Genesis 37

Genesis 37 marks the beginning of the 'generations' of Jacob (תּוֹלְדָה), documenting Joseph’s descent into Egyptian slavery through his brothers’ betrayal and the subsequent deception of his father.

• The narrative opens with Jacob's partiality toward Joseph, symbolized by the coat of many colours, inciting the jealousy of his brothers.
• Joseph recounts prophetic dreams of his future elevation, which intensify his brothers' hatred (שָׂנֵא) and lead to their conspiracy.
• Joseph is sent by Jacob to check on his brothers in Shechem and Dothan, leading to his capture.
• The brothers plot to kill him, but Reuben intervenes to save his life; they ultimately sell him to merchants, deceiving Jacob with a bloodied garment.

• The coat of many colours (כְּתֹנֶת פַּס)
• The two dreams (sheaves and celestial bodies)
• The pit (a place of both mercy and attempted murder)
• The deception via the kid's blood (vv. 31-33)

This chapter serves as the necessary bridge from the patriarchal narrative in Canaan to the preservation of the covenant family in Egypt, fulfilling the trajectory of divine providence amid human malice.

God sovereignly directs the course of history even through the sinful choices and jealousies of men to accomplish His long-term redemptive purposes.

The chapter follows a downward trajectory—from the favored son in his father’s house to a slave in a foreign land—while contrasting human rebellion with the implied certainty of divine revelation.

• Jacob commands Joseph to go to Shechem to check on his brothers and the flocks (Genesis 37:13).

• The setting involves nomadic pastoralism across the region of Canaan (Hebron, Shechem, Dothan).
• The 'coat of many colours' (כְּתֹנֶת פַּס) likely denoted a tunic of length reaching the wrists and ankles, distinct from the shorter tunics of common laborers, implying an elevated status.

• The inheritance and blessing of the father were central to patriarchal identity; Joseph’s dreams threatened to upset the established hierarchy of the brothers.
• The sale of a family member into slavery to foreigners was a severe transgression of tribal loyalty, which Judah attempts to mitigate by profit (v. 26).

• This chapter introduces the 'toledot' (generations) of Jacob (v. 2), signaling that the narrative focus is now shifting to the descendants of Jacob, specifically through the story of Joseph.
• The recurring use of 'dream' (חֲלוֹם) establishes a motif that dominates the narrative until his exaltation in Egypt.

• The events fulfill the pattern of suffering necessary for future exaltation, a typology recognized in the New Testament.
• Acts 7:9 explicitly references this event: 'And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him.'

• Connects to Genesis 15:13, where God predicted that Abraham's offspring would be 'strangers in a land that is not theirs' and would be afflicted for 400 years.

• Joseph (יוֹסֵף [H3130]): Name meaning 'he will add'.
• Coat (כְּתֹנֶת [H3801]): A standard tunic, but modified by 'many colors' or 'extremities' (פַּס [H6446]), implying status.
• Generations (תּוֹלְדָה [H8435]): Refers to family history or descent, indicating the transition of the narrative focus to the next generation.
• Lived (יָשַׁב [H3427]): Jacob's dwelling in Canaan was a period of temporary residence (sojourning), as highlighted by the root for 'sojournings' (מָגוּר [H4033]).

• Reuben’s absence when the sale occurred (v. 29) reveals his genuine attempt to protect the brother whom he, as firstborn, was responsible for.
• The brothers' hypocrisy: they sit to eat bread (v. 25) while their brother is in the pit, showing a callous disregard for the life they just spared.

• There is historical and textual debate regarding the identity of the merchants, as the text references 'Ishmaelites' (v. 25) and 'Midianites' (v. 28, 36). Some scholars suggest these groups were essentially synonymous in a commercial context, while others view them as distinct parties involved in the transaction.