Joseph Sold by His Brothers
Genesis 37:12-36
Gen.37.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וילכו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- אחיו: NOUN,3,m,sg,abs
- לרעות: VERB,qal,inf
- את: PRT,acc
- צאן: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אביהם: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- בשכם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Gen.37.13 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation — Jacob asks Joseph about his brothers feeding the flock at Shechem and then sends him to them; directly linked action and setting.
- Gen.34.1 (allusion): Same geographic setting (Shechem) within the Jacob cycle; other significant family events occur in/around Shechem, placing Gen 37:12 in a known narrative locale.
- 1 Sam.16.11 (thematic): Samuel’s inquiry about Jesse’s sons (‘Is there anyone else?’) and the youngest ‘keeping the sheep’ parallels the motif of a younger son absent with the flocks while elder brothers are present, prompting him to be sent for.
- Exod.3.1 (thematic): Moses ‘keeping the flock’ at Horeb — another narrative where tending sheep provides the setting for pivotal developments; echoes the common biblical motif of pastoral activity as a narrative hinge.
Alternative generated candidates
- And his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock at Shechem.
- And his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock at Shechem.
Gen.37.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- יוסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הלוא: PART
- אחיך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- רעים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בשכם: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לכה: VERB,qal,imp,2,f,sg
- ואשלחך: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- אליהם: PREP,3,m,pl
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- הנני: PRT+PRON,1,sg
Parallels
- Gen.37:14 (structural): Direct narrative continuation — Jacob sends Joseph to find his brothers at Shechem and Joseph departs; immediate structural parallel within the same episode.
- Gen.34:2-7 (structural): Same locale (Shechem) and the presence/activity of Jacob’s sons there; provides background for why the brothers are at Shechem and the dangerous setting.
- 1 Sam.17:17-19 (thematic): Jesse sends the young David to his brothers at the army encampment with food/words — similar motif of a father sending a younger son to look after or serve his brothers.
- Gen.42:36-38 (thematic): Jacob’s later reluctance and fear about sending Benjamin to Egypt (risk to a favored son) parallels the parental decision to send a son among brothers and the associated anxiety over his safety.
- Gen.22:1-3 (verbal): The formulaic response 'Here am I' (Heb. hineni) recurs in scenes of ready obedience; Joseph’s 'Here am I' echoes this idiom of prompt availability to a father’s summons.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Israel said to Joseph, Are not your brothers pasturing at Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them. And he said to him, Here I am.
- And Israel said to Joseph: Are not your brothers pasturing at Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them. And he said to him: Here I am.
Gen.37.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- נא: PART
- ראה: VERB,qal,imperat,2,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- שלום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אחיך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- ואת: CONJ
- שלום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הצאן: NOUN,m,sg,def
- והשבני: CONJ+VERB,hiphil,impv,2,m,sg,obj:1,sg
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וישלחהו: CONJ+VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg,obj:3,m,sg
- מעמק: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חברון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויבא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- שכמה: NOUN,f,sg,suff,3,f
Parallels
- Gen.37.2 (structural): Same narrative frame establishing Joseph as a young man/shepherd and favorite son — background that explains why Jacob sends him out to the flock and to see his brothers.
- Gen.37.15 (verbal): Immediate narrative parallel/continuation: Joseph’s inquiry about his brothers and their flocks (‘I seek my brethren; tell me where they feed their flocks’) echoes the purpose stated in 37:14 and records the encounter that follows.
- 1 Sam.17:17-20 (thematic): Jesse sends his son David to check on and bring provisions to his brothers at the battlefield; like Joseph’s mission, a father’s sending of a youth to find/visit brothers leads to a pivotal encounter.
- Exod.3:1-4 (thematic): Moses tending Jethro’s flock and going after the flock leads to a decisive encounter (the burning bush). Both passages use the shepherd/going-to-the-flock motif as the occasion for a life-changing meeting.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he said to him, Go now, see the welfare of your brothers and the welfare of the flock, and bring me back word. So he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.
- He said to him: Go, please, see the well-being of your brothers and the well-being of the flock, and bring me back word. And he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.
Gen.37.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וימצאהו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- והנה: ADV
- תעה: VERB,qal,ptc,m,sg
- בשדה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וישאלהו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- האיש: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- מה: PRON,int
- תבקש: VERB,qal,imperfect,2,m,sg
Parallels
- John 1:38 (verbal): Jesus asks the visitors the same interrogative formula (“What seek ye?”), a close verbal parallel to the question posed to Joseph when found wandering in the field.
