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Text -- Genesis 37:1-21 (NET)
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Strongs On/Off
Context
Joseph’s Dreams
37:1 But Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed , in the land of Canaan .
37:2 This is the account of Jacob . Joseph , his seventeen-year-old son , was taking care of the flocks with his brothers . Now he was a youngster working with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah , his father’s wives . Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father .
37:3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons because he was a son born to him late in life , and he made a special tunic for him.
37:4 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them , they hated Joseph and were not able to speak to him kindly .
37:5 Joseph had a dream , and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him even more . more .
37:6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had :
37:7 There we were , binding sheaves of grain in the middle of the field . Suddenly my sheaf rose up and stood upright and your sheaves surrounded my sheaf and bowed down to it!”
37:8 Then his brothers asked him, “Do you really think you will rule over us or have dominion over us?” They hated him even more because of his dream and because of what he said .
37:9 Then he had another dream , and told it to his brothers . “Look ,” he said . “I had another dream . The sun , the moon , and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
37:10 When he told his father and his brothers , his father rebuked him, saying , “What is this dream that you had ? Will I , your mother , and your brothers really come and bow down to you ?”
37:11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept in mind what Joseph said .
37:12 When his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem ,
37:13 Israel said to Joseph , “Your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem . Come , I will send you to them.” “I’m ready,” Joseph replied .
37:14 So Jacob said to him, “Go now and check on the welfare of your brothers and of the flocks , and bring me word .” So Jacob sent him from the valley of Hebron .
37:15 When Joseph reached Shechem, a man found him wandering in the field , so the man asked him, “What are you looking for ?”
37:16 He replied , “I’m looking for my brothers . Please tell me where they are grazing their flocks.”
37:17 The man said , “They left this area, for I heard them say , ‘Let’s go to Dothan .’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan .
37:18 Now Joseph’s brothers saw him from a distance , and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.
37:19 They said to one another , “Here comes this master of dreams !
37:20 Come now , let’s kill him, throw him into one of the cisterns , and then say that a wild animal ate him. Then we’ll see how his dreams turn out !”
37:21 When Reuben heard this, he rescued Joseph from their hands , saying , “Let’s not take his life !”
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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics
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Names, People and Places:
Dictionary Themes and Topics:
GENEALOGY, 8 part 1 |
Malice |
LEVI (2) |
GENESIS, 1-2 |
Joseph |
Jealousy |
Envy |
Dream |
SHEAF; SHEAVES |
JOSEPH (2) |
Reuben |
Jacob |
DREAM; DREAMER |
Shechem |
Dothan |
Sin |
COLOR; COLORS |
DRESS |
Conspiracy |
RELATIONSHIPS, FAMILY |
more
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expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes -> Gen 37:1; Gen 37:1; Gen 37:2; Gen 37:2; Gen 37:2; Gen 37:2; Gen 37:2; Gen 37:2; Gen 37:3; Gen 37:3; Gen 37:3; Gen 37:3; Gen 37:4; Gen 37:4; Gen 37:4; Gen 37:4; Gen 37:5; Gen 37:5; Gen 37:5; Gen 37:5; Gen 37:6; Gen 37:7; Gen 37:7; Gen 37:8; Gen 37:8; Gen 37:8; Gen 37:9; Gen 37:9; Gen 37:10; Gen 37:10; Gen 37:11; Gen 37:11; Gen 37:13; Gen 37:13; Gen 37:13; Gen 37:14; Gen 37:14; Gen 37:14; Gen 37:14; Gen 37:15; Gen 37:15; Gen 37:16; Gen 37:17; Gen 37:18; Gen 37:19; Gen 37:20; Gen 37:20; Gen 37:21; Gen 37:21; Gen 37:21; Gen 37:21
NET Notes: Gen 37:1 The next section begins with the heading This is the account of Jacob in Gen 37:2, so this verse actually forms part of the preceding section as a con...
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NET Notes: Gen 37:2 Some interpreters portray Joseph as a tattletale for bringing back a bad report about them [i.e., his brothers], but the entire Joseph story has some ...
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NET Notes: Gen 37:3 It is not clear what this tunic was like, because the meaning of the Hebrew word that describes it is uncertain. The idea that it was a coat of many c...
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NET Notes: Gen 37:5 The construction uses a hendiadys, “they added to hate,” meaning they hated him even more.
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NET Notes: Gen 37:7 The verb means “to bow down to the ground.” It is used to describe worship and obeisance to masters.
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NET Notes: Gen 37:8 The response of Joseph’s brothers is understandable, given what has already been going on in the family. But here there is a hint of uneasiness ...
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NET Notes: Gen 37:9 Heb “and he said, ‘Look.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse have been rearranged in the translati...
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NET Notes: Gen 37:10 Heb “Coming, will we come, I and your mother and your brothers, to bow down to you to the ground?” The verb “come” is preceded...
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NET Notes: Gen 37:11 Heb “kept the word.” The referent of the Hebrew term “word” has been specified as “what Joseph said” in the transl...
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NET Notes: Gen 37:13 Heb “and he said, ‘Here I am.’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Joseph) has been specified in the translation fo...
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NET Notes: Gen 37:14 Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
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NET Notes: Gen 37:15 Heb “and a man found him and look, he was wandering in the field.” By the use of וְהִנֵּה ...
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NET Notes: Gen 37:16 The imperative in this sentence has more of the nuance of a request than a command.
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NET Notes: Gen 37:18 Heb “and they”; the referent (Joseph’s brothers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
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NET Notes: Gen 37:19 Heb “Look, this master of dreams is coming.” The brothers’ words have a sarcastic note and indicate that they resent his dreams.
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