Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Genesis 40:1) And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had offended their lord the king of Egypt.
"After these things" refers to Potiphar throwing Joseph in prison and then Joseph becoming well-favored by the keeper of the prison and allowed to handle all the prisoners and their affairs. While Joseph was in prison and in charge of it, the king's butler and his baker offended their king.
(2) And Pharaoh was angry against his two officers, against the chief of the butlers and against the chief of the bakers. (3) And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Joseph was bound. (4) And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them, and they continued a season in ward.
Pharaoh was angry with his chief butler and chief baker and put them in the prison that was apparently in the house of Potiphar, as we were told previously that he was the captain of the guard. This was the same prison where Joseph was imprisoned, and it can be assumed this was Potiphar who put Joseph in charge of the prisoners. Although he had been greatly angered by Joseph, he knew he could handle the affairs of these prisoners, and surely the keeper of the prison also had input regarding the care of prisoners. It seems a funny interpretation that Joseph served the prisoners, but I'm sure he took care of all their needs. The chief butler and chief baker were apparently in prison for awhile.
(5) And they dreamed a dream, both of them, each man his own dream in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were bound in the prison. (6) And Joseph came in to them in the morning and looked at them, and behold, they were sad. (7) And he asked Pharaoh's officers who were with him in the ward of his lord's house, saying, "Why do you look so sad today?"
One night both the butler and the baker each had a dream, each their own dream, not the same one. When Joseph came in to see them the next morning, he could see that they both were sad, or troubled, which might be the better interpretation, as it is also a definition of the original word, "zaaph". Joseph asked these officers of Pharaoh, the chief butler and the chief baker, who were in prison with him, but apparently in a different cell, if you will, since he "came in" to see them, why they looked so troubled.
(8) And they said to him, "We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it." And Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, please."
The butler and the baker were troubled because they didn't understand their dreams, and they told Joseph they had no interpreter here in prison. It is evident in a future scripture that there were many interpreters of dreams around, but they were sad because they did not have access to one now. I believe Joseph's point was that interpretations belonged to God and He could give those interpretations by His Holy Spirit to anyone He desired, so obviously feeling led by the Spirit, Joseph encouraged the butler and the baker to tell him their dreams.
(9) And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, "In my dream, behold, a vine was before me, (10) And in the vine were three branches; and it was as though it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and its clusters brought forth ripe grapes. (11) And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand." (12) And Joseph said to him, "This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days.
The chief butler told his dream to Joseph first, and Joseph began his interpretation. The butler had dreamed of a vine that had three budding branches, and Joseph said the three branches represented three days. He said this surely from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, because it seems three vines could have easily meant something else, or certainly a different amount of time, like three weeks or months or years.
(13) Again within three days Pharaoh shall lift up your head and restore you to your place, and you shall deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand after the former manner when you were his butler.
Joseph continued the interpretation of the butler's dream. He further explained that the three fully ripened branches represented the butler being fully restored to his position as the chief butler of Pharaoh in three days, and that he would be back to placing Pharaoh's cup in his hand as he had once done as his chief butler.
(14) But think of me when it is well with you, and please show kindness to me; and make mention of me to Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house. (15) For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews; and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon."
After Joseph finished the interpretation of the butler's dream, he asked that the butler remember him when he was restored to his position and all was well with him again. He asked that the butler make mention of him to Pharaoh so that he could be released from this prison, and he explained a little of the circumstances that brought him, although he was innocent, to this prison.
(16) When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, "I also was in my dream, and behold, I had three white baskets on my head. (17) And in the uppermost basket there were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head."
The chief baker felt encouraged by the good interpretation of the chief butler's dream and told Joseph his dream, surely expecting a similar outcome.
(18) And Joseph answered and said, "This is the interpretation of it: The three baskets are three days. (19) Yet within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head from off you and will hang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your flesh from off you."
Joseph's interpretation began with the same three days, but this time rather than being restored to his position, the birds eating from out of the basket on his head represented Pharaoh having him beheaded and hung on a tree where the birds would eat his flesh. What a sobering interpretation to I'm sure a stunned chief baker, who now had to wait three days for this horrific outcome!
(20) And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants; and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants.
In three days, on the occasion of his birthday, Pharaoh made a feast for all his servants and lifted up the heads of his chief butler and his chief baker, which meant he probably mentioned them and brought them out of prison, but from that point, he treated their heads differently as indicated in the next verse.
(21) And he restored the chief butler to his butlership again, and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand. (22) But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them.
Pharaoh indeed restored the chief butler to his position, but hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had interpreted.
(23) Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.
The chief butler forgot all about Joseph and his request to be remembered to Pharaoh.
Showing posts with label Potiphar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Potiphar. Show all posts
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Friday, July 5, 2013
Flee From Sin & Follow Righteousness & God Can Bless You in Any Situation
Continuing a chronological Bible study, I now return to the story of Joseph in Egypt:
(Genesis 39:1) And Joseph was brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there.