- John 18:4-7 (verbal): When officers come to arrest Jesus he twice asks “Whom seek ye?”—the same verb and interrogative construction, echoing the sudden question posed to a solitary figure in a rural setting.
- Judges 6:11-14 (structural): Gideon is discovered in an agricultural context (threshing by a winepress) and is addressed by a divine messenger; parallels the motif of a man encountered in the field whose fate is redirected by the encounter.
- Ruth 2:2-3 (thematic): Ruth goes out to glean and is noticed/observed in the fields by others (later by Boaz)—a thematic parallel of a solitary person found and questioned/attended to while working or wandering in a field.
Alternative generated candidates
- And a man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field; and the man asked him, saying, What do you seek?
- A man found him, and look—he was wandering in the field; and the man asked him, saying: What are you seeking?
Gen.37.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- אחי: NOUN,m,pl,suff
- אנכי: PRON,1,sg
- מבקש: VERB,qal,ptc,ms,sg
- הגידה: VERB,piel,imp,2,m,sg
- נא: PART
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- איפה: ADV
- הם: PRON,personal,3,m,pl
- רעים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Gen.37.15 (structural): Immediate context: the man asks Joseph “What seekest thou?” which prompts Joseph’s reply, “I seek my brethren…” — direct narrative antecedent to v.16.
- Gen.37.17 (structural): Immediate continuation: the brothers’ response and the direction to Dothan follow Joseph’s question about where his brothers feed their flocks, continuing the same episode.
- Exod.2.16-17 (thematic): Moses’ encounter with shepherds/daughters at the well (questions about flocks and whereabouts) — a similar pastoral scene of strangers asking/answering about the location of flocks.
- Prov.27.23 (thematic): “Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks…” — a proverbial remark about knowing where one’s flocks are, thematically echoing Joseph’s concern to find where his brothers feed their flocks.
- 1 Sam.17.28 (thematic): David’s brothers rebuke him about leaving the sheep and question where he has left them — parallels the family–shepherding tension and locating sheep/brothers motif in Gen 37:16.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he said, I am seeking my brothers; tell me, please, where they are pasturing.
- He said: I am seeking my brothers; tell me, please, where they are pasturing.
Gen.37.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- האיש: NOUN,m,sg,def
- נסעו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- מזה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- שמעתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,sg
- אמרים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- נלכה: VERB,qal,cohort,1,_,pl
- דתינה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וילך: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- יוסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אחר: PREP
- אחיו: NOUN,3,m,sg,abs
- וימצאם: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- בדתן: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Gen.37.15-16 (structural): Immediate narrative context: the man tells the brothers Joseph has gone to Dothan, and Joseph is sent after them — the same movement/location referenced in v.17.
- Gen.37.20 (verbal): The brothers' explicit plan ('Come, and let us slay him') explains the 'I heard them say' motive reported in v.17 — a direct statement of their intent.
- Gen.37.23-24 (structural): The brothers seize Joseph, strip him and cast him into a pit — the immediate action that follows the plotting alluded to in v.17.
- Gen.37.28 (structural): Joseph is sold to the Ishmaelites/Midianites — the eventual outcome of the brothers' plot initiated at Dothan.
- Ps.41.9 (cf. John 13:18) (thematic): Theme of betrayal by a close companion/kinsman echoes Joseph's betrayal by his brothers; Psalm is later applied in the NT to Judas, showing continuity of the betrayal motif.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the man said, They have set out from here, for I heard them saying, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
- The man said: They have moved on from here, for I heard them saying, Let us go to Dothan. So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
Gen.37.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויראו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- אתו: PRON,3,m,sg,acc
- מרחק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ובטרם: CONJ
- יקרב: VERB,qal,impr,3,m,sg
- אליהם: PREP,3,m,pl
- ויתנכלו: VERB,hitpael,impr,3,m,pl
- אתו: PRON,3,m,sg,acc
- להמיתו: INF,hiphil,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Genesis 37:20 (verbal): Immediate parallel within the same episode—brothers explicitly say 'Come now, let us kill him,' repeating the same intent to slay Joseph.
- Genesis 4:8 (thematic): Earliest instance of fraternal violence: Cain, moved by jealousy, leads his brother outside and kills him; parallels motive (envy) and fraternal murderous intent.
- Genesis 27:41 (thematic): Esau vows to kill Jacob after being deprived of the blessing—another case of sibling rivalry producing a death threat against a brother.
- Genesis 50:15-18 (structural): After Jacob's death the brothers fear Joseph will repay them for their past plot and plead for mercy—this recalls and reverses the earlier conspiracy to kill him.
