Genesis 37:1

1 Now Jacob was living in the land where his father had made a place for himself, in the land of Canaan.

Genesis 37:1 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 37:1

And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger,
&c.] And this stands opposed unto, and is distinguished from the case and circumstances of Esau and his posterity, expressed in the preceding chapter, who dwelt in the land of their possession, not as strangers and sojourners, as Jacob and his seed, but as lords and proprietors; and so these words may be introduced and read in connection with the former history; "but Jacob dwelt" ^F1; and this verse would better conclude the preceding chapter than begin a new one. The Targum of Jonathan paraphrases the words, "and Jacob dwelt quietly"; or peaceably, in tranquillity and safety; his brother Esau being gone from him into another country, he remained where his father lived and died, and in the country that by his blessing belonged to him:

in the land of Canaan,
and particularly in Hebron, where Isaac and Abraham before him had dwelt.

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FOOTNOTES:

F1 (bvyw) "at habitavit", Schmidt.

Genesis 37:1 In-Context

1 Now Jacob was living in the land where his father had made a place for himself, in the land of Canaan.

2 These are the generations of Jacob: Joseph, a boy seventeen years old, was looking after the flock, together with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph gave their father a bad account of them.

3 Now the love which Israel had for Joseph was greater than his love for all his other children, because he got him when he was an old man: and he had a long coat made for him.

4 And because his brothers saw that Joseph was dearer to his father than all the others, they were full of hate for him, and would not say a kind word to him.

5 Now Joseph had a dream, and he gave his brothers an account of it, which made their hate greater than ever.