Joseph's brothers had sold him to some Ishmaelites and they in turn brought Joseph to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, an officer and captain of the guard of Pharaoh.
(2) And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. (3) And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand. (4) And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him; and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.
Joseph was sold into what one would assume would be slavery, and yet the Lord was with him and he prospered! He remained living in the house of his master, who was probably a very wealthy man as a high ranking officer of Pharaoh. Potiphar could see that the Lord was with Joseph and that He prospered everything he did. I don't believe "prosper" necessarily meant money profit, but everything he did succeeded with the favor of the Lord, and the blessings of the Lord were evidently very obvious to Potiphar. It may be because Joseph served Potiphar so well that he found grace in his master's sight, and Potiphar put him in charge over his entire house, which surely meant over servants as well, and gave him control over all his household affairs.
(5) And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house and in the field. (6) And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate. And Joseph was a handsome man, and well favored.
From the time that Joseph took charge over Potiphar's house, the Lord also blessed Potiphar for Joseph's sake, and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in his house and in his field. Therefore, he turned absolutely everything over to Joseph and didn't take part in any of his household affairs. It seems Joseph was also blessed in appearance. I never knew just how much Joseph's physical beauty was celebrated in history and in literature until I read about it in this study. Joseph was the subject of fine Persian poems and even the entire twelfth chapter of the Koran was supposedly written about Joseph where he is described "as a perfect beauty and the most accomplished of mortals". This statement was quoted from Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible; I have not personally read the Koran.
(7) And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, "Lie with me." (8) But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Behold, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. (9) There is no one greater in this house than I, neither has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife; how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?"
Evidently Potiphar's wife noticed how handsome Joseph was and apparently lusted after him. She boldly approached him to sleep with her, but he refused, saying that his master (and her husband) trusted him completely with absolutely everything he had, except her, his wife, and he could never betray that trust and sin so greatly against God.
(10) And it came to pass, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her. (11) And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business, and there were none of the men of the house inside. (12) And she caught him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me," and he left his garment in her hand, and fled and got out.
It appears that Potiphar's wife did not want to take "no" for an answer and continually propositioned him day after day, but he continued to refuse her. One day as Joseph went into the house to do his business, Potiphar's wife took advantage of the fact that they were alone and grabbed Joseph by his clothing and told him to lie with her. However, Joseph fled, leaving his garment in her hand. I always loved that verse; he didn't just refuse her verbally, he fled! Paul oftened used that word in his writings in the New Testament to tell the reader to flee from sin: "flee fornication" (1 Cor. 6:18), "flee from idolatry" (1 Cor. 10:14), "flee these things" (speaking of the love of money and the lusts that follow) in the sixth chapter of 1 Timothy, and "flee also youthful lusts" (2 Tim. 2:22).
(13) And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and had fled, (14) That she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, "See, he has brought in a Hebrew to us to mock us; he came in to me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice. (15) And it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled, and got out."
Potiphar's wife, a woman scorned, when she realized that she had been physically rejected and refused, not just in words this time, apparently sought revenge and called the other men of the house and lied about what had happened. Obviously she had no love for her husband, or else she would not have been seeking to sleep with Joseph, but she seems to blame him for bringing this Hebrew into their household to mock them all. She probably wanted to stir up discontent among all the men of the house to help in her case. She proceeded to totally lie about what had happened between her and Joseph, and said that it was Joseph who made the advances toward her and when she cried out, he fled, leaving his garment.
(16) And she kept his garment by her until his master came home. (17) And she spoke to him with these words, saying, "The Hebrew servant whom you have brought to us, came in to me to mock me; (18) And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out."
Potiphar's wife kept Joseph's garment with her until her husband came home and she told him the same lie she had told the men of the house.
(19) And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, "Your servant did to me after this manner," that his wrath was kindled. (20) And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound; and he was there in the prison.
Apparently believing his wife, Potiphar was, of course, greatly angered by what she told him had happened, and he threw Joseph into the king's prison.
(21) But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. (22) And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; and whatever they did there, it was his doing. (23) The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under his hand, because the LORD was with him, and whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper.
The Lord was still with Joseph and made him prosper even in prison! Even in prison, he was made an overseer, and he managed all the prisoners and all that they did. Just as Potiphar had done with the affairs of his household, the keeper of the prison entirely trusted Joseph with the affairs of the prison and saw no need to look into any of it, because he saw that whatever was in Joseph's hand prospered. Scripture said that Potiphar had seen that the Lord was with Joseph. Verse 23 doesn't really say specifically that the keeper of the prison saw that the Lord was with Joseph, but he did recognize that everything Joseph did prospered and he therefore trusted Joseph with everything, and that was because of the Lord's doing. Isn't it wonderful that the Lord can bless and raise us up in any place or circumstance?!
