Genesis 37.2-The Account of Jacob's Sons and Joseph Slanders His Brothers
Tuesday October 24, 2006
Genesis: Genesis 37:2-The Account of Jacob’s Sons and Joseph Slanders His Brothers
Lesson # 226
Please turn in your Bibles to Genesis 37:2.
This evening we will begin to study the tenth and final section of the book of Genesis, which begins at Genesis 37:2 and ends at Genesis 50:26.
We will begin this study by noting Genesis 37:2, which presents to us the account of Jacob’s sons and Joseph giving his father Jacob a slanderous report of his brothers.
Genesis 37:2, “These are the records of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, when seventeen years of age, was pasturing the flock with his brothers while he was still a youth, along with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father.”
“These are the records of the generations of Jacob” is the phrase `elleh toledhoth ya`aqov (hl#a@ tw)dl+T) bq)u&y^), which introduces the tenth and final section to the book of Genesis, which ends in Genesis 50:26 and contains the account of Jacob’s family, and primarily deals with Joseph and Judah.
The account of Jacob’s family brings the book of Genesis to its climatic conclusion.
This tenth book or section deals primarily with the transformation of Jacob’s sons under the care and protection of God.
There is a tendency to identify this last section of Genesis as the “story of Joseph,” but this is not technically accurate since Moses referred to Genesis 36 as the “records of the generations of Esau” (36:1, 9) and in Genesis 37:2 Moses entitled this section “the records of the generations of Jacob.”
We must not forget that Jacob will not pass off the scene until Genesis 49, where we find the account of his death and so in this last section, is an account of God’s working in the life of Jacob and of his sons through the instrumentality of Joseph.
Joseph is certainly the central figure in these chapters, but he is not the only figure since God is forming a nation out of all the sons of Jacob and not just Joseph.
Joseph’s sojourn in Egypt and his ultimate elevation to the post of prime minister under Pharaoh makes possible the preservation of Jacob and his sons, as well as teaching all of them some valuable spiritual lessons.
Outline of the tenth section contained in Genesis 37:2-50:26: (I) Introduction to the dysfunctional family of Jacob (37:2-38:30) (A) Joseph rejected by his brothers and sold into slavery (37:2-36) (B) Judah sins against Tamar and has twins (38:1-30) (II) Joseph ascent to rulership in Egypt (39:1-41:57) (A) Joseph in Potiphar’s house (39:1-20) (B) Joseph in prison and the interpreter of dreams (39:21-40:23) (C) Joseph in the palace and second only to Pharaoh (41:1-57). (III) The dysfunctional family of Jacob reconciled (Genesis 42:1-46:27) (A) First journey: Joseph tests his brothers (42:1-38) (B) Second journey: Joseph entertains his brothers (43:1-34) (C) The brothers tested and reconciled (44:1-45:15) (D) The reconciled family of Jacob migrates to Egypt (45:16-46:27) (IV) The family of Jacob blessed in Egypt looking for the Promised Land (Genesis 46:28-50:26) (A) Israel’s arrival in Egypt (46:28-47:12) (B) Joseph’s administration in Egypt during the famine (47:13-31) (C) Jacob’s blessing on Joseph (48:1-22) (D) Israel’s blessings for the twelve tribes (49:1-28) (E) Jacob’s death in Egypt and burial in Canaan (49:29-50:21) (F) Joseph’s death in Egypt and future burial in Canaan (50:22-26).
The account of Jacob’s family begins in Canaan but ends in Egypt with the confident expectation of returning to Canaan as the Lord had promised them.
This account between Canaan and Egypt is driven by conflict with family and authorities of power as illustrated by the following: (1) Genesis 37-38: The family of Jacob in conflict in Canaan (2) Genesis 39-41: Joseph in conflict with the imperial power of Egypt (3) Genesis 42-44: The family of Jacob in conflict in Canaan and Egypt (4) Genesis 45-47: The family of Jacob reconciled in Egypt (5) Genesis 48-50: The family of Jacob blessed in Egypt but looking in faith to Canaan.
This tenth and final section in the book of Genesis is characterized by striking symmetry containing nine pairings that point to the providence of God, which states that our lives are not ruled by chance or fate but by God.
