Genesis 37:8-9

37:8 Then his brothers asked him, “Do you really think you will rule over us or have dominion over us?” ¹  They hated him even more ²  because of his dream and because of what he said. ³ 

37:9 Then he had another dream, ⁴  and told it to his brothers. “Look,” ⁵  he said. “I had another dream. The sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”

Genesis 37:20

37:20 Come now, let’s kill him, throw him into one of the cisterns, and then say that a wild ⁶  animal ate him. Then we’ll see how his dreams turn out!” ⁷ 

[37:8]  ¹ tn Heb “Ruling, will you rule over us, or reigning, will you reign over us?” The statement has a poetic style, with the two questions being in synonymous parallelism. Both verbs in this statement are preceded by the infinitive absolute, which lends emphasis. It is as if Joseph’s brothers said, “You don’t really think you will rule over us, do you? You don’t really think you will have dominion over us, do you?”

[37:8]  ² tn This construction is identical to the one in Gen 37:5.

[37:8]  ³ sn 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 – they hated him because of his dream and because of his words. The dream bothered them, as well as his telling them. And their words in the rhetorical question are ironic, for this is exactly what would happen. The dream was God’s way of revealing it.

[37:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “And he dreamed yet another dream.”

[37:9]  ⁵ 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.

[37:20]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew word can sometimes carry the nuance “evil,” but when used of an animal it refers to a dangerous wild animal.

[37:20]  ⁷ tn Heb “what his dreams will be.”