Genesis 37:3-8

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Genesis 37:3 tn The disjunctive clause provides supplemental information vital to the story. It explains in part the brothers’ animosity toward Joseph.sn The statement Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons brings forward a motif that played an important role in the family of Isaac—parental favoritism. Jacob surely knew what that had done to him and his brother Esau, and to his own family. But now he showers affection on Rachel’s son Joseph.
2. Genesis 37:3 tn Heb “a son of old age was he to him.” This expression means “a son born to him when he [i.e., Jacob] was old.”
3. Genesis 37:3 tn It is not clear what this tunic was like, because the meaning of the Hebrew word that describes it is uncertain. The idea that it was a coat of many colors comes from the Greek translation of the OT. An examination of cognate terms in Semitic suggests it was either a coat or tunic with long sleeves (cf. NEB, NRSV), or a tunic that was richly embroidered (cf. NIV). It set Joseph apart as the favored one.
4. Genesis 37:4 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
5. Genesis 37:4 tn Heb “of his brothers.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun “them.”
6. Genesis 37:4 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
7. Genesis 37:4 tn Heb “speak to him for peace.”
8. Genesis 37:5 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
9. Genesis 37:5 tn Heb “dreamed a dream.”
10. Genesis 37:5 sn Some interpreters see Joseph as gloating over his brothers, but the text simply says he told his brothers about it (i.e., the dream). The text gives no warrant for interpreting his manner as arrogant or condescending. It seems normal that he would share a dream with the family.
11. Genesis 37:5 tn The construction uses a hendiadys, “they added to hate,” meaning they hated him even more.
12. Genesis 37:6 tn Heb “hear this dream which I dreamed.”
13. Genesis 37:7 tn All three clauses in this dream report begin with וְהִנֵּה (v^ehinneh, “and look”), which lends vividness to the report. This is represented in the translation by the expression “there we were.”
14. Genesis 37:7 tn The verb means “to bow down to the ground.” It is used to describe worship and obeisance to masters.
15. Genesis 37:8 tn Heb “Ruling, will you rule over us, or reigning, will you reign over us?” The statement has a poetic style, with the two questions being in synonymous parallelism. Both verbs in this statement are preceded by the infinitive absolute, which lends emphasis. It is as if Joseph’s brothers said, “You don’t really think you will rule over us, do you? You don’t really think you will have dominion over us, do you?”
16. Genesis 37:8 tn This construction is identical to the one in Gen 37:5.
17. Genesis 37:8 sn The response of Joseph’s brothers is understandable, given what has already been going on in the family. But here there is a hint of uneasiness—they hated him because of his dream and because of his words. The dream bothered them, as well as his telling them. And their words in the rhetorical question are ironic, for this is exactly what would happen. The dream was God’s way of revealing it.