This, then, is the line of Jacob: At seventeen years of age, Joseph tended the flocks with his brothers, as a helper to the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah. And Joseph brought bad reports of them to their father.
Now Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons—he was his “child of old age”; he was his “child of old age” NJPS “he was the child of his old age.” The expression ben zequnim is used here as a category label; it seems to denote a special, favored status. Cf. 44.20. and he had made him an ornamented tunic. ornamented tunic Or “a coat of many colors”; meaning of Heb. uncertain.
And when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of his brothers, they hated him so that they could not speak a friendly word to him.
Word-by-Word Analysis
ויראו
223
אחיו
25
כיאתו
437
אהב
8
אביהם
58
מכלאחיו
115
וישנאו
373
אתו
407
ולא
37
יכלו
66
דברו
212
לשלם
400
Genesis 37:5
Gematria: 1418
ויחלםיוסףחלוםויגדלאחיוויוספועודשנאאתו
Once Joseph had a dream which he told to his brothers; and they hated him even more.
Word-by-Word Analysis
ויחלם
94
יוסף
156
חלום
84
ויגד
23
לאחיו
55
ויוספו
168
עוד
80
שנא
351
אתו
407
Genesis 37:6
Gematria: 1905
ויאמראליהםשמעונאהחלוםהזהאשרחלמתי
He said to them, “Hear this dream which I have dreamed:
There we were binding sheaves in the field, when suddenly my sheaf stood up and remained upright; then your sheaves gathered around and bowed low to my sheaf.”
He dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers, saying, “Look, I have had another dream: And this time, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
And when he told it to his father and brothers, his father berated him. “What,” he said to him, “is this dream you have dreamed? Are we to come, I and your mother and your brothers, and bow low to you to the ground?”
Word-by-Word Analysis
ויספר
356
אלאביו
50
ואלאחיו
62
ויגערבו
297
אביו
19
ויאמר
257
לו
36
מה
45
החלום
89
הזה
17
אשר
501
חלמת
478
הבוא
14
נבוא
59
אני
61
ואמך
67
ואחיך
45
להשתחות
1149
לך
50
ארצה
296
Genesis 37:11
Gematria: 1383
ויקנאובואחיוואביושמראתהדבר
So his brothers were wrought up at him, and his father kept the matter in mind.
Word-by-Word Analysis
ויקנאובו
181
אחיו
25
ואביו
25
שמר
540
אתהדבר
612
Genesis 37:12
Gematria: 1765
וילכואחיולרעותאתצאןאביהםבשכם
One time, when his brothers had gone to pasture their father’s flock at Shechem,
And he said to him, “Go and see how your brothers are and how the flocks are faring, and bring me back word.” So he sent him from the valley of Hebron. When he reached Shechem,
Word-by-Word Analysis
ויאמר
257
לו
36
לךנא
101
ראה
206
אתשלום
777
אחיך
39
ואתשלום
783
הצאן
146
והשבני
373
דבר
206
וישלחהו
365
מעמק
250
חברון
266
ויבא
19
שכמה
365
Genesis 37:15
Gematria: 3113
וימצאהואישוהנהתעהבשדהוישאלהוהאישלאמרמהתבקש
a man came upon him a man came upon him Or “an agent located him,” i.e., this figure could be construed as acting in God’s behalf. For this verb’s use to describe a mission, see 16.7; 37.17; 38.22. On “man” and “agent,” see notes at 18.2, 24.21, and the Dictionary under ’ish; Agent. wandering in the fields. The man asked him, “What are you looking for?”
Word-by-Word Analysis
וימצאהו
158
איש
311
והנה
66
תעה
475
בשדה
311
וישאלהו
358
האיש
316
לאמר
271
מהתבקש
847
Genesis 37:16
Gematria: 1779
ויאמראתאחיאנכימבקשהגידהנאליאיפההםרעים
He answered, “I am looking for my brothers. Could you tell me where they are pasturing?”
And Reuben went on, “Shed no blood! Cast him into that pit out in the wilderness, but do not touch him yourselves”—intending to save him from them and restore him to his father.
Then they sat down to a meal. Looking up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, their camels bearing gum, balm, and ladanum to be taken to Egypt.
Word-by-Word Analysis
וישבו
324
לאכללחם
159
וישאו
323
עיניהם
185
ויראו
223
והנה
66
ארחת
609
ישמעאלים
501
באה
8
מגלעד
147
וגמליהם
134
נשאים
401
נכאת
471
וצרי
306
ולט
45
הולכים
111
להוריד
255
מצרימה
385
Genesis 37:26
Gematria: 1917
ויאמריהודהאלאחיומהבצעכינהרגאתאחינווכסינואתדמו
Then Judah said to his brothers, “What do we gain by killing our brother and covering up his blood?
Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let us not do away with him ourselves. After all, he is our brother, our own flesh.” His brothers agreed.
When Midianite traders passed by, they pulled Joseph up out of the pit. They sold Joseph for twenty pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites, who brought Joseph to Egypt.
Word-by-Word Analysis
ויעברו
294
אנשים
401
מדינים
154
סחרים
318
וימשכו
382
ויעלו
122
אתיוסף
557
מןהבור
303
וימכרו
282
אתיוסף
557
לישמעאלים
531
בעשרים
622
כסף
160
ויביאו
35
אתיוסף
557
מצרימה
385
Genesis 37:29
Gematria: 2126
וישבראובןאלהבורוהנהאיןיוסףבבורויקרעאתבגדיו
When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he rent his clothes.
Word-by-Word Analysis
וישב
318
ראובן
259
אלהבור
244
והנה
66
איןיוסף
217
בבור
210
ויקרע
386
אתבגדיו
426
Genesis 37:30
Gematria: 984
וישבאלאחיוויאמרהילדאיננוואניאנהאניבא
Returning to his brothers, he said, “The boy is gone! Now, what am I to do?”
Word-by-Word Analysis
וישב
318
אלאחיו
56
ויאמר
257
הילד
49
איננו
117
ואני
67
אנה
56
אניבא
64
Genesis 37:31
Gematria: 3988
ויקחואתכתנתיוסףוישחטושעירעזיםויטבלואתהכתנתבדם
Then they took Joseph’s tunic, slaughtered a kid, and dipped the tunic in the blood.
All his sons and daughters sought to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, saying, “No, I will go down mourning to my son in Sheol.” Thus his father bewailed him.
Word-by-Word Analysis
ויקמו
162
כלבניו
118
וכלבנתיו
524
לנחמו
134
וימאן
107
להתנחם
533
ויאמר
257
כיארד
235
אלבני
93
אבל
33
שאלה
336
ויבך
38
אתו
407
אביו
19
Genesis 37:36
Gematria: 2993
והמדניםמכרואתואלמצריםלפוטיפרסריספרעהשרהטבחיםפ
The Midianites, Midianites Heb. “Medanites.” meanwhile, sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, a courtier of Pharaoh and his prefect. prefect Precise force of Heb. sar haṭṭabaḥim uncertain; cf. Jer. 52.12; 2 Kings 25.8ff. and Jer. 39–40; Gen. 39.20; 40.3. Apparently the office was obscure even to the text’s original audience (cf. 39.1). NJPS “chief steward,” trad. “captain of the guard.”