(Genesis 39:1) And Joseph was brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there.
Joseph's brothers had sold him to some Ishmaelites and they in turn brought Joseph to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, an officer and captain of the guard of Pharaoh.
(2) And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. (3) And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand. (4) And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him; and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.
Joseph was sold into what one would assume would be slavery, and yet the Lord was with him and he prospered! He remained living in the house of his master, who was probably a very wealthy man as a high ranking officer of Pharaoh. Potiphar could see that the Lord was with Joseph and that He prospered everything he did. I don't believe "prosper" necessarily meant money profit, but everything he did succeeded with the favor of the Lord, and the blessings of the Lord were evidently very obvious to Potiphar. It may be because Joseph served Potiphar so well that he found grace in his master's sight, and Potiphar put him in charge over his entire house, which surely meant over servants as well, and gave him control over all his household affairs.
(5) And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house and in the field. (6) And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate. And Joseph was a handsome man, and well favored.
From the time that Joseph took charge over Potiphar's house, the Lord also blessed Potiphar for Joseph's sake, and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in his house and in his field. Therefore, he turned absolutely everything over to Joseph and didn't take part in any of his household affairs. It seems Joseph was also blessed in appearance. I never knew just how much Joseph's physical beauty was celebrated in history and in literature until I read about it in this study. Joseph was the subject of fine Persian poems and even the entire twelfth chapter of the Koran was supposedly written about Joseph where he is described "as a perfect beauty and the most accomplished of mortals". This statement was quoted from Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible; I have not personally read the Koran.
(7) And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, "Lie with me." (8) But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Behold, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. (9) There is no one greater in this house than I, neither has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife; how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?"
Evidently Potiphar's wife noticed how handsome Joseph was and apparently lusted after him. She boldly approached him to sleep with her, but he refused, saying that his master (and her husband) trusted him completely with absolutely everything he had, except her, his wife, and he could never betray that trust and sin so greatly against God.
(10) And it came to pass, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her. (11) And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business, and there were none of the men of the house inside. (12) And she caught him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me," and he left his garment in her hand, and fled and got out.
It appears that Potiphar's wife did not want to take "no" for an answer and continually propositioned him day after day, but he continued to refuse her. One day as Joseph went into the house to do his business, Potiphar's wife took advantage of the fact that they were alone and grabbed Joseph by his clothing and told him to lie with her. However, Joseph fled, leaving his garment in her hand. I always loved that verse; he didn't just refuse her verbally, he fled! Paul oftened used that word in his writings in the New Testament to tell the reader to flee from sin: "flee fornication" (1 Cor. 6:18), "flee from idolatry" (1 Cor. 10:14), "flee these things" (speaking of the love of money and the lusts that follow) in the sixth chapter of 1 Timothy, and "flee also youthful lusts" (2 Tim. 2:22).
(13) And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and had fled, (14) That she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, "See, he has brought in a Hebrew to us to mock us; he came in to me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice. (15) And it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled, and got out."
Potiphar's wife, a woman scorned, when she realized that she had been physically rejected and refused, not just in words this time, apparently sought revenge and called the other men of the house and lied about what had happened. Obviously she had no love for her husband, or else she would not have been seeking to sleep with Joseph, but she seems to blame him for bringing this Hebrew into their household to mock them all. She probably wanted to stir up discontent among all the men of the house to help in her case. She proceeded to totally lie about what had happened between her and Joseph, and said that it was Joseph who made the advances toward her and when she cried out, he fled, leaving his garment.
(16) And she kept his garment by her until his master came home. (17) And she spoke to him with these words, saying, "The Hebrew servant whom you have brought to us, came in to me to mock me; (18) And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out."
Potiphar's wife kept Joseph's garment with her until her husband came home and she told him the same lie she had told the men of the house.
(19) And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, "Your servant did to me after this manner," that his wrath was kindled. (20) And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound; and he was there in the prison.
Apparently believing his wife, Potiphar was, of course, greatly angered by what she told him had happened, and he threw Joseph into the king's prison.
(21) But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. (22) And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; and whatever they did there, it was his doing. (23) The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under his hand, because the LORD was with him, and whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper.
The Lord was still with Joseph and made him prosper even in prison! Even in prison, he was made an overseer, and he managed all the prisoners and all that they did. Just as Potiphar had done with the affairs of his household, the keeper of the prison entirely trusted Joseph with the affairs of the prison and saw no need to look into any of it, because he saw that whatever was in Joseph's hand prospered. Scripture said that Potiphar had seen that the Lord was with Joseph. Verse 23 doesn't really say specifically that the keeper of the prison saw that the Lord was with Joseph, but he did recognize that everything Joseph did prospered and he therefore trusted Joseph with everything, and that was because of the Lord's doing. Isn't it wonderful that the Lord can bless and raise us up in any place or circumstance?!
