Genesis 37

Genesis · Chapter 37

Genesis 37:15

1And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.2These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.3Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.4And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.5And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.6And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:7For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.8And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.9And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.10And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?11And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.12And his brethren went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem.13And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I.14And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.15And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?16And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks.17And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan.18And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.19And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.20Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.21And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him.22And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.23And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him;24And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.25And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.26And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?27Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.28Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.29And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.30And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?31And they took Joseph’s coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;32And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son’s coat or no.33And he knew it, and said, It is my son’s coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.34And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.35And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.36And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, and captain of the guard.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
15And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?a man found him wandering in the field and asked, “What are you looking for?”And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
and he found himוַיִּמְצָאֵ֣הוּvai-yim-tza-'E-huH4672
to find

מָצָא (ma.tsa) 1) to find, attain to 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to find 1a1a) to find, secure, acquire, get (thing sought) 1a1b) to find (what is lost) 1a1c) to meet, encounter 1a1d) to find (a condition) 1a1e) to learn, devise 1a2) to find out 1a2a) to find out 1a2b) to detect 1a2c) to guess 1a3) to come upon, light upon 1a3a) to happen upon, meet, fall in with 1a3b) to hit 1a3c) to befall 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be found 1b1a) to be encountered, be lighted upon, be discovered 1b1b) to appear, be recognised 1b1c) to be discovered, be detected 1b1d) to be gained, be secured 1b2) to be, be found 1b2a) to be found in …

a manאִ֔ישׁ'IshH0376G
man

אִישׁ (ish) : man 1) man 1a) man, male (in contrast to woman, female) 1b) husband 1c) human being, person (in contrast to God) 1d) servant 1e) mankind 1f) champion 1g) great man 2) whosoever 3) each (adjective)

and there!וְהִנֵּ֥הve-hi-NEHH2009
behold

הִנֵּה (hin.neh) behold, lo, see, if

[he was] wanderingתֹעֶ֖הto-'EHH8582
to go astray

תָּעָה (ta.ah) 1) to err, wander, go astray, stagger 1a) (Qal) to err 1a1) to wander about (physically) 1a2) of intoxication 1a3) of sin (ethically) 1a4) wandering (of the mind) 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be made to wander about, be made to stagger (drunkard) 1b2) to be led astray (ethically) 1c) (Hiphil) to cause to wander 1c1) to cause to wander about (physically) 1c2) to cause to wander (of intoxication) 1c3) to cause to err, mislead (mentally and morally)

in the open countryבַּשָּׂדֶ֑הba-sa-DEHH7704GNo entry
and he asked himוַיִּשְׁאָלֵ֧הוּvai-yish-'a-LE-huH7592
to ask

שָׁאַל (sha.al) 1) to ask, enquire, borrow, beg 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to ask, ask for 1a2) to ask (as a favour), borrow 1a3) to enquire, enquire of 1a4) to enquire of, consult (of deity, oracle) 1a5) to seek 1b) (Niphal) to ask for oneself, ask leave of absence 1c) (Piel) 1c1) to enquire, enquire carefully 1c2) to beg, practise beggary 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to be given on request 1d2) to grant, make over to, let (one) ask (successfully) or give or lend on request (then) grant or make over to Aramaic equivalent: she.el (שְׁאֵל "to ask" H7593)

the manהָאִ֛ישׁha-'ISHH0376G
man

אִישׁ (ish) : man 1) man 1a) man, male (in contrast to woman, female) 1b) husband 1c) human being, person (in contrast to God) 1d) servant 1e) mankind 1f) champion 1g) great man 2) whosoever 3) each (adjective)

to sayingלֵאמֹ֖רle-MORH0559
to say

אָמַר (a.mar) 1) to say, speak, utter 1a) (Qal) to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend 1b) (Niphal) to be told, to be said, to be called 1c) (Hithpael) to boast, to act proudly 1d) (Hiphil) to avow, to avouch Aramaic equivalent: a.mar (אֲמַר "to say" H0560)

what?מַה־mah-H4100
what

מָא (ma) 1) what, whatever 1a) what? 1b) whatever, what, whatsoever 1c) how?, why?, wherefore? (with prefixes)

are you seekingתְּבַקֵּֽשׁ׃te-va-KESHH1245
to seek

בָּקַשׁ (ba.qash) 1) to seek, require, desire, exact, request 1a) (Piel) 1a1) to seek to find 1a2) to seek to secure 1a3) to seek the face 1a4) to desire, demand 1a5) to require, exact 1a6) to ask, request 1b) (Pual) to be sought

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.