1 Joseph is loved by Jacob, but hated by his brethren.
5 His dreams and the interpretation.
12 Jacob sends him to his brethren, who counsel to slay him.
21 At Reuben's desire they cast him into a pit;
25 and afterwards sell him to the Ishmaelites; while Ruben grieves at not finding him.
31 His coat, covered with blood, is sent to Jacob, who mourns him inordinately.
36 Joseph is brought to Egypt and sold to Potiphar.

A.M. 2276. B.C. 1728.
wherein his father was a stranger. Heb. of his father's sojournings. 17:8 23:4 28:4 *marg: 36:7 Heb 11:9-16

2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.

the generations.
Toledoth, the history, narrative, or account of the lives and actions of Jacob and his sons; for in this general sense the original must be taken, as in the whole ensuing history there is no genealogy of Jacob's family.

2:4 5:1 6:9 10:1

wives. 30:4,9 35:22,25,26

evil report. 1Sa 2:22-24 Joh 7:7 1Co 1:11 5:1 11:18

3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colors.

loved. Joh 3:35 13:22,23

son. 44:20-30

a coat. 23,32 Jud 5:30 2Sa 13:18 Ps 45:13,14 Eze 16:16

colours. {Kethoneth passim}, a coat made of stripes of different coloured cloth.

4 And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.

hated him. 5,11,18-24 4:5 27:41 49:23 1Sa 16:12,13 17:28 Ps 38:19 69:4 Joh 7:3-5 15:18,19 Tit 3:3 1Jo 2:11 3:10,12 4:20

and could not speak peaceably unto him. Or, rather, 'and they could not speak peace to him,' i.e., they would not accost him in a friendly manner: they would not even wish him well, in the eastern mode of salutation of, Peace be to thee! It is not an unusual thing for an Arab or Turk to hesitate to return the {sal?m}, if given by a Christian, or by one of whom he has not a favourable opinion; and this may always be considered as an act of hostility.

5 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.

dreamed. 9 28:12 40:5 41:1 42:9 Nu 12:6 Jud 7:13,14 1Ki 3:5 Ps 25:14 Da 2:1 4:5 Joe 2:28 Am 3:7

and they. 4,8 49:23 Joh 17:14

6 And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:

Hear. 44:18 Jud 9:7

7 For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.

your sheaves. 42:6,9 43:26 44:14,19

obeisance. Php 2:10 Col 1:18

8 And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.

reign over us. 4 Ex 2:14 1Sa 10:27 17:28 Ps 2:3-6 118:22 Lu 19:14 20:17 Ac 4:27,28 7:35 Heb 10:29

9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.

another dream. 7 41:25,32

the sun. 10 43:28 44:14,19 45:9 46:29 47:12 50:15-21 Ac 7:9-14

stars. Da 8:10 Php 2:15

10 And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?

Shall I. 27:29 Isa 60:14 Php 2:10,11

11 And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.

envied. 26:14-16 Ps 106:16 Ec 4:4 Isa 11:13 26:11 Mt 27:18 Mr 15:10 Ac 7:9 13:45 Ga 5:21 Tit 3:3 Jas 3:14-16 4:5

observed. 24:31 Da 7:28 Lu 2:19,51

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

in Shechem. 1 33:18 34:25-31

13 And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I.

come. 1Sa 17:17-20 Mt 10:16 Lu 20:13

Here am I. 22:1 27:1,18 1Sa 3:4-6,8,16 Eph 6:1-3

14 And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

see whether it be well with. Heb. see the peace of thy brethren, etc. 29:6 41:16 1Sa 17:17,18 2Sa 18:32 1Ki 2:33 Ps 125:5 Jer 29:7 Lu 19:42

Hebron. 23:2 35:27 Nu 13:22 Jos 14:13,15

15 And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?

he was. 21:14

What. Jud 4:22 2Ki 6:19 Joh 1:38 4:27 18:4,7 20:15

16 And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks.

seek. Lu 19:10

tell me. So 1:7

17 And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan.

Dothan. 2Ki 6:13

18 And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.

conspired. 1Sa 19:1 Ps 31:13 37:12,32 94:21 105:25 109:4 Mt 21:38 27:1 Mr 12:7 14:1 Lu 20:14,15 Joh 11:53 Ac 23:12

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

Behold. Simulated Irony: Where the words in question are used by man either in dissimulation or hypocrisy. For other instances of this figure see 2 Sa 6:20; Ps 22:8; Isa 5:19; Mt 22:16; 27:29; 27:40, 42, 43; Mk 15:29.

dreamer. Heb. master of dreams. 5,11 28:12 49:23*marg.

