Genesis 37

Genesis 37 begins to develop the account of Joseph, the favored son of Jacob.

At seventeen, Joseph tended flocks with his brothers, but he brought bad reports about them to their father. Jacob showed his preference for Joseph by giving him a “a coat of many colours,” causing his brothers to hate him and speak harshly to him.

Joseph’s position worsened when he shared two dreams suggesting his family would bow down to him. In the first dream, his brothers’ sheaves of grain bowed to his sheaf. In the second, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowed to him. These dreams infuriated his brothers even more. Even his father rebuked him and pondered what these dreams might have meant.

Jacob sent Joseph to check on his brothers while they were tending flocks near Shechem. The brothers saw him approaching from a distance and plotted to kill him. Reuben (the oldest) intervened and convinced them to throw Joseph into a pit instead, planning to rescue him later. The brothers stripped Joseph of his special coat and threw him into the pit.

While eating, they noticed a caravan of Ishmaelite merchants passing by. Judah proposed selling Joseph rather than killing him, reasoning they shouldn’t shed their brother’s blood. They sold Joseph for twenty pieces of silver to the merchants. When Reuben returned and found Joseph missing, he tore his clothes in distress.

The brothers then devised a plan to deceive their father. They took Joseph’s robe, dipped it in goat’s blood, and presented it to Jacob, leading him to believe a wild animal had devoured his son. Jacob mourned deeply, tearing his clothes and refusing to be comforted, saying he would mourn until he joined his son in death.

Meanwhile, the Midianite merchants sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.