Verse

Genesis 37:11

ESV And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.
NIV His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
NASB And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
CSB His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
NLT But while his brothers were jealous of Joseph, his father wondered what the dreams meant.
KJV And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.
NKJV And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

What does Genesis 37:11 mean?

The ten older half-brothers of Joseph already hated him so deeply they couldn't bring themselves to say a single friendly word to him (Genesis 37:4). After all, he and his baby brother Benjamin were the youngest of the 12, but their father clearly loved them best (Genesis 37:3; 42:3–4). Worst, Jacob had given Joseph a princely robe, perhaps signaling his preference to give Joseph the family birthright and a greater share of the inheritance when the time came (Genesis 37:3).

Then came Joseph's dreams of all of them bowing down to him (Genesis 37:5–9). Even Jacob rebuked Joseph for sharing these visions (Genesis 37:10). His brothers' jealousy has reached dangerous new levels. The following verses will reveal they are ready to harm their younger brother (Genesis 37:18, 28).

Interestingly, even though Jacob scolded Joseph for sharing his dream of ruling over the family, he doesn't entirely dismiss the vision. Jacob, himself, saw God-given dreams (Genesis 28:10–16). He doesn't reject the possibility that Joseph's dream may have some validity (Genesis 42:6), though he does not share that thought with the rest of the family. Jacob simply keeps the idea in the back of his mind.
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