Nine Pairings: (1) Joseph has two dreams (37:5-10) and two problems with his brothers (37:2-11; 12-36) (2) Tamar’s successful seduction of Judah is followed by Potiphar’s wife’s unsuccessful seduction of Joseph (38:1-30; 39:1-23) (3) Joseph interprets two dreams of his prison mates (40:1-23) and two dreams of Pharaoh (41:1-40) (4) Joseph’s brothers devise two plans to deal with him (37:21-27) and he devises two plans to deal with them (42:14-20) (5) Joseph’s brothers make two trips to Egypt (42:1-38; 43:1-34) (6) Joseph’s steward tests Joseph’s brothers and then Joseph himself tests Judah (44:1-13, 14-34) (7) Narrator twice records Jacob’s family’s migration to Egypt (46:1-27; 46:28-47:12) (8) Jacob blesses Joseph and sons (48:1-22) and then all his sons (49:1-28) (9) Jacob dies (49:33-50:13) and Joseph dies (50:22-26).
As the account of Jacob’s sons begins, we see Joseph and Judah are immature, however, through divine discipline the character of these men is developed and refined.
Hebrews 12:10, “He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.”
This evening we will begin a study of the introduction to the dysfunctional family of Jacob, which is recorded in Genesis 37:2-38:30.
This introduction begins with Joseph being rejected by his brothers and sold into slavery, which is recorded in Genesis 37:2-36.
This scene presents to us the awful division of Jacob’s household due to Jacob’s favoritism toward Joseph, which results in resentment on the part of Jacob’s other sons and eventually ending in Joseph being sold into slavery by his brothers.
The narrator in Genesis 37:2-11 conveys to the reader three events that lead to Joseph being sold into slavery by his brothers: (1) Joseph slanders his brothers (37:2) (2) Jacob gives Joseph a beautiful royal robe (37:3-4) (3) Joseph shares two dreams with his brothers (37:5-11).
This evening we will note the first event, which is recorded in Genesis 37:2.
Genesis 37:2, “These are the records of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, when seventeen years of age, was pasturing the flock with his brothers while he was still a youth, along with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father.”
The name “Joseph” ([s@w)y) (yoseph) literally means, “He adds,” which is a play on the verb yasaph ([s^y*), “to add” and is also a prayer for another child, foreshadowing the birth of Benjamin.
“Joseph” was the eleventh son of Jacob that was born in Paddan Aram and he was the first child that Rachel bore to Jacob according to Genesis 30:22-24.
Joseph’s life is divided into three segments: (1) Birth to Seventeen Years of Age (Genesis 30:24-37:2) (2) Seventeen to Thirty Years of Age (Genesis 37:2-41:46) (3) Thirty Years to Death (Genesis 41:46-50:26).
It is interesting that Joseph lived the first seventeen years of his life with his father Jacob and Jacob lives with Joseph for the last seventeen years of his life (See Genesis 47:28), which reveals the providence of God in the lives of these two men.
“Was pasturing”: (1) 3rd person masculine singular qal perfect form of the verb hayah (hyh), which means, “he used to be” (2) Masculine singular qal active participle form of the verb ra`ah (hur) (raw-aw), which is used as a substantive (i.e. a noun), and means, “shepherd.”
“With his brothers”: (1) Preposition `eth (ta@) (ayth), which denotes accompaniment and means, “together with” (2) Masculine singular (collective: designating Joseph’s brothers through Leah as a group) noun `ach (ja*) (awkh), “brothers.”
“His brothers” refers to the sons of Jacob’s primary wife Leah since the writer makes a distinction between these children and those of his concubines, who are identified as “the sons of Zilpah” and “the sons of Bilhah.”
“His brothers” refers to Leah’s children: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah (See Genesis 29:31-35), Issachar, and Zebulun (See Genesis 30:14-21).
“The flock”: (1) Preposition be (B+) (beth), which denotes the location of Joseph’s job as a shepherd, which was “among” the flocks (2) Definite article ha (h^\), which means, “the” (3) Feminine singular noun tso’n (/aX)) (tsone), which refers to sheep and goats and means, “flock.”
Therefore, Genesis 37:2b should be translated as follows: “Joseph, at seventeen years of age, was a shepherd among the flock, together with his brothers (the sons of Leah).”
This statement reveals that Joseph shared the same occupation with his half brothers whose mother was Leah, Jacob’s other primary wife.
“While he”: (1) Emphatic use of the conjunction we (w+) (waw), “and in fact” (2) Emphatic use of the personal pronoun hu’ (aWh) (hoo), “he himself.”
“Youth” is the noun na`ar (ru^n^) (nah-ar), which refers in context to an undershepherd, or assistant shepherd who is inexperienced in the occupation and is therefore still learning.
