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Genesis 37:2

in Genesis 37

This is the account of Jacob. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he was tending the flock with his brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah, and he brought their father a bad report about them.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and he was a lad with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph brought the evil report of them unto their father.

KJV

These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.

This verse in Genesis 37

Commentary

8 notes on this verse

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

These are the generations - תלדות toledoth, the history of the lives and actions of Jacob and his sons; for in this general sense the original must be taken, as in the whole of the ensuing history there is no particular account of any genealogical succession. Yet the words may be understood as referring to the tables or genealogical lists in the preceding chapter; and if so, the original must be understood in its common acceptation.

This site's exposition

This is the account of Jacob

This is the account of Jacob, the eleventh and last of the headings that divide Genesis. The first stands at Genesis 2:4 over the heavens and the earth, and this one opens on a single household. Missler read the whole book by these eleven divisions. What follows the heading is a boy of seventeen tending the flock and bringing his father a bad report about his brothers.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers1 voice

A commentator

John Chrysostom

HOMILIES ON GENESIS 61.2 · Written in the 5th century.

proposed

Why does he also indicate to us Joseph's age? For you to learn that his youth constituted no obstacle to virtue and for you to have a complete awareness of the young man's obedience to his father and his sympathy for his brothers despite their savagery. Despite his being so well disposed to them, Joseph was unable to win them over to concord with him on the grounds of his youth so as to be willing to maintain the bond of love. Instead, they saw from the outset the youth's inclination to virtue and the father's favor for him and were prompted to envy him. You see, "they brought false reports about Joseph to their father Israel."

The Medieval Church1 voice

Sin against nature is the most wicked and is to be fled above all others. And concerning this crime, "Joseph accused his brothers before their father of a most grievous crime."

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

These are the generations of Jacob,....

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

Though he was his father's darling, yet he was not brought up in idleness or delicacy. Those do not truly love their children that do not inure them to business, and labour, and mortification. The fondling of children is with good reason commonly called the spoiling of them.

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

generations--leading occurrences, in the domestic history of Jacob, as shown in the narrative about to be commenced. Joseph . . . was feeding the flock--literally, "Joseph being seventeen years old was a shepherd over the flock"--he a lad, with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah. Oversight or superintendence is evidently implied.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase

1 more voice on this verse

Modern Voices1 voice

Numbers in dreams generally represent the identical number in waking life. However, the number will probably be linked to something that needs to be interpreted symbolically. For example, when Joseph dreamed of eleven stars, the eleven was literal but the stars were symbolic and actually represented his brothers.

How the passage was read

What the Jewish commentators add

On the verses either side of this one

The meaning of the verse is that since Scripture had said that the chiefs of Esau dwelt in the land of their possessions. Above,:43, the concluding verse in the previous Sedra.
Ramban: Spain, 1194–1270 · Ramban on Genesis 37:1:1, via Sefaria, Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976

This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.

Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.

The words behind it

30 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • אֵ֣לֶּה׀these

    ʾelehH428 →746 times

  • תֹּלְד֣וֹת[are] [the] accounts of

    toledotH8435 →39 times

  • יַעֲקֹ֗בJacob

    yaakoH3290 →350 times

  • יוֹסֵ֞ףJoseph

    yosefH3130 →213 times

  • בֶּן־[was] a son of

    ben-H1121 →4930 times

  • שְׁבַֽע־seven-

    sheva'-H7651 →394 times

  • עֶשְׂרֵ֤הteen

    ʾesrehH6240 →338 times

  • שָׁנָה֙year[s]

    shanahH8141 →877 times

  • הָיָ֨הhe was

    hayahH1961 →3559 times

  • רֹעֶ֤הshepherding

    roehH7462 →177 times

  • אֶת־with

    ʾet-H854 →929 times

  • אֶחָיו֙brothers his

    ʾechavH251 →630 times

  • בַּצֹּ֔אן<in> the flock

    batzonH6629 →274 times

  • וְה֣וּאand he

    vehu'H1931 →1879 times

  • נַ֗עַר[was] a youth

    naarH5288 →239 times

  • אֶת־with

    ʾet-H854 →929 times

  • בְּנֵ֥י[the] sons of

    beneiH1121 →4930 times

  • בִלְהָ֛הBilhah

    vilhahH1090 →11 times

  • וְאֶת־and with

    veetH854 →929 times

  • בְּנֵ֥י[the] sons of

    beneiH1121 →4930 times

  • זִלְפָּ֖הZilpah

    zilpahH2153 →7 times

  • נְשֵׁ֣י[the] wives of

    nesheiH802 →781 times

  • אָבִ֑יוfather his

    ʾavivH1 →1212 times

  • וַיָּבֵ֥אand he brought

    vaiyave'H935 →2568 times

  • יוֹסֵ֛ףJoseph

    yosefH3130 →213 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • דִּבָּתָ֥םreport their

    dibatamH1681 →

  • רָעָ֖הbad

    raahH7451 →662 times

  • אֶל־to

    ʾel-H413 →5510 times

  • אֲבִיהֶֽם׃father their

    ʾavihemH1 →1212 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    1 Corinthians 11:18

    First of all, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it.

    it leads to

    • 1 Corinthians 3:3

      for you are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and dissension among you, are you not worldly? Are you not walking in the way of man?

    • 1 Corinthians 1:10–12

      I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree together, so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be united…

  • Through

    Genesis 35:22

    While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it. Jacob had twelve sons:

    it leads to

    • 1 Chronicles 5:1

      These were the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel. Though he was the firstborn, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel, because Reuben defiled his father’s bed. So…

    • Leviticus 18:8

      You must not have sexual relations with your father’s wife; it would dishonor your father.

    • Genesis 49:1–28

      Then Jacob called for his sons and said, “Gather around so that I can tell you what will happen to you in the days to come:

  • Through

    Genesis 10:1

    This is the account of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, who also had sons after the flood.

    it leads to

    • Genesis 2:4

      This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made them.

    • Genesis 9:7

      But as for you, be fruitful and multiply; spread out across the earth and multiply upon it.”

    • Genesis 5:1

      This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in His own likeness.

Where this verse is studied

About Genesis

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Bonaventure, Collationes de decem praeceptis, Collation 6 (Paris, Lent 1267); Chuck Missler, The Book of Genesis; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, HOMILIES ON GENESIS 61.2; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Mark Virkler, Understanding Your Prophetic Dreams! (Elijah List article) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.