Sunday, June 23, 2013
What Joseph's Brothers Meant for Evil Against Him...
My chronological Bible study now takes me to Genesis 37.
(Genesis 37:1) And Jacob dwelt in the land where his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.
After a ten-year detour after God told him to leave Laban and Padan Aram and return to the land of his father, Jacob finally made it back there and now dwelled in the land of Canaan, "where his father was a stranger". Canaan was the land of promise to his father Isaac and Isaac's father Abraham before him, but at this time they were still "sojourners" in this land.
(2a) These are the generations of Jacob.
Rather than a mere genealogy of names, this begins a history of events of the children of Jacob.
(2b) Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph brought to his father their evil report.
Joseph, Jacob's son by Rachel, was now 17 years old and was feeding the flock with his brothers. It appears he was specifically with Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher, the sons of Jacob's concubines Bilhah and Zilpah. Joseph brought to his father his brothers' "evil report". The original word "ra" that was transcribed as "evil" can mean a whole range of bad from disagreeable to mischievous to downright evil. The word transcribed as "report" is "dibbah" and means "whispering, slander, defamation, evil report". I believe boys may have just been boys and said things in the fields that they would not have said in the presence of their father, but Joseph told on them. It appears that this was an ongoing practice and not just one isolated event.
(3) Now 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 colors.
Israel, or Jacob, loved Joseph more than all his children. The scripture tells us it was because he was the son of his old age, and so was Benjamin special we are later told for the same reason (Gen. 44:20). At this stage, Joseph may have been the favorite because he was the firstborn son of his beloved Rachel. Also Joseph confided "secrets" to his father, as we were told in verse 2, so they probably had a closer relationship than the others did. For whatever reasons, Joseph was Jacob's favorite and the father evidently treated this son specially and made him a coat of many colors.
(4) And when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.
When Joseph's brothers saw that their father loved Joseph more than he did the rest of them and was so open and visible about it, they hated their brother and couldn't even speak amicably to him. It's really no wonder. Perhaps Jacob couldn't help his feelings for Joseph, but he certainly could have been less transparent about the lopsided love he had for one over the others. I suppose Jacob learned this parenting trick honestly as his parents also played favorites, but remember the trouble that caused!
(5) And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more. (6) And he said to them, "Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: (7) For, 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 bowed down to my sheaf."
Joseph dreamed a dream which he told his brothers and they apparently hated him even more because of it. Again it's no wonder; I believe this is a dream he could have kept to himself. He told his brothers that he had dreamed that they were all binding sheaves in the field, when Joseph's sheaf stood upright and all his brothers' sheaves stood around his sheaf and even bowed down to it. Telling them that dream certainly should have endeared his brothers to him!
(8) And his brothers said to him, "Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?" And they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
Obviously, his brothers were not happy with Joseph's dream in which it appeared they would come to bow down to him. They hated him even more for his dreams, but I believe it was mostly because of his words. He could have kept his dreams to himself and they couldn't have hated him for that reason, but because he told his dreams to his brothers, that really fueled their hate for him.
(9) And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brothers, and said, "Behold, I have dreamed another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars bowed down to me." (10) And he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, "What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow down ourselves to the earth before you?"
Joseph had another dream that he told his brothers and his father. Even his father rebuked him as it seemed the dream meant that he and Joseph's mother and Joseph's eleven brothers were indicated by the sun, moon, and stars in Joseph's dream. That might be, but it also may be, since Joseph referred to "the eleven stars", that Joseph was one of the twelve stars of the zodiac (not an unnatural thought for the times) and all the other heavenly bodies, the sun, moon, and the other eleven stars, bowed down to him. After all, his mother was dead by this time, but then again, any remaining wife of Jacob could have been indicated by this dream. The dream was prophetic and representative of a time when Joseph would have dominion over not only his family but a whole people.
(11) And his brothers envied him, but his father observed the saying.
His brothers hated Joseph all the more because of the dreams and were jealous of him. Even though his father had rebuked him, he kept the matter in mind. He may have rebuked Joseph for his own good, not so much because he found the dream to be a silly idle dream, but because Joseph might appear to be boasting of it to his brothers. It appears that Jacob felt in his heart that there might be something to these dreams.
(12) And his brothers went to feed their father's flock in Shechem.
I found it interesting that they were still going to Shechem. I guess Jacob had bought a parcel of land there (Gen. 33:19), and I suppose they might have full reign of the place since they killed all the men off there, but I would think it might be a hostile environment in the midst of the surrounding cities, considering what they had done to Shechem and his father. Anyway, it seems it was a usual custom back then to move flocks from place to place for good pasturage, and Jacob apparently still owned a perfectly good field in Shechem, so that is where his flocks were at this present time.
(13) And Israel said to Joseph, "Are not your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them." And he said to him, "Here I am." (14) And he said to him, "Please go see if it is well with your brothers and well with the flocks, and bring back word to me." So he sent him out of the valley of Hebron, and he went to Shechem.
