Gen. 37:1 And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.
Gen. 37:2 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.
This chapter picks back up with the story of Jacob and his descendants. Jacob had stayed in Canaan like his father before him. We jump right in with the story focusing on Joseph at the age of 17. He was tending the flocks with some of his brothers (Dan, Napthali, Gad, and Asher) and felt they weren’t doing a good job, so he went home and told daddy.
I liked this observation from Boice as quoted by Guzik: “He was loved and hated, favored and abused, tempted and trusted, exalted and abased. Yet at no point in the one-hundred-and-ten-year life of Joseph did he ever seem to get his eyes off God or cease to trust him. Adversity did not harden his character. Prosperity did not ruin him. He was the same in private as in public. He was a truly great man.”
MacDonald: “Joseph is one of the most beautiful types (symbols) of the Lord Jesus Christ in the OT, though the Bible never labels him as a type. A. W. Pink lists 101 correspondences between Joseph and Jesus, and Ada Habershon lists 121. For example, Joseph was loved by his father (v.3); he rebuked the sin of his brothers (v.2); he was hated by his brothers and sold into the hands of enemies (vv. 4, 26-28); he was punished unjustly (chap. 39); he was exalted and became the savior of the world, for all the world had to come to him for bread (41:57); he received a Gentile bride during his rejection by his brethren (41:45).”
Gen. 37:3 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 colours.
Gen. 37:4 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.
Joseph was daddy’s favorite. It says that it was because he was born in Jacob’s old age, but I think it was also because he was Rachel’s son. Jacob had made Joseph a special robe, which I have been taught was a tunic with long sleeves. Jacob was so obvious in his preference that the other brothers were naturally jealous; it made them hate Jacob so much that they couldn’t even carry on a civil conversation with him.
More information from Boice: “the real idea behind the ancient Hebrew phrase for tunic of many colors is that it was a tunic extending all the way down to the wrists and ankles, as opposed to a shorter one. This was not what a workingman wore. It was a garment of privilege and status. The man who wore a tunic of many colors watched others as they did hard physical labor.”
Gen. 37:5 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.
Gen. 37:6 And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:
Gen. 37:7 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.
Gen. 37:8 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.
Joseph fed this hatred even more when he decided to tell his brothers about a dream he had. (It makes you wonder if Jacob was simply naïve or loved goading his brothers or what.) He dreamed that they were binding sheaves of grain in the field. All of a sudden Joseph’s sheaf stood upright, and his brother’s sheaves gathered round his and bowed down to it. It was obvious to all of them that this meant he thought he would rule over them one day. This made his brothers hate him even more.
Gen. 37:9 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.
Gen. 37:10 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?
Gen. 37:11 And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.
Joseph had another dream and again told it to his brothers and even his father, causing his father to rebuke him. He had dreamed that the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to him. Jacob took the sun and moon to represent him and Rachel and the eleven stars his brothers. Even though Rachel was dead, she would be represented as bowing in her position of submission to her husband. We learn from scripture that the first dream was fulfilled when Joseph was in charge of the food supplies of Egypt, and the brothers learned that the brother they had sold into slavery was second in command in Egypt. We also know that there is prophetic significance to the second dream, serving as a type or picture of the nation of Israel that gives birth to the Messiah as pictured in Revelation 12.
His brothers responded with disgust and Jacob with rebuke, yet we are told that he “observed the saying” (the Hebrew indicates that is a reference to keeping it in remembrance). I’m not sure, but Jacob could have been thinking about how God doesn’t always act/choose according to what we think is right. Even in his own life—God had chosen him over Esau. What might He have planned for Joseph?
Thoughts – A friend asked me a question last night that got my brain going, and I liked the ideas that God gave me. God has not made us robots. Our every move is not predestined, but the fulfillment of His plan is—whether for our life or that of a nation. God’s choice is one man for one woman. Abraham and Sarai were doing fine until Sarai’s lack of faith in God’s promise caused her to take matters into her own hands and give Abraham her maid, Hagar, to obtain a son. (Abraham was complicit mind you.) God’s plan was always to use Isaac. Ishmael coming on the scene didn’t change that plan, and the result of that sin is still being felt today in the Middle East. Could Abraham have chosen to wait on God—yes!