- Matthew 27:18 (thematic): Pilate perceives that Jesus was handed over out of envy; thematically parallels jealousy as the motive prompting others to seek another's death.
Alternative generated candidates
- And they saw him from afar, and before he drew near to them they conspired against him to put him to death.
- They saw him from afar, and before he drew near to them they conspired against him to put him to death.
Gen.37.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- אחיו: NOUN,3,m,sg,abs
- הנה: PART
- בעל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- החלמות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- הלזה: DEM,ms,sg
- בא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Gen.37:5-11 (verbal): Immediately preceding material: Joseph reports two dreams; verse 37:19 echoes and responds to those dreams by identifying him as “this dreamer.”
- Gen.37:20 (structural): Directly follows 37:19—after mocking Joseph as a dreamer the brothers move from derision to a plan to kill/sell him, showing narrative escalation tied to the dreams.
- Acts 2:17 (quoting Joel 2:28) (quotation): Peter cites Joel’s promise that people will ‘dream dreams’ as legitimate divine revelation—offers a positive, authoritative view of dreams that contrasts with the brothers’ ridicule of Joseph’s dreams.
- Jer.23:25-28 (thematic): Jeremiah condemns prophets who speak ‘out of their own heart’ and ‘dream dreams,’ treating dream-based claims with suspicion and highlighting tensions about the authority of dreams.
- Ezek.13:3-7 (thematic): Ezekiel denounces those who prophesy from dreams and visions as misleading the people—parallels the motif of dream-claims provoking rejection and censure.
Alternative generated candidates
- And they said each man to his brother, Behold, this master of dreams is coming.
- They said each to his brother: Look, here comes this master of dreams.
Gen.37.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ועתה: CONJ
- לכו: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,pl
- ונהרגהו: VERB,qal,cohort,1,m,pl
- ונשלכהו: VERB,qal,cohort,1,m,pl
- באחד: PREP
- הברות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- ואמרנו: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,pl
- חיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- רעה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אכלתהו: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- ונראה: VERB,qal,cohort,1,m,pl
- מה: PRON,int
- יהיו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- חלמתיו: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3m
Parallels
- Gen.4:8 (thematic): Both passages portray fratricidal intent born of jealousy—Cain's killing of Abel parallels Joseph's brothers plotting to kill him.
- Gen.37:24 (structural): Immediate narrative parallel: the brothers strip Joseph and cast him into a pit, enacting the near-fulfillment of their plot to dispose of him.
- Gen.37:28 (structural): Direct continuation/alternative to the murder plot: the brothers sell Joseph to Midianite/Ishmaelite traders instead of leaving him to die.
- Matt.21:38-39 (thematic): The parable of the wicked tenants who kill the landowner's son echoes the motif of kin or tenants rejecting and attempting to kill the heir—analogous to the brothers' rejection and planned murder of Joseph.
- Acts 7:9-10 (quotation): Stephen's speech recounts the same episode—Joseph's brothers selling him into Egypt—used in early Christian retelling of Israel's history.
Alternative generated candidates
- And now, come, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say, A wild animal has devoured him. Then we shall see what will become of his dreams.
- Now then, come, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say, A wild beast has devoured him; then we shall see what will become of his dreams.
Gen.37.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וישמע: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- ראובן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויצלהו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- מידם: PREP
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- נכנו: VERB,qal,imperfect,1,c,pl
- נפש: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Genesis 37:22-24 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation: Reuben intends to rescue Joseph (v.22), but while he is absent the brothers cast Joseph into a pit (v.24), showing how Reuben’s attempt to save him leads to a different outcome.
- Genesis 4:8 (thematic): Early instance of fratricide (Cain kills Abel); provides a stark contrast to Reuben’s effort to prevent the killing of his brother and highlights the recurring theme of sibling violence.
- Genesis 42:21 (thematic): The brothers later acknowledge their guilt—'we are responsible'—recalling their treatment of Joseph; thematically ties to the conscience and consequences of plotting against a brother.
- Genesis 50:15-21 (thematic): Joseph’s later forgiveness and his interpretation that God used the brothers’ evil for good contrasts with their original intent to kill him and shows the long-term resolution of the episode begun in 37:21.
- Psalm 105:17-22 (allusion): A retrospective retelling of Joseph’s story that echoes key elements—sold into Egypt, put in a pit—this psalm alludes to the Genesis account and frames the events as part of God’s providential plan.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Reuben heard, and he delivered him out of their hand; and he said, Let us not take his life.
