Genesis 37:35
in Genesis 37All his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said. “I will go down to Sheol mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down to Sheol to my son mourning. And his father wept for him.
KJV
And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.
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This verse in Genesis 37
Commentary
8 notes on this verseAll his sons and all his daughters - He had only one daughter, Dinah; but his sons’ wives may be here included. But what hypocrisy in his sons to attempt to comfort him concerning the death of a son who they knew was alive; and what cruelty to put their aged father to such torture, when, properly speaking, there was no ground for it!
This site's exposition
put sackcloth around his waist
on Genesis 37:34-36
Jacob puts on sackcloth and refuses every comfort his sons offer, and they know exactly where the boy is. He says he will go down to Sheol mourning for his son. He does go down to his son, into Egypt and alive, at Genesis 46:29. The chapter's last line puts Joseph alive in Potiphar's house.
This site's exposition
I will go down to Sheol mourning
Sheol makes its first appearance in Scripture here, the Hebrew name for the place of the dead. Every other use in Genesis is also Jacob's, at 42:38, 44:29 and 44:31, and each speaks of his gray hair going down there in sorrow over a son. Grief has become his future.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
He refused to be comforted - He resolved to go down to the grave mourning; Great affection to any creature doth but prepare for so much the greater affliction, when it is either removed from us, or embittered to us: inordinate love commonly ends in immoderate grief.
And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him,....
I wonder their countenances did not betray their guilt, and with what face they could pretend to condole with Jacob on the death of Joseph, when they knew he was alive. Note, The heart is strangely hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
We must never say, "We will go to our grave mourning," because we know not what joyful days Providence may yet reserve for us, and it is our wisdom and duty to accommodate ourselves to Providence. [3.] We often perplex ourselves with imaginary troubles. We fancy things worse than they are, and then afflict ourselves more than we need.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son--not the earth, for Joseph was supposed to be torn in pieces, but the unknown place--the place of departed souls, where Jacob expected at death to meet his beloved son.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The words behind it
18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיָּקֻמוּ֩ | vaiyakumu | and they arose | H6965 → | 628 times |
| כָל־ | khol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| בָּנָ֨יו | banav | sons his | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| וְכָל־ | vekhol | and all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| בְּנֹתָ֜יו | benotav | daughters his | H1323 → | 588 times |
| לְנַחֲמ֗וֹ | lenachamo | to comfort him | H5162 → | 108 times |
| וַיְמָאֵן֙ | vaymaen | and he refused | H3985 → | 41 times |
| לְהִתְנַחֵ֔ם | lehitnachem | to be comforted | H5162 → | 108 times |
| וַיֹּ֕אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| אֵרֵ֧ד | ʾered | I will go down | H3381 → | 381 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| בְּנִ֛י | beni | son my | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| אָבֵ֖ל | ʾavel | mourning | H57 → | |
| שְׁאֹ֑לָה | sheolah | Sheol towards | H7585 → | 66 times |
| וַיֵּ֥בְךְּ | vaiyevek | and he wept for | H1058 → | 114 times |
| אֹת֖וֹ | ʾoto | <obj.> him | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אָבִֽיו׃ | ʾaviv | father his | H1 → | 1212 times |
וַיָּקֻמוּ֩and they arose
vaiyakumuH6965 →628 times
כָל־all
khol-H3605 →5413 times
בָּנָ֨יוsons his
banavH1121 →4930 times
וְכָל־and all
vekholH3605 →5413 times
בְּנֹתָ֜יוdaughters his
benotavH1323 →588 times
לְנַחֲמ֗וֹto comfort him
lenachamoH5162 →108 times
וַיְמָאֵן֙and he refused
vaymaenH3985 →41 times
לְהִתְנַחֵ֔םto be comforted
lehitnachemH5162 →108 times
וַיֹּ֕אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
כִּֽי־that
ki-H3588 →4482 times
אֵרֵ֧דI will go down
ʾeredH3381 →381 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
בְּנִ֛יson my
beniH1121 →4930 times
אָבֵ֖לmourning
ʾavelH57 →
שְׁאֹ֑לָהSheol towards
sheolahH7585 →66 times
וַיֵּ֥בְךְּand he wept for
vaiyevekH1058 →114 times
אֹת֖וֹ<obj.> him
ʾotoH853 →10935 times
אָבִֽיו׃father his
ʾavivH1 →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
Job 2:11Now when Job’s three friends—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite—heard about all this adversity that had come upon him, each of them came from his home, and they met together…
it leads to
- Romans 12:15
Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.
- Job 42:11
All his brothers and sisters and prior acquaintances came and dined with him in his house. They consoled him and comforted him over all the adversity that the LORD had brought upon him. And…
- Romans 12:15
Through
Psalms 77:2In the day of trouble I sought the Lord; through the night my outstretched hands did not grow weary; my soul refused to be comforted.
it leads to
- Psalms 50:15
Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.”
- Isaiah 26:9
My soul longs for You in the night; indeed, my spirit seeks You at dawn. For when Your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.
- Isaiah 26:16
O LORD, they sought You in their distress; when You disciplined them, they poured out a quiet prayer.
- Hebrews 5:7
During the days of Jesus’ earthly life, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His…
- Jonah 2:1–2
From inside the fish, Jonah prayed to the LORD his God,
- Psalms 50:15
Through
Genesis 42:38But Jacob replied, “My son will not go down there with you, for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If any harm comes to him on your journey, you will bring…
it leads to
- Genesis 37:33
His father recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! A vicious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!”
- Genesis 37:33
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies4
On this verse
About Genesis
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.