20 Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.

and let. Ps 64:5 Pr 1:11,12,16 6:17 27:4 Tit 3:3 Joh 3:12

Some. 1Ki 13:24 2Ki 2:24 Pr 10:18 28:13

and we. 1Sa 24:20 26:2 Mt 2:2-16 27:40-42 Mr 15:29-32 Joh 12:10,11 Ac 4:16-18

21 And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him.

Reuben heard. 35:22 42:22

not kill him. Heb. {nephesh.} Jos 10:28 Ge 9:5 Mt 10:28

22 And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.

Reuben said. 42:22

Shed. Mt 27:24

lay. Ge 22:12 Ex 24:11 De 13:9 Ac 12:1

23 And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colors that was on him;

stript. 3,31-33 42:21 Ps 22:18 Mt 27:28

colours. or, pieces. 3

24 And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.

and cast. Ps 35:7 La 4:20

the pit. Ps 40:2 88:6,8 130:1,2 Jer 38:6 La 3:52-55 Zec 9:11

25 And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.

they sat. Es 3:15 Ps 14:4 Pr 30:20 Am 6:6

Ishmeelites. 28,36 16:11,12 25:1-4,16-18 31:23 Ps 83:6

Gilead. 31:21 43:11 Jer 8:22

spicery. Nechoth, is rendered by the LXX. incense; Syriac, resin Samaritan, basalm; Acquila, storax; which is followed by Bochart. This drug is abundant in Syria, and here Moses joins with it resin, honey, and myrrh; which agrees with the nature of the storax, which is the resin of a tree of the same name, of a reddish colour, and peculiarly pleasant fragrance.

balm Tzeri, which in Arabic, as a verb, is to flow, seems to be a common name, as balm or balsam with us, for many of those oily, resinous substances, which flow spontaneously, or by incision, from various trees or plants; accordingly the ancients have generally interpreted it resin.

myrrh. Lot, is probably, as Junius, De Dieu, Celsius, and Ursinus contend, the same as the Arabic {ladan}, Greek [ladanon,] and Latin {ladanum}.

26 And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?

What profit. 25:32 Ps 30:9 Jer 41:8 Mt 16:26 Ro 6:21

conceal. 20 4:10 De 17:8 2Sa 1:16 Job 16:18 Eze 24:7

27 Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.

sell him. 22 Ex 21:16,21 Ne 5:8 Mt 16:26 26:15 1Ti 1:10 Re 18:13

let not. 1Sa 18:17 2Sa 11:14-17 12:9

he is our. 29:14 42:21

were content. Heb. hearkened.

28 Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.

Midianites. 25 25:2 Ex 2:16 Nu 25:15,17 31:2,3,8,9 Jud 6:1-3 Ps 83:9 Isa 60:6

sold. 45:4,5 Ps 105:17 Zec 11:12,13 Mt 26:15 27:9 Ac 7:9

29 And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.

he rent. 34 34:13 Nu 14:6 Jud 11:35 2Ki 19:1 Job 1:20 Joe 2:13 Ac 14:14

30 And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?

20 42:13,32,35 Jer 31:15

31 And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;

3,23 Pr 28:13

32 And they sent the coat of many colors, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son's coat or no.

thy son's. 3 44:20-23 Lu 15:30

33 And he knew it, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.

evil beast. 20 44:28 1Ki 13:24 2Ki 2:24 Pr 14:15 Joh 13:7

34 And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.

29 Jos 7:6 2Sa 1:11 3:31 1Ki 20:31 21:27 2Ki 19:1 1Ch 21:16 Ezr 9:3-5 Ne 9:1 Es 4:1-3 Job 1:20 2:12 Ps 69:11 Isa 22:12,13 Isa 32:11 36:22 37:1,2 Jer 36:24 Joe 2:13 Jon 3:5-8 Mt 11:21 Mt 26:65 Ac 14:14 Re 11:3

35 And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.

his daughters. 31:43 35:22-26

rose up. 2Sa 12:17 Job 2:11 Ps 77:2 Jer 31:15

For I. 42:31 44:29-31 45:28

36 And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard.

the Midianites. 28 25:1,2 39:1

officer. Heb. eunuch. But the word signifies not only eunuchs, but also chamberlains, courtiers, and officers.

Es 1:10 Isa 56:3

captain. Or, chief marshal. Heb. chief of the slaughtermen, or executioners. 39:1-23 40:4 2Ki 25:8*marg.