CHAPTER 37
. PARENTAL
PARTIALITY.
1. Jacob dwelt in the land wherein
his father was a stranger—that is, "a sojourner";
"father" used collectively. The patriarch was at this time
at Mamre, in the valley of Hebron (compare ); and his dwelling there was continued in the same manner
and prompted by the same motives as that of Abraham and Isaac ().
2. generations—leading
occurrences, in the domestic history of Jacob, as shown in the
narrative about to be commenced.
Joseph . . . was feeding the
flock—literally, "Joseph being seventeen years old was a
shepherd over the flock"—he a lad, with the sons of Bilhah and
Zilpah. Oversight or superintendence is evidently implied. This post
of chief shepherd in the party might be assigned him either from his
being the son of a principal wife or from his own superior qualities
of character; and if invested with this office, he acted not as a
gossiping telltale, but as a "faithful steward" in
reporting the scandalous conduct of his brethren.
3. son of his old age—Benjamin
being younger, was more the son of his old age and consequently on
that ground might have been expected to be the favorite. Literally
rendered, it is "son of old age to him"—Hebrew phrase,
for "a wise son"—one who possessed observation and wisdom
above his years—an old head on young shoulders.
made him a coat of many
colors—formed in those early days by sewing together patches of
colored cloth, and considered a dress of distinction (Judges 5:30;
2 Samuel 13:18). The passion for
various colors still reigns among the Arabs and other people of the
East, who are fond of dressing their children in this gaudy attire.
But since the art of interweaving various patterns was introduced,
"the coats of colors" are different now from what they seem
to have been in patriarchal times, and bear a close resemblance to
the varieties of tartan.
4. could not speak peaceably unto
him—did not say "peace be to thee" [, c.], the usual expression of good wishes among friends and
acquaintances. It is deemed a sacred duty to give all this form of
salutation and the withholding of it is an unmistakable sign of
dislike or secret hostility. The habitual refusal of Joseph's
brethren, therefore, to meet him with "the salaam,"
showed how ill-disposed they were towards him. It is very natural in
parents to love the youngest, and feel partial to those who excel in
talents or amiableness. But in a family constituted as Jacob's—many
children by different mothers—he showed great and criminal
indiscretion.
. THE DREAMS
OF JOSEPH.
5. Joseph dreamed a dream—Dreams
in ancient times were much attended to, and hence the dream of
Joseph, though but a mere boy, engaged the serious consideration of
his family. But this dream was evidently symbolical. The meaning was
easily discerned, and, from its being repeated under different
emblems, the fulfilment was considered certain (compare ), whence it was that "his brethren envied him, but his
father observed the saying" [].
12. his brethren went to feed their
father's flock in Shechem—The vale of Shechem was, from the
earliest mention of Canaan, blest with extraordinary abundance of
water. Therefore did the sons of Jacob go from Hebron to this place,
though it must have cost them near twenty hours' travelling—that
is, at the shepherd rate, a little more than fifty miles. But the
herbage there was so rich and nutritious that they thought it well
worth the pains of so long a journey, to the neglect of the grazing
district of Hebron [VAN DE
VELDE].
13-17. Israel said, . . . Do not thy
brethren feed the flock in Shechem?—Anxious to learn how his
sons were doing in their distant encampment, Jacob despatched Joseph;
and the youth, accepting the mission with alacrity, left the vale of
Hebron, sought them at Shechem, heard of them from a man in "the
field" (the wide and richly cultivated plain of Esdraelon), and
found that they had left that neighborhood for Dothan, probably being
compelled by the detestation in which, from the horrid massacre,
their name was held.
17. Joseph went after his brethren,
and found them in Dothan—Hebrew, Dothaim, or "two
wells," recently discovered in the modern "Dothan,"
situated a few hours' distance from Shechem.
18. when they saw him afar off—on
the level grass field, where they were watching their cattle. They
could perceive him approaching in the distance from the side of
Shechem, or rather, Samaria.
19. Behold, this dreamer
cometh—literally, "master of dreams"—a bitterly
ironical sneer. Dreams being considered suggestions from above, to
make false pretensions to having received one was detested as a
species of blasphemy, and in this light Joseph was regarded by his
brethren as an artful pretender. They already began to form a plot
for Joseph's assassination, from which he was rescued only by the
address of Reuben, who suggested that he should rather be cast into
one of the wells, which are, and probably were, completely dried up
in summer.
23. they stripped Joseph out of his
coat . . . of many colors—Imagine him advancing in all the
unsuspecting openness of brotherly affection. How astonished and
terrified must he have been at the cold reception, the ferocious
aspect, the rough usage of his unnatural assailants! A vivid picture
of his state of agony and despair was afterwards drawn by themselves
(compare Genesis 42:21).
