Genèse 37

1 Or, Jacob demeura au pays où son père avait séjourné, au pays de Canaan.

2 Voici l'histoire des descendants de Jacob. Joseph, âgé de dix-sept ans, paissait les troupeaux avec ses frères; et il était jeune berger auprès des fils de Bilha, et auprès des fils de Zilpa, femmes de son père. Et Joseph rapporta à leur père leurs mauvais discours.

3 Or, Israël aimait Joseph plus que tous ses autres fils, car c'était le fils de sa vieillesse; et il lui fit une robe de diverses couleurs.

4 Mais ses frères, voyant que leur père l'aimait plus que tous ses frères, le haïssaient, et ne pouvaient lui parler sans aigreur.

5 Et Joseph eut un songe, et le fit connaître à ses frères, et ils le haïrent encore plus.

6 Il leur dit donc: Écoutez, je vous prie, ce songe que j'ai eu.

7 Voici, nous étions à lier des gerbes au milieu des champs. Et voici, ma gerbe se leva et se tint debout. Et voici, vos gerbes l'environnèrent et se prosternèrent devant ma gerbe.

8 Alors ses frères lui dirent: Régnerais-tu donc sur nous? ou nous gouvernerais-tu? Et ils le haïrent encore plus pour ses songes et pour ses paroles.

9 Il eut encore un autre songe et le raconta à ses frères, et il dit: Voici, j'ai eu encore un songe. Et voici, le soleil, et la lune, et onze étoiles se prosternaient devant moi.

10 Et il le raconta à son père, et à ses frères; mais son père le reprit, et lui dit: Que veut dire ce songe que tu as eu? Faudra-t-il que nous venions, moi et ta mère et tes frères, nous prosterner en terre devant toi?

11 Et ses frères furent jaloux de lui; mais son père retint ces choses.

12 Or, ses frères allèrent paître les troupeaux de leur père à Sichem.

13 Et Israël dit à Joseph: Tes frères ne paissent-ils pas les troupeaux à Sichem? Viens, que je t'envoie vers eux. Et il lui répondit: Me voici.

14 Et il lui dit: Va donc; vois comment vont tes frères et comment vont les troupeaux, et rapporte-m'en des nouvelles. Il l'envoya ainsi de la vallée d'Hébron, et il vint à Sichem.

15 Et un homme le trouva errant par les champs; et cet homme l'interrogea, et lui dit: Que cherches-tu?

16 Et il répondit: Je cherche mes frères; enseigne-moi, je te prie, où ils paissent.

17 Et l'homme dit: Ils sont partis d'ici; car je les ai entendus dire: Allons à Dothaïn. Joseph alla donc après ses frères, et il les trouva à Dothaïn.

18 Et ils le virent de loin. Et avant qu'il fût près d'eux, ils complotèrent contre lui de le mettre à mort.

19 Et ils se dirent l'un à l'autre: Voici ce songeur qui vient.

20 Maintenant donc, venez, tuons-le, et le jetons dans quelque fosse, et nous dirons qu'une bête féroce l'a dévoré; et nous verrons ce que deviendront ses songes.

21 Mais Ruben entendit cela, et le délivra de leurs mains, et dit: Ne lui ôtons point la vie.

22 Puis Ruben leur dit: Ne répandez point le sang; jetez-le dans cette fosse, qui est au désert, et ne mettez point la main sur lui. C'était pour le délivrer de leurs mains, pour le rendre à son père.

23 Et dès que Joseph fut arrivé auprès de ses frères, ils le dépouillèrent de sa robe, de la robe de diverses couleurs qui était sur lui.

24 Et ils le saisirent, et le jetèrent dans la fosse. Or la fosse était vide; il n'y avait point d'eau.

25 Ensuite ils s'assirent pour manger le pain. Et, levant les yeux, ils regardèrent, et voici une caravane d'Ismaélites qui venait de Galaad; et leurs chameaux, chargés d'aromates, de baume, et de myrrhe, allaient les porter en Égypte.

26 Et Juda dit à ses frères: A quoi nous servira de tuer notre frère et de cacher son sang?

27 Venez, et vendons-le aux Ismaélites, et que notre main ne soit point sur lui; car il est notre frère, notre chair. Et ses frères lui obéirent.

28 Et comme les marchands Madianites passaient, ils tirèrent et firent remonter Joseph de la fosse; et ils vendirent Joseph pour vingt pièces d'argent aux Ismaélites, qui l'emmenèrent en Égypte.

29 Et Ruben retourna à la fosse, et voici, Joseph n'était plus dans la fosse. Alors il déchira ses vêtements;

30 Et il retourna vers ses frères, et dit: L'enfant n'y est plus; et moi, moi, où irai-je?

31 Et ils prirent la robe de Joseph, tuèrent un bouc, et trempèrent la robe dans le sang.

32 Ensuite ils envoyèrent et firent parvenir à leur père la robe de diverses couleurs, en lui faisant dire: Nous avons trouvé ceci; reconnais si c'est la robe de ton fils, ou non.

33 Et il la reconnut, et dit: C'est la robe de mon fils; une bête féroce l'a dévoré; certainement Joseph a été mis en pièces.

34 Et Jacob déchira ses vêtements, et mit un sac sur ses reins, et mena deuil sur son fils pendant longtemps.

35 Et tous ses fils, et toutes ses filles vinrent pour le consoler; mais il refusa d'être consolé, et il dit: Je descendrai en deuil vers mon fils au Sépulcre! C'est ainsi que son père le pleura.

36 Et les Madianites le vendirent en Égypte à Potiphar, officier de Pharaon, chef des gardes.

Genèse 37 Commentary

Chapter 37

Joseph is loved of Jacob, but hated by his brethren. (1-4) Joseph's dreams. (5-11) Jacob sends Joseph to visit his brethren, They conspire his death. (12-22) Joseph's brethren sell him. (23-10) Jacob deceived, Joseph sold to Potiphar. (31-36)

Verses 1-4 In Joseph's history we see something of Christ, who was first humbled and then exalted. It also shows the lot of Christians, who must through many tribulations enter into the kingdom. It is a history that has none like it, for displaying the various workings of the human mind, both good and bad, and the singular providence of God in making use of them for fulfilling his purposes. Though Joseph was his father's darling, yet he was not bred up in idleness. Those do not truly love their children, who do not use them to business, and labour, and hardships. The fondling of children is with good reason called the spoiling of them. Those who are trained up to do nothing, are likely to be good for nothing. But Jacob made known his love, by dressing Joseph finer than the rest of his children. It is wrong for parents to make a difference between one child and another, unless there is great cause for it, by the children's dutifulness, or undutifulness. When parents make a difference, children soon notice it, and it leads to quarrels in families. Jacob's sons did that, when they were from under his eye, which they durst not have done at home with him; but Joseph gave his father an account of their ill conduct, that he might restrain them. Not as a tale-bearer, to sow discord, but as a faithful brother.

Verses 5-11 God gave Joseph betimes the prospect of his advancement, to support and comfort him under his long and grievous troubles. Observe, Joseph dreamed of his preferment, but he did not dream of his imprisonment. Thus many young people, when setting out in the world, think of nothing but prosperity and pleasure, and never dream of trouble. His brethren rightly interpreted the dream, though they abhorred the interpretation of it. While they committed crimes in order to defeat it, they were themselves the instruments of accomplishing it. Thus the Jews understood what Christ said of his kingdom. Determined that he should not reign over them, they consulted to put him to death; and by his crucifixion, made way for the exaltation they designed to prevent.

Verses 12-22 How readily does Joseph wait his father's orders! Those children who are best beloved by their parents, should be the most ready to obey them. See how deliberate Joseph's brethren were against him. They thought to slay him from malice aforethought, and in cold blood. Whosoever hateth his brother is ( 1 John. 3:15 ) because their father loved him. New occasions, as his dreams and the like, drew them on further; but this laid rankling in their hearts, till they resolved on his death. God has all hearts in his hands. Reuben had most reason to be jealous of Joseph, for he was the first-born; yet he proves his best friend. God overruled all to serve his own purpose, of making Joseph an instrument to save much people alive. Joseph was a type of Christ; for though he was the beloved Son of his Father, and hated by a wicked world, yet the Father sent him out of his bosom to visit us in great humility and love. He came from heaven to earth to seek and save us; yet then malicious plots were laid against him. His own not only received him not, but crucified him. This he submitted to, as a part of his design to redeem and save us.

Verses 23-30 They threw Joseph into a pit, to perish there with hunger and cold; so cruel were their tender mercies. They slighted him when he was in distress, and were not grieved for the affliction of Joseph, see ( Amos 6:6 ) ; for when he was pining in the pit, they sat down to eat bread. They felt no remorse of conscience for the sin. But the wrath of man shall praise God, and the remainder of wrath he will restrain, ( Psalms 76:10 ) . Joseph's brethren were wonderfully restrained from murdering him, and their selling him as wonderfully turned to God's praise.

Verses 31-36 When Satan has taught men to commit one sin, he teaches them to try to conceal it with another; to hide theft and murder, with lying and false oaths: but he that covers his sin shall not prosper long. Joseph's brethren kept their own and one another's counsel for some time; but their villany came to light at last, and it is here published to the world. To grieve their father, they sent him Joseph's coat of colours; and he hastily thought, on seeing the bloody coat, that Joseph was rent in pieces. Let those that know the heart of a parent, suppose the agony of poor Jacob. His sons basely pretended to comfort him, but miserable, hypocritical comforters were they all. Had they really desired to comfort him, they might at once have done it, by telling the truth. The heart is strangely hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Jacob refused to be comforted. Great affection to any creature prepares for so much the greater affliction, when it is taken from us, or made bitter to us: undue love commonly ends in undue grief. It is the wisdom of parents not to bring up children delicately, they know not to what hardships they may be brought before they die. From the whole of this chapter we see with wonder the ways of Providence. The malignant brothers seem to have gotten their ends; the merchants, who care not what they deal in so that they gain, have also obtained theirs; and Potiphar, having got a fine young slave, has obtained his! But God's designs are, by these means, in train for execution. This event shall end in Israel's going down to Egypt; that ends in their deliverance by Moses; that in setting up the true religion in the world; and that in the spread of it among all nations by the gospel. Thus the wrath of man shall praise the Lord, and the remainder thereof will he restrain.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 37

In this chapter begins the history of Joseph, with whom the remaining part of this book is chiefly concerned; and here are related the hatred of his brethren to him, because he brought an ill report of them to his father, and because his father loved him, and which was increased by the dream he dreamed, and told them of, Ge 37:1-11; a visit of his to his brethren in the fields, whom he found after a long search of them, Ge 37:12-17; their conspiracy on sight of him to slay him, but by the advice of Reuben it was agreed to cast him into a pit, which they did, Ge 37:18-24; and after that, at the motion of Judah, sold him to the Ishmaelites, who were going to Egypt, Ge 37:25-28; this being done, Reuben being absent, and not finding Joseph in the pit, was in great distress, Ge 37:29,30; their contrivance to deceive their father, and make him believe that Joseph was destroyed by a wild beast, which on the sight of the coat he credited, and became inconsolable, Ge 37:31-35; and the chapter concludes with the sale of Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, Ge 37:36.