Genesis 37:19

19 They said to each other, "Look, this dreamer is coming!

Genesis 37:19 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 37:19

And they said one to another
According to the Targum of Jonathan, Simeon and Levi said what follows: nor is it unlikely, since they were hot, passionate, cruel, and bloody minded men, as appears by the affair of Shechem; and perhaps this may be the reason why Joseph afterwards, when governor of Egypt, took Simeon and bound him, ( Genesis 42:24 ) ; which was but a just retaliation for his advice to cast him into a pit when slain:

behold, this dreamer cometh;
or "master of dreams" F18; not of the interpretation of them, but of dreaming them; that had them at his command when he pleased, as they jeeringly flouted him; as if he was a framer and contriver of them, and only pretended to them when he had none, or else that he was frequently dreaming and telling his dreams; this they said in a sarcastic way, and, perhaps, as pleased, and rejoicing that such an opportunity offered to take their revenge on him: this shows that it was on the account of his dreams chiefly that they bore such a grudge against him, that this was uppermost on their minds, and was revived at first sight of him, and from whence their malice sprung.


FOOTNOTES:

F18 (twmlxh leb) "magister somniorum", Tigurine version, Montanus; "dominus somniorum", Vatablus, Junius & Tremellius

Genesis 37:19 In-Context

17 The man said, "They've left here; because I heard them say, 'Let's go to Dotan.'"Yosef went after his brothers and found them in Dotan.
18 They spotted him in the distance, and before he had arrived where they were, they had already plotted to kill him.
19 They said to each other, "Look, this dreamer is coming!
20 So come now, let's kill him and throw him into one of these water cisterns here. Then we'll say some wild animal devoured him. We'll see then what becomes of his dreams!"
21 But when Re'uven heard this, he saved him from being destroyed by them. He said, "We shouldn't take his life.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.