It was not uncommon for shepherds to lead their flocks many miles from home in search of pasture. Shechem was about 60 miles north of Hebron. Jacob owned land there (Genesis 33:19). Dothan was 17 miles farther north. read more
2. The sale of Joseph into Egypt 37:12-36Joseph’s brothers met his second recorded visit to them with great antagonism. They plotted to kill him and so render his dreams impossible to fulfill. For practical reasons they decided to sell him and to deceive Jacob into thinking that a wild beast had killed him. In spite of their plan God kept Joseph alive and safe in Egypt. Ironically, by selling Joseph into Egypt his brothers actualized the dreams they sought to subvert. The focus of this pericope... read more
Joseph is Hated by his Brethren and Sold into EgyptWith the exception of a few passages chiefly in Genesis 46, 49, the rest of the book of Genesis is taken from the Primitive source.The chief event with which the rest of Genesis is concerned, namely, the migration of Israel to Egypt, displays the working out of God’s purposes declared in Genesis 15. In Egypt the chosen race grew in peace from a tribe to a nation, instead of having to encounter the hostility of the Canaanites as their numbers... read more
Joseph and His Brethren Genesis 37:0 With the story of Joseph we come to the last division of Genesis. The development and progress of the household of Jacob, until at length it became a nation in Egypt, had Joseph as a pioneer. The fullness of the narrative is worthy of consideration. There is a fourfold value and importance in the record of Joseph's life. (1) It gives the explanation of the development of the Hebrews. (2) It is a remarkable proof of the quiet operation of Divine Providence... read more
JOSEPH’S DREAMSGenesis 37:1-36"Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee."- Psalms 76:10THE migration of Israel from Canaan to Egypt was a step of prime importance in the history. Great difficulties surrounded it, and very extraordinary means were used to bring it about.The preparatory steps occupied about twenty years, and nearly a fourth of the Book of Genesis is devoted to this period. This migration was a new idea. So little was it the result of an accidental dearth, or of any of those... read more
XII. THE GENERATIONS OF JACOB CHAPTER 37 The Story of Joseph 1. Jacob dwelling in Canaan (Genesis 37:1 ) 2. Joseph’s character and feeding the flock (Genesis 37:2 ) 3. Beloved of his father (Genesis 37:3 ) 4. Hated by his brethren (Genesis 37:4 ) 5. The dream of the sheaves (Genesis 37:5-8 ) 6. The dream of the sun, moon and stars (Genesis 37:9-11 ) 7. Joseph seeks his brethren (Genesis 37:12-17 ) 8. The plot against Joseph (Genesis 37:18-22 ) 9. Joseph in the pit and sold... read more
JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN How significant is the truth of verse 1, "Jacob lived in the land where his father sojourned, in the land of Canaan." It had taken him some years to finally settle there, but even though dwelling, he was still really only a sojourner (Hebrews 11:9). He did not remain indefinitely, but later went down to Egypt, where he died (ch.46:5-6; 49:33). We have seen in Chapter 36 a long list of the generations of Esau, but a great contrast faces us in Chapter 37, where we read... read more
JOSEPH ’S HISTORY DISPENSATIONAL ASPECT OF JACOB’S HISTORY Following F.W. Grant in the Numerical Bible, the life of Jacob gives as its lesson the story of that discipline by which the Spirit of God brings us from weakness to power, from nature’s strength to that wholesome weakness in which alone is strength. But for this, natural strength must be crippled, which is provided for in two ways: in allowing us to realize the power of another nature (Esau) and in the direct dealing of God with our... read more
Joseph's Dream Gen 37:19 We learn from this verse how prejudice shuts us up to one particular view of a man the view which is most distasteful to us, and upon which we persuade ourselves, we can remark with the justice of injury and anger. Joseph was the child of his father's old age, the idol of the old man's heart, the light of the household, and yet his brethren had got one view of him to which they could never close their eyes. He was nothing to them but a dreamer of unpalatable dreams, a... read more
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Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Genesis 37:2-26
E. What Became of Jacob 37:2-50:26Here begins the tenth and last toledot in Genesis. Jacob remains a major character throughout Genesis. Moses recorded his death in chapter 49. Nevertheless Joseph replaces him as the focus of the writer’s attention at this point. [Note: For some enriching insights into the similarities between the stories of Jacob and Joseph, see Peter Miscall, "The Jacob and Joseph Stories As Analogies," Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 6 (February 1978):28-40.]... read more