Genesis 37:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem.

NIV: Now his brothers had gone to graze their father's flocks near Shechem,

NASB: Then his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock in Shechem.

CSB: His brothers had gone to pasture their father's flocks at Shechem.

NLT: Soon after this, Joseph’s brothers went to pasture their father’s flocks at Shechem.

KJV: And his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem.

NKJV: Then his brothers went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem.

This begins a scene in which Joseph's ten older half-brothers finally act on their longstanding hatred and jealousy of him (Genesis 37:3–5). It seems neither Joseph nor Jacob anticipates this danger.

First, the brothers head north to pasture their flocks in the area around Shechem. This is an interesting choice, since Jacob had moved away from this area for a very good reason. Previously, the brothers massacred all the men of Shechem in retaliation for the rape of their sister Dinah (Genesis 34:26–27). The mention of Shechem reminds us of the level of violence these ten men are capable of when they are angry. They are deeply resentful towards Joseph. What they are about to do is motivated by hatred. However, God's plan is to use these men's angst to provide for the rescue of the entire family (Genesis 37:28; 42:6; 50:20).

Genesis 37:12–36 describes how Joseph's wildly resentful brothers finally get rid of him. They hate Joseph for being Jacob's favorite (Genesis 37:3) and for his grandiose dreams (Genesis 37:5, 9). When Joseph arrives alone at the camp of his brothers, very far from home, they have an opportunity. Only Reuben's intervention keeps them from killing Joseph outright. Instead, while Reuben is absent, the brothers sell Joseph to passing slave traders and later convince their father he has been killed by a wild animal. Joseph becomes a slave in an Egyptian home. Genesis 39 will return to Joseph's story.

Joseph, 17, is deeply loved by his father Jacob and deeply resented by his ten older brothers thanks to Jacob's favoritism. Jacob gives Joseph a princely robe, and Joseph reports dreams that predict his family will one day bow before him. When alone with Joseph in the wilderness, the brothers decide to kill him. Reuben stops them, suggesting they throw him alive into a pit, instead. While Reuben is gone, however, the brothers sell Joseph to slave-traders, later convincing their father Joseph has been killed by a wild animal. Joseph is placed in the home of an Egyptian nobleman.

Following the death of Isaac and the story of Esau's people, Genesis begins a section called the "generations of Jacob." The story will focus primarily on Jacob's son Joseph. Joseph is deeply hated by his brothers. While alone with him in the wilderness, they sell him to slave-traders, who take Joseph to Egypt. Chapter 38 details some of the scandals which happened while Joseph was gone. Genesis 39 will resume a focus on Joseph's experiences.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.

Accessed 5/2/2024 5:05:22 AM