Free Bible Commentary
“Genesis 37:18-24”
Categories: Genesis“When they saw him from a distance and before he came close to them, they plotted against him to put him to death. They said to one another, 'Here comes this dreamer! Now then, come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say, “A wild beast devoured him.” Then let us see what will become of his dreams!' But Reuben heard this and rescued him out of their hands and said, 'Let us not take his life.' Reuben further said to them, 'Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay hands on him'—that he might rescue him out of their hands, to restore him to his father. So it came about, when Joseph reached his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the varicolored tunic that was on him; and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, without any water in it.”
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“They plotted against him to put him to death.” (verse 18) Just the mere sight of Joseph was enough to provoke murderous intent within the deranged hearts and minds of some if not most of the sons of Israel. These men were so inundated with sheer hatred and madness that they plotted together to murder their little brother! We see this theme repeated within in the pages of Genesis with individuals from Cain and Abel to Jacob and Esau, and now with a mob of brothers whose hearts were bent on taking away a life that only God could bestow, and the life of their own flesh and blood at that. Often we despair of the fact that human life has been devalued in our lifetime, as if that were some new phenomenon. While senseless murder is always disturbing and hard to understand, it is certainly not anything new.
“They said to one another, 'Here comes this dreamer!” (verse 19) “Literally, 'master of dreams'—a bitterly ironical sneer. Dreams being considered suggestions from above, to make false pretensions to having received one was detested as a species of blasphemy, and in this light Joseph was regarded by his brethren as an artful pretender.” (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary) To many of Israel's children, Joseph was not considered a beloved brother but a ridiculous dreamer. Yet this was a true indication of the condition of their hearts and not a testimony of poor judgment on Joseph's part for revealing his dreams and reporting them to his father. As was the case with Cain killing Abel, so was the situation with their desire to murder Joseph: “And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous” (1 John 3:12).
“Come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say, 'A wild beast devoured him.'” (verse 20) Of course, the best way to try to cover up a cold-blooded murder is with a bold-faced lie. Far away from the watchful eye of their father, these jealous plotters thought they had free reign to extinguish the life light of his favorite son, and callously cast his lifeless corpse into an open pit. “These would be cisterns hewn out of rock intended for gathering and storing water in the rainy season. Large numbers of such cisterns have been found in excavations all over the Land of Israel... Murderers seem to have deliberately slaughtered their victims near such pits in order to dispose of the corpses there. One has only to bear in mind that lack of proper burial was considered to be the supreme dishonor in order to imagine something of the frenzied intensity of the brothers' hatred for Joseph. His wearing of the special tunic at the time probably was an added provocation.” (Nahum Sarna)
“Then let us see what will become of his dreams!” (verse 20) Joseph's dreams depicted their bowing down to him in subservience and veneration, and that thought was just too much for these men, who were just as much consumed by pride as by murderous rage and jealousy, to bear. It only made sense to them that the death of the dreamer would utterly thwart the fulfillment of the dreams.
“But Reuben heard this and rescued him out of their hands and said, 'Let us not take his life.'” (verse 21) “God can raise up friends for his people, even among their enemies. Reuben, of all the brothers, had most reason to be jealous of Joseph; for he was the firstborn, and so entitled to those distinguishing favours which Jacob was conferring on Joseph; yet he proves his best friend.” (Benson Commentary) “The approach of Joseph galvanizes Reuben into action. On an earlier occasion he had impetuously asserted his rights as the first-born by taking his father's concubine (35:22); now he desperately asserts the authority that belongs to that status. He being under a cloud sharpened his sensitivity to the fact that he would surely bear the main share of blame for any misfortune. Perhaps he also hoped to regain his father's favor. There is no need, however, to question Reuben's sincerity. Still troubled by his failure to save Joseph (42:22), he is willing to go to extreme lengths in order to convince his father to let him be the protector of Benjamin (42:37).” (Nahum Sarna)
“Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay hands on him.” (verse 22) “Reuben’s warning is that there should be no bloodshed, as if murder without bloodshed would be a less evil. His proposal is that Joseph should be thrown into a cistern or tank...and that he should be left there to perish, Reuben intending himself to deliver him. Reuben is not brave enough to oppose his brothers; but hopes to outwit them. He appeals to the horror of bloodshed. Blood cries out against the murderer...Genesis 4:11.” (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges)
“They stripped Joseph of his tunic...” (verse 23) “Imagine him advancing in all the unsuspecting openness of brotherly affection. How astonished and terrified must he have been at the cold reception, the ferocious aspect, the rough usage of his unnatural assailants! A vivid picture of his state of agony and despair was afterwards drawn by themselves (compare Ge 42:21).” (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary) “And they took him and threw him into the pit.” (verse 24) Savagely. Mercilessly. Heartlessly. Fully intending to leave him there to die. But the Lord was with Joseph and protected and saved him.
Please read Genesis 37:25-28 for tomorrow.
Have a blessed Lord's Day!
-Louie Taylor