- Reuben heard, and he rescued him from their hand, and he said: Let us not take his life.
Gen.37.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- ראובן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- תשפכו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- דם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- השליכו: VERB,hif,impv,2,m,pl
- אתו: PRON,3,m,sg,acc
- אל: NEG
- הבור: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
- במדבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויד: CONJ
- אל: NEG
- תשלחו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- בו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- למען: PREP
- הציל: VERB,hif,perf,3,m,sg
- אתו: PRON,3,m,sg,acc
- מידם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- להשיבו: PREP+VERB,hif,inf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- אביו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
Parallels
- Gen.37.24 (verbal): Direct continuation: the brothers ignore Reuben’s plea and actually cast Joseph into the pit—same scene, showing the immediate outcome of the instruction.
- Gen.37.26-27 (thematic): Judah proposes not to kill Joseph but to sell him to the Ishmaelites—an alternative to murder that parallels Reuben’s desire to spare Joseph’s life, though it leads to enslavement rather than restoration.
- Gen.37.29-30 (structural): Reuben returns to the pit intending to rescue Joseph (fulfilling his earlier plan) but finds the boy gone; this episode completes and frustrates the intent expressed in 37:22.
- Jer.38.6 (allusion): Jeremiah is thrown into a cistern/pit to be left to die—uses the same motif of a pit as a place of abandonment and presumed death, highlighting a broader biblical theme of pits as sites of peril and attempted destruction.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Reuben said to them, Shed no blood; throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him—so that he might deliver him out of their hand, to restore him to his father.
- And Reuben said to them: Do not shed blood; throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him—so that he might rescue him out of their hand, to return him to his father.
Gen.37.23 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- כאשר: CONJ
- בא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יוסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- אחיו: NOUN,3,m,sg,abs
- ויפשיטו: VERB,piel,perf,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- יוסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- כתנתו: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- כתנת: NOUN,f,sg,const
- הפסים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עליו: PREP,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Gen.37:3 (verbal): Introduces the special 'coat of many colors' that is here stripped from Joseph — verbal link to the garment as sign of parental favor.
- Gen.37:31–33 (structural): Immediate narrative parallel: the brothers use Joseph's coat (dipped in blood) to deceive Jacob that Joseph was killed — direct continuation of the episode of the coat being taken.
- Gen.37:28 (thematic): Shows the consequence of Joseph's removal of his garment — he is sold to the Ishmaelites; connects the act of stripping with his subsequent betrayal and sale.
- Ps.22:18 (22:17 LXX) (verbal): 'They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots' — a verbal/thematic parallel: garments used as objects of appropriation and as evidence in a scene of violence and humiliation.
- John 19:23–24 (quotation): The soldiers divide Jesus' garments and cast lots (quoting Psalm 22) — thematically resonates with Joseph's removal and the use of his coat in a scene of betrayal and humiliation.
Alternative generated candidates
- And it happened, when Joseph came to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic—the tunic, the ornamented tunic that was on him.
- And it happened, when Joseph came to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic—the ornamented tunic that was on him.
Gen.37.24 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקחהו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- וישלכו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- אתו: PRON,3,m,sg,acc
- הברה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- והבור: NOUN,m,sg,def
- רק: PRT
- אין: PART,neg
- בו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- מים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Gen.37.28 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation: the brothers remove Joseph from the pit and then sell him to the Ishmaelites/Midianites.
- Acts 7:9-10 (quotation): Stephen’s retelling of the patriarchal history summarizes Joseph’s being sold into Egypt—direct New Testament reference to the same event.
- Jeremiah 38:6 (verbal): Jeremiah is cast into a cistern/pit that had no water; shares the same vocabulary and image of an empty pit as a place of peril.
- Ps.40:2 (thematic): Uses the ‘pit’ image for danger and divine deliverance—parallels the motif of peril in a pit and eventual rescue.
Alternative generated candidates
- And they took him and threw him into the pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it.
- And they took him and threw him into the pit. And the pit was empty—there was no water in it.
Gen.37.25 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וישבו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- לאכל: INF,qal
- לחם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וישאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- עיניהם: NOUN,f,pl,abs+3mp
- ויראו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- והנה: ADV
- ארחת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ישמעאלים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- באה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- מגלעד: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וגמליהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3mp
- נשאים: PARTCP,pual,pass,m,pl
- נכאת: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- וצרי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ולט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הולכים: PARTCP,qal,act,m,pl
- להוריד: INF,hiph
- מצרימה: NOUN,prop,pl,m,abs
Parallels
- Gen.37.28 (structural): Direct narrative continuation: the brothers seize the opportunity presented by the passing caravan and sell Joseph to the traders introduced in v.25.
