Genesis 37

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 37:23

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 — i.e. his coat of ends, or coat of pieces ( vide on Genesis 37:3 )— that was on him. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 37:24-25

And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it . Cisterns when empty, or only covered with mud at the bottom, were sometimes used as temporary prisons ( Jeremiah 38:6 ; Jeremiah 40:15 ). And —leaving him, as they must have calculated, to perish by a painful death through starvation, with exquisite cold-bloodedness, paying no heed to his piteous outcries and appeals ( Genesis 41:21 )— they sat down (the callous composure of the act... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 37:26-27

And Judah (apparently shrinking from the idea of murder) said unto his brethren, What profit is it if (literally, what of advantage that ) we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? (i.e. and hide the fact of his murder). Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him (literally, and our hand, let it not be upon him , i.e. to slay him); for he is our brother and our flesh —or, more expressly, our brother and our flesh he (cf. ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 37:26-36

Joseph carried by Midianites to Egypt. I. THE INFAMOUS SALE . 1. The wicked proposal . "Come, and let us sell him. By whatever motives Judah was actuated, the notion that either he or his brethren had a right thus to dispose of Joseph's life was not simply an open violation of the Divine law which constituted all men with equal fights, and in particular made every man his brother's keeper, not his brother's destroyer or proprietor, but a hideous discovery of the utter... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 37:28

Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen ;—literally, and passed by the men, Midianites (by country), merchants (by profession). On the different appellations given to the traders vide infra , Genesis 37:36 — and they —not the Midianites (Davidson), but Joseph's brethren— drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver —literally, for twenty (sc. shekels) of silver— L2 10s.; the price afterwards fixed for a boy... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 37:28

Drawn from the pit. "And they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit." As a compromise Joseph had been thrown into a pit. His brothers at first intended to murder him. Their intention was almost as bad as a murder. The Scriptures tell us that "he that hateth his brother is a murderer." And one writer says, "Many a man who has not taken a brother's life, by indulgence of malevolence, is in the sight of God a more sinful man than many who have expiated their guilt on a scaffold." Joseph... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 37:29-30

And Reuben (in whose absence apparently the scheme of sale had been concocted and carried through) returned to the pit (obviously with a view to deliver Joseph); and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes— a token of his mingled grief and horror at the discovery (of. Genesis 37:34 ; Genesis 44:13 ; 2 Samuel 13:31 ; 2 Kings 18:37 ; Job 1:20 ). And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child (or young man, as in Genesis 4:23 , where יֶלֶד in... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 37:31

Delay in fulfillment of God's promises. Between two stages of the history of the covenant family stands the genealogy of Esau's descendants. The text suggests a contrast between their course and that of the family of Jacob. On the death of Isaac Esau departed from Canaan with family and possessions (cf. Genesis 27:40 ). The desert and the valleys of Seir were more attractive than quietness of Canaan. Prosperity, such as he cared for, attended him. Among his family we read of dukes, or... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 37:31-32

And they — i.e. Joseph's Brethren, including Reuben, to whom manifestly the matter had been explained, and who wanted the courage either to expose their wickedness or to dissent from their device for deceiving Jacob— took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats ,—more correctly, a he-goat of the goats, since the name of goat seems to have belonged in a wider sense to other animals also (Gesenius); usually understood to mean the somewhat older he-goat which was used as a sin... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 37:33

And he knew it, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast (vide Genesis 37:20 ) hath devoured him (this was precisely what his sons meant him to infer); Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces — טְרֹף טֹרַף , the inf. abs. Kal with the Pual expressing undoubted certainty. read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 37:23

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 37:24-25

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 37:26-27

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 37:26-36

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 37:28

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 37:28

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 37:29-30

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 37:31

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 37:31-32

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 37:33

Verse of the Day

Daily Devotional

Group of Brands