World English Bible
- Jacob lived in the land of his father’s travels, in the land of Canaan.
- 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.
- Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age, and he made him a tunic of many colors.
- His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, and they hated him, and couldn’t speak peaceably to him.
- Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him all the more.
- He said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed:
- 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 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.
- 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 the earth before you?”
- His brothers envied him, but his father kept this saying in mind.
- His brothers went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem.
- 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.”
- 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.
- A certain man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field. The man asked him, “What are you looking for?”
- He said, “I am looking for my brothers. Tell me, please, where they are feeding the flock.”
- The man said, “They have left here, for I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’” Joseph went after his brothers, and found them in Dothan.
- They saw him afar off, and before he came near to them, they conspired against him to kill him.
- They said to one another, “Behold, this dreamer comes.
- 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 heard it, and delivered him out of their hand, and said, “Let’s not take his life.”
- 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.
- When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him;
- and they took him, and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty. There was no water in it.
- They sat down to eat bread, and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing spices and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.
- Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?
- 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.
- Midianites who were merchants passed by, and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The merchants brought Joseph into Egypt.
- Reuben returned to the pit, and saw that Joseph wasn’t in the pit; and he tore his clothes.
- He returned to his brothers, and said, “The child is no more; and I, where will I go?”
- They took Joseph’s tunic, and killed a male goat, and dipped the tunic in the blood.
- They took the tunic of many colors, and they brought it to their father, and said, “We have found this. Examine it, now, and see if it is your son’s tunic or not.”
- He recognized it, and said, “It is my son’s tunic. An evil animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces.”
- Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days.
- 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.
Genesis 37 introduces us to Joseph, a seventeen-year-old shepherd boy and favored son of Jacob. Joseph’s dreams triggered envy within the family, especially among his brothers. Like many biblical narratives, Genesis 37 begins with family dysfunction, reminding readers that God’s purposes unfold not through ideal circumstances, but amidst our flaws and struggles. Joseph’s dreams foreshadow his future significance, serving as divine revelations of a greater plan.
Joseph’s robe, often translated as a “coat of many colors” or “richly ornamented robe” (Genesis 37:3, New American Standard Bible), symbolizes more than favoritism. In the Hebrew text, the term is “kethoneth passim,” denoting a distinctively long robe with elaborate sleeves—signifying authority, rank, and honor (compare 2 Samuel 13:18 regarding royal garments). Such a robe was unsuitable for manual labor, further alienating Joseph from his brothers who were shepherds. The robe became a visual reminder of deeper fractures caused by favoritism, jealousy, and pride.
Cross-References for Reflection: - Proverbs 27:4 (English Standard Version): “Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?” - Acts 7:9–10 (New International Version): Stephen reflects on Joseph’s story, “Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him and rescued him…”
The brothers’ envy quickly turned into violent betrayal, highlighting how unchecked jealousy can spiral downward. Joseph is stripped of the robe, thrown into a dry cistern, and eventually sold into slavery by Midianite traders bound for Egypt. Here, a subtle historical-cultural detail emerges: cisterns (Hebrew “bor”) are common archaeological features found across ancient Israel, carved from limestone bedrock and intended for collecting rainwater. Their depth and emptiness dramatically illustrate Joseph’s loneliness and despair in betrayal.
Interestingly, the traders are aligned with two names: Midianites and Ishmaelites (Genesis 37:25–28). Ancient scholars and some modern commentators note the interchangeability of these terms in antiquity. Possibly, this reflects overlapping tribal identities or, more poignantly, symbolizes Joseph betrayed and sold to distant cousins—descendants of Abraham’s other sons, Ishmael and Midian. This deepens the heartbreak by implying betrayal within extended family ties.
Despite being enslaved and sold far from home and favor, Joseph’s painful journey set into motion the providential hand of God, who would eventually position him to save nations from starvation and preserve the Messianic lineage. Joseph’s suffering prefigures the redemptive patterns we later see fully revealed in Christ—a beloved Son, betrayed by his kin, who suffered unjustly yet became the salvation for many (see Acts 2:22–24).
Cross-References for Reflection: - Romans 8:28 (New International Version): “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” - Psalm 105:17–19 describes God’s purposeful sending forth of Joseph into Egypt.
1. Sovereignty and Providence: Genesis 37 initiates a profound narrative of divine providence. God quietly orchestrates events behind bitter human actions, ultimately fulfilling His good purposes. Augustine (4th century bishop and theologian) famously remarked, “God judged it better to bring good out of evil than to suffer no evil to exist.” While God is never called evil’s author, He masterfully redeems humanity’s sinful actions for profound good.
2. Human Sin and Divine Grace: The narratives that follow Joseph, from this point forward, explore the simultaneity of sin’s destructive consequences and God’s grace-filled redemption. Reformers like John Calvin pointed out God’s mysterious ability to weave flawed human choices into His perfect tapestry of redemption, demonstrating divine mercy and human accountability.
3. Foreshadowing Christ: Joseph embodies a striking typological or symbolic preview of Jesus Christ—despised by his own, rejected and betrayed, yet divinely chosen for a global deliverance.
In Joseph’s time (about 17th to 16th century BCE, during Middle-Late Bronze Age transition), Egypt was a formidable, thriving empire. The trade in slaves, especially scenic routes from Canaan to Egypt, is well documented in mural scenes within Egyptian tombs, showing Semitic people imported as laborers or servants. The historical plausibility of Joseph’s experience confirms the authenticity of Genesis’s cultural backdrop.
Additionally, archaeological discoveries from Dothan (Joseph’s place of capture) confirm ancient cisterns like the one described in Joseph’s story, illustrating the precision of historical detail in the Scriptures.
Consider reflecting on Joseph’s trials and faithfulness to God’s plan with the hymn “God Moves in a Mysterious Way” by William Cowper. This classic hymn beautifully reminds us:
“Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.”
Heavenly Father,
We often feel overwhelmed by jealousy, betrayal, or circumstances beyond
our control. Yet, just as Joseph experienced, nothing escapes Your
sovereign and compassionate gaze. Grant us the faith to trust Your
perfect providence even in dark times, knowing that though others intend
harm, You are able to bring about good beyond our imagination. Shape our
challenges into testimonies of Your grace, that we might reflect
Christ’s patience, mercy, and redemption. Through our Lord Jesus, the
greater Joseph, who bore suffering and brought salvation—Amen.