Genesis 37:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: They said to one another, "Here comes this dreamer.

NIV: "Here comes that dreamer!" they said to each other.

NASB: They said to one another, 'Here comes this dreamer!

CSB: They said to one another, "Oh, look, here comes that dream expert!

NLT: Here comes the dreamer!' they said.

KJV: And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.

NKJV: Then they said to one another, “Look, this dreamer is coming!

Jacob, renamed Israel by God (Genesis 35:10), was raised by parents who displayed obvious favoritism (Genesis 25:27–28). That contributed to rivalry and tension with his twin brother, Esau. Seeming to learn nothing from this, Jacob has lavishly favored his son, Joseph, over his other children (Genesis 37:3–5). This resulted in deep resentment. Joseph, for his part, has naively inflamed those emotions (Genesis 37:2), especially by talking about his audacious dreams (Genesis 37:5, 9). Joseph's brothers are capable of terrible violence (Genesis 34:26–27). And yet, Jacob has sent Joseph far from the safety of home to bring back a report on these men (Genesis 37:12–17).

As Joseph approaches his brothers' camp, they are plotting to murder him in cold blood (Genesis 37:18). Sarcastically, they refer to him as a "dreamer," referring to Joseph's self-reported dreams about ruling over all of them. They have hated him for some time because of his dreams and because of their father's clear preference for him. Now they are ready to act on that hatred.

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 10/6/2024 6:49:20 AM