Genesis 37

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 37:34

And Jacob rent his clothes ,.... As expressive of his grief and mourning for the death of his son, as he supposed: and put sackcloth upon his loins ; put off his usual apparel, and put on a coarse garment on his loins next to his flesh, as another token of his great trouble and affliction for the loss of his son; which though afterwards was frequently done in times of public or private mourning, yet this is the first time we read of it; whether Jacob was the first that used it, whom his... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 37:35

And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him ,.... His sons must act a most hypocritical part in this affair; and as for his daughters, it is not easy to say who they were, since he had but one daughter that we read of, whose name was Dinah: the Targum of Jonathan calls them his sons wives; but it is a question whether any of his sons were as yet married, since the eldest of them was not more than twenty four years of age; and much less can their daughters be supposed to be... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 37:36

And the Midianites sold him into Egypt ,.... Or Medanites, who sprung from Medan, a brother of Midian, and son of Keturah, Genesis 24:2 ; and were distinct from the Midianites, though they dwelt near them, and were now in company with them, and with the Ishmaelites, and were all concerned in the buying and selling of Joseph, and therefore this is sometimes ascribed to the one, and sometimes to the other: unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh ; the word is sometimes used for an eunuch,... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 37

Jacob continues to sojourn in Canaan, Genesis 37:1 . Joseph, being seventeen years of age, is employed in feeding the flocks of his father, Genesis 37:2 . Is loved by his father more than the rest of his brethren, Genesis 37:3 . His brethren envy him, Genesis 37:4 . His dream of the sheaves, Genesis 37:5-7 . His brethren interpret it, and hate him on the account, Genesis 37:8 . His dream of the sun, moon, and eleven stars, Genesis 37:9-12 . Jacob sends him to visit his brethren,... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 37:1

Wherein his father was a stranger - אביו מגורי megurey abiv , Jacob dwelt in the land of his father's sojournings, as the margin very properly reads it. The place was probably the vale of Hebron, see Genesis 37:14 . read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 37:2

These are the generations - תלדות toledoth , the history of the lives and actions of Jacob and his sons; for in this general sense the original must be taken, as in the whole of the ensuing history there is no particular account of any genealogical succession. Yet the words may be understood as referring to the tables or genealogical lists in the preceding chapter; and if so, the original must be understood in its common acceptation. The lad was with the sons of Bilhah - It is... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 37:3

A coat of many colors - פסים כתנת kethoneth passim , a coat made up of stripes of differently colored cloth. Similar to this was the toga praetexta of the Roman youth, which was white, striped or fringed with purple; this they wore till they were seventeen years of age, when they changed it for the toga virilis , or toga pura , which was all white. Such vestures as clothing of distinction are worn all over Persia, India, and China to the present day. It is no wonder that his... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 37:4

And could not speak peaceably unto him - Does not this imply, in our use of the term, that they were continually quarrelling with him? but this is no meaning of the original: לשלם דברו יכלו ולא velo yachelu dabbero leshalom , 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. The eastern method of salutation is, Peace be to thee! לך שלום shalom lecha , among the Hebrews, and salam , peace, or salam kebibi ,... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 37:7

We were binding sheaves in the field - Though in these early times we read little of tillage, yet it is evident from this circumstance that it was practiced by Jacob and his sons. The whole of this dream is so very plain as to require no comment, unless we could suppose that the sheaves of grain might have some reference to the plenty in Egypt under Joseph's superintendence, and the scarcity in Canaan, which obliged the brethren to go down to Egypt for corn, where the dream was most... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 37:9

He dreamed yet another dream - This is as clear as the preceding. But how could Jacob say, Shall I and thy mother, etc., when Rachel his mother was dead some time before this? Perhaps Jacob might hint, by this explanation, the impossibility of such a dream being fulfilled, because one of the persons who should be a chief actor in it was already dead. But any one wife or concubine of Jacob was quite sufficient to fulfill this part of the dream. It is possible, some think, that Joseph may have... read more

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