“Along with” is the preposition `eth, which denotes accompaniment, thus indicating that Joseph was an assistant shepherd under the authority of his half-brothers through Leah “along with” his half-brothers through his father’s concubines, Bilhah and Zilpah.
“Zilpah” was Leah’s maid and Jacob’s concubine according to Genesis 30:9-13 and “Bilhah” was Rachel’s maid and Jacob’s concubine as well according to Genesis 30:1-7 and 35:22.
“The sons of Zilpah” were Gad and Asher (See Genesis 30:9-13) and “the sons of Bilhah” were Dan and Naphtali (See Genesis 30:1-8).
In the days of the patriarchs a concubine was considered a second-class wife, acquired without payment of bride-money and possessing fewer legal rights (see Genesis 30:4; Judges 19:1-4).
The people in Abraham, Isaac and Jacob’s culture regarded a concubine as a secondary wife with some, but not all, of the rights and privileges of the primary wife so in effect Bilhah became Jacob’s concubine.
In the Old Testament period, a concubine was a legal wife but one of secondary rank and she could be divorced with a small gift.
Therefore, the children of a concubine did not have the same legal rights as the wife and so the inheritance would go to the child of the wife rather than the concubine.
Having a concubine was often a sign of wealth and was recognized as a status symbol and as we saw in our study of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar in Genesis 16, men and their wives sought concubines when the wife could not bear children and so in these situations, wives presented their maidservants to their own husbands.
As Genesis 22:24 records, children of a concubine were not viewed as illegitimate but were considered part of the family.
Therefore, Joseph was serving under Leah’s sons “along with” the sons of his father’s concubines, “the sons of Zilpah” and “the sons of Bilhah.”
Corrected translation of Genesis 37:2: “Joseph, at seventeen years of age, was a shepherd among the flock, together with his brothers and in fact he was an assistant (undershepherd) along with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s (secondary) wives.”
There is no evidence exegetically or contextually that would indicate as some commentators propose that Joseph was given authority by his father Jacob over his brothers.
The preposition `eth, which appears in the prepositional phrase “along with his brothers” is used to denote accompaniment and is never used in the Scriptures to denote authority “over” a person or thing.
Furthermore, the noun na`ar, which is translated in the New American Standard as “youth” denotes someone who is inexperienced implying that Joseph was learning the occupation of being a shepherd.
The richly ornamented robe that Joseph received from his father Jacob did “not” indicate his authority over his brothers but rather simply expressed that Jacob favored Joseph over his brothers and expressed his desire that Joseph be the future ruler of the family.
Even though Jacob’s desire was for Joseph to rule the family eventually, Joseph was too immature and too inexperienced to be the chief shepherd over the family flocks and herds, not to mention to be head of the family since he was only seventeen years of age.
So it appears that Leah’s sons were the keepers of the flock while Joseph was an undershepherd or an assistant shepherd along with the sons of his father’s concubines.
Together, Joseph and the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah were learning how to be shepherds from the sons of Jacob’s primary wife Leah.
In fact, Joseph was closer in age to the sons of Jacob’s concubines than he was to Leah’s older sons, Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah.
Shepherding was perhaps the most common occupation in ancient Israel and was an integral part of family life in Israel.
The reason why Jacob put Joseph with the sons of his concubines was to protect Joseph from the jealousy of Leah’s sons who resented Jacob favoring Joseph’s mother Rachel over their mother Leah and his favoring Joseph over them.
As we have noted in detail in our studies of Genesis 29-30, Jacob favored Rachel over Leah and this favoritism produced resentment among the sons of Leah.
If you recall, in our studies of Genesis 35:22, Reuben who was the first son that Leah bore to Jacob while in Paddan Aram committed adultery and incest with Jacob’s concubine Leah, who was Rachel’s maid, which was an act of rebellion against Jacob for favoring Rachel and Joseph over him and his mother Leah.
This incident between Reuben and Jacob’s concubine, Bilhah is motivated by Reuben’s resentment of Jacob and his love for his mother Leah rather than sexual lust since by defiling Bilhah, he makes certain that with Rachel’s death her maid cannot supplant Leah as chief wife (Compare 2 Samuel 15:16; 16:22; 20:3).
So we see that Jacob puts Joseph with the sons of his concubines rather than with Leah’s sons even though he is the favorite son of his favorite wife Rachel since he wants to protect Joseph from the jealousy of Leah’s sons.
