Genesis 37 introduces Joseph, Jacob's favored son, whose prophetic dreams of his family bowing to him ignite his brothers' intense hatred. Sent to check on them, Joseph is conspired against, stripped of his coat, and cast into a pit. Ultimately, his brothers sell him to Ishmeelite merchants for twenty pieces of silver, leading to his arrival in Egypt, while they deceive Jacob into believing Joseph was killed by a wild beast.
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.
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.”
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.
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.”
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?”
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.”
All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. He said, “For I will go down to Sheol to my son mourning.” His father wept for him.
The Midianites sold him into Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, the captain of the guard.
Study Notes for Genesis 37
Verse 2
The phrase 'These are the generations of Jacob' (Hebrew: *toledot*) introduces the main focus of the subsequent narrative, which centers on Joseph and his role in the destiny of Israel. Joseph's 'evil report' immediately highlights the deep friction within the family.
Verse 3
The 'coat of many colours' (*kethonet passim*) was likely an ornate, long-sleeved tunic, signifying Joseph’s status as Jacob’s favored son and possibly marking him as the designated inheritor, deeply offending the older brothers.
Verse 4
The brothers’ inability to 'speak peaceably' reveals the intensity of their hatred, a direct result of Jacob’s unwise display of favoritism, which violated the principles of family unity.
Verse 5
Joseph’s dreams, while prophetic of God’s plan, were told to his brothers in a way that intensified their existing jealousy, demonstrating his youthful lack of wisdom and discretion.
Verse 7
The imagery of the sheaves bowing down clearly communicated Joseph’s future authority and dominance over his agriculturalist brothers, confirming their suspicion that he sought to rule over them.
Verse 10
Jacob rebukes Joseph publicly, yet the text notes that he 'observed the saying' (v. 11), suggesting that Jacob, having experienced prophetic dreams himself, recognized the potential divine origin of the message.
Verse 14
Jacob sends Joseph from the secure area near Hebron (site of covenant promises) to Shechem, a place previously associated with extreme violence and vengeance (Gen. 34), foreshadowing the danger Joseph would face.
Verse 19
The sarcastic title 'this dreamer' (Heb. *ba'al hachalomot*, 'master of dreams') shows their contempt for Joseph and their determination to destroy the prophetic destiny attached to him.
Verse 20
The brothers explicitly state their motive: to kill Joseph and thereby negate God’s promises revealed through the dreams. This act is a direct attempt to thwart divine sovereignty.
Verse 21
Reuben, as the eldest, attempts to prevent murder, likely motivated by a sense of familial responsibility and the hope of redeeming himself after his earlier offense against Jacob (Gen. 35:22).
Verse 25
The brothers sitting down to eat while Joseph is in the pit highlights their cold-heartedness. The appearance of the Ishmaelite traders provides the means by which God’s providential plan will proceed via Egypt.
Verse 26
Judah suggests selling Joseph, viewing it as a profitable alternative to murder. This decision, though still cruel, saves Joseph's life and sets Judah on a path toward moral development later in the narrative.
Verse 28
Joseph was sold for twenty pieces of silver, the standard price for a slave aged 5 to 20 (Exod. 21:32). The terms 'Midianites' and 'Ishmeelites' are used interchangeably, referring generally to nomadic trading caravans of the region.
Verse 29
Reuben’s distress upon finding the pit empty demonstrates that he was not involved in the sale and feared the repercussions of not fulfilling his self-appointed role as Joseph's protector.
Verse 34
Rending clothes and wearing sackcloth were common ancient Near Eastern signs of intense mourning. Jacob's grief is exacerbated by the false belief that his favorite son suffered a violent death.
Verse 35
Jacob's refusal to be comforted and his declaration that he will mourn until he goes down into the grave (*Sheol*) reflects the depth of his despair and the devastating impact of the brothers’ deceit.
Verse 36
This verse concludes the chapter, establishing Joseph's new identity as a slave in the house of Potiphar, an Egyptian official, thereby setting the physical and political stage for the next phase of the narrative.
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