I have read that it could have been sixty miles from the valley of Hebron to Shechem, so Joseph's brothers could have been gone a long time, and Jacob may have sincerely been concerned about their well-being, especially at Shechem which may have been considered the center of hostile territory for them. However, if that is the case, it seems odd that he would send his beloved Joseph there all alone, but it appears that is what he did.
(15) And a certain man found him, and there he was, wandering in the field; and the man asked him, saying, "What are you seeking?"
It appears that Joseph made it to the field at Shechem and was wandering around in it looking for his brothers when a man saw him and asked what he was seeking. I have read that the early Jewish writers supposed this was an angel. I don't doubt that Joseph may have been protected on this journey, especially if it was dangerous territory, but then again, it is perfectly reasonable to think a mortal man saw him if he was just wandering around a field because he thought his brothers would be there.
(16) And he said, "I seek my brothers; please tell me where they are feeding their flocks." (17) And the man said, "They have departed from here, for I heard them say, 'Let us go to Dothan.'" And Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan.
Joseph asked the man where he might find his brothers, if he should know, and the man indeed told him that he had heard them say they were going to Dothan, and that is where Joseph found them.
(18) And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near to them, they conspired against him to kill him. (19) And they said one to another, "Look, this dreamer is coming! (20) Come now therefore, and let us kill him and cast him into some pit; and we will say, 'Some evil beast has devoured him,' and we shall see what will become of his dreams!"
I can't help but notice how the fact is written in two different ways--"when they saw him afar off" and "even before he came near to them". It is obvious that Joseph's brothers sought to kill him in cold blood by premeditated murder. They would murder him and then lie about it, but then I guess lying is what murderers always have to do. I also find their statement that they will see what will become of his dreams interesting, because in fact, they will indeed see that in the future.
(21) And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands, and said, "Let us not kill him." (22) And Reuben said to them, "Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and do not lay a hand on him", that he might rid him out of their hands to deliver him to his father again.
When Reuben heard the plan of his other brothers, he saved Joseph from their schemes. He told them not to kill him, but to just throw him into a pit that was there in the wilderness. He planned to go back and retrieve him from the pit and return him to their father.
(23) And it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colors that was on him. (24) And they took him and cast him into a pit, and the pit was empty; there was no water in it.
What a reception Joseph received when he came up to his brothers! Again we have redundancy in the words that they stripped Joseph of "his coat, his coat of many colors". While it might be the second part more fully explained the first, Biblical scholars say it meant they stripped off more than his outer coat of many colors, but also his other clothing. They stripped him naked or nearly so and threw him into the pit. It is pointed out that there was no water in it. This might be mentioned for different reasons. Perhaps it was purposely a dry pit so that he would not drown and Reuben would be able to retrieve him later. It also may be that the brothers were content to have no water in it so that Joseph would thirst and starve to death. Chilling thought that brothers could do such a cruel thing!
(25) And they sat down to eat bread, and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and there a company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, carrying it down to Egypt.
Wow, they have just purposely left their brother to die, and obviously felt no remorse, as they sat down to eat. While they were eating, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites bearing spices from Gilead and taking them to Egypt.
(26) And Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? (27) Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh." And his brothers were content.
I don't know if Judah literally meant there was no monetary profit in merely killing their brother and hiding the fact, or if he meant "what good is it" because it would be difficult to hide and surely they would be found out and would have trouble to pay if and when Joseph was discovered. I can't believe that he suddenly had an attack of conscience and didn't want to kill his own flesh and blood. Maybe if there was another way, he'd just as soon not have to kill him, but was happy to get rid of him just the same. Perhaps seeing that they could profit from getting rid of him, he used a pretense of conscience to justify why they should do it this way. The brothers agreed to this plan.
(28) Then Midianite merchantmen passed by, and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver; and they took Joseph to Egypt.
The Midianites and Ishmaelites were considered one and the same; they were neighbors and often intermingled and the names are interchanged by the author (Moses) to mean the same group of people. John Wesley points out something interesting about this event. It was Judah's idea to sell Joseph for twenty pieces of silver just as Judas would betray our Lord for thirty; even the betrayers' names are almost the same. I think there will be many more similarities between Joseph and Jesus as I know Joseph will come to save his people.
(29) And Reuben returned to the pit, and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit, and he tore his clothes. (30) And he returned to his brothers and said, "The child is no more; and I, where shall I go?"
Apparently Reuben was not with his brothers when the others saw the Ishmaelite caravan and decided to sell their brother. He had probably purposely separated from them so he would not arouse suspicion when he went back to get Joseph out of the pit. Reuben tore his clothes which was a sign of distress and anguish. He went back to his brothers very distraught exclaiming that the child was "no more" and wondered where he could go then. Usually "no more" was a phrase meaning "dead"; how could he possibly return to his father to tell him Joseph was gone? Maybe he meant the child was gone from the pit and where would he go to look for him? Either way, he was greatly distressed over it.
