Genesis 37:17-22
New English Translation
17 The man said, “They left this area,[a] for I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
18 Now Joseph’s brothers[b] saw him from a distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. 19 They said to one another, “Here comes this master of dreams![c] 20 Come now, let’s kill him, throw him into one of the cisterns, and then say that a wild[d] animal ate him. Then we’ll see how his dreams turn out!”[e]
21 When Reuben heard this, he rescued Joseph[f] from their hands,[g] saying,[h] “Let’s not take his life!”[i] 22 Reuben continued,[j] “Don’t shed blood! Throw him into this cistern that is here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.”[k] (Reuben said this[l] so he could rescue Joseph[m] from them[n] and take him back to his father.)
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Genesis 37:17 tn Heb “they traveled from this place.”
- Genesis 37:18 tn Heb “and they”; the referent (Joseph’s brothers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Genesis 37:19 tn Heb “Look, this master of dreams is coming.” The brothers’ words have a sarcastic note and indicate that they resent his dreams.
- Genesis 37:20 tn The Hebrew word can sometimes carry the nuance “evil,” but when used of an animal it refers to a dangerous wild animal.
- Genesis 37:20 tn Heb “what his dreams will be.”
- Genesis 37:21 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Genesis 37:21 sn From their hands. The instigators of this plot may have been the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah (see v. 2).
- Genesis 37:21 tn Heb “and he said.”
- Genesis 37:21 tn Heb “we must not strike him down [with respect to] life.”
- Genesis 37:22 tn Heb “and Reuben said to them.”
- Genesis 37:22 sn The verbs translated shed, throw, and lay sound alike in Hebrew; the repetition of similar sounds draws attention to Reuben’s words.
- Genesis 37:22 tn The words “Reuben said this” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
- Genesis 37:22 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Genesis 37:22 tn Heb “from their hands” (cf. v. 21). This expression has been translated as “them” here for stylistic reasons.
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