Year of the Bible
Genesis 37
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Commentary on the Book of Genesis, Chapter 37:
We return to Jacob’s family and begin a study of Jacob’s twelve sons. These brothers have four different mothers, and their blood relationships impact much of what happens over the next few chapters. Our next great figure in salvation history is the eleventh son, Joseph, born to Jacob’s favorite wife, Rachel. His elder brothers are jealous because he has Jacob’s favor and receives dreams indicating he will be in a position of authority over the rest of the family. The brothers devise a way to get rid of Joseph, leaving him naked in a pit to die. Reuben, the eldest, suggests they not kill him, and unbeknownst to him, his full blood brother, Judah, sells Joseph as a slave. The brothers deceive their father into thinking Joseph is dead, but we learn at the end of the chapter that he has been sold to Potiphar, a high-ranking military officer in Egypt.
The Book of Genesis, Chapter 37:
Joseph Dreams of Greatness
1 Jacob dwelt in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan. 2 This is the history of the family of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his brothers; he was a lad with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought an ill report of them to their father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a long robe with sleeves. 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.
5 Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they only hated him the more.
6 He said to them, “Hear this dream which I have dreamed: 7 behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright; and behold, your sheaves gathered round it, and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to have dominion over us?” So they hated him yet more for his dreams and for his words. 9 Then he dreamed another dream, and told it to his brothers, and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream; and behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him, and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” 11 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.
Joseph Is Sold by His Brothers
12 Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem. 13 And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” 14 So he said to him, “Go now, see if it is well with your brothers, and with the flock; and bring me word again.” So he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. 15 And a man found him wandering in the fields; and the man asked him, “What are you seeking?” 16 “I am seeking my brothers,” he said, “tell me, I beg you, where they are pasturing the flock.” 17 And the man said, “They have gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph went after his brothers, and found them at Dothan. 18 They saw him afar off, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. 19 They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. 20 Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild beast has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams.” 21 But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” 22 And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; cast him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand upon him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand, to restore him to his father. 23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the long robe with sleeves that he wore; 24 and they took him and cast him into a pit. The pit was empty, there was no water in it.
25 Then they sat down to eat; and looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. 26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood? 27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers heeded him. 28 Then Midianite traders passed by; and they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver; and they took Joseph to Egypt.
29 When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes 30 and returned to his brothers, and said, “The lad is gone; and I, where shall I go?” 31 Then they took Joseph’s robe, and killed a goat, and dipped the robe in the blood; 32 and they sent the long robe with sleeves and brought it to their father, and said, “This we have found; see now whether it is your son’s robe or not.” 33 And he recognized it, and said, “It is my son’s robe; a wild beast has devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.” 34 Then Jacob tore his garments, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and said, “No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus his father wept for him. 36 Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.
*Daily Lectio Divina Question:
Lord, help me prayerfully reflect on the theme of jealousy that pervades this chapter. How do I relate in any way to this story? Is there someone in my life who could benefit from my affirmation of his/her gifts instead of a reaction of jealousy?
Biblical Commentary provided by the Catholic Biblical School of Michigan. Join a Catholic Biblical School of Michigan class this September at Holy Family in Grand Blanc, or online.
Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition. (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006).
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Jacob se estableció en el país en el
que había residido su padre, en la
tierra de Canaán.
2 Esta es la historia de los descendientes
de Jacob:
José tenía diecisiete años y pastoreaba
el ganado con sus hermanos. Como era
un muchacho acompañaba a los hijos de
Bilhá y Zilpá, mujeres de su padre, e informó
al padre de la mala fama de aquéllos.
3 Israel amaba a José más que a sus
otros hijos, porque era el hijo de su ancianidad,
y le hizo una túnica con mangas.
4 Sus hermanos, al ver que su padre le
amaba más que a ellos, le odiaban hasta
el punto de no poder devolverle el saludo.
5 José tuvo un sueño y lo contó a sus
hermanos, por lo que ellos le tuvieron
más odio todavía. 6 Les dijo:
–Escuchad el sueño que he tenido:
7 Estábamos atando gavillas en el campo
y mi gavilla se erguía y se mantenía en
pie, mientras que vuestras gavillas la rodeaban
y se postraban ante ella.
8 Sus hermanos le respondieron:
–¿Acaso vas a reinar sobre nosotros,
o nos vas a gobernar tú?
Y le tuvieron todavía más odio a
causa de sus sueños y de sus palabras.