- Gen.37.36 (structural): Summarizes the outcome of the caravan’s arrival—Joseph is sold and brought down to Egypt, tying back to the traders in v.25.
- Gen.39:1 (verbal): Explicitly identifies the traders (Ishmaelites/Midianites) as the ones who sell Joseph to an Egyptian (Potiphar), linking the caravan of v.25 to Joseph’s transfer to Egypt.
- Ps.105:17–22 (thematic): Retells the Joseph tradition—his sale into slavery and God’s providential role—echoing the theological significance of the caravan’s arrival in v.25.
- Acts 7:9–10 (quotation): Stephen’s speech recounts the brothers selling Joseph and God’s deliverance, directly drawing on the Genesis account that begins with the caravan in v.25.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then they sat down to eat bread; and they lifted up their eyes and saw, and behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and resin, going to bring down to Egypt.
- Then they sat down to eat bread; and they lifted up their eyes and saw, and look, a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and resin, going to bring them down to Egypt.
Gen.37.26 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- אל: NEG
- אחיו: NOUN,3,m,sg,abs
- מה: PRON,int
- בצע: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- נהרג: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- אחינו: NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss:1pl
- וכסינו: VERB,qal,perf,1,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- דמו: NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss3ms
Parallels
- Gen.37.27 (structural): Direct continuation of the scene: after Judah objects to murder, he proposes selling Joseph — the immediate practical alternative to killing mentioned in v.26.
- Gen.37.28 (structural): Describes the actual sale of Joseph to the Ishmaelites, the outcome that follows Judah’s objection to shedding blood.
- Gen.44.33 (thematic): Judah’s later self-offering for Benjamin (‘let your servant remain instead of the boy’) contrasts with his earlier role in Joseph’s sale and shows his moral development and responsibility for a brother.
- Gen.4.9 (thematic): Cain’s question ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’ and the episode of Abel’s murder form an earlier fraternal-murder motif that contrasts with Judah’s pragmatic question about profit in killing a brother.
- Lev.17.11 (thematic): Declares the theological significance of blood (‘the life is in the blood’); sheds light on why concealing blood (as v.26 mentions) is morally and ritually serious in the Pentateuchal worldview.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Judah said to his brothers, What profit is it if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?
- Judah said to his brothers: What profit is there if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?
Gen.37.27 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לכו: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,pl
- ונמכרנו: VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
- לישמעאלים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וידנו: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,poss
- אל: NEG
- תהי: VERB,qal,juss,3,f,sg
- בו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- אחינו: NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss:1pl
- בשרנו: NOUN,m,sg,poss
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- וישמעו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- אחיו: NOUN,3,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Genesis 37:26 (structural): Immediate prior verse in the narrative where Judah proposes selling Joseph rather than killing him — sets up the decision recorded in 37:27.
- Genesis 37:28 (verbal): Direct continuation of the plot: Joseph is lifted from the pit and sold to the traders (Midianites/Ishmaelites) for silver, fulfilling the brothers' plan expressed in 37:27.
- Psalm 105:17-22 (allusion): Liturgical retelling of Israel’s history that recounts Joseph being sold into slavery and brought to Egypt, echoing the sale described in Genesis 37.
- Acts 7:9-10 (quotation): Stephen’s speech in Acts summarizes the Joseph story, explicitly stating that his brothers sold him into Egypt — an early Christian retelling of the same episode.
- Matthew 27:3-10 (thematic): The betrayal and sale-for-money motif (Judas sells Jesus for silver) parallels the moral themes of treachery and remorse found in the Joseph brothers’ decision to sell him.
Alternative generated candidates
- Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh. And his brothers listened.
- Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our flesh. And his brothers listened.
Gen.37.28 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויעברו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- אנשים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- מדינים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- סחרים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וימשכו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- ויעלו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- יוסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מן: PREP
- הבור: NOUN,m,sg,def
- וימכרו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- יוסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לישמעאלים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בעשרים: PREP+NUM,card,pl
- כסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויביאו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- יוסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מצרימה: NOUN,prop,pl,m,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 105:17-19 (verbal): Direct retelling of Joseph’s sale into Egypt (sold as a slave; feet hurt with fetters) that echoes Genesis’ account and highlights God’s providential purpose in the episode.
- Acts 7:9-10 (quotation): Stephen’s speech recounts the brothers selling Joseph into Egypt and God’s later rescue—an explicit early Christian citation of the Genesis narrative.