25. they sat down to eat bread—What
a view does this exhibit of those hardened profligates! Their common
share in this conspiracy is not the only dismal feature in the story.
The rapidity, the almost instantaneous manner in which the proposal
was followed by their joint resolution, and the cool indifference, or
rather the fiendish satisfaction, with which they sat down to regale
themselves, is astonishing. It is impossible that mere envy at his
dreams, his gaudy dress, or the doting partiality of their common
father, could have goaded them on to such a pitch of frenzied
resentment or confirmed them in such consummate wickedness. Their
hatred to Joseph must have had a far deeper seat. It must have been
produced by dislike to his piety and other excellencies, which made
his character and conduct a constant censure upon theirs, and on
account of which they found that they could never be at ease till
they had rid themselves of his hated presence. This was the true
solution of the mystery, just as it was in the case of Cain ().
they lifted up their eyes, .
. . and, behold, a company of Ishmaelites—They are called
Midianites (Genesis 37:28), and
Medanites, in Hebrew (Genesis 37:28), being a travelling caravan composed of a mixed
association of Arabians. Those tribes of Northern Arabia had already
addicted themselves to commerce, and long did they enjoy a monopoly,
the carrying trade being entirely in their hands. Their approach
could easily be seen; for, as their road, after crossing the ford
from the trans-jordanic district, led along the south side of the
mountains of Gilboa, a party seated on the plain of Dothan could
trace them and their string of camels in the distance as they
proceeded through the broad and gently sloping valley that
intervenes. Trading in the produce of Arabia and India, they were in
the regular course of traffic on their way to Egypt: and the chief
articles of commerce in which this clan dealt were
spicery from India, that
is, a species of resinous gum, called storax, balm—"balm
of Gilead," the juice of the balsam tree, a native of
Arabia-Felix, and myrrh—an Arabic gum of a strong, fragrant
smell. For these articles there must have been an enormous demand in
Egypt as they were constantly used in the process of embalming.
26-28. Judah said, . . . What profit
is it if we slay our brother?—The sight of these travelling
merchants gave a sudden turn to the views of the conspirators; for
having no wish to commit a greater degree of crime than was necessary
for the accomplishment of their end, they readily approved of Judah's
suggestion to dispose of their obnoxious brother as a slave. The
proposal, of course, was founded on their knowledge that the Arabian
merchants trafficked in slaves; and there is the clearest evidence
furnished by the monuments of Egypt that the traders who were in the
habit of bringing slaves from the countries through which they
passed, found a ready market in the cities of the Nile.
they . . . lifted up Joseph
out of the pit, and sold him—Acting impulsively on Judah's
advice, they had their poor victim ready by the time the merchants
reached them; and money being no part of their object, they sold him
for
twenty pieces of silver—The
money was probably in rings or pieces (shekels), and silver is always
mentioned in the records of that early age before gold, on account of
its rarity. The whole sum, if in shekel weight, did not exceed £3.
they brought Joseph into
Egypt—There were two routes to Egypt: the one was overland by
Hebron, where Jacob dwelt, and by taking which, the fate of his
hapless son would likely have reached the paternal ears; the other
was directly westward across the country from Dothan to the maritime
coast, and in this, the safest and most expeditious way, the
merchants carried Joseph to Egypt. Thus did an overruling Providence
lead this murderous conclave of brothers, as well as the slave
merchants both following their own free courses—to be parties in an
act by which He was to work out, in a marvellous manner, the great
purposes of His wisdom and goodness towards His ancient Church and
people.
29, 30. Reuben returned unto the
pit—He seems to have designedly taken a circuitous route, with
a view of secretly rescuing the poor lad from a lingering death by
starvation. His intentions were excellent, and his feelings no doubt
painfully lacerated when he discovered what had been done in his
absence. But the thing was of God, who had designed that Joseph's
deliverance should be accomplished by other means than his.
31-33. they took Joseph's coat—The
commission of one sin necessarily leads to another to conceal it; and
the scheme of deception which the sons of Jacob planned and practised
on their aged father was a necessary consequence of the atrocious
crime they had perpetrated. What a wonder that their cruel sneer,
"thy son's coat," and their forced efforts to comfort him,
did not awaken suspicion! But extreme grief, like every other
passion, is blind, and Jacob, great as his affliction was, did allow
himself to indulge his sorrow more than became one who believed in
the government of a supreme and all-wise Disposer.
34. Jacob rent his clothes, and put
sackcloth upon his loins—the common signs of Oriental mourning.
