Joseph’s dreams: he is sold by his brethren, and carried into Egypt.

¹ Now Jacob lived in the land of Canaan, where his father sojourned.

² And these are his generations. Joseph, when he was sixteen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers, when he was still a boy. And he was with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, the wives of his father. And he accused his brothers to their father of a most sinful crime.

³ Now Israel loved Joseph above all his sons, because he had conceived him in his old age. And he made him a tunic, woven of many colors.

⁴ Then his brothers, seeing that he was loved by his father more than all his other sons, hated him, and they were not able to say anything peacefully to him.

⁵ Then it also happened that he recounted the vision of a dream to his brothers, for which reason a greater hatred began to be nurtured.¹

1. 37:5A dream: These dreams of Joseph were prophetical, and sent from God; as were also those which he interpreted, Gen. 40. and 41.; otherwise generally speaking, the observing of dreams is condemned in the Scripture, as superstitious and sinful. See Deut. 18.10; Eccli. 34.2,3.(Challoner)

⁶ And he said to them, “Listen to my dream that I saw.

⁷ I thought we were binding sheaves in the field. And my sheaf seemed to rise up and stand, and your sheaves, standing in a circle, reverenced my sheaf.”

⁸ His brothers responded: “Would you be our king? Or will we be subject to your dominion?” Therefore, this matter of his dreams and words provided kindling to their envy and hatred.

⁹ Likewise, he saw another dream, which he explained to his brothers, saying, “I saw by a dream, as if the sun, and the moon, and eleven stars were reverencing me.”¹

1. 37:9The word ‘adorare’ can be translated as ‘worship’ (adore) or ‘reverence’. Joseph did not think that he himself would be worshipped (this would be blasphemy). So the correct translation for the literal meaning is ‘reverence.’ However, the text has a spiritual meaning, that a descendent of Joseph, namely the Christ, would be worshipped, in which case the correct translation is ‘worship’ or ‘adore.’(Conte)

¹⁰ And when he had related this to his father and brothers, his father rebuked him, and he said: “What does it mean to you, this dream that you have seen? Should I, and your mother, and your brothers reverence you upon the earth?”¹

1. 37:10Worship: This word is not used here to signify divine worship, but an inferior veneration, expressed by the bowing of the body, and that, according to the manner of the eastern nations, down to the ground.(Challoner)

¹¹ Therefore, his brothers were envious of him. Yet truly, his father considered the matter silently.

¹² And while his brothers were lodging at Shechem, pasturing their father’s flocks,

¹³ Israel said to him: “Your brothers are pasturing the sheep at Shechem. Come, I will send you to them.” And when he answered,

¹⁴ “I am ready,” he said to him, “Go, and see if everything is prospering with your brothers and the cattle, and report to me what is happening.” So, having been sent from the valley of Hebron, he arrived at Shechem.

¹⁵ And a man found him wandering in a field, and he asked him what he was seeking.

¹⁶ So he responded: “I seek my brothers. Tell me where they pasture the flocks.”

¹⁷ And the man said to him: “They have withdrawn from this place. But I heard them saying, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” Therefore, Joseph continued on after his brothers, and he found them at Dothan.

¹⁸ And, when they had seen him from afar, before he approached them, they decided to kill him.

¹⁹ And they said one to another: “Behold, the dreamer approaches.

²⁰ Come, let us kill him and cast him into the old cistern. And let us say: ‘an evil wild beast has devoured him.’ And then it will become apparent what his dreams will do for him.”¹

1. 37:20The phrase ‘cisternam veterem’ not only indicates that the well is old, but also that it is dry. In other words, it is old in the sense of outmoded or no longer useful.(Conte)

²¹ But Reuben, on hearing this, strove to free him from their hands, and he said:

²² “Do not take away his life, nor shed blood. But throw him into this cistern, which is in the wilderness, and so keep your hands harmless.” But he said this, wanting to rescue him from their hands, so as to return him to his father.

²³ And so, as soon as he came to his brothers, they very quickly stripped him of his tunic, which was ankle-length and woven of many colors,

²⁴ and they cast him into an old cistern, which held no water.

²⁵ And sitting down to eat bread, they saw some Ishmaelites, travelers coming from Gilead, with their camels, carrying spices, and resin, and oil of myrrh into Egypt.

²⁶ Therefore, Judah said to his brothers: “What will it profit us, if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?

²⁷ It is better that he be sold to the Ishmaelites, and then our hands will not be defiled. For he is our brother and our flesh.” His brothers agreed to his words.

²⁸ And when the Midianite merchants were passing by, they drew him from the cistern, and they sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And these led him into Egypt.

²⁹ And Reuben, returning to the cistern, did not find the boy.

³⁰ And rending his garments, he went to his brothers and said, “The boy is not present, and so where shall I go?”

³¹ Then they took his tunic, and they dipped it in the blood of a young goat, which they had killed,

³² sending those who carried it to their father, and they said: “We found this. See whether it is the tunic of your son or not.”

³³ And when the father acknowledged it, he said: “It is the tunic of my son. An evil wild beast has eaten him; a beast has devoured Joseph.”

³⁴ And tearing his garments, he was clothed in haircloth, mourning his son for a long time.

³⁵ Then, when all of his sons gathered together to ease their father’s sorrow, he was not willing to accept consolation, but he said: “I will descend in mourning to my son in the underworld.” And while he persevered in weeping,¹

1. 37:35Into hell: That is, into limbo, the place where the souls of the just were received before the death of our Redeemer. For allowing that the word hell sometimes is taken for the grave, it cannot be so taken in this place; since Jacob did not believe his son to be in the grave, (whom he supposed to be devoured by a wild beast,) and therefore could not mean to go down to him thither: but certainly meant the place of rest where he believed his soul to be.(Challoner)

³⁶ the Midianites in Egypt sold Joseph to Potiphar, a eunuch of Pharaoh, instructor of the soldiers.¹²

1. 37:36The word ‘magistro’ has more of the meaning of a teacher or instructor, than of a captain or magistrate. This eunuch was an instructor of the soldiers (probably of the new recruits), not an officer over the active duty soldiers.(Conte)
2. 37:36An eunuch: This word sometimes signifies a chamberlain, courtier, or officer of the king: and so it is taken in this place.(Challoner)