Genesis 37:16

16 “I’m looking for my brothers,” Joseph replied. “Do you know where they are pasturing their sheep?”

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 “Go and see how your brothers and the flocks are getting along,” Jacob said. “Then come back and bring me a report.” So Jacob sent him on his way, and Joseph traveled to Shechem from their home in the valley of Hebron.
15 When he arrived there, a man from the area noticed him wandering around the countryside. “What are you looking for?” he asked.
16 “I’m looking for my brothers,” Joseph replied. “Do you know where they are pasturing their sheep?”
17 “Yes,” the man told him. “They have moved on from here, but I heard them say, ‘Let’s go on to Dothan.’” So Joseph followed his brothers to Dothan and found them there.
18 When Joseph’s brothers saw him coming, they recognized him in the distance. As he approached, they made plans to kill him.
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