9 Todavía tuvo otro sueño y lo contó
a sus hermanos diciendo:
–Mirad, aún he tenido otro sueño:
El sol, la luna y once estrellas se postraban
ante mí.
10 Cuando lo contó a su padre y a sus
hermanos, su padre le recriminó diciéndole:
–¿Qué significa ese sueño que has
tenido? ¿Acaso vamos a ir yo, tu madre
y tus hermanos a postrarnos en tierra
ante ti?
11 Sus hermanos sintieron celos de él,
pero su padre meditaba todas estas cosas.
12 Habían ido sus hermanos a pastorear
las ovejas de su padre a Siquem, 13 e
Israel dijo a José:
–Tus hermanos están pastoreando
en Siquem. Ven que te voy a mandar a
donde están ellos.
Le contestó José:
–Estoy dispuesto.
14 Le dijo su padre:
–Anda, pues, a ver cómo siguen tus
hermanos y cómo está el ganado, y tráeme
noticias.
Lo envió desde el valle de Hebrón y
él llegó a Siquem. 15 Un hombre lo encontró
vagando por el campo y le preguntó:
–¿Qué buscas?
16 Respondió:
–Estoy buscando a mis hermanos;
por favor, dime dónde están pastoreando.
17 El hombre le dijo:
–Se marcharon de aquí, pues oí que
decían: «Vámonos a Dotán».Y José fue siguiendo a sus hermanos
hasta que los encontró en Dotán.
18 Ellos lo vieron a lo lejos y antes de
que se acercara a donde estaban, se confabularon
contra él para darle muerte.
19 Se decían unos a otros:
–Mira, ahí viene ese soñador; 20 vamos
ahora, matémoslo y arrojémoslo a
un pozo; luego diremos que lo ha devorado
una fiera salvaje. Así veremos en
qué paran sus sueños.
21 Oyó esto Rubén y, queriendo salvarlo
de las manos de éstos, dijo:
–No le quitemos la vida.
22 Entonces les propuso Rubén:
–No derraméis sangre; echadlo a
este pozo en medio del desierto, pero
no pongáis las manos sobre él.
Lo decía para salvarlo de las manos
de éstos y devolverlo a su padre.
23 Cuando José llegó a donde estaban
sus hermanos, éstos arrancaron a José la
túnica que llevaba, una túnica con mangas,
24 lo agarraron y lo echaron al pozo.
El pozo estaba vacío, sin agua.
25 Después se sentaron a comer y, alzando
la vista, vieron una caravana de
ismaelitas que venía de Galaad, cuyos
camellos transportaban tragacanto, resina
y láudano, y que iba bajando hacia
Egipto. 26 Entonces dijo Judá a sus hermanos:
–¿Qué sacamos con matar a nuestro
hermano y ocultar su sangre? 27 Vamos a
venderlo a los ismaelitas y no pongamos
las manos sobre él, pues es nuestro hermano
y nuestra carne.
Y sus hermanos asintieron. 28 Cuando
pasaban unos mercaderes madianitas,
lo sacaron, subiendo a José del pozo,
y lo vendieron por veinte monedas de
plata a los ismaelitas, quienes se llevaron
a José a Egipto.
29 Volvió Rubén al pozo y José no estaba
allí. Entonces se rasgó las vestiduras,
30 y yendo a donde estaban sus hermanos
les dijo:
–El muchacho no aparece; ¿dónde
voy a ir yo ahora?
31 Ellos tomaron la túnica de José,
degollaron un cabrito y empaparon la
túnica en la sangre. 32 Después mandaron
llevar la túnica con mangas a su padre,
y decirle:
–Hemos encontrado esto. Comprueba
si es la túnica de tu hijo o no.
33 Él la reconoció y exclamó:
–Es la túnica de mi hijo. Una fiera
salvaje lo ha devorado; José ha sido despedazado.
34 Entonces Jacob rasgó sus vestiduras,
se puso un saco a la cintura e hizo
muchos días de duelo por su hijo. 35 Todos
sus hijos e hijas acudieron a consolarlo;
pero él rehusaba consolarse y decía:
–Quiero llegar de luto hasta el sheol
donde está mi hijo.
Y su padre lloró por él.
36 Entretanto los madianitas lo vendieron
en Egipto a Putifar, eunuco del
faraón y capitán de los guardias.
Pregunta de Lectio Divina del día de hoy
La Biblia de Navarra
Permiso para usar esta versión de la primera edición de la Biblia de Navarra
para el Año de la Biblia del Obispo
dado por Ediciones Universidad de Navarra, S.A. (EUNSA).