A rent is made in the skirt more or less long according to the
afflicted feelings of the mourner, and a coarse rough piece of black
sackcloth or camel's hair cloth is wound round the waist.
35. and he said, For I will go down
into the grave unto my son—not the earth, for Joseph was
supposed to be torn in pieces, but the unknown place—the place of
departed souls, where Jacob expected at death to meet his beloved
son.
CHAPTER 37
. PARENTAL PARTIALITY.
1. Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger—that is, "a sojourner"; "father" used collectively. The patriarch was at this time at Mamre, in the valley of Hebron (compare ); and his dwelling there was continued in the same manner and prompted by the same motives as that of Abraham and Isaac ().
2. generations—leading occurrences, in the domestic history of Jacob, as shown in the narrative about to be commenced.
Joseph . . . was feeding the flock—literally, "Joseph being seventeen years old was a shepherd over the flock"—he a lad, with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah. Oversight or superintendence is evidently implied. This post of chief shepherd in the party might be assigned him either from his being the son of a principal wife or from his own superior qualities of character; and if invested with this office, he acted not as a gossiping telltale, but as a "faithful steward" in reporting the scandalous conduct of his brethren.
3. son of his old age—Benjamin being younger, was more the son of his old age and consequently on that ground might have been expected to be the favorite. Literally rendered, it is "son of old age to him"—Hebrew phrase, for "a wise son"—one who possessed observation and wisdom above his years—an old head on young shoulders.
made him a coat of many colors—formed in those early days by sewing together patches of colored cloth, and considered a dress of distinction (Judges 5:30; 2 Samuel 13:18). The passion for various colors still reigns among the Arabs and other people of the East, who are fond of dressing their children in this gaudy attire. But since the art of interweaving various patterns was introduced, "the coats of colors" are different now from what they seem to have been in patriarchal times, and bear a close resemblance to the varieties of tartan.
4. could not speak peaceably unto him—did not say "peace be to thee" [, c.], the usual expression of good wishes among friends and acquaintances. It is deemed a sacred duty to give all this form of salutation and the withholding of it is an unmistakable sign of dislike or secret hostility. The habitual refusal of Joseph's brethren, therefore, to meet him with "the salaam," showed how ill-disposed they were towards him. It is very natural in parents to love the youngest, and feel partial to those who excel in talents or amiableness. But in a family constituted as Jacob's—many children by different mothers—he showed great and criminal indiscretion.
. THE DREAMS OF JOSEPH.
5. Joseph dreamed a dream—Dreams in ancient times were much attended to, and hence the dream of Joseph, though but a mere boy, engaged the serious consideration of his family. But this dream was evidently symbolical. The meaning was easily discerned, and, from its being repeated under different emblems, the fulfilment was considered certain (compare ), whence it was that "his brethren envied him, but his father observed the saying" [].
12. his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem—The vale of Shechem was, from the earliest mention of Canaan, blest with extraordinary abundance of water. Therefore did the sons of Jacob go from Hebron to this place, though it must have cost them near twenty hours' travelling—that is, at the shepherd rate, a little more than fifty miles. But the herbage there was so rich and nutritious that they thought it well worth the pains of so long a journey, to the neglect of the grazing district of Hebron [VAN DE VELDE].
13-17. Israel said, . . . Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem?—Anxious to learn how his sons were doing in their distant encampment, Jacob despatched Joseph; and the youth, accepting the mission with alacrity, left the vale of Hebron, sought them at Shechem, heard of them from a man in "the field" (the wide and richly cultivated plain of Esdraelon), and found that they had left that neighborhood for Dothan, probably being compelled by the detestation in which, from the horrid massacre, their name was held.
17. Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan—Hebrew, Dothaim, or "two wells," recently discovered in the modern "Dothan," situated a few hours' distance from Shechem.
18. when they saw him afar off—on the level grass field, where they were watching their cattle. They could perceive him approaching in the distance from the side of Shechem, or rather, Samaria.
19. Behold, this dreamer cometh—literally, "master of dreams"—a bitterly ironical sneer. Dreams being considered suggestions from above, to make false pretensions to having received one was detested as a species of blasphemy, and in this light Joseph was regarded by his brethren as an artful pretender. They already began to form a plot for Joseph's assassination, from which he was rescued only by the address of Reuben, who suggested that he should rather be cast into one of the wells, which are, and probably were, completely dried up in summer.
23. they stripped Joseph out of his coat . . . of many colors—Imagine him advancing in all the unsuspecting openness of brotherly affection. How astonished and terrified must he have been at the cold reception, the ferocious aspect, the rough usage of his unnatural assailants! A vivid picture of his state of agony and despair was afterwards drawn by themselves (compare Genesis 42:21).