Isaac and Rebekah knew that God had said that the elder would serve the younger of their sons. Again, because of lack of faith in my opinion, Rebekah intervened and even made her son a party to her sin. Would God’s plans to use Jacob have been thwarted if they had not intervened—No! The result—Rebekah lost her favorite son, because according to the story in the scripture, she’s already out of the picture when Jacob comes home twenty years later.
Now to Jacob—His desire and heart was set on Rachel. The deceiver gets his just reward when he is deceived himself. He planned on one wife, I think, but was tricked into having two—by his uncle no less. This one is a little trickier since Leah was the mother of Judah, the tribe that would produce the Messiah. I think God would have protected Jacob from Laban’s deceit if he had not helped his mother deceive his own father to get his blessing. Anyway, I think God compensated Leah so to speak for being the “unloved” one by giving her more children. Then Rachel got jealous because she was barren and gave Jacob her handmaid—just like Sarai before her—instead of accepting whatever the Lord might have planned for her. So the jealousy cycle is continued when Leah gave Jacob her maid after Rachel had her own children. Could Jacob have avoided much of the future problems among his children by changing some of his choices along the way—Yes! Did he change God’s plan—No. I think he just influenced how God accomplished His purpose. I think Jacob’s choices affected the nation of Israel with its inner conflicts for hundreds of years to come.
The Jews today determine “Jewishness” (used as inclusive of all Israel) through the maternal line. It would appear in God’s economy that fact is determined through the paternal line.
Gen. 37:12 And his brethren went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem.
Gen. 37:13 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.
Gen. 37:14 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.
Gen. 37:15 And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?
Gen. 37:16 And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks.
Gen. 37:17 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.
Joseph’s brothers had taken the flocks to find pasture in Shechem. Although no time frame is given, they had been gone long enough that Jacob was getting a bit concerned and wanted to know that everything was OK. Joseph obediently set out to check on his brothers for his father. When he came to Shechem, he couldn’t find them. A man (unidentified) saw him wandering around and asked him what he was looking for. Joseph told him that he was looking for his brothers who were grazing their flocks. (Note – No mention is given of further identification.) The man told Joseph that he had heard them speak of going to Dothan, another 10-20 miles away. Joseph proceeded to Dothan and spotted his brothers. (I can’t help but wonder if the man was an angel.)
Gen. 37:18 And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.
Gen. 37:19 And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.
Gen. 37:20 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.
Gen. 37:21 And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him.
Gen. 37:22 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.
Gen. 37:23 And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him;
Gen. 37:24 And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.
His brothers saw him coming from a distance and decided that this would be the perfect chance to get rid of him. They decided to kill him, throw him in a cistern, and say that a wild animal had killed him. Then they wouldn’t have to hear any more of his dreams. Reuben quickly scrambled to think of a way to spare Joseph’s life. He convinced his brothers not to kill him—just throw him in the cistern in the desert. He hoped to be able to rescue him later. When Joseph reached his brothers, they stripped him of his special robe and threw him in the empty cistern.
Gen. 37:25 And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.
Gen. 37:26 And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?
Gen. 37:27 Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.
Gen. 37:28 Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.
Afterwards, as they sat down to eat, and spotted a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. They were headed to Egypt to sell spices, balm, and myrrh. Judah got an idea. Why not sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites, then they wouldn’t have the blood of their brother on their hands, and they could make a little profit as well. So they sold him for 20 shekels of silver.
Gen. 37:29 And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.
Gen. 37:30 And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?
Gen. 37:31 And they took Joseph’s coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;
Gen. 37:32 And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son’s coat or no.
Gen. 37:33 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.
Evidently Reuben was away checking the animals or something; because when he came back and found Joseph gone, he tore his clothes in a passion. He went to his brothers and screamed that Joseph was gone. What were they going to do?
Note – This is the first time I ever noticed that no explanation was ever given to Reuben of what the brothers had done. They must have realized that he would probably have gone after him to rescue him and take him home.
So, they took Joseph’s robe and dipped it in the blood of a slaughtered goat. Then they took the robe home to their father.