(31) And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood. (32) And they sent the coat of many colors, and they brought it to their father and said, "We have found this; do you know whether it is your son's coat or not?"
I would assume all the brothers, Reuben included, jumped into action to cover their cruel deed. They killed a kid and dipped the coat in its blood; they obviously wanted their father to believe Joseph was dead so that it would end the matter and he wouldn't be looking for him. It appears they couldn't even face their father and they sent the coat by messenger to him.
(33) And he knew it and said, "It is my son's coat; an evil beast has devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces." (34) And Jacob tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days.
Of course, Jacob knew the coat and he assumed, as his other sons had planned, that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. He tore his clothes and also put on sackcloth, which was not only a sign of distress, but also mourning, and he mourned for his son for many days.
(35) And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted, and he said, "For I will go down into the grave to my son mourning." Thus his father wept for him.
Jacob only had one daughter that we know of, unless she was the only one mentioned because of the note-worthy events in her life, and there were others we don't know about. Perhaps daughters-in-law were included, although I believe there was only one of those at this time. The sense is that all his family tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. How hypocritical of his sons to try to comfort their father when they were the ones who unnecessarily put him through this! Jacob mourned and cried for his son, saying surely he would die of grief and join his son in death.
(36) And the Midianites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.
Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph to Potiphar in Egypt, whom this scripture says was an officer and captain of the guard of Pharaoh. The word translated as "officer" is "saris" which usually meant "eunuch". Quite often officers were eunuchs, so perhaps the meanings came to be interchangeable, as later scriptures tell that Potiphar had a wife. But then again, I have read that eunuchs often had wives; they just obviously didn't have children, and that that might be the reason for Potiphar's wife's discontent with her husband. Wow, "captain of the guard" appears to mean "chief of the butchers"! Have I seen that phrase before now in scripture and not seen its meaning? "Tabbach", the word translated as "guard" means "butcher" or "executioner". Strong's extrapolates that because a guard would be called upon to execute, the word naturally means "guard", as well. Come to find out, it is also translated as "cook", a butcher of animals to be cooked, in other places in scripture. It's interesting to me that the image of an officer and captain of the guard of Pharaoh paints a different picture than does a eunuch butcher, but then again, a frustrated eunuch butcher of men sounds pretty terrible! And that is where 17-year-old Joseph finds himself, in the hands of Potiphar.
(Genesis 37:1) And Jacob dwelt in the land where his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.
After a ten-year detour after God told him to leave Laban and Padan Aram and return to the land of his father, Jacob finally made it back there and now dwelled in the land of Canaan, "where his father was a stranger". Canaan was the land of promise to his father Isaac and Isaac's father Abraham before him, but at this time they were still "sojourners" in this land.
(2a) These are the generations of Jacob.
Rather than a mere genealogy of names, this begins a history of events of the children of Jacob.
(2b) Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph brought to his father their evil report.
Joseph, Jacob's son by Rachel, was now 17 years old and was feeding the flock with his brothers. It appears he was specifically with Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher, the sons of Jacob's concubines Bilhah and Zilpah. Joseph brought to his father his brothers' "evil report". The original word "ra" that was transcribed as "evil" can mean a whole range of bad from disagreeable to mischievous to downright evil. The word transcribed as "report" is "dibbah" and means "whispering, slander, defamation, evil report". I believe boys may have just been boys and said things in the fields that they would not have said in the presence of their father, but Joseph told on them. It appears that this was an ongoing practice and not just one isolated event.
(3) Now 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 colors.
Israel, or Jacob, loved Joseph more than all his children. The scripture tells us it was because he was the son of his old age, and so was Benjamin special we are later told for the same reason (Gen. 44:20). At this stage, Joseph may have been the favorite because he was the firstborn son of his beloved Rachel. Also Joseph confided "secrets" to his father, as we were told in verse 2, so they probably had a closer relationship than the others did. For whatever reasons, Joseph was Jacob's favorite and the father evidently treated this son specially and made him a coat of many colors.
(4) And when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.
When Joseph's brothers saw that their father loved Joseph more than he did the rest of them and was so open and visible about it, they hated their brother and couldn't even speak amicably to him. It's really no wonder. Perhaps Jacob couldn't help his feelings for Joseph, but he certainly could have been less transparent about the lopsided love he had for one over the others. I suppose Jacob learned this parenting trick honestly as his parents also played favorites, but remember the trouble that caused!
(5) And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more. (6) And he said to them, "Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: (7) For, 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 bowed down to my sheaf."
Joseph dreamed a dream which he told his brothers and they apparently hated him even more because of it. Again it's no wonder; I believe this is a dream he could have kept to himself. He told his brothers that he had dreamed that they were all binding sheaves in the field, when Joseph's sheaf stood upright and all his brothers' sheaves stood around his sheaf and even bowed down to it. Telling them that dream certainly should have endeared his brothers to him!
