Genesis 37:16

16 And he said, "I am seeking my brothers. Tell me, please, where they are pasturing."

Genesis 37:16 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 37:16

And he said, I seek my brethren
Whom, no doubt, he described to the man, and told him who they were, and to whom they belonged; or otherwise the man would have been at a loss to know who he meant, and what further to say to him, and without which Joseph would never have made the following request to him:

tell me, I pray thee, where they feed [their flocks];
in what part of the country they are, what field they are in, how far to it, and which the way.

Genesis 37:16 In-Context

14 Then he said to him, "Go now, see {if it goes well for your brothers and for the flock}, then return word to me." And he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he arrived at Shechem.

15 And a man found him, and behold, he was wandering about in a field. And the man asked him, "What do you seek?"

16 And he said, "I am seeking my brothers. Tell me, please, where they are pasturing."

17 And the man said, "They have moved on from here, for I heard [them] saying, 'Let us go to Dothan.'" Then Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan.

18 And they saw him from a distance. And before he drew near to them, they conspired against him to kill him.