25. they sat down to eat bread—What a view does this exhibit of those hardened profligates! Their common share in this conspiracy is not the only dismal feature in the story. The rapidity, the almost instantaneous manner in which the proposal was followed by their joint resolution, and the cool indifference, or rather the fiendish satisfaction, with which they sat down to regale themselves, is astonishing. It is impossible that mere envy at his dreams, his gaudy dress, or the doting partiality of their common father, could have goaded them on to such a pitch of frenzied resentment or confirmed them in such consummate wickedness. Their hatred to Joseph must have had a far deeper seat. It must have been produced by dislike to his piety and other excellencies, which made his character and conduct a constant censure upon theirs, and on account of which they found that they could never be at ease till they had rid themselves of his hated presence. This was the true solution of the mystery, just as it was in the case of Cain ().
they lifted up their eyes, . . . and, behold, a company of Ishmaelites—They are called Midianites (Genesis 37:28), and Medanites, in Hebrew (Genesis 37:28), being a travelling caravan composed of a mixed association of Arabians. Those tribes of Northern Arabia had already addicted themselves to commerce, and long did they enjoy a monopoly, the carrying trade being entirely in their hands. Their approach could easily be seen; for, as their road, after crossing the ford from the trans-jordanic district, led along the south side of the mountains of Gilboa, a party seated on the plain of Dothan could trace them and their string of camels in the distance as they proceeded through the broad and gently sloping valley that intervenes. Trading in the produce of Arabia and India, they were in the regular course of traffic on their way to Egypt: and the chief articles of commerce in which this clan dealt were
spicery from India, that is, a species of resinous gum, called storax, balm—"balm of Gilead," the juice of the balsam tree, a native of Arabia-Felix, and myrrh—an Arabic gum of a strong, fragrant smell. For these articles there must have been an enormous demand in Egypt as they were constantly used in the process of embalming.
26-28. Judah said, . . . What profit is it if we slay our brother?—The sight of these travelling merchants gave a sudden turn to the views of the conspirators; for having no wish to commit a greater degree of crime than was necessary for the accomplishment of their end, they readily approved of Judah's suggestion to dispose of their obnoxious brother as a slave. The proposal, of course, was founded on their knowledge that the Arabian merchants trafficked in slaves; and there is the clearest evidence furnished by the monuments of Egypt that the traders who were in the habit of bringing slaves from the countries through which they passed, found a ready market in the cities of the Nile.
they . . . lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold him—Acting impulsively on Judah's advice, they had their poor victim ready by the time the merchants reached them; and money being no part of their object, they sold him for
twenty pieces of silver—The money was probably in rings or pieces (shekels), and silver is always mentioned in the records of that early age before gold, on account of its rarity. The whole sum, if in shekel weight, did not exceed £3.
they brought Joseph into Egypt—There were two routes to Egypt: the one was overland by Hebron, where Jacob dwelt, and by taking which, the fate of his hapless son would likely have reached the paternal ears; the other was directly westward across the country from Dothan to the maritime coast, and in this, the safest and most expeditious way, the merchants carried Joseph to Egypt. Thus did an overruling Providence lead this murderous conclave of brothers, as well as the slave merchants both following their own free courses—to be parties in an act by which He was to work out, in a marvellous manner, the great purposes of His wisdom and goodness towards His ancient Church and people.
29, 30. Reuben returned unto the pit—He seems to have designedly taken a circuitous route, with a view of secretly rescuing the poor lad from a lingering death by starvation. His intentions were excellent, and his feelings no doubt painfully lacerated when he discovered what had been done in his absence. But the thing was of God, who had designed that Joseph's deliverance should be accomplished by other means than his.
31-33. they took Joseph's coat—The commission of one sin necessarily leads to another to conceal it; and the scheme of deception which the sons of Jacob planned and practised on their aged father was a necessary consequence of the atrocious crime they had perpetrated. What a wonder that their cruel sneer, "thy son's coat," and their forced efforts to comfort him, did not awaken suspicion! But extreme grief, like every other passion, is blind, and Jacob, great as his affliction was, did allow himself to indulge his sorrow more than became one who believed in the government of a supreme and all-wise Disposer.
34. Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins—the common signs of Oriental mourning. A rent is made in the skirt more or less long according to the afflicted feelings of the mourner, and a coarse rough piece of black sackcloth or camel's hair cloth is wound round the waist.
35. and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son—not the earth, for Joseph was supposed to be torn in pieces, but the unknown place—the place of departed souls, where Jacob expected at death to meet his beloved son.