Furthermore, Jacob wanted to protect Joseph from the idolatry and immorality of Leah’s sons since it appears that Simeon and Levi were involved in Canaanite immorality and idolatrous practices, which led to them being demonically influenced resulting in their brutally killing all the men of the city of Shechem.
The fact that Simeon and Levi were involved in the idolatrous practices of the Canaanites is implied by the text of Genesis 35:2-3 when Jacob commands his entire household to get rid of their foreign gods!
Deuteronomy 32:17 and 1 Corinthians 10:20 teach that the worship of idols is connected to the worship of demons since the sacrificing to idols is in reality sacrificing to demons who promote the worship of idols.
Demonic “influence” has to do with demons influencing the human soul whereas demon “possession” has to do with demons indwelling the human body.
The latter of which can only take place in an unbeliever since demons will never indwell the body of a believer since the believer’s body is permanently indwelt by all three members of the Trinity (See Ephesians 4:5, Colossians 1:27, Romans 8:11).
Simeon and Levi were demonically “influenced” and not “possessed” since they were believers.
This Canaanite influence upon Leah’s sons is further revealed in Genesis 38, which records Judah’s involvement with Canaanite immorality and his marriage to a Canaanite woman who rejected the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Therefore, Jacob puts Joseph with the sons of his concubines even though Joseph is his favorite son of his favorite wife Rachel in order to protect Joseph from the jealousy of the sons of his other primary wife Leah and their immoral conduct and idolatrous practices.
Genesis 37:2, “These are the records of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, when seventeen years of age, was pasturing the flock with his brothers while he was still a youth, along with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father.”
“Bad report”: (1) Primary particle `eth (ta@), which is used to mark the noun dibbah as the direct object and is not translated (2) Feminine singular noun dibbah (hB*D!) (dib-baw), “slanderous report” (3) Adjective ra` (ur^) (rah), “evil.”
The noun dibbah is derived from davav (bb^D*), which can have the following meanings depending upon the context in which it is used: (1) “to go slowly and gently” (2) “to creep about” and hence “to slander” (3) “to flow gently” or “drip.”
In Akkadian the word is a technical term for a “legal case” or “slander.”
However, the Hebrew rarely uses this legal sense and in most cases the sense conveyed by the noun is a “negative report” or “a rumor.”
The noun dibbah appears nine times in the Old Testament (Gen. 37:2; Num. 13:32; 14:36, 37; Ps. 31:13; Prov. 10:18; 25:10; Jer. 20:10; Ezek. 36:3) and is always used in a negative sense of an untrue report about someone or something and when used with reference to people, the noun dibbah refers to defamation and slander.
Slander refers to defamation, which is publishing or speaking maliciously or falsely anything that would injure or harm a person’s reputation and so slander is a malicious, false, and defamatory statement or report.
Joseph slandered his brothers meaning he reported to Jacob their father a malicious and false report that misrepresented his brothers to Jacob their father, thus, we can see the first reason why Joseph was hated by his brothers.
At seventeen years of age, the picture the Holy Spirit draws of Joseph is that of a spoiled brat and tattle tale who was involved with the sin of slander, which is evil.
The adjective ra` modifies dibbah and describes Joseph’s report to his father as “evil.”
Based on their previous behavior in massacring the Shechemites (See Genesis 34) and involvement with Canaanite idolatry (See Genesis 35:2-3) and Canaanite immorality (See Genesis 38), it is likely that Joseph’s half-brothers were doing wrong from which Joseph should have rightly distanced himself.
However, the Scriptures teach that he should have operated in love and drew a veil and concealed the transgression of his brothers.
1 Peter 4:8, “Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.”
Proverbs 10:12, “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all transgressions.”
Proverbs 11:12, “He who despises his neighbor lacks sense, but a man of understanding keeps silent.”
Proverbs 11:13, “He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy conceals a matter.”
Proverbs 12:23, “A prudent man conceals knowledge, but the heart of fools proclaims folly.”
It appears that Joseph was very moral as manifested in his refusal to commit adultery with Potiphar’s wife (See Genesis 39:6-18) and his brothers were very immoral as manifested in Judah’s involvement with sexual immorality with Canaanite women (See Genesis 38).
Therefore, it appears that Joseph was a “moral degenerate” and his brothers were “immoral degenerates” in the sense that Joseph spoke evil of his brothers for their immorality and thought because he was moral that he was superior to his brothers.
So the picture we get of Joseph and his brothers is that Joseph was a “goody two shoes” whereas his brothers were “hell-raisers.”