- Matthew 26:14-16 (thematic): Judas agrees to betray Jesus for money; thematically parallels the sale/betrayal motif of a trusted person delivered for silver.
- Matthew 27:3-10 (allusion): The account of Judas’ thirty pieces, remorse, and the use of the money (with Matthean citation of prophecy) echoes the motif of a human sold for money and draws a theological link between betrayal and prophetic fulfillment.
- Zechariah 11:12-13 (allusion): The prophet’s receipt and rejection of thirty pieces of silver becomes the canonical background for the price-of-betrayal motif later applied to Judas; serves as a prophetic parallel to the sale-for-silver theme (note the different amount: Gen 37:28 = twenty, Zech/Matt = thirty).
Alternative generated candidates
- Then Midianite men, traders, passed by; and they drew up and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver; and they brought Joseph to Egypt.
- Then Midianite men, traders, passed by; and they drew up and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and they sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver; and they brought Joseph to Egypt.
Gen.37.29 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וישב: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ראובן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- הבור: NOUN,m,sg,def
- והנה: ADV
- אין: PART,neg
- יוסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בבור: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויקרע: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- בגדיו: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Genesis 37:28 (structural): Immediate narrative parallel: this verse reports that Joseph was taken out of the pit and sold to the Ishmaelites, explaining why Reuben found the pit empty in 37:29.
- Genesis 37:34 (verbal): Same verb and gesture of grief (ויקרע את־בגדיו): Jacob rends his garments on being told that Joseph is dead — a close verbal and thematic echo within the same narrative.
- Job 1:20 (verbal): Job 'rose up and rent his mantle' upon hearing of his children's deaths (ויקרע את־מלאתו) — the same ritual act of tearing clothes as an expression of mourning.
- 2 Samuel 1:11-12 (thematic): David and the men of Israel rent their clothes on hearing of Saul and Jonathan's deaths; communal tearing of garments as a culturally recognized sign of grief mirrors Reuben's action.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Reuben returned to the pit, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he tore his garments.
- Reuben returned to the pit, and look—Joseph was not in the pit; and he tore his garments.
Gen.37.30 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וישב: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- אחיו: NOUN,3,m,sg,abs
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- הילד: NOUN,m,sg,def
- איננו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl,neg
- ואני: PRON,1,sg
- אנה: ADV,interrog
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- בא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Gen.37:31-33 (verbal): Immediate narrative continuation: the brothers display Joseph's bloodied coat and tell Jacob that 'the child is not,' explicitly giving the proof for the report in 37:30.
- Gen.37:34-35 (thematic): Jacob's reaction to the news—deep mourning and belief that Joseph is dead—develops the emotional and thematic consequence of the report in 37:30.
- 2 Sam.12:18-23 (thematic): David's response to the death of his infant (mourning while the child is alive, then acceptance after death) parallels themes of grief, parental loss, and differing reactions to a child's death found in Genesis 37:30–35.
- Gen.45:3 (structural): Later reversal of the presumed-death motif: Joseph reveals himself to his brothers ('I am Joseph'), providing a structural counterpart to the earlier scene where the brothers report him as missing or dead (Gen.37:30).
Alternative generated candidates
- And he returned to his brothers and said, The boy is gone; and I—where shall I go?
- He returned to his brothers and said: The boy is gone, and I—where shall I go?
Gen.37.31 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקחו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- כתנת: NOUN,f,sg,const
- יוסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וישחטו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- שעיר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עזים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ויטבלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- הכתנת: NOUN,f,sg,def
- בדם: PREP
Parallels
- Genesis 39:13-18 (thematic): Potiphar’s wife seizes Joseph’s garment and later presents it as evidence to accuse him—parallel to the brothers’ use of Joseph’s coat (dipped in blood) as fabricated proof.
- Deuteronomy 22:13-21 (thematic): Legal case about a husband bringing evidence concerning a bride’s virginity (tokens/cloth and blood) — a shared motif of bloodied cloth used as decisive proof in an accusation.
- Genesis 44:12-13, 32-34 (structural): In the later testing scene the brothers are accused, their possessions/sacks are inspected and they tear their clothes—echoes of garments as evidentiary objects and of tearing clothes as sign of distress/mourning.
- Psalm 22:17-18 (v.18 in Hebrew/MT) / Matthew 27:35 (thematic): The image of garments being treated as determinative objects (divided, cast lots) parallels the narrative focus on Joseph’s coat as a focal object whose fate determines the characters’ responses and the story’s outcome.