I think it is significant to note that reference is made to “thy son” in verse 32—not to “our brother.”
Several thoughts begin to whirl through my mind. I keep thinking that the prevalence of sin has to be worse today than ever. But as I read through the scripture, I realize that many of the things that horrify me the most now have happened all throughout history. It’s just hard to imagine that a brother would be so cruel to his own brother and then to his own father—all because of jealousy.
Also, God’s plan keeps moving forward. Since He knew what the brothers would do, God arranged a caravan of Ishmaelites for Joseph’s rescue and transport to Egypt. God is always several steps ahead of us because of His foreknowledge of our choices—not because we are programmed dummies.
Gen. 37:34 And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.
Gen. 37:35 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.
So they took Joseph’s robe home to their father and said that they had found it and wondered if it was Joseph’s. He recognized it immediately and assumed the worst. Then Jacob tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and mourned for his son for many days. We are told that ALL of his sons and daughters tried to comfort him. (The brothers were such hypocrites!) But he refused to be comforted. Jacob vowed to go to his grave in mourning for his son, and he wept in sorrow.
Although Joseph was alive, Jacob believed he was dead. Guzik made a great application from this truth. "This is also a powerful illustration of the principle that if we believe something to be so, it may as well be. Joseph was not dead, but as long as Jacob believed he was, as far as Jacob was concerned, Joseph was dead. In the same way, the Christian has in truth been set free from sin, but if Satan can persuade us we are under the tyranny of sin, we may as well be.”
Gen. 37:36 And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, and captain of the guard.
In the meantime, Joseph was in Egypt and had been sold to Potiphar, the captain of the guard under Pharaoh.
Wayne Walter, in his article on 9th Sedrah at www.lampresource.com, clarifies that “captain of the guard” specifically refers to “the chief of the executioners.”
Verse 36 indicates that the Midianites sold Joseph to Potiphar. It would seem that the Midanites/Ishmeelites describe one group of merchantmen. Reuben was obviously absent from the camp when Joseph was sold.
Historical note from Guzik: “Egypt was a large and thriving kingdom for at least a thousand years before Joseph came. The Egyptians were wealthy and had massive natural resources. They were educated and had no real enemies at the time. When Joseph came to Egypt, some of the pyramids already looked old and the Sphinx was already carved.”
Gen. 38:1 And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.
Gen. 38:2 And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her.
Gen. 38:3 And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er.
Gen. 38:4 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan.
Gen. 38:5 And she yet again conceived, and bare a son; and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bare him.
This chapter tells the story of Judah, his marriage, his children and his daughter-in-law. At one point, Judah left his family and went to stay with a friend, Hirah, an Adullamite. While there, he met the daughter of a Canaanite man; we aren’t even told her name, just that she is the daughter of Shuah. Although it doesn’t say so, I assume he took her for his wife. Their marriage produced three sons—Er, Onan and Shelah.
Gen. 38:6 And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar.
Gen. 38:7 And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord; and the LORD slew him.
Gen. 38:8 And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother’s wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.
Gen. 38:9 And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother’s wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother.
Gen. 38:10 And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also.
Gen. 38:11 Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father’s house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.
There is no record of the years in between; we just immediately jump to the time when Judah takes a wife for Er, his firstborn; her name was Tamar. Er was very wicked in God’s sight, so the Lord put him to death. (I can’t help but have questions regarding people that the Lord allows to live who seem to embody evil—i.e., Hitler, Manson, etc. I again believe that foreknowledge is the key—hand in hand with accomplishing His plan.)
According to their custom, Judah gave Tamar to Onan to produce an heir for his brother. Onan knew that the child would not be his, so he spilled his semen on the ground whenever he lay with Tamar. The fact that Onan refused to provide an heir for his brother displeased the LORD, so He killed Onan too.
This custom became part of the law revealed by Moses to the people of Israel
Deuteronomy 25:5–6 “If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband’s brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband’s brother unto her. And it shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel.”
MacDonald regarding Onan’s sin: “His sin was not so much sexual as it was selfish. It was not a single act; but, as the Hebrew reveals, a persistent refusal.”
