Workers For Jesus Online Bible Study--Genesis 37

About this Bible Study........The King James Version of the Bible is written in a beautiful form of the English language. It can be hard for modern English readers to understand. In this study, you will find notes and summaries in brown just above the the verses from the Bible. We recommend that you read the notes and summaries first, and then read the verses in their KJV form.

The book of Genesis was written by Moses. It is divided into three main parts. 1) God creates the universe and the first man and woman 2)God destroys the earth with a flood but saves Noah, his family, and the animals 3)God chooses Abraham and his descendants to be a great nation.

Genesis 37-40
Joseph is sold to be a slave
Joseph is taken to Egypt
Joseph interprets dreams

When Joseph was 17, he was working to take care of the animals with his brothers. His brothers did something wrong, and Joseph told his father, Jacob, about them.
[1] And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.
[2] These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.

Jacob loved Joseph more than his other sons. He made him a special colorful coat - a coat of many colors. Joseph's brothers were jealous of Joseph. When they saw his new coat, they hated him very much.
[3] Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.
[4] And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.

Joseph had a dream one night. He dreamed that he and his brothers were working in the field. They were tying sheaves of wheat (stalks of wheat). The stalk that Joseph was working on stood up. The stalks that his brothers were working on bowed down to Joseph's stalk.
[5] And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.
[6] And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:
[7] For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.
[8] And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.

Joseph dreamed another dream. In his 2nd dream, the sun, moon, and stars bowed down to him.
[9] And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.

Joseph's family was not happy with what he said about his dreams. His brothers were mad because they felt they were like the stalks of wheat in the first dream. They felt that Joseph was trying to tell them that he was better than they were. His father wasn't happy about Joseph's second dream. He felt that it was a symbol that he and all of his family would bow down to Joseph. Jacob kept Joseph's dream in mind and did not forget it.
[10] And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?
[11] And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.

Joseph's brothers were watching the animals in another area away from their home. Jacob asked Joseph to go and check on them.
[12] And his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem.
[13] And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I.
[14] And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

Joseph couldn't find them so he asked a man about them. The man said they had moved the animals to Dothan.
[15] And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?
[16] And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks.
[17] And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan.

In Dothan, the brothers saw Joseph coming toward them. Some of the brothers wanted to kill him.
[18] And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.
[19] And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.
[20] Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.

Reuben said that they would not kill him. His idea was to put Joseph in a pit (a deep hole in the ground). Then they would lie and tell Jacob that a wild animal ate him.
[21] And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him.
[22] And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.

When Joseph arrived, they took his coat of many colors and threw him into the pit.
[23] And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him;
[24] And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.

"Joseph Sold to the Ishmaelites"
Hippolyte Flandrin
From the Christian Theological Seminary web site.

After they put Joseph in the hole, they sat down to eat. Reuben went away for a little while. The other brothers noticed some men coming toward them. The men were Ishmaelites ( descendents from Ishmael) who were traveling to Egypt to sell things. One of the brothers, Judah, had an idea to sell Joseph to the travelers. Then Joseph would be a slave. The travelers paid the brothers 20 shekels (coins) of silver. The travelers took Joseph to Egypt.
[25] And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.
[26] And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?
[27] Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.
[28] Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.

Reuben had been away from the group when the brothers sold Joseph. When he cam back, he saw that Joseph was not in the pit. He was very upset. He tore his clothes. Tearing clothes was a way to show extreme grief and sadness. He didn't know what to do next.
[29] And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.
[30] And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?

The brothers killed a goat. Then they took Joseph's coat and dipped it in the blood of the goat. They took the coat home to Jacob. When Jacob saw the coat, he knew it was Joseph's coat. He felt that a wild animal had attacked and eaten Joseph.
[31] And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;
[32] And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son's coat or no.
[33] And he knew it, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.

Jacob tore his clothes because he was so upset. He also put on sackcloth. Sackcloth was a rough cloth that people wore when they were mourning for someone who had died.
[34] And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.

His family tried to comfort him, but Jacob said he would always mourn Joseph until he died himself.
[35] And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.