Alternative generated candidates
- And they took Joseph’s tunic and slaughtered a male goat and dipped the tunic in the blood.
- They took Joseph’s tunic, slaughtered a male goat, and dipped the tunic in the blood.
Gen.37.32 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וישלחו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- כתנת: NOUN,f,sg,const
- הפסים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- ויביאו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- אביהם: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- זאת: DEM,f,sg
- מצאנו: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,pl
- הכר: VERB,hiphil,impv,2,m,sg
- נא: PART
- הכתנת: NOUN,f,sg,def
- בנך: NOUN,m,sg,cstr+poss,2,m,sg
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- אם: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
Parallels
- Gen.37:31 (verbal): Immediate narrative parallel — the brothers dip Joseph's coat in blood and bring that very garment to deceive Jacob (preceding verse describes taking and staining the coat).
- Gen.37:33 (structural): Direct continuation — Jacob identifies the bloodied coat as Joseph's and concludes a wild beast has devoured him, showing the effect of the coat's presentation on the father.
- 2 Sam.13:18 (verbal): Describes Tamar wearing a 'garment of many colors' (or richly ornamented robe); parallels Joseph's coat as a distinctive garment marking favored status and family identity.
- Ps.105:17-22 (thematic): Retells key elements of Joseph's suffering and rise (pit, sale, affliction in Egypt) — echoes the broader narrative context initiated by the presentation of the coat.
- Acts 7:9-10 (allusion): Stephen's retelling of Israel's history recounts the brothers' envy and sale of Joseph to Egypt — a New Testament allusion to the same episode that begins with the coat's deception.
Alternative generated candidates
- And they sent the ornamented tunic and brought it to their father and said, This we have found; please recognize whether it is your son’s tunic or not.
- They sent the ornamented tunic and brought it to their father and said: This we have found; recognize, please, whether it is your son’s tunic or not.
Gen.37.33 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויכירה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- כתנת: NOUN,f,sg,const
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- חיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- רעה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אכלתהו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- טרף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- טרף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יוסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Genesis 37:32 (structural): Immediate narrative parallel that explains the origin of the bloodied coat—brothers dipped Joseph’s coat in goat’s blood to simulate his death.
- Genesis 37:35 (thematic): Jacob’s response to the coat (deep mourning and believing Joseph dead) is developed here; echoes the emotional consequence of the presented garment.
- Genesis 44:20 (verbal): The brothers’ later statement to Joseph—'we were twelve brothers... one is not'—echoes the claim that Joseph was missing/dead and recalls the coat-deception.
- Psalm 105:17-19 (allusion): The psalm recounts the Joseph story (sold into Egypt, tested, bound) and functions as a later retelling of the events surrounding Joseph’s disappearance rather than his supposed death.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he recognized it and said, It is my son’s tunic; a wild animal has devoured him; Joseph is torn—torn to pieces.
- He recognized it and said: It is my son’s tunic; a wild beast has devoured him; torn, torn is Joseph.
Gen.37.34 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקרע: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- יעקב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- שמלתיו: NOUN,f,pl,poss:3,m,abs
- וישם: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- שק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- במתניו: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,poss:3,m,abs
- ויתאבל: VERB,hitpael,impf,3,m,sg
- על: PREP
- בנו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- ימים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- רבים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Genesis 37:35 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation: repeats and intensifies Jacob's mourning language (refusal of comfort, prolonged mourning), showing the same ritual response to Joseph's presumed death.
- Job 1:20 (verbal): Job 'tore his robe and shaved his head' after the death of his children—uses the same physical signs of grief (tearing garments) and public mourning for lost offspring.
- 2 Samuel 13:19 (verbal): Tamar 'put ashes on her head and tore her garment'—the joining of sackcloth/ashes and torn clothing as common Israelite expressions of grief and shame parallels Jacob's actions.
- 2 Samuel 12:16–18 (thematic): David's prolonged mourning and fasting over his ill child (who later dies) echoes the theme of intense parental grief and ritual lamentation in response to a child's presumed death.
- Genesis 23:2–4 (thematic): Abraham's mourning and weeping for Sarah illustrates the familiar patriarchal practices of mourning a close family member and situates Jacob's response within Genesis' wider treatment of bereavement.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days.
- Jacob tore his garments, put sackcloth on his loins, and mourned for his son many days.
Gen.37.35 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקמו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- כל: DET
- בניו: NOUN,m,pl,cs
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- בנתיו: NOUN,f,pl,abs+3ms
- לנחמו: PREP+VERB,qal,inf,3,m,sg
- וימאן: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- להתנחם: PREP+VERB,hitpael,inf
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- ארד: VERB,qal,imperfect,1,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- אבל: CONJ
- שאלה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ויבך: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אתו: PRON,3,m,sg,acc
- אביו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
Parallels
- Genesis 44:29-31 (verbal): Jacob again speaks of the prospect of ‘going down’/being brought to Sheol because of losing a son; echoes the language and paternal grief of Gen 37:35.
- Jeremiah 31:15 (verbal): ‘Rachel weeping for her children… she refused to be comforted’—a near verbal and thematic echo (refusal of consolation for lost children) used prophetically for Israel.
- Job 2:11-13 (thematic): Friends and relatives ‘came to comfort’ Job but sit in silence and fail to console him—parallels the motif of family coming to comfort a bereaved figure and the inadequacy of consolation.
- Genesis 23:2 (thematic): Abraham ‘came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her’—another patriarchal scene of family mourning and communal expressions of grief comparable to Jacob’s lament.
Alternative generated candidates
- And all his sons and all his daughters rose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted, and he said, For I will go down to my son, mourning, to Sheol. And his father wept for him.
- All his sons and all his daughters rose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted; and he said: For I will go down to my son mourning, to Sheol. And his father wept for him.
Gen.37.36 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והמדנים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,def
- מכרו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- אתו: PRON,3,m,sg,acc
- אל: NEG
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- לפוטיפר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- סריס: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פרעה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- שר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הטבחים: NOUN,m,pl,def
Parallels
- Genesis 37:28 (verbal): Same episode earlier in the chapter: Midianite/Ishmaelite traders lift Joseph from the pit and sell him into Egypt for silver — directly parallels the sale mentioned in 37:36.
- Genesis 39:1 (structural): Immediate continuation of the narrative in Egypt: Joseph is bought by Potiphar (an officer of Pharaoh), echoing and elaborating the transfer described in 37:36.
- Psalm 105:17-19 (allusion): The psalm retells Israel’s history, explicitly noting that Joseph was sold as a slave in Egypt and that God was with him — a liturgical retelling of the same event.
- Acts 7:9-10 (quotation): Stephen’s speech summarizes the patriarchal story, saying the patriarchs sold Joseph into Egypt and God rescued him — an explicit New Testament reference to the sale.
- Genesis 50:20 (thematic): Joseph interprets his brothers’ sale of him to Egypt as part of God’s providential plan to preserve life — a theological reflection on the significance of the sale recorded in 37:36.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the Medanites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard.
- Meanwhile, the Medanites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.
And his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock in Shechem. And Israel said to Joseph, Are not your brothers pasturing in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them. And he said to him, Here I am. And he said to him, Go, please, see about the well-being of your brothers and the well-being of the flock, and bring me back word. And he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. And a man found him, and there he was wandering in the field; and the man asked him, saying, What are you seeking? And he said, My brothers I am seeking; please tell me where they are pasturing. And the man said, They have set out from here, for I heard them saying, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan. And they saw him from a distance, and before he drew near to them they plotted against him to put him to death. And they said each to his brother, Here comes this master of dreams. And now, come, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say, A wild animal has devoured him; then we shall see what becomes of his dreams. And Reuben heard, and he delivered him out of their hand and said, Let us not take his life. And Reuben said to them, Do not shed blood; throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him—so that he might rescue him from their hand, to restore him to his father. And it happened, when Joseph came to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his robe—the ornamented robe that was on him. And they took him and threw him into the pit; and the pit was empty, there was no water in it. And they sat down to eat bread; and they lifted up their eyes and saw, and look, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, and their camels were carrying gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry them down to Egypt. And Judah said to his brothers, What profit is there if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?
Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh. And his brothers listened. And Midianite men, traders, passed by; and they drew and lifted Joseph up out of the pit, and they sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver; and they brought Joseph to Egypt. And Reuben returned to the pit, and look, Joseph was not in the pit; and he tore his garments. And he returned to his brothers and said, The boy is gone; and I—where shall I go? And they took Joseph’s robe and slaughtered a male goat and dipped the robe in the blood. And they sent the ornamented robe and brought it to their father and said, This we have found; please recognize whether it is your son’s robe or not. And he recognized it and said, It is my son’s robe; a wild beast has devoured him; Joseph is surely torn to pieces. And Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. And all his sons and all his daughters rose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted; and he said, No, for I will go down to my son, mourning, to Sheol. And his father wept for him. And the Medanites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.