Genesis – Chapter 37

Old Testament36 Verses

Chapter Summary

"And Jacob dwelt in the land of Chanaan, wherein his father sojourned." — so begins Genesis 37. The chapter centers on Joseph, Pharaoh and Jacob. Across its 36 verses, two threads run through the text: family and covenant relationships and love and charity. Read slowly, this chapter rewards the kind of prayerful attention the Church calls lectio divina.

1And Jacob dwelt in the land of Chanaan, wherein his father sojourned.

2And these are his generations: Joseph, when he was sixteen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren, being but a boy: and he was with the sons of Bala and of Zelpha his father's wives: and he accused his brethren to his father of a most wicked crime.

3Now Israel loved Joseph above all his sons, because he had him in his old age: and he made him a coat of divers colours.

4And his brethren seeing that he was loved by his father, more than all his sons, hated hem, and could not speak peaceably to him.

5Now it fell out also that he told his brethren a dream, that he had dreamed: which occasioned them to hate him the more.

6And he said to them: Hear my dream which I dreamed.

7I thought we were binding sheaves in the field: and my sheaf arose as it were, and stood, and your sheaves standing about bowed down before my sheaf.

8His brethren answered: Shalt thou be our king? or shall we be subject to thy dominion? Therefore this matter of his dreams and words ministered nourishment to their envy and hatred.

9He dreamed also another dream, which he told his brethren, saying: I saw in a dream, as it were the sun, and the moon, and eleven stars worshipping me.

10And when he had told this to his father, and brethren, his father rebuked him and said: What meaneth this dream that thou hast dreamed? shall I and thy mother, and thy brethren worship thee upon the earth?

11His brethren therefore envied him: but his father considered the thing with himself.

12And when his brethren abode in Sechem, feeding their father's flocks,

13Israel said to him: Thy brethren feed the sheep in Sichem: come, I will send thee to them. And when he answered:

14I am ready: he said to him: Go, and see if all things be well with thy brethren, and the cattle: and bring me word again what is doing. So being sent from the vale of Hebron, he came to Sichem:

15And a man found him there wandering in the field, and asked what he sought.

16But he answered: I seek my brethren, tell me where they feed the flocks.

17And the man said to him: They are departed from this place: for I heard them say: Let us go to Dothain. And Joseph went forward after his brethren, and found them in Dothain.

18And when they saw him afar off, before he came nigh them, they thought to kill him:

19And said one to another: Behold the dreamer cometh.

20Come, let us kill him, and cast him into some old pit: and we will say: Some evil beast hath devoured him: and then it shall appear what his dreams avail him:

21And Ruben hearing this, endeavoured to deliver him out of their hands, and said:

22Do not take away his life, nor shed his blood: but cast him into this pit, that is in the wilderness, and keep your hands harmless: now he said this, being desirous to deliver him out of their hands and to restore him to his father.

23And as soon as he came to his brethren, they forthwith stript him of his outside coat, that was of divers colours:

24And cast him into an old pit where there was not water.

25And sitting down to eat bread, they saw some Ismaelites on their way coming from Galaad, with their camels, carrying spices, and balm, and myrrh to Egypt.

26And Juda said to his brethren: What will it profit us to kill our brother, and conceal his blood?

27It is better that he be sold to the Ismaelites, and that our hands be not defiled: for he is our brother and our flesh. His brethren agreed to his words.

28And when the Madianite merchants passed by, they drew him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ismaelites, for twenty pieces of silver: and they led him into Egypt.

29And Ruben returning to the pit, found not the boy:

30And rending his garments he went to his brethren, and said: The boy doth not appear, and whither shall I go?

31And they took his coat, and dipped it in the blood of a kid, which they had killed:

32Sending some to carry it to their father, and to say: This we have found: see whether it be thy son's coat, or not.

33And the father acknowledging it, said: It is my son's coat, an evil wild beast hath eaten him, a beast hath devoured Joseph.

34And tearing his garments, he put on sackcloth, mourning for his son a long time.

35And all his children being gathered together to comfort their father in his sorrow, he would not receive comfort, but said: I will go down to my son into hell, mourning. And whilst he continued weeping,

36The Madianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Putiphar, an eunuch of Pharao, captain of the soldiers.

Important Verses in Genesis 37

And Jacob dwelt in the land of Chanaan, wherein his father sojourned.

Genesis 37:1

And his brethren seeing that he was loved by his father, more than all his sons, hated hem, and could not speak peaceably to him.

