Genesis-Chapter-37

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Throughout this site I may use any of the following three versions of the Tanakh: 1. “Jewish Publication Society” (JPS-1917), 2. “Mechon-Mamre.org” (MEC), and 3. “Sefaria.org” (SEF), three brilliant versions, However, the JPS-1917 is my preferred version!

Colour coded details of our beloved TaNaKh:

1. Torah = History & Law, 2. Nevi’im = The Prophets. 3. *Ketuvim = all other Writings.

*The Ketuvim - Includes, Poetical books - Psalms, Proverbs, Job, the Megillot, or Scrolls - Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations of Jeremiah, Ecclesiastes, and Esther, prophecy of Daniel, and history of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles I & II.

Please Note: Some alterations or (additions) have been made relating to ‘Names’ and ‘Attributes’ of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, having been corrected like it once was pre the “Masoretic Text”.

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Remember the following truth from our beloved Torah!

“Ye shall NOT ADD TO THE WORD which I command you, NEITHER SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM IT, that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloleichem, which I command you”. Davarim - Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).

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“Genesis Chapter 37”

The Story of Joseph Begins..

With Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.

Introduction:

In Chapter 37, the Torah pivots back to the “generations of Jacob”. We move from the expansive, outward growth of Esau to the internal, intense drama of Jacob’s sons. In this chapter we are introduced to Joseph, the dreamer, and it begins the long, providential journey that will lead the family out of Canaan and into the crucible of מִצְרַיִם - Mitzrayim, being Egypt of course.

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Let us read Genesis Chapter 37, verses 1 to 36: (JPS-1917 version of the Torah). Below this chapter you will find my commentary for this study.

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, being still a lad even with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought 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 colours. 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 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 bowed down 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 bowed down 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 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: ‘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 now, see whether it is well with thy brethren, and well with the flock; and bring me back word’. 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 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: An 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 colours 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 came from Gilead, with their camels bearing spicery and balm and ladanum, 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 shekels 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 as for me, 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 colours, 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: ‘Nay, but I will go down to the grave 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”.

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My Commentary on Verses 1 to 36:

Verses 1-4: (The Coat of Many Colours). The narrative begins with Joseph at seventeen, bringing “evil reports” of his brothers to his father. Jacob’s favouritism symbolized by the passim (the coat of many colours), creates a lethal rift. This teaches that even within a holy family, human partiality can sow the seeds of destruction.

Verses 5-11: (The Two Dreams). Joseph’s dreams of the sheaves and the stars are not mere ego; they are prophetic. However, his decision to share them with his brothers, who already hated him, shows a lack of discretion. Even Jacob rebukes him, though he “kept the saying in mind”, recognizing the Divine hand behind the symbols.

Verses 12-17: (The Mission to Shechem). Jacob sends Joseph to check on his brothers. Joseph’s wandering in the field and the “man” who directs him toward Dothan are signs of Divine Providence. What seems like a chance encounter is actually the Almighty ensuring that Joseph reaches the place where his destiny will begin.

Verses 18-24: (The Conspiracy and the Pit). The brothers plot to kill the “dreamer”. Reuben, the eldest, tries to save him by suggesting the pit, intending to return later. The stripping of the coat and the casting of Joseph into a dry pit represents the absolute rock-bottom of the family’s unity.

Verses 25-28: (The Sale to the Midianites). While eating a meal showing their cold indifference the brothers see a caravan. Judah suggests selling Joseph rather than killing him. Joseph is sold for twenty pieces of silver, a transaction that turns a brother into a slave and a commodity.

Verses 29-35: (The Deception of Jacob). Reuben returns to an empty pit and is devastated. The brothers then use the blood of a goat to deceive Jacob. The deceiver (Jacob) is now himself deceived. His refusal to be comforted shows the depth of the wound that will remain open for twenty-two years.

Verse 36: (Joseph in Egypt). The chapter ends with a “cliffhanger”: Joseph is sold in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh. The stage is set; the dreamer is now in the belly of the world’s greatest empire, where his dreams will eventually save his family.

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My Closing Message:
Chapter 37 is a master class in how the Almighty works through human failings. Jealousy, favouritism, and betrayal all seem to reign, yet every step the coat, the dreams, the pit, and the sale is leading toward the preservation of the House of Israel. It teaches us that even in our darkest “pits”, there is a purpose being woven that we cannot yet see.

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Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.

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