It’s obvious that these ancient peoples had been given some guidelines as to what was pleasing to God somewhere along the way and that they knew what was right and wrong—what was pleasing to God and what wasn’t. If God had really provided us a much more inclusive book of history, I can’t imagine how big the Bible would be!
Judah sent Tamar back home to live with her father, as a widow, to wait on Shelah to be old enough for marriage. However, in his mind he was thinking, “He may die too, like his brothers.” I don’t think he ever intended to give her to Shelah to provide an heir for Er.
Gen. 38:12 And in process of time the daughter of Shuah Judah’s wife died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheepshearers to Timnath, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.
Gen. 38:13 And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father in law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep.
Gen. 38:14 And she put her widow’s garments off from her, and covered her with a vail, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which is by the way to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife.
Next we are told that Judah’s wife died. After recovering from his grief, Judah headed to Timnah with his friend Hirah to see the men who were shearing his sheep. Tamar heard where her father-in-law was headed. She took off her widow’s clothes; and putting on a veil for disguise, sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which was on the road Judah was traveling. She knew that Shelah had grown up and that she had not been given to him as a wife.
Gen. 38:15 When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face.
Gen. 38:16 And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee; (for he knew not that she was his daughter in law.) And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me?
Gen. 38:17 And he said, I will send thee a kid from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it?
Gen. 38:18 And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that is in thine hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.
Gen. 38:19 And she arose, and went away, and laid by her vail from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.
When Judah saw Tamar, he thought that she was a prostitute (just as she had intended); he didn’t recognize her because her face was covered. Judah approached her and asked to sleep with her. She asked him what he would pay. He said he would send her a young goat. She asked for something as a pledge until he sent the goat. Judah said, OK—what do you want? So she asked for his seal and its cord and his staff. He agreed. After their sinful indulgence, she changed back into her widow’s clothes and left. It turns out that she became pregnant.
Gen. 38:20 And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman’s hand: but he found her not.
Gen. 38:21 Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where is the harlot, that was openly by the way side? And they said, There was no harlot in this place.
Gen. 38:22 And he returned to Judah, and said, I cannot find her; and also the men of the place said, that there was no harlot in this place.
Gen. 38:23 And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.
Meanwhile, Judah asked his friend Hirah to take a goat and redeem his pledge; but the woman was nowhere to be found. In fact, the men who lived in the area claimed that there had never been a shrine prostitute there. So he went back and reported to Judah. Judah decided not to pursue the matter for fear that people would think him crazy.
Gen. 38:24 And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.
Gen. 38:25 When she was brought forth, she sent to her father in law, saying, By the man, whose these are, am I with child: and she said, Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff.
Gen. 38:26 And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more.
Three months later Judah got word that Tamar had prostituted herself and was pregnant. Judah demanded that she be brought out and burned to death. Tamar sent a message to Judah and said, “I am pregnant by the man who owns these (his pledge); do you recognize them?” Judah knew they were his and knew it was his fault for not giving her to his son Shelah. Judah said that she was “more righteous than I” because of what she had done. I’m not sure what that meant, but I guess it was tied in to the guidelines that had been established for carrying on family lines. Point is also made that Judah never slept with her again.
Gen. 38:27 And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb.
Gen. 38:28 And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first.
Gen. 38:29 And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How hast thou broken forth? this breach be upon thee: therefore his name was called Pharez.
Gen. 38:30 And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zarah.
When it came time for Tamar to deliver, she had twins. The first thing to emerge was a hand and the midwife tied a scarlet thread around it to indicate the firstborn. But he drew back his hand and his brother came out first. She named the firstborn Perez (breaking out) and the second one Zerah (scarlet or brightness).
Note: Tamar is part of the lineage of Jesus.
Matthew 1:1–3 “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren; And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar….”
Clarke: “The insertion of this chapter is a farther proof of the impartiality of the sacred writer. The facts detailed, considered in themselves, can reflect no credit on the patriarchal history; but Judah, Tamar, Zarah, and Pharez, were progenitors of the Messiah, and therefore their birth must be recorded; and as the birth, so also the circumstances of that birth, which, even had they not a higher end in view, would be valuable as casting light upon some very ancient customs, which it is interesting to understand.”