Genesis 37:4

I am ready: he said to him: Go, and see if all things be well with thy brethren, and the cattle: and bring me word again what is doing. So being sent from the vale of Hebron, he came to Sichem:

Genesis 37:14

The Madianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Putiphar, an eunuch of Pharao, captain of the soldiers.

Genesis 37:36

Historical Context

Genesis addresses the people of Israel, to root their identity in God's creation and the covenant with the patriarchs within the broader story of God's covenant people. Chapter 37 of 50 moves toward the climax of the book as earlier promises and conflicts converge. It is a narrative passage recounting concrete events in salvation history with 36 verses in the Douay-Rheims translation. Joseph, Pharaoh and Jacob appear at the center of the events recorded here. The chapter begins: "And Jacob dwelt in the land of Chanaan, wherein his father sojourned." The chapter ends with: "The Madianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Putiphar, an eunuch of Pharao, captain of the soldiers. " The wider setting of Genesis is this: Genesis was composed to give Israel its foundational identity: one God created all things good, sin entered through human choice, and God responded with a plan of salvation beginning with Abraham. Scholarly and ecclesial tradition places the composition of Genesis around Traditions reaching back to the 2nd millennium BC, compiled in final form between the 10th and 5th centuries BC.

Who Wrote It

Traditionally attributed to Moses; Catholic scholarship recognizes the work of inspired editors drawing on ancient oral and written traditions

When It Was Written

Traditions reaching back to the 2nd millennium BC, compiled in final form between the 10th and 5th centuries BC

Catholic Commentary

Read at the narrative level, this chapter describes real persons, decisions, and consequences within creation, covenant, and the patriarchs. A pivotal line is verse 1: "And Jacob dwelt in the land of Chanaan, wherein his father sojourned." The passage repeatedly touches on family and covenant relationships.

Catholic exegesis reads Genesis 37 within the unity of Scripture and Tradition. the Catechism teaches that Genesis reveals God's plan of salvation from the beginning (CIC 54-64). St. Leo the Great and other Fathers of the Church saw in texts like this a preparation for or reflection of Christ, the center of revelation (CIC 1362).

The moral and spiritual import remains timely: The family is the first school of faith, where love, obedience, and forgiveness are learned.. St. Jerome insisted that ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ; this chapter offers material for meditation, examination of conscience, and deeper love of God.

Main Teachings

  • The family is the first school of faith, where love, obedience, and forgiveness are learned.
  • Love of God and love of neighbor sum up the whole law and reveal the very nature of God.
  • Christian hope rests not on circumstances but on the unfailing promises of God.

People in This Chapter

Joseph5 mentionsPharaoh1 mentionJacob1 mention

Reflection for Today

Genesis Chapter 37 introduces Joseph, whose story will dominate the remainder of Genesis. The Catechism sees in Joseph a type of Christ—rejected by his brothers, sold for silver, yet becoming the savior of his family (CIC 312). The Church Fathers extensively developed these parallels, seeing in Joseph's journey from pit to palace an image of Christ's descent and exaltation.

Joseph's dreams of future greatness, while true prophecies, are shared with youthful indiscretion that inflames his brothers' jealousy. Catholic spiritual tradition warns against premature disclosure of spiritual experiences. The Catechism teaches that discernment and prudence must guide how we share what God reveals to us (CIC 2690).

The brothers' hatred, culminating in their plot to kill Joseph and their eventual sale of him into slavery, reveals the destructive power of envy. The Catechism identifies envy as a capital sin that can lead to the gravest crimes (CIC 2539). Yet God's providence transforms this evil into the means of salvation. This chapter teaches us that human malice cannot thwart divine purposes and that God writes straight with crooked lines.

💡Catholic Reflection • Church Teachings

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Genesis Chapter 37 about?

Genesis 37 contains 36 verses. It opens with "And Jacob dwelt in the land of Chanaan, wherein his father sojourned." and closes with "The Madianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Putiphar, an eunuch of Pharao, captain of the soldiers. ". The book as a whole is narrative with genealogies and covenant accounts.

What is a key verse in Genesis 37?

One of the most significant verses is verse 1: "And Jacob dwelt in the land of Chanaan, wherein his father sojourned." It is often cited in Catholic teaching and preaching.

Who appears in Genesis Chapter 37?

This chapter mentions Joseph, Pharaoh, Jacob.

Who wrote Genesis and when?

Traditionally attributed to Moses; Catholic scholarship recognizes the work of inspired editors drawing on ancient oral and written traditions. Traditions reaching back to the 2nd millennium BC, compiled in final form between the 10th and 5th centuries BC.

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