The people who bought Joseph took him to Egypt. In Egypt, they sold him to a man named Potiphar. Potiphar worked for Pharoah, who was the leader or king of Egypt.
[36] And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard.

Genesis 38

Judah and Tamar

One of Jacob's other sons, Judah, moved away and got married. His wife's name was Shua, and she was a Canaanite (a woman from Canaan). Judah had 3 sons - Er, Onan, and Shelah.
[1] And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.
[2] And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her.
[3] And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er.
[4] And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan.
[5] And she yet again conceived, and bare a son; and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bare him.

When Judah's son, Er, grew up, Judah arranged for Er to marry a woman named Tamar.
[6] And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar.

Er was a bad man, and the Lord killed him. In this time, if a man died and had no children, his brother was supposed to marry his brother's wife (widow). The children of the widow and the 2nd brother would be the heirs (get the valuable things) of the first brother. Because Er had died without having children, Judah asked Onan to marry Er's widow.
[7] And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him.
[8] And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.

Onan did not obey Judah, so God killed him, too.
[9] And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother.
[10] And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also.

Tamar, Er's widow, still had no children. Judah told her to go live with her father until his third son Shelah was old enough to marry her. So, Tamar went to live with her father.
[11] Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father's house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father's house.

Some years passed, and Judah's wife died. Judah then went to the area of Timnah where men were shearing sheep (cutting the wool off the sheep).
[12] And in process of time the daughter of Shuah Judah's wife died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheepshearers to Timnath, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.

Someone told Tamar that Judah was going to Timnah. Tamar was not happy because Shelah (Judah's 3rd son) was grown now, and he did not marry her. So, she had another plan. This plan was bad. She took off her widow's clothes. She put on clothes that made her look like a prostitute. She went to Timnah and sat in a place where she knew Judah would see her.
[13] And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father in law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep.
[14] And she put her widow's garments off from her, and covered her with a vail, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which is by the way to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife.

When Judah saw her, he did not recognize her. He thought she was a prostitute. He wanted to pay her to have sexual relations with him. He said he would send her a goat later for payment.
[15] When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face.
[16] And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee; (for he knew not that she was his daughter in law.) And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me?
[17] And he said, I will send thee a kid from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it?

Tamar asked Judah to promise to pay her. She asked him to leave his signet, cord, and staff (walking stick). The signet and cord were like a necklace that important men wore at that time in history.
[18] And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that is in thine hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.
[19] And she arose, and went away, and laid by her vail from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.

When it was time to pay Tamar, Judah could not find her. He asked everyone if they knew where the prostitute had gone. But no one had seen her or knew anything about her.
[20] And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman's hand: but he found her not.
[21] Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where is the harlot, that was openly by the way side? And they said, There was no harlot in this place.
[22] And he returned to Judah, and said, I cannot find her; and also the men of the place said, that there was no harlot in this place.
[23] And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.

Three months later, Tamar told people she was pregnant. Judah was angry because she was the widow of his son. He ordered that Tamar should be killed. When Tamar came to Judah, she showed him his signet, cord, and staff. Then Judah knew what happened. He had been tricked, and he was the father of Tamar's baby.
[24] And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.
[25] When she was brought forth, she sent to her father in law, saying, By the man, whose these are, am I with child: and she said, Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff.

Judah said that Tamar would not be killed. He said that he should have kept his promise to have Shelah marry Tamar.
[26] And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more.

Tamar had twins. When the 1st twin was being born, his hand came out first. The woman helping Tamar put a red string around the 1st baby's wrist. But the 2nd baby pushed ahead and was born first. The 1st baby with the string around his wrist was born second. The 1st baby was named Zerah. The 2nd baby was named Pharez.
[27] And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb.
[28] And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first,
[29] And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How hast thou broken forth? this breach be upon thee: therefore his name was called Pharez.
[30] And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zarah.

