Genesis 37:16

16 "I am looking for my brothers, who are taking care of their flock," he answered. "Can you tell me where they are?"

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 His father told him, "Go and see if your brothers are safe and if the flock is all right; then come back and tell me." So his father sent him on his way from Hebron Valley. Joseph arrived at Shechem
15 and was wandering around in the country when a man saw him and asked him, "What are you looking for?"
16 "I am looking for my brothers, who are taking care of their flock," he answered. "Can you tell me where they are?"
17 The man said, "They have already left. I heard them say that they were going to Dothan." So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
18 They saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted against him and decided to kill him.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.