Genesis 37:5

37:5 Joseph ¹  had a dream, ²  and when he told his brothers about it, ³  they hated him even more. ⁴ 

Genesis 37:9

37:9 Then he had another dream, ⁵  and told it to his brothers. “Look,” ⁶  he said. “I had another dream. The sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”

[37:5]  ¹ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:5]  ² tn Heb “dreamed a dream.”

[37:5]  ³ sn Some interpreters see Joseph as gloating over his brothers, but the text simply says he told his brothers about it (i.e., the dream). The text gives no warrant for interpreting his manner as arrogant or condescending. It seems normal that he would share a dream with the family.

[37:5]  ⁴ tn The construction uses a hendiadys, “they added to hate,” meaning they hated him even more.

[37:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “And he dreamed yet another dream.”

[37:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “and he said, ‘Look.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse have been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons. Both clauses of the dream report begin with הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), which lends vividness to the report.