Joseph in Egypt

Joseph was bought by Potiphar who worked for Pharoah, the leader of Egypt. Joseph was blessed by God, and Potiphar was very happy with Joseph. Potiphar trusted Joseph very much. He put Joseph in charge over his house. He gave Joseph much authority (in control of the house). Potiphar didn't feel he needed to check on anything.
[1] And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither.
[2] And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
[3] And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.
[4] And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.
[5] And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.
[6] And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured.

Joseph was a handsome, good-looking man. Potiphar's wife wanted to have sexual relations with him. Joseph said no. He told her that Potiphar trusted him.
[7] And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.
[8] But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand;
[9] There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?

"Joseph and Potiphar's Wife"
Water color Bible illustrations were done in Bogota, Colombia for the Communicating Christ video course. They were later scanned by Publications for Latin America, WELS.
From From http://www.wels.net/wmc/html/clip_art_--_volume_2__part_a.html

Potiphar's wife continued to ask Joseph the same question. Joseph continued to tell her no. One day, she grabbed his clothes. He ran away, but she held onto his clothes.
[10] And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.
[11] And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there within.
[12] And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.
[13] And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth,

She called the other men who worked in the house and told them that Joseph had tried to rape her. When Potiphar came home, she told him the same thing.
[14] That she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in an Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice:
[15] And it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled, and got him out.
[16] And she laid up his garment by her, until his lord came home.
[17] And she spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me:
[18] And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out.

Potiphar believed his wife, and he was very angry. He sent Joseph to jail.
[19] And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled.
[20] And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.

The Lord was with Joseph in jail. He made the supervisor of the jail treat him well. The supervisor of the jail trusted Joseph and put him in charge of other prisoners. The supervisor trusted him so much that he did not watch him.
[21] But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
[22] And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.
[23] The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper.

Genesis 40

Joseph interprets dreams

Pharoah, the king of Egypt had many servants (people who worked for him). One time his butler and his baker did something Pharoah did not like. He sent them both to jail. In jail, Joseph was in charge of them.
[1] And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had offended their lord the king of Egypt.
[2] And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers.
[3] And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound.
[4] And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them: and they continued a season in ward.

One morning, Joseph noticed that the butler and the baker were sad. He asked them why. They said that they had dreams but they didn't understand their dreams. They needed someone to interpret them and tell them the meaning of the dreams. In Egypt at that time in history, people thought that dreams told the future.
[5] And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, which were bound in the prison.
[6] And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad.
[7] And he asked Pharaoh's officers that were with him in the ward of his lord's house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to day?

Joseph told them that interpreting dreams was for God to do. But he asked them to tell him their dreams.
[8] And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you.

This was the butler's dream: he dreamed that he saw a grape vine. The grape vine had 3 branches. He saw many blossoms, then many grapes. He took Pharoah's cup, and he squeezed grape juice into Pharoah's cup. Then he gave the cup to Pharoah.
[9] And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me;
[10] And in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes:
[11] And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand: and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand.

Artist: Friedrich Wilhelm Schadow, 1816
Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin
From Wikipedia.com

Joseph interpreted the butler's dream. He said that the 3 branches are 3 days. He said that in 3 days, Pharoah would take the butler back to his old job. Joseph asked the butler to remember him after he went back to Pharoah. He told the butler how he was sent to Egypt and that he was innocent. He wanted the butler to help him get out of jail.
[12] And Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: The three branches are three days:
[13] Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place: and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler.
[14] But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house:
[15] For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.

The baker had a dream, too, He dreamed that there were 3 white baskets on his head. In the top basket, there were many kinds of baked items. The birds ate out of the top basket.
[16] When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold, I had three white baskets on my head:
[17] And in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head.

Joseph interpreted the baker's dream. He said the three baskets were 3 days. He said that in 3 days, Pharoah would cut off his head, and the birds would eat his skin.
[18] And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three days:
[19] Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee.

Three days later, it was Pharoah's birthday. Pharoah brought the butler back to his old job. But Pharoah hanged the baker.
[20] And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants.
[21] And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand:
[22] But he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them.

Joseph had asked the butler to remember him. But the butler forgot and did not tell Pharoah about him.
[23] Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.