Genesis 37:1

1 Jacob continued to live in the land of Canaan, where his father had lived,

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.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F1 (bvyw) "at habitavit", Schmidt.

Genesis 37:1 In-Context

1 Jacob continued to live in the land of Canaan, where his father had lived,

2 and this is the story of Jacob's family. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, took care of the sheep and goats with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's concubines. He brought bad reports to his father about what his brothers were doing.

3 Jacob loved Joseph more than all his other sons, because he had been born to him when he was old. He made a long robe with full sleeves for him.

4 When his brothers saw that their father loved Joseph more than he loved them, they hated their brother so much that they would not speak to him in a friendly manner.

5 One time Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him even more.