{"id":39113,"date":"2018-09-02T13:32:51","date_gmt":"2018-09-02T10:32:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=39113"},"modified":"2022-03-27T21:26:14","modified_gmt":"2022-03-27T18:26:14","slug":"chapter-summary-genesis-37","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/chapter-summary-genesis-37\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter Summary – Genesis 37"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[],"acf":{"old_id":"39113","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":false,"related_cahpter":"37","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"Chapter 37 Summary: The Dreamer\r\n\r\n","content":"

Chapter 37 opens the unit of stories about Joseph that will continue from now until the end of the Book of Genesis (except for a slight break in Chapter 38). In this chapter we become familiar with the complex relationships in Jacob\u2019s family and how low things can get.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joseph, the the firstborn son of Rachel, the wife Jacob loves, is Jacob’s favorite son. Not only do we as readers know this (after reading verse 3: “Now Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons”), but so do all his brothers, as he wears the ornamented tunic he received from his father, explicit evidence of his being the favorite son.<\/span><\/p>\n

The tension created by the father’s preference is compounded by Joseph\u2019s actions. Joseph is not an easy brother; he tattle tales to his father about his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, “and Joseph brought bad reports of them to their father” (verse 2), and shares with all his brothers his grandiose dreams. Through various images, these dreams convey the message: The whole family will down bow to Joseph. (This is represented in the dream of the bowing sheaves – verses 5-8 and the dream of heavenly bodies bowing – verses 9-11.)<\/span><\/p>\n

When Jacob’s brothers are out shepherding in Shechem, Jacob decides to send young Joseph (seventeen years old) to find out how they are doing (literally \u201cto seek their peace\u201d). Ironically, peace is the last thing that will emerge from the brothers’ encounter. Joseph’s brothers decide to kill him, and “we shall see what comes of his dreams!” (verse 20). Reuben the eldest reveals compassion and leadership and convinces the brothers not to kill Joseph themselves but to throw him into the pit, “intending to save him from them and restore him to his father” (verse 22). <\/span><\/p>\n

And so it was … almost. Joseph is captured by his brothers, stripped of his tunic and thrown into the pit. But before Reuben can get him out, a merchants’ convoy passes by, and then Judah has an idea, more profitable than just killing a brother, “What do we gain by killing our brother and \u00a0covering up his blood? Come, let us sell him\u2026\u201d (verses 26-27). Joseph is sold as a slave and is brought down to Egypt. The brothers sold a cover-up story to Jacob, the ornamented tunic is dipped in the blood of the kid goat they slaughtered, and Jacob is convinced that “A savage beast devoured him! Joseph was torn by a beast” (verse 33).<\/span><\/p>\n

Points to Ponder:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The chapter begins with “This is the line of Jacob\u201d (verse 2), But like the line of Isaac (Genesis 25:19), and unlike what we expect, this introduction is not the title of a genealogical list but rather the title of a story, the story of Joseph: “At seventeen years of age, Joseph tended the flocks with his brothers ” (verse 2).<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. The text, which usually refrains from describing the emotions of its heroes, mentions them this time and prolifically. The root word for \u201clove\u201d appears twice (Jacob loving Joseph, verses 2, 3); the root word for \u201chate\u201d appears three times (the brothers hating Joseph, of course, verses 4, 5, and 8); the root word for \u201cjealous\u201d shows up (the brothers feeling jealous of Joseph, verse 11).<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Dreams. In this chapter, the two dreams Joseph dreams are described as is the nickname he earns “the dreamer” (verse 19) as a result of these dreams. The dreams will accompany the Joseph saga in two senses: \u00a0a) Joseph’s dreams and the question of their fulfillment will accompany us throughout the story (so it is worthwhile, as Jacob did, that you “keep it in mind” as is stated in verse 11); b) look out for another pair of dreams, and their meaning, that come in pairs.<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. In verse 21 – in the words of Joseph, there is a sentence that became a moving expression of brotherhood “I am looking for my brothers” (Genesis 37:16 – literally: “It is my brothers that I seek”). Perhaps its use in modern day Hebrew is the remedy for the brotherhood that Joseph did not find when he found his brothers.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","image":{"ID":86314,"id":86314,"title":"Points to ponder","filename":"Points-to-ponder.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Points-to-ponder.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/points-to-ponder-psalm-84\/points-to-ponder\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"points-to-ponder","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":86166,"date":"2021-01-09 20:56:58","modified":"2023-12-28 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