I am ready," Joseph answered.

14 "Go then," he replied; "see if all is well with your brothers and the flocks, and bring back word." So he sent him off from the valley of Hebron. When Joseph reached Shechem,

15 a man met him as he was wandering about in the fields. "What are you looking for?" the man asked him.

16 "I am looking for my brothers," he answered. "Could you please tell me where they are tending the flocks?"

17 The man told him, "They have moved on from here; in fact, I heard them say, 'Let us go on to Dothan.'" So Joseph went after his brothers and caught up with them in Dothan.

18 They noticed him from a distance, and before he came up to them, they plotted to kill him.

19 They said to one another: "Here comes that master dreamer!

20 Come on, let us kill him and throw him into one of the cisterns here; we could say that a wild beast devoured him. We shall then see what comes of his dreams."

21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to save him from their hands, saying: "We must not take his life.

22 Instead of shedding blood," he continued, "just throw him into that cistern there in the desert; but don't kill him outright." His purpose was to rescue him from their hands and restore him to his father.

23 So when Joseph came up to them, they stripped him of the long tunic he had on;

24 then they took him and threw him into the cistern, which was empty and dry.

25 They then sat down to their meal. Looking up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, their camels laden with gum, balm and resin to be taken down to Egypt.

26 Judah said to his brothers: "What is to be gained by killing our brother and concealing his blood?

27 Rather, let us sell him to these Ishmaelites, instead of doing away with him ourselves. After all, he is our brother, our own flesh." His brothers agreed.

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

29 When Reuben went back to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not in it, he tore his clothes,

30 and returning to his brothers, he exclaimed: "The boy is gone! And I - where can I turn?"

31 They took Joseph's tunic, and after slaughtering a goat, dipped the tunic in its blood.

32 Then they sent someone to bring the long tunic to their father, with the message: "We found this. See whether it is your son's tunic or not."

33 He recognized it and exclaimed: "My son's tunic! A wild beast has devoured him! Joseph has been torn to pieces!"

34 Then Jacob rent his clothes, put sackcloth on his loins, and mourned his son many days.

35 Though his sons and daughters tried to console him, he refused all consolation, saying, "No, I will go down mourning to my son in the nether world." Thus did his father lament him.

36 The Midianites, meanwhile, sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, a courtier of Pharaoh and his chief steward.

v 1. Abraham, Isaac, now Jacob are still sojourners, not owners of the land.

v 2. While this is the generations of Jacob, Joseph is the main one of the narrative. Some accuse him of being a tattle tale, but if we study his life, it seems more likely that Jacob relied on him to answer his questions about his erring sons honesty. Judah’s sex deviation, chapter 38, had not yet taken place, but his tendency may have already been apparent. We saw the immorality of Reuben, 35:22, the wickedness of Levi and Simeon in 34, all Leah’s sons, and here the evil report of Zilpah and Bilhah’s sons. Some say Joseph was not only with them, but they made him their slave.

v 3,4. Partiality of parents, Isaac and Rebekah, partiality for Rachel, and now partiality for her son, son of Jacob’s old age again takes it’s toll. Better to say “a” son of his old age because Benjamin was younger. While colored strips were sometimes sewed together, this is not necessarily a colorful coat pictured on our Sunday School papers. Notice the word “many” has been supplied, and the word “colours” means the flat of the palm or foot. Thus it is a tunic reaching to the hands and to the feet. . This long coat or princely robe, instead of the short work coats of the other brothers, showed it was already decided he would get the double portion, as the firstborn of Rachel. Jacob may have done this at least some what prophetically, but doing it this way caused more trouble.

A DREAM: Dreams of Joseph were prophetical, and sent from God; as were also those which he interpreted, Gen. 40. and 41.; otherwise generally speaking, the observing of dreams is condemned in the Scripture, as superstitious and sinful. See Deut. 18. 10; Eccli. 34. 2, 3.

v 5-7. Those Bible teachers who criticize him for being a tattle tale, at this point lambaste him for having created fantasies, or at least being a spoiled bragging kid, not using discretion in what he said. If we look at his life and the circumstances, it is more likely he was just telling it the way it was. The Lord had not appeared to him personally as he had to Jacob, but nevertheless, he has proven to be a prophet, even if he didn’t yet know it. Like a later prophet, Amos 3:8, “The Lord has spoken, who can but prophecy?” Or Jer. 20:9, .... His word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay. Joseph was compelled to tell his dreams regardless of the consequences.

v 8. This made his jealous brothers hate him more, as Israel killed later prophets. James 3:16, Where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. Also, Prov. 27:4, .....who is able to stand before envy?

v 9-11. Joseph made no attempt to interpret any of the dreams, but the implication was clear. The brothers were more envious, and even Jacob rebuked him. The honest dependable boy may have appeared hurt at the rebuke, and as Jacob considered the matter more thoroughly, ASV “Kept it in his mind”, he probably thought back to his own dream, and wondered if this might be a message from God.

WORSHIP: This word is not used here to signify divine worship, but an inferior veneration, expressed by the bowing of the body, and that, according to the manner of the eastern nations, down to the ground.

v 12-14. When I was a provost sergeant, a rebellious soldier told me, “Just wait, some day I’ll catch you when you aren’t wearing your “45”. Joseph may have been somewhat in that position when he was away from home. He knew the evil deeds of his brothers, two of them being ruthless murderers. However, when Jacob asked him to go 50 miles from Hebron to Shechem to his brothers, he immediately responded, “Here am I”, even though he probably expected an unfriendly reception. (In Iowa this would be equivalent to walking from Murray to Des Moines, wandering around over West Des Moines, Clive and Urbandale, then being told to go on to Ankeny.)

v 15-17. They had moved on another 15 miles, so he was having trouble finding them until he got help from this stranger. Such large flocks would have been noticed.

v 18,19. Only Joseph would have been wearing a long coat, not rough garments out there, and remembering his dreams, their jealous thoughts turned to murder.

v 20-22. They thought to kill him and throw him into a dry well type pit, but Reuben suggested they just leave him alive in there to starve, as was sometimes done locally, so they would not be guilty of blood shed. That might have been a more agonizing death, but though Reuben had been immoral, he planned to come back and help him escape. If these men had been spiritual, they might have done like their father, and considered the possibility of the dreams coming from God. If they had been even decent, the most they would have done is razz him about his fantasies. So they wickedly got rid of the dreamer, but they could not get rid of his dreams. 

V 23,24. Joseph would know they weren’t joking. One can only imagine his pleading cries as they dropped him into a dry hole from which there was no escape. In Gen. 42:21 they admitted to ignoring the anguish of his soul as he besought them.

v 25-27. Sitting down to eat after committing such a terrible deed. Their decision to sell him as a slave rather than commit murder is hardly commendable, when i t was for their profit. They may have become wary that he might rule over them, and sending him to Egypt would seem to put him far enough away so that it could never happen.

v 28. There is no contradiction between Midianites and Ishmeelites. They had intermarried, see Jud. 8:24, where Gideon slew Midianite - Ishmeelite kings. However, in 37:26, Strong’s Concordance lists this one place as Medanites. Medan was a son of Keturah, not Ishmael, but all lived in close relationship. The Egyptians did a lot of embalming, so there was a big demand for the spices. Twenty pieces of silver was what Moses later fixed to be the price of a youth. In this case the ten brothers got two pieces each. 

v 29,30. Though Reuben had been very immoral, he was not a murderer and planned on releasing Joseph. As the oldest brother, he was responsible for him. Reuben’s compromise with evil was unsatisfactory, but his sincerity is seen in the tearing of his garment. God used their evil deeds to bring about His will.

31-35. Jacob accepted the explanation of these hypocrites, but it was no comfort in his grief. It is too bad that in his partiality to Joseph, he failed to look to the Lord for comfort. Jacob had deceived his father with a kid, and now his sons have deceived him with the blood of a kid. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap, Gal. 6:7. He either had other daughters besides Dinah, or these were his son’s wives.

INTO HELL: Iinto limbo, the place where the souls of the just were received before the death of our Redeemer. For allowing that the word hell sometimes is taken for the grave, it cannot be so taken in this place; since Jacob did not believe his son to be in the grave, (whom he supposed to be devoured by a wild beast,) and therefore could not mean to go down to him thither: but certainly meant the place of rest where he believed his soul to be.

36. See v 28 on Ishmeelites. Potiphar’s tasks included being chief executioner in the Royal Guard. Being well to do, this made a good place for Joseph, since he had to be a slave. “ Officer” can be translated eunuch, and it is not uncommon for a eunuch in the east to have one or more wives. If he was, that might partially account for his wife’s persistent attempts to seduce Joseph. The eunuch would still be zealous to protect his ”property”.

EUNUCH: Ssometimes signifies a chamberlain, courtier, or officer of the king: and so it is taken in this place.