Genesis 37:2
in Genesis 37This 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.
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This verse in Genesis 37
Commentary
8 notes on this verseThese 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
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,....
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 & Brown1802–1910
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.
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 wordsEvery 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.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אֵ֣לֶּה׀ | ʾeleh | these | H428 → | 746 times |
| תֹּלְד֣וֹת | toledot | [are] [the] accounts of | H8435 → | 39 times |
| יַעֲקֹ֗ב | yaako | Jacob | H3290 → | 350 times |
| יוֹסֵ֞ף | yosef | Joseph | H3130 → | 213 times |
| בֶּן־ | ben- | [was] a son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| שְׁבַֽע־ | sheva'- | seven- | H7651 → | 394 times |
| עֶשְׂרֵ֤ה | ʾesreh | teen | H6240 → | 338 times |
| שָׁנָה֙ | shanah | year[s] | H8141 → | 877 times |
| הָיָ֨ה | hayah | he was | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| רֹעֶ֤ה | roeh | shepherding | H7462 → | 177 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | with | H854 → | 929 times |
| אֶחָיו֙ | ʾechav | brothers his | H251 → | 630 times |
| בַּצֹּ֔אן | batzon | <in> the flock | H6629 → | 274 times |
| וְה֣וּא | vehu' | and he | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| נַ֗עַר | naar | [was] a youth | H5288 → | 239 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | with | H854 → | 929 times |
| בְּנֵ֥י | benei | [the] sons of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| בִלְהָ֛ה | vilhah | Bilhah | H1090 → | 11 times |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and with | H854 → | 929 times |
| בְּנֵ֥י | benei | [the] sons of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| זִלְפָּ֖ה | zilpah | Zilpah | H2153 → | 7 times |
| נְשֵׁ֣י | neshei | [the] wives of | H802 → | 781 times |
| אָבִ֑יו | ʾaviv | father his | H1 → | 1212 times |
| וַיָּבֵ֥א | vaiyave' | and he brought | H935 → | 2568 times |
| יוֹסֵ֛ף | yosef | Joseph | H3130 → | 213 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| דִּבָּתָ֥ם | dibatam | report their | H1681 → | |
| רָעָ֖ה | raah | bad | H7451 → | 662 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| אֲבִיהֶֽם׃ | ʾavihem | father their | H1 → | 1212 times |
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 stopsEach 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 11:18First 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…
- 1 Corinthians 3:3
Through
Genesis 35:22While 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:
- 1 Chronicles 5:1
Through
Genesis 10:1This 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.
- Genesis 2:4
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies4
On this verse
About Genesis

Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
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.