(8) And his brothers said to him, "Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?" And they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
Obviously, his brothers were not happy with Joseph's dream in which it appeared they would come to bow down to him. They hated him even more for his dreams, but I believe it was mostly because of his words. He could have kept his dreams to himself and they couldn't have hated him for that reason, but because he told his dreams to his brothers, that really fueled their hate for him.
(9) And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brothers, and said, "Behold, I have dreamed another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars bowed down to me." (10) And he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, "What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow down ourselves to the earth before you?"
Joseph had another dream that he told his brothers and his father. Even his father rebuked him as it seemed the dream meant that he and Joseph's mother and Joseph's eleven brothers were indicated by the sun, moon, and stars in Joseph's dream. That might be, but it also may be, since Joseph referred to "the eleven stars", that Joseph was one of the twelve stars of the zodiac (not an unnatural thought for the times) and all the other heavenly bodies, the sun, moon, and the other eleven stars, bowed down to him. After all, his mother was dead by this time, but then again, any remaining wife of Jacob could have been indicated by this dream. The dream was prophetic and representative of a time when Joseph would have dominion over not only his family but a whole people.
(11) And his brothers envied him, but his father observed the saying.
His brothers hated Joseph all the more because of the dreams and were jealous of him. Even though his father had rebuked him, he kept the matter in mind. He may have rebuked Joseph for his own good, not so much because he found the dream to be a silly idle dream, but because Joseph might appear to be boasting of it to his brothers. It appears that Jacob felt in his heart that there might be something to these dreams.
(12) And his brothers went to feed their father's flock in Shechem.
I found it interesting that they were still going to Shechem. I guess Jacob had bought a parcel of land there (Gen. 33:19), and I suppose they might have full reign of the place since they killed all the men off there, but I would think it might be a hostile environment in the midst of the surrounding cities, considering what they had done to Shechem and his father. Anyway, it seems it was a usual custom back then to move flocks from place to place for good pasturage, and Jacob apparently still owned a perfectly good field in Shechem, so that is where his flocks were at this present time.
(13) And Israel said to Joseph, "Are not your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them." And he said to him, "Here I am." (14) And he said to him, "Please go see if it is well with your brothers and well with the flocks, and bring back word to me." So he sent him out of the valley of Hebron, and he went to Shechem.
I have read that it could have been sixty miles from the valley of Hebron to Shechem, so Joseph's brothers could have been gone a long time, and Jacob may have sincerely been concerned about their well-being, especially at Shechem which may have been considered the center of hostile territory for them. However, if that is the case, it seems odd that he would send his beloved Joseph there all alone, but it appears that is what he did.
(15) And a certain man found him, and there he was, wandering in the field; and the man asked him, saying, "What are you seeking?"
It appears that Joseph made it to the field at Shechem and was wandering around in it looking for his brothers when a man saw him and asked what he was seeking. I have read that the early Jewish writers supposed this was an angel. I don't doubt that Joseph may have been protected on this journey, especially if it was dangerous territory, but then again, it is perfectly reasonable to think a mortal man saw him if he was just wandering around a field because he thought his brothers would be there.
(16) And he said, "I seek my brothers; please tell me where they are feeding their flocks." (17) And the man said, "They have departed from here, for I heard them say, 'Let us go to Dothan.'" And Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan.
Joseph asked the man where he might find his brothers, if he should know, and the man indeed told him that he had heard them say they were going to Dothan, and that is where Joseph found them.
(18) And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near to them, they conspired against him to kill him. (19) And they said one to another, "Look, this dreamer is coming! (20) Come now therefore, and let us kill him and cast him into some pit; and we will say, 'Some evil beast has devoured him,' and we shall see what will become of his dreams!"
I can't help but notice how the fact is written in two different ways--"when they saw him afar off" and "even before he came near to them". It is obvious that Joseph's brothers sought to kill him in cold blood by premeditated murder. They would murder him and then lie about it, but then I guess lying is what murderers always have to do. I also find their statement that they will see what will become of his dreams interesting, because in fact, they will indeed see that in the future.
(21) And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands, and said, "Let us not kill him." (22) And Reuben said to them, "Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and do not lay a hand on him", that he might rid him out of their hands to deliver him to his father again.
When Reuben heard the plan of his other brothers, he saved Joseph from their schemes. He told them not to kill him, but to just throw him into a pit that was there in the wilderness. He planned to go back and retrieve him from the pit and return him to their father.
(23) And it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colors that was on him. (24) And they took him and cast him into a pit, and the pit was empty; there was no water in it.
What a reception Joseph received when he came up to his brothers! Again we have redundancy in the words that they stripped Joseph of "his coat, his coat of many colors". While it might be the second part more fully explained the first, Biblical scholars say it meant they stripped off more than his outer coat of many colors, but also his other clothing. They stripped him naked or nearly so and threw him into the pit. It is pointed out that there was no water in it. This might be mentioned for different reasons. Perhaps it was purposely a dry pit so that he would not drown and Reuben would be able to retrieve him later. It also may be that the brothers were content to have no water in it so that Joseph would thirst and starve to death. Chilling thought that brothers could do such a cruel thing!
(25) And they sat down to eat bread, and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and there a company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, carrying it down to Egypt.
Wow, they have just purposely left their brother to die, and obviously felt no remorse, as they sat down to eat. While they were eating, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites bearing spices from Gilead and taking them to Egypt.
(26) And Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? (27) Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh." And his brothers were content.
I don't know if Judah literally meant there was no monetary profit in merely killing their brother and hiding the fact, or if he meant "what good is it" because it would be difficult to hide and surely they would be found out and would have trouble to pay if and when Joseph was discovered. I can't believe that he suddenly had an attack of conscience and didn't want to kill his own flesh and blood. Maybe if there was another way, he'd just as soon not have to kill him, but was happy to get rid of him just the same. Perhaps seeing that they could profit from getting rid of him, he used a pretense of conscience to justify why they should do it this way. The brothers agreed to this plan.
(28) Then Midianite merchantmen passed by, and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver; and they took Joseph to Egypt.
The Midianites and Ishmaelites were considered one and the same; they were neighbors and often intermingled and the names are interchanged by the author (Moses) to mean the same group of people. John Wesley points out something interesting about this event. It was Judah's idea to sell Joseph for twenty pieces of silver just as Judas would betray our Lord for thirty; even the betrayers' names are almost the same. I think there will be many more similarities between Joseph and Jesus as I know Joseph will come to save his people.
(29) And Reuben returned to the pit, and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit, and he tore his clothes. (30) And he returned to his brothers and said, "The child is no more; and I, where shall I go?"
Apparently Reuben was not with his brothers when the others saw the Ishmaelite caravan and decided to sell their brother. He had probably purposely separated from them so he would not arouse suspicion when he went back to get Joseph out of the pit. Reuben tore his clothes which was a sign of distress and anguish. He went back to his brothers very distraught exclaiming that the child was "no more" and wondered where he could go then. Usually "no more" was a phrase meaning "dead"; how could he possibly return to his father to tell him Joseph was gone? Maybe he meant the child was gone from the pit and where would he go to look for him? Either way, he was greatly distressed over it.
(31) And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood. (32) And they sent the coat of many colors, and they brought it to their father and said, "We have found this; do you know whether it is your son's coat or not?"
I would assume all the brothers, Reuben included, jumped into action to cover their cruel deed. They killed a kid and dipped the coat in its blood; they obviously wanted their father to believe Joseph was dead so that it would end the matter and he wouldn't be looking for him. It appears they couldn't even face their father and they sent the coat by messenger to him.
(33) And he knew it and said, "It is my son's coat; an evil beast has devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces." (34) And Jacob tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days.
Of course, Jacob knew the coat and he assumed, as his other sons had planned, that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. He tore his clothes and also put on sackcloth, which was not only a sign of distress, but also mourning, and he mourned for his son for many days.
(35) And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted, and he said, "For I will go down into the grave to my son mourning." Thus his father wept for him.
Jacob only had one daughter that we know of, unless she was the only one mentioned because of the note-worthy events in her life, and there were others we don't know about. Perhaps daughters-in-law were included, although I believe there was only one of those at this time. The sense is that all his family tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. How hypocritical of his sons to try to comfort their father when they were the ones who unnecessarily put him through this! Jacob mourned and cried for his son, saying surely he would die of grief and join his son in death.
(36) And the Midianites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.
Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph to Potiphar in Egypt, whom this scripture says was an officer and captain of the guard of Pharaoh. The word translated as "officer" is "saris" which usually meant "eunuch". Quite often officers were eunuchs, so perhaps the meanings came to be interchangeable, as later scriptures tell that Potiphar had a wife. But then again, I have read that eunuchs often had wives; they just obviously didn't have children, and that that might be the reason for Potiphar's wife's discontent with her husband. Wow, "captain of the guard" appears to mean "chief of the butchers"! Have I seen that phrase before now in scripture and not seen its meaning? "Tabbach", the word translated as "guard" means "butcher" or "executioner". Strong's extrapolates that because a guard would be called upon to execute, the word naturally means "guard", as well. Come to find out, it is also translated as "cook", a butcher of animals to be cooked, in other places in scripture. It's interesting to me that the image of an officer and captain of the guard of Pharaoh paints a different picture than does a eunuch butcher, but then again, a frustrated eunuch butcher of men sounds pretty terrible! And that is where 17-year-old Joseph finds